Mastering Common English Language Pitfalls

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2

Common English Language Pitfalls

Lesson plan

Silent reading    (10 minutes)

Pitfalls                   (25 minutes)

Recap                    (5 minutes)                  

Learning Objective

At the end of this lesson, you understand the differences between commonly confused words in English.

10-minute silent reading

What: Read 'The Shadow of August'

How: Alone and in silence. You can listen to music, but no laptops.

How long: 10 minutes

Why: Reading is important to learn a language.

Done: -

What words are often wrongly used?

Which is the right form: She is taller ________ her friend.

1. then
2. than

Identify the correct form: The cat licked ________ paws.

1. its
2. it's

Select the appropriate form: He asked________ going to be late.

1. who's
2. whose

Choose the correct form: I can't believe ________ coming to visit us!

1. they're
2. there
3. their

Which is the correct form: ________ going to the park after school.

1. Were
2. We're
3. Where

Choose the correct form: I've eaten way _______ much!

1. to
2. too

Pitfall 1: Your vs. You're

Your: indicates possession. 

Example: That is your book.

You're - contraction of 'you are'.

Example: You're going to be in trouble 

                     if you keep this up.

Pitfall 2: Its vs. It's

Its: possessive form.

Example: The dog chased its tail.

It's: contraction of 'it is'.

Example: It's going to rain soon.

Pitfall 3: Whose vs. Who's

Whose: possessive form. 

Example: Do you know whose car that is?

Who's: contraction of 'who is'.

Example: Who's going to help her?

Pitfall 4: Their vs. They're vs. There

Their - possessive form. 

Example: That is their car.

They're - contraction of 'they are'. 

Example: They're going on holiday to London.

There - indicates a place or location.

Example: If you look over there, you can see the Tower of London.

Pitfall 5: To vs. Too

To: preposition. 

Example: He gave the ring to his girlfriend.

Too: means 'also' or 'excessively'.

Example: They have eaten too much.

Pitfall 6: Then vs. Than

Then: relates to time or sequence. 

Example: And then the police chased the bad guys.

Than: used in making comparisons.

Example: My brother is taller than me.

Pitfall 7: Where vs. We're vs. Were

Where: indicates a place or location. 

Example: Where are you going?

We're: contraction of 'we are'. 

Example: We're going to the cinema.

Were: past tense of 'are'.

Example: We were too late. The film had already started.

I have no idea what _______ issue is. They're being weird.

Could you tell me ______ we're going?

First, we went to the cinema. And _______ we went out for dinner.

I'm not sure if ______ the right thing do.

_______ bag is that? I think it's Megan's.

_______ being very difficult! Why can't you just do it?

Application Activity

What: Write a short paragraph using at least five of the commonly confused words.

How: alone, in silence.

How long: 5 minutes

Why: to practise using words that sound the same but are spelled differently.

Done: check each other's writing, then hand it in.

Recap

Mind the following pitfalls

- your vs you're

- their, there, they're

- to vs too

- then vs than

- where vs were vs we're

- whose vs who's

- Its vs It's

Homework

Do: 29, 30, 31, 39, 53

Study: theme words (page 146)

               tenses (page 149)

               Pitfalls (page 149)

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.