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ERROR
CORRECTION |
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Effective 2010 the
"Error Correction" activity has been removed and
replaced with "Key Word Transformation". However,
considering it is an important activity to demonstrate
your language skills, we decided to keep the "Error
Correction" activities in our course. The "Key Word
Transformation" exercise has only changed its
denomination; it is similar to the previous "Rewriting
Sentences" activity. |
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The ability to notice and then correct your own mistakes in written English is a
valuable skill. You can use this skill in Part 4 of the Use of English paper,
which is an error correction exercise. |
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In this exercise you are given a text
which has some grammatical mistakes in it. Some of the lines in the text are
correct, but some have a word which should not be there. Your task is to find
the words which should not be there. When you cross them out the lines become
correct. |
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For example, one of these lines below is correct and the other is not.
Let us study both of them: |
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0 |
When I have finished school in Germany last year I did not know |
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00 |
what to do
next. I wanted to travel, but for that you need money. |
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The incorrect word in line 0 is have because we use the past simple tense, not
the present perfect, with the time adverb last year. But line 00 is correct,
though. |
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FINDING
INCORRECT WORDS |
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Remember these tips about finding the incorrect words in the text: |
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1. |
Some lines are COMPLETELY correct. |
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2. |
There is no more than ONE incorrect word in each line. |
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3. |
Do not cross out any CORRECT words, even if the line still makes sense without
them. |
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A MODEL
ACTIVITY |
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And now let us find the incorrect words in the rest of the text
(correct lines are in blue type): |
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1 |
That means having a job, and without a university degree it is |
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2 |
difficult to get at a good one of those. My parents agreed I |
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3 |
could put it off making a decision about a university course for |
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4 |
a year. Then a family in London
had invited me to live with them, |
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5 |
help look after the children and do a little
of housework in |
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6 |
return for some pocket money. I
will have lived with this family |
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7 |
for five months now. My main job is to meet the three children |
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8 |
from school, give to
them their supper and help them with their |
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9 |
homework until whenever their parents come home at about six. |
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10 |
Sometimes I must to stay in with the children in the evening, |
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11 |
too. I go to the English classes three times a week, and at |
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12 |
weekends I visit different parts of Britain. Although my parents |
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13 |
are too happy that I am studying a foreign language while I enjoy |
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14 |
myself this chance to see more of the world, they keep asking me |
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15 |
what do I want to study at university. I cannot make up my mind!!
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TYPICAL
ERRORS |
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The errors in this exercise are of the same kind that students of English make.
So when you do this type of exercise, look for mistakes with: |
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a) |
Verb forms,
especially the present perfect, past perfect, future and passive forms (for
example, lines 0, 4 and 6 above). |
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b) |
Modal verbs (for example, line 10). |
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c) |
Reported questions (for example, line
15).
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d) |
Words like 'the', 'a', 'a few' (for
example, lines 5 and 11). |
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e) |
Words like 'so', 'such', 'more', 'most',
'too', 'very' (for example, line 13). |
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f) |
Prepositions (for example, lines 2 and 8). |
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g) |
Conjunctions (for example, line 9).
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h) |
Pronouns (for example, line 3). |
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i) |
Words which often go together, but
shouldn't in this particular sentence
(for example, line 14). |
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In this lesson you will practise
another Error Correction activity. |
