Problem English [antikvár]

Introduction Each CQDjntry makes its own mistakes iii a forei^ l%li|Vage. Teachers of foreign languages know that there are certain mist^es are partictilari^ typical of the country in which they are working. Th« most frequent—though not the only—cause of these mistakes is interference from the learner's own language. In the case of Hungarian learners of English, we have called the language that arises Hunglish. This handbook discusses the mistakes that we have most often come across in our time as teachers in Hungary. There are soine problem areas—such as the use of the Present Perfect—^which are so well-known, and so common to all learners of English everywhere, that we have not dealt with them here. What we have concentrated on are those mistakes which Hungarian learners make without being aware that they are mistakes—and which are sometimes not corrected because the teacher also may not realise that tliey are mistakes. We have deliberately, in most cases, been dogmatic and over-simple in the rules and advice we give. Very few foreign language learners reach the point where they can handle the language with the same freedom as the native speaker. You will certainly find exceptions to the 'rules' we give in the speech and writing of English people; but there will usually be reasons for the exceptions which you may not notice. What we have aimed at is the rule of least effort and most returns—the One that will result in a correct utterance in the largest number of cases. This may seem to you to cat down the variety available to you in your English style; but the choice needs to be made between a picturesque variety of errors and unadorned correctness. On one point we should be clear: the handbook deals with British English. In some places we have mentioned American usage; but in many cases our