Quick answer: Correct spoken English based on three questions: how serious is it (a slip or a repeated error?), what level is the student (correct beginners' patterns early; let advanced experimentation pass), and is the task about accuracy or fluency (correct on the spot in accuracy work; note errors for later during fluent speech). Encourage self-correction first – a gesture or echo is often enough.
This is part of our series on correcting in class. In this blog, we are going to look at how we can correct spoken mistakes or errors in the classroom; a companion post covers written correction.
---------------------
Imagine this situation: in front of the class, one of your students says:
"When I went to home I…"
How might you correct this? Indeed, are there times when you might not correct it and just let it pass? Well, if and how you correct will depend on a variety of factors. Let’s look at some of these below, by asking ourselves three questions.
1. How serious is the problem?
Is it a mistake (a slip of the tongue) or an error (have they added the preposition ‘to’ after the verb because they have translated straight from their own language)?
For mistakes or ‘slips’ you may let it pass. Alternatively, you might encourage your student to self-correct. You can do this with something as simple as a facial gesture (such as raising your eyebrows), or repeating the error back to them, emphasising it, and adding a rising intonation at the end and say “to home?”
If they can’t self-correct, you can supply the right answer yourself. But don’t leave it there, get the student to repeat the correct sentence so they get used to saying the sentence correctly.
Gestures and hand signals can be useful for on-the-spot corrections. You can see how these can be used and some other modes of correction in the five minute British Council video below.
2. What is the level of the student?
For lower level students you might want to correct on the spot so the error is not continuously repeated and students learn the form. However, if they are trying to express complex concepts, using language significantly above their level, you may let it pass because you want to encourage them to continue to experiment with language, even if it is not totally correct.
For a higher level, you may let it pass if you feel it is most likely a slip of the tongue. However, consider pointing out that we often use specific verbs with the noun home. So go home (as in our example) come home, get home, return home, or leave home are all collocations. We never separate this verb and noun with a preposition alone, so go "to" home is incorrect, although "go to my home" would be correct. This might be an opportunity for a separate lesson for your students if they are struggling with this.
3. Accuracy or fluency?
What are you practising at the time? If you have been working on routines, such as: get up, go to work, go home, go to bed etc. you will want to jump on this error straight away so the student does not replicate it, going on to make it again and again. Similarly, for tasks requiring accuracy rather than fluency, you will want to correct.
However, in fluent speech, perhaps when a student is telling a story or doing a short presentation in front of class, then you won’t want to interrupt their flow or break their concentration. Instead, make a note to go through errors later, perhaps as a class.
So it will also depend on what the focus of your lesson is. Error correction is an important part of the learning process so knowing when and how to correct are skills worth developing as an EFL teacher.
What correction techniques can you choose from?
| Technique | How it works | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Facial gesture / hand signal | Raised eyebrows or a signal prompts the student to rethink | Quick slips; confident students |
| Echo with rising intonation | Repeat the error questioningly: "to home?" | The student probably knows the correct form |
| Prompted self-correction | Give a clue: "Which preposition do we need?… do we need one?" | Accuracy stages; teaching moments |
| Direct correction + repeat | Supply the form, then have the student say the full correct sentence | Lower levels; new language |
| Delayed class feedback | Note errors during fluent speech; correct together later, anonymously | Discussions, stories, presentations |
Delayed feedback deserves special mention for speaking-heavy lessons: it protects fluency while still dealing with errors, and because the errors are corrected anonymously as a class, nobody feels singled out. It is the technique we lean on most in discussion classes and works from the very first warmer onwards. In 1-to-1 video lessons, typing the correction into the chat box does the same job – see our video-call teaching techniques.
How is correcting speech different from correcting writing?
Spoken correction is about timing – the words vanish as soon as they are said, so you must decide instantly whether to intervene, prompt or note it for later. Written correction is the opposite: the text sits still, which lets you use symbols, codes and peer-marking so students correct themselves in their own time. The two skills complement each other; this post's companion piece, making the most of written correction, covers the written half including a full correction-symbol key.
Frequently asked questions
When should I correct a student's spoken English?
Correct immediately during accuracy-focused practice and when lower-level students repeat a pattern error. Hold back during fluent speech – note the errors and go through them later as a class. Always try prompting self-correction first; students remember corrections they make themselves far better than ones they are given.
How can I correct beginners without knocking their confidence?
Keep corrections short, warm and immediate: echo the correct form, have them repeat it once, and move on. Praise the attempt before fixing the form. Focus on one error type at a time – a beginner corrected for everything at once quickly stops speaking altogether.
Does spoken correction work in online lessons?
Yes, and the chat box is your extra tool: type the incorrect phrase and ask "What should this be?" without interrupting the flow of conversation. Corrections typed in the chat also become a ready-made revision sheet the student can review after the call.
What is the difference between a mistake and an error?
A mistake is a slip the student can usually self-correct – they know the rule but misspoke. An error is systematic: the student believes the incorrect form is right, often through translation from their first language. Mistakes can often be let pass; errors need addressing before they fossilise.
---------------------
Where next:
Discover more about how to correct in any main Global English online TESOL course.
Find out more about collocations (the statistical tendency for words to occur together) in the section on Corpus Linguistics in our 250 hour Master course and the 300 hour Professional course, or consider the short 30 hour Introduction to Linguistics course.
See our blog on making written corrections here, and grab our ready-to-print instant TEFL lessons for speaking activities with correction opportunities built in.