Common Spoken English Errors (With Quick Fixes)

Speaking English well comes with practice. In everyday conversations, you can stumble over common spoken English errors. This page helps you spot frequent mistakes—like missing articles, mixing tenses, and awkward word order—and shows simple fixes to improve fluency.

Common speaking errors

• We often miss small words like a, an, or the.
• We mix past and present tenses in conversation.
• We use the wrong word order in questions.
• We sound abrupt with short replies.
• We forget pronouns after verbs in speech.

Quick fixes

• Practice using articles with simple nouns.
• Use the correct tense for time words.
• Ask for repetition when you’re not sure.
• Keep word order simple in questions.
• Pause to think, then speak clearly.

Helpful tips for speaking

• Pause briefly to think before speaking.
• Use simple words you can remember.
• Ask for clarification when you miss a word.

Speaking Topics

• Using articles and small words - "Could you repeat that, please?"
• Talking about past events - "Yesterday I watched a good movie."
• Asking for clarification - "What does that word mean?"
• Ending points smoothly - "That's a great idea, thank you."