ESL Blogs

Hello everyone. 

Last month I decided to make a blog entry and i read all the responses I got. I was a bit too much concern about people saying that they make mistakes and they said that they want to avoid making them. I have reflected on that, and I have draw the conclusion that mistakes make part of the learning process and if you don't make any mistakes, you are probably not learning because you are not taking challenges or you're over thinking a lot about the rules.

First at all, I'd like to comment that even native speakers make mistakes. My first language is Spanish and of course I speak it with confidence and I have a great command of it. However, I mispronounce a word or the words that I use are not the most appropriated or they don't agree. Sometimes, other people say Carlos you need to speak properly or what did you say then I think, yes I made a mistake and I am speaking Spanish, what do I have to speak perfect, free mistakes English. Therefore, I know that native speakers of English also make mistakes. For instance, the Beatles in one of their songs said "She don't care" and this happens in English (American or British) a lot.

Second, I remember myself learning English  and I wanted to speak perfectly, then I realize (realise) that being understood is the most important issue in the communication process. So, of course you need to be accurate and fluent but there are certain mistakes that don't affect the process of communication. Let's take as an example the following expression "who care, I agree with you".  If the other person listens to this he or she will understand the message, don't you think so?

Finally, when you make a mistake you are having a great opportunity for learning. If somebody listens or reads your mistake we can correct and you notice you have committed. Also, when your making mistakes is because you are processing the information and your are speaking or writing with your own ideas, with the vocabulary you know, with the grammar you have acquired and you are not following anybody's patterns and models. 

I know, we need to be good and practice is the key but. I have made mistakes maybe in this blog to, but I'm taking the risk and I prefer to do something in English than doing nothing.