The 5 Most Common English Mistakes

Why do we make mistakes?

There’s a perception about the English language: it’s tough! However, I don’t think that’s true. English is no more difficult than other European languages, and in many cases is actually far simpler. So why then is it that there are so many common mistakes made by Thai people when speaking English? I think there are three main causes:

1. Translating Thai grammar directly to English.
2. Trying to use the Thai alphabet to pronounce English words.
3. Copying what others have said, and assuming it's correct!

1. "I used to go to Japan"

The mistake: Using ‘used to’ instead of present perfect tense to talk about past experiences.
The origin: Trying to translate “เคย /kəəi/” to English, but mistranslating.
The explanation: Let’s start by understanding what ‘used to’ really means in English, before explaining what the correct form should be. When you say that you ‘used to’ to do something in English, it is considered a past routine or habit. Think about when you were a child. Perhaps you ‘used to ride your bike after school’, ‘used to have a dog’, or ‘used to travel every summer.’. These are activities not just done once or twice, but were repeated often or were permanently true (states). Importantly, they are no longer true!
If something was done just once, such as a trip to Japan, or trying a rare dish, we should not use ‘used to’. Instead, present perfect tense is the right choice. Don’t say “I used to go to Japan.”, say “I have been to Japan.”. Don’t say “I used to try foie gras.”, say “I have tried foie gras.”.
Present perfect (subject + have/has + past participle) is the best choice when talking about your life experiences!

2. /ch/ vs. /sh/ phonics

The mistake: The shorter and more punchy /ch/ sound is difficult for many Thai speakers to make.
The origin: The /ch/ sound is not exactly present in Thai, so speakers try to choose a similar sound instead.
The explanation: There’s no misunderstanding here about the sound, it’s just difficult for non-native speakers to make. It is important, however. Say the following pairs of words, and see if they sound the same or different coming out of your mouth: choose/shoes, chip/ship, cheese/she’s. Were you able to make them sound different? If so, well done! If not, maybe I can help.
The /ch/ sound is shorter, and a bit stronger than the /sh/ sound. To make the correct /ch/ sound, make the tip of your tongue touch the roof of your mouth, right behind your top teeth. Then, while keeping it there, try to say “ch” a few times. Once you feel the initial “ch” sound is correct, start putting it into words. Try to say “chip”, “chop” and “shoes”.
Generally, the /sh/ sound is pretty easy for Thai speakers. It is a longer sound, and the tongue stays at the bottom of your mouth. Try making some “shhhh” sounds, before saying “ship”, “chop” and “choose”.

3. Are you "nervous" or "excited"?

The mistake: Using the word ‘excited’ when in fact it is a feeling of slight fear, or nervousness.
The origin: This seems to be past on from one Thai person to another, without any correcting.
The explanation: I think this is probably an easy one to fix; no need to get technical! Both ‘nervous’ and ‘excited’ are adjectives used to describe a feeling of high energy. However, excited is a feeling of high positive energy, while nervous is a feeling of high negative energy. Let’s look at some examples:

• “I can’t wait for my birthday party. I’m so excited!”
• “I haven’t studied enough. I’m really nervous for the exam.”
• “Are you excited to go on holiday?”
• “Are you nervous about visiting the dentist?”

4. “Play phone” and “close the light” (verb-noun collocations)

The mistake: Picking an inappropriate verb to go with a noun.
The origin: Using the verb used in Thai, instead of the verb used in English.
The explanation: A few definitions first, before going into the explanation. First, what is a noun? A noun is a person, a place or a thing. What about a verb? A verb is a doing or action word, such as play, dance, or sing. Finally, what’s a collocation? A collocation is when words are very often placed together to make things sound more natural, and as a native speaker would say.
In Thai, you may “play” your phone (เล่นโทรศัพท์), but we normally use the verb ‘use’ in English. For example, “I use my phone every day on the way to work.” or “Can you stop using your phones during the meeting, please?”.
How about the lights in a room, or the air conditioning? Do you “close” them, like a book? Not in English. In English, for most electronics, we use the phrasal verb “turn off”. For instance, “Please turn off the air conditioning, it’s too cold in here.”
There are far too many examples to go through here, but just be cautious; just because you use a specific verb in Thai, does NOT mean you can use the same verb in English!

5. I’m "bored" of being "boring" (-ed and -ing adjectives).

The mistake: Lack of awareness that the different endings change the meaning of the adjective.
The origin: This seems to be past on from one Thai person to another, without any correcting.
The explanation: Bored or boring? Interested or interesting? Terrified or terrifying? They are all adjectives, but how are they different? The explanation is quite simple.
Look at the picture, and think about what’s happening. The monster is chasing the man, right? How do you think the man feels? And what causes that feeling? I think the man is terrified, because the monster is terrifying. The adjective describing the feeling ends with -ed, the adjective describing what causes the feeling ends with -ing.
Try it for yourself. Think of sentences using the following pairs: bored/boring, interested/interesting, worried/worrying.
Please note: sometimes the adjective ending -ing looks the same as a verb in -ing form. They aren’t the same, grammatically! “boring” can be both and adjective and a verb in present participle form!

What can you do to avoid making these mistakes?

That wraps up the 5 most common mistakes Thai people make when speaking English. But don’t worry if you make any of these mistakes, or others. There are plenty of things you can do to avoid those in the future. The good news is you have already made the first step: being mindful. Being aware of when you make a mistake, and being open to corrections and changes is important. Progress takes time, and is made up of lots of small improvements, and not a few big ones.
The next thing you can do is to work with a tutor. Qualified and experienced native English teachers will pick up on these mistakes instantly, and provide you with corrections and lots of practice. The fastest way to improve your English skills is to work one-on-one with a great English teacher!