English Tips

English Tips provides helpful information and editing essentials for English as a Second Language students.

Often English as a Second Language learners tend to translate sentences using the same words they use in our native tongue. It is simpler to speak another language if they can translate it word-for-word in their mind. But using this process causes errors in writing. Sentences do not translate seamlessly from one language to the next.

For example, if you translate the English sentence, I want to go to school, into French, Je veux aller a l'ecole, the word-for-word translation is as follows: I want to go to the school. The definite article "the" is not used in English. Although it is used more widely in French sentences, translating in this manner can cause needless errors in English writing.

Let's look at one more example before we continue to discuss how to best minimize ESL writing errors. The following question, Tu as fait marcher la machine, translates word-for-word from French to English as follows: You made work the machine, which is, of course, incorrect English. Examples of this nature are plentiful.

So how do we avoid these common ESL errors? Learning a language's sentence structure is the first step. How are sentences formed in the language you are writing? For example, in English, almost all sentences have a subject and a predicate, and a noun and a verb. In other languages, this is not the case. A subject or noun in the sentence is not always required. So knowing sentence structure rules in English is one of the keys to minimizing ESL writing errors.

Sentence order is the next important key. In other languages, the verb may come before the subject. In English, the noun almost always comes first. Examining sentence order in English can help reduce ESL writing errors.

Another area of difficulty English as second language learners have is using the infinitive. In English, the infinitive is two words, to + verb. In French, it is only one word. ESL writers often omit the word "to" when writing the infinitive if their native tongue only has a one-word infinitive.

Use of the definite or indefinite articles "the, a, or an" are also often omitted if an individual's native tongue uses them rarely, or used too frequently if the language of origin uses them regularly.

Each language has to be learned individually. Translating from one language to another as we write our document can create unnecessary errors. Knowing the distinction of each language and comparing its difference with the language we speak can help eliminate errors.

Here are some grammar rules your editor will look for when correcting your manuscript: correct punctuation, parallel construction, comma splice, passive verbs, dangling modifier, and subject-verb agreement. Here is some more English grammar help. and an editing checklist.