The Role of Error Analysis While Teaching English as a Foreign Language

  • Sumeet Brar

Abstract

Errors play an essential role in the learning process. Regulated study of errors can help the learning process of any target language. Errors provide apposite feedback to the teacher and help the purpose of appraising the learners knowledge of the language. By describing and classifying their errors in linguistic terms the teacher gets to know about the threshold knowledge of the concepts and can plan teaching accordingly. Error analysis proves very constructive for a teacher as a study of intralingual errors leads the teacher to reconsider teaching material/technique and the language learning assumptions that underlie them. Errors serve the purpose of indicating the progress of learning. They are analytic as well as predictive.An awareness of recurrent errors, a comprehension of the breach of the rules or wrong use of specific grammar rules offers the teachers a tool for helping students deal with language and usage problems. Then it becomes possible to make students aware of their specific errors and take targeted remedial action. This helps English language teachers in developing a more sensitized approach to the difficulties faced by such students regarding grammar.

Published
2019-11-15
Section
Articles