Error identification and correction play an important role not only in language learning but in all areas of life.
English Errors ... made in Italy will enable you to identify and discover the origin of over 200 English errors made by Italian speakers of English. There is a test your errors section at the beginning of the book with the most frequent errors made by Italian learners of English.
First of all, why do errors occur?
Interference from the learner's native language - in this case Italian.
Insufficient knowledge of the target language - in this case English.
Which errors have the highest frequency?
The incorrect usage and omission of the definite article "the" and the indefinite articles "a" and "an".
When learning English these are the grammatical parts which prove to be the most difficult. Incorrect use impedes proficiency development.
Pattern assimilation from Italian to English is also a major obstruction to accuracy in English.
There is also a high occurrence of the incorrect use and omission of prepositions and auxiliary verbs.
Errors with the wrong verb collocation such as "fare una fotografia" being translated as "make a photo" as opposed to "take a photograph". These errors lead to misunderstandings as "make a photograph" would imply "create" with one's own hands. Collocations play an important role in the English language. Many students lack the ability to form the correct verb + noun collocational sets therefore jeopardizing English accuracy.
High frequency errors also include the use of double subjects as in - "my sister she works in an office."
The worst possible error when speaking or writing English is when the subject and verb are in disagreement as in the case of "my brother work in London" - as opposed to "my brother works in London". This error is deemed "unforgivable" and is extremely painful to the English ear.
Other errors include the use of the wrong tenses - "I have phoned him yesterday" as opposed to "I phoned him yesterday." This is a common error due to mother tongue interference - it's a direct translation from Italian.
Are you continuing to say "enough big" instead of "big enough", or "too much expensive" instead of "too expensive"? If so then this book can clarify why and put an end to the many doubts you may have.
About the author
Jacqueline Melvin has been dealing with "error correction" for years with Italian students. Most of the time the same mistakes are repeated over and over again due to the fact that the student has been saying the wrong thing for so long that it has now begun so sound right; that is why It is better to nip the error in the bud right from the word go.