Check out the following sentences made by Polish students at a recent pre-intermediate spoken English lesson. The students were talking about going on holiday in Poland.
Consider the error(s) in each sentence and suggest corrections:
1. We visited to Mexico City.
2. I was in Olsztyn on the lake.
3. You can visit Ocean Museum in Gdynia.
4. It's a lot of tourists in Zakopane.
5. I was there in the ski.
6. It was three days when we had to hard working.
7. We met some Italish people.
8. It is a difference between a tourist and a traveller.
9. I enjoy driving a bicycle.
10. We go there one time a year.
11. There were too many litter.
12. It was very big problem.
13. I went to the big large park.
14. I was travelling by own.
15. It is more funny when you travel with a friend.
Suggested answers (other ways to correct the sentences exist):
1. We visited Mexico City. [No preposition needed.]
2. I was in Olsztyn by the lake. [Wrong preposition used. Also could be "...at the lake."]
3. You can visit the Ocean Museum in Gdynia. [Article needed for proper noun.]
4. There are a lot of tourists in Zakopane. [Incorrect form.]
5. I went skiing there. [Incorrect verb and missing gerund.]
6. There were three days when we had to work hard. [Incorrect forms.]
7. We met some Italian people. [Made-up word used; the student guesses the form, but incorrectly.]
8. There is a difference between a tourist and a traveller. [Incorrect form.]
9. I enjoy riding a bicycle. [Incorrect verb used.]
10. We go there once a year. [Incorrect phrase used.]
11. There was too much litter. [Confusion with countable/uncountable nouns.]
12. It was a very big problem. [Missing article.]
13. I went to the big park. [Unnecessary use of two similar adjectives together.]
14. I was travelling on my own. [Incorrect phrase used.]
15. It is more fun when you travel with a friend. [Confusion between two similar adjectives, with different meanings.]
