[quote=“Loretta”]I might ask for clarification if something was said that caused confusion, and then it may be necessary to state the correct form/word so that we agree about the meaning. But otherwise, absolutely not, no way, in the course of a conversation.
For one thing, there’s the small matter of not being an English teacher when you’re not in the classroom.
More importantly, if you correct someone then you assume a position of authority. If someone is genuinely your friend and you have an equal relationship, then it’s rude to keep stopping them and I would only do it to clarify a misunderstanding.
Still, in the case of repeated errors, I don’t see any harm in casually mentioning them at a suitable time if your friend appreciates your help. If someone genuinely wants to improve, they’ll appreciate occasional mini-lessons.[/quote]
So you’re out and about with your Taiwanese friend or partner and you can’t help but notice some of the errors they make in spoken English e.g. omission of ‘the’ or adding an ‘s’ when not needed.
Do you correct them or let it slide? [/quote]
For the type of minor errors you give as examples, never. I only ever offer corrections when an error could cause the listener to misunderstand what is being said or when the error could be embarrassing.
Sometimes, yes. Do I appreciate it? If I said something totally wrong that could create misunderstanding, yes. If it was some minor issue that can’t really be helped-- ie non-native speaker accent-- then I would prefer they didn’t.
I think correction works when it is done for something that can be consciously fixed by a person simply by telling them. Excessive correction can annoying and unhelpful when it is done for things the speaker needs to work out on their own through more practice.
I never correct those of another tongue, though I do suggest ways more concise in which one could express oneself.
I limit myself to correcting those, most North Americans, that are so insidiously foul as to have not learnt their own supposed own language correctly.
Nice points, Loretta.