Teaching English as ...

Recall an occasion when you were reading or listening to English which had obvious mistakes in it. What effect did these mistakes have on you? Which of the items below best describes how you felt?

a. I had no problem at all with reading/listening and understanding. The mistakes did not make any difference.

b. I felt slightly uncomfortable reading or listening. I would have felt more comfortable if there had been no mistakes.

c. I sometimes had to make an effort to understand. 

d. I found it quite difficult to understand.

e. I actually misunderstood.   

Inaccurate grammar, vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation very rarely produce misunderstandings. They may, however, interfere with the smothness of the communication and result in a feeling of slight discomfort for both speaker/writer and listener/reader.