written by Lilian Ndongmo. ESL Teacher

If you learn anything at all from this blog or from me (if I am or was your teacher), it is this: there are some errors that you should avoid making.

It’s pretty OK to make errors, don’t get me wrong. When you start learning a new skill or language, you’re bound to make lots of mistakes. This is perfectly normal and easily forgivable.  However, as an intermediate or advanced learner, some of your errors could land you in a very uncomfortable and downright embarrassing situation.

I strongly suggest you do your best to get rid of the following five (5) errors once and for all.

Error # 1: I ate a delicious chocolate desert prepared by my friend’s mother yesterday.

How scrumptious your desert must have been!  Congratulations! You chowed down mouthfuls of sand and you’re so thrilled!

Correction: Replace “desert” with “dessert”.

A desert is a large area of land mostly covered my sand.

A dessert is sweet or savoury dish usually served at the end of a meal, such as ice cream, fruit salad, etc.

Note the difference in spelling and pronunciation of the two words.

Error # 2: The gym is not far from my house. I go there by walking.

Correction: The gym is not far from my house. I go there on foot.

Note: When you travel to a place using your legs and feet, please always use “on foot” and never “by walking” or “by foot”.

Error # 3: I go to home at 5 PM.

Correction:  I go home at 5 PM.

The expression is “go home”. Never put the preposition “to” before “home”.

Error # 4: Second of all, the problem was not resolved.

Correction:  “Second of all” does not exist in the English language.  “First of all” is correct. To continue the sequence, please use “secondly”.

Error # 5: To make a carrot cake, I must rape the carrot first.

Correction: This kind of error is very common with native French speakers. You want to say “… I must grate the carrot first.”

Look up the word “rape” in an English dictionary, then associate the meaning with your sentence. I leave the rest to your imagination.

Is it important for you to polish your English and keep it error-free? Please do not take offense when your teachers correct you. We do so because WE CARE.

Have a great week.