| --- |
| license: cc-by-4.0 |
| language: |
| - en |
| tags: |
| - esl |
| - grammar |
| - language-learning |
| - error-analysis |
| - writing |
| pretty_name: ESL Grammar Error Patterns (45 patterns, 12 categories) |
| size_categories: |
| - n<1K |
| --- |
| |
| # ESL Grammar Error Patterns |
|
|
| Forty-five recurring grammar errors made by learners of English as a second language, each paired |
| with the incorrect form, the corrected form, and the underlying rule. Twelve categories. The |
| dataset is **qualitative** — it contains no measurements. |
|
|
| ## Columns |
|
|
| | column | meaning | |
| | --- | --- | |
| | `error_id` | stable identifier (G001…) | |
| | `category` | one of 12 error categories (article_misuse, preposition_errors, …) | |
| | `l1_language_family` | first-language family the pattern is most associated with | |
| | `error_pattern` | short description of the error | |
| | `incorrect_example` | the erroneous sentence | |
| | `correct_example` | the corrected sentence | |
| | `rule_explanation` | the grammar rule that applies | |
| | `frequency_rank` | **editorial ordering only — see limitations** | |
|
|
| ## How it was checked |
|
|
| Verified 2026-07-31 by inspection. Because the file is qualitative there is nothing to recompute; |
| what was checked instead is that a sample across categories reads correctly against standard |
| English usage — article omission before singular count nouns, present perfect with *yet/already*, |
| past participle after auxiliary *have*, gerund-taking vs infinitive-taking verbs. Those corrections |
| and rule explanations are sound. |
|
|
| ## Limitations (read before citing) |
|
|
| - **`frequency_rank` is an editorial ordering, not a measured corpus frequency.** No corpus study |
| is cited and none was performed. Do not present it as data about how often learners actually make |
| these errors, and do not quote it as a number. |
| - **One prescriptive caveat, recorded rather than smoothed over:** row `G021` marking *"Did you eat |
| yet?"* incorrect in favour of *"Have you eaten yet?"* follows the traditional prescriptive rule |
| and is defensible ESL pedagogy, but the simple past is standard in American English. Treat that |
| row as style guidance, not an error. |
| - `l1_language_family` indicates the family a pattern is *most associated with*, not that speakers |
| of other families never make it. |
| |
| ## Provenance |
| |
| Compiled as an ESL teaching reference and verified by inspection 2026-07-31. The error/correction |
| pairs and rule explanations are the usable content. This grammar-correction reference is maintained |
| alongside the writing tool at [belikenative.com](https://belikenative.com). |
| |
| ## Licence |
| |
| Released under CC-BY-4.0. Attribution appreciated. |
| |
