Common Mistakes in Spoken English & How to Avoid Them

The Role of Spoken English in the Communication Process It may be for personal development, professional growth, or just plain socialisation, fluent spoken English is something that many, if not most, people desire. But some mistakes can prevent your advancement or make your messaging less effective. In this blog we are going to discuss the common spoken English mistakes and we are going to give you 15 tips to not make those mistakes.

1. Mispronunciation: Mispronunciation is one of the most common mistakes made in spoken English. Learners are confused if a sound doesn’t exist in their language, leading to the opposite meaning and miscommunication.

How to Avoid It:

• Listen to how the natives say it, through podcasts, movies, and YouTube video.
• Use pronunciation tools, Google Pronounce or ELSA Speak apps.
• What you also have to do is break the words into syllables and practice them slowly and then faster.

2. Usage of Articles (A, An, The): They use articles incorrectly, which makes a sentence grammatically wrong. Such as: // I saw a elephant instead of I saw an elephant.

How to Avoid It:

• Use “a” before words starting with consonant sounds (a book, a university).
• Do not use an before words that start with a consonant sound (a ball, a button).
• Certain nouns take “the” (the moon, the Taj Mahal).

3. Subject-Verb Agreement Errors: This happens when the subject and verb are not matching in number. As an example, “She go to school every day” must become “She goes to school every day.”

How to Avoid It:

• Train on data until October 2023
• When the subject is singular (He eats, She writes), use “s” or ”es” with verbs.
• Pay attention to irregular verbs (He has, They have).

4. Too Many Fillers (Umm, Like, You Know): Most people have filler words for when they don’t know how to continue. It is normal to have fillers every now and then, but excessive fillers can dilute communication.

How to Avoid It:

• Instead of fillers, practise pausing.
• Be mindful of your words and cut the small talk.
• Learn more words so you can articulate thoughts better.

5. Using the Wrong Prepositions: Prepositions (such as “in,” “on,” “at,” and “for”) are commonly confused. For instance: using the phrases, like “I am good in English” instead of ”I am good at English.”

How to Avoid It:

• Memorize frequent combinations with prepositions (good at, interested in, depend on).
• Actively read and listen to English content so you can see prepositions in context.
• Exercises on Prepositions — Practice with Exercises

6. Interference from direct translation from the native language:

Most English learners translate from their mother tongue to English in their heads and get awkward phrasings. That is, you say, “She has 20 years, ” not “She is 20 years old.”

How to Avoid It:

• To say sentences like you should, you need to start thinking in English.
• Do not translate word for word; learn phrases and expressions.
• So, if you have time please Practice Spoken English with Native Speakers/Languages Partners.

7. Incorrect Use of Tenses: Common mistake includes mixing up tenses of past, present and future. For example: “I go to the market yesterday” needs to become “I went to the market yesterday.”

How to Avoid It:

• Find out about the primary tenses and what they are used for.
• Narrate past events, present actions, and future plans to practice speaking in different tenses.
• For exercises, take advantage of online tools and grammar apps.

8. Speaking Too Fast or Too Slow: It is difficult to understand. Some learners speak with the speed and clarity of the great masters, while they are nervous and their patient target is not so much. Others talk slowly, ruining the rhythm of the conversation.

How to Avoid It:

• The next time you have time on your hands, record yourself speaking, then listen to the playback and analyze your speed.
• Practice with native speakers or Utilize: It will help you to maintain a natural pace.
• It is better to be clear than to be fast.

9. Lack of Confidence: The fear of making mistakes sometimes stops learners from speaking fluently.

How to Avoid It:

• Try to speak as much as possible, practice makes perfect.
• Partake in English-speaking groups or online forums.
• Accept that failure is part of the learning process.

10. When You Rely on Slang in Serious Contexts: It does not create a good impression when one uses these kinds of phrases in professional surroundings. For instance, “Yo bro, how are you? in an interview is awkward at the best of times.

How to Avoid It:

• Formal or informal English — which one do we need?
• Such as in business or academic situations.
• Objectives Use language related to formal speech and business conversation.

Final Thoughts

Meaning, you need to constantly practice and avoid mistakes to speak fluent English. If you use it to learn pronounce, grammar and vocabulary with confidence, you will develop significantly your communication skill. The key to mastering spoken English is to practice daily, listen actively, and embrace learning from mistakes.

If you habitually use these tips, you will soon be on the road to speaking English fluently. Happy learning!