| Many adult ESL learners are often afraid of making a | | | | advantageous" for the second language learner with |
| mistake when it comes to communicating in a second | | | | regard to his or her inter-language or, the target |
| or foreign language and as a result, remain silent. Often | | | | language that is in process of being formally acquired. |
| this trepidation comes from fearing being corrected. | | | | When teachers are consistent with regard to their |
| Now teachers can use the knowledge of error | | | | correction of learner errors, then the chances of |
| correction to engage adult ESL learners more | | | | learners becoming more sensitive to how they |
| effectively.the focus nowadays in an ESL classroom | | | | express themselves in the classroom will be stronger. |
| should be on communicative competence. This goes | | | | Given the inconsistent facts regarding error treatment, |
| with the expectations that learners should be | | | | "this might suggest that error treatment is often not |
| understood by primarily on what they say and then by | | | | successful, but it is possible that by raising learners' |
| the accuracy of how they say it. | | | | consciousness it contributes to acquisition in the long |
| Errors should only be corrected by teacher when the | | | | run" (Ellis 586). the purpose of correcting errors should |
| learner is linguistically ready to accept the correction. | | | | be used only in cases when it is beneficial for the |
| There have been several studies regarding this topic | | | | learners' understanding of the material. |
| and the end result is that basically this topic does not | | | | A good ESL teacher is one who can provide the tools |
| focus on the theoretical implications but rather what is | | | | for the language learner so that she or he becomes |
| considered "practical" for language development. The | | | | more linguistically and semantically aware of the |
| main conclusions are that certain types of errors are | | | | language being used when communicating with others. |
| much more likely to be treated than others: discourse, | | | | Therefore, helping the students become aware of his |
| content, and lexical errors receive more attention than | | | | her errors is much more conductive to helping adult |
| phono-logical or grammatical errors. (Ellis 585) | | | | ESL learners acquire a second language because they |
| There are many learner errors that should not be | | | | are constructing their understanding of the second |
| treated or regarded important on behalf of the learner. | | | | language as they become more aware of the |
| Sometimes, language teachers think students' errors | | | | nuances and idiosyncracies of learning a second |
| are fossilized and therefore, they do not know how to | | | | language. |
| treat them. Some teachers correct errors when errors | | | | Works Cited |
| have not even been made. (Ellis 585) There is a wide | | | | Rod, Ellis. Second Language Acquisition. Oxford UP, |
| gap between the general consensus of how errors | | | | 1994. |
| should be treated and what is regarded as "linguistically | | | | |