Stop Making This Common Grammar Mistake Speaking English | Word Forms

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1. 0:00I don't know about you, but I've never liked the advice.
2. 0:04Don't worry about your grammar mistakes, just speak because in my second language I do worry about my grammar. Of course, I don't wanna make mistakes. But that statement,
3. 0:14don't worry about your mistakes, just speak. There's some truth to it.
4. 0:19And that creates tension because focusing on communication, being understood is important. In fact, when we talk about fluency,
5. 0:29fluency means the ability to communicate your ideas smoothly and effortlessly without excessive pauses or too much hesitation.
6. 0:39It's focused on the real time communication that we have, not on being perfect or error free.
7. 0:47But accuracy matters too.
8. 0:50If there are too many grammar errors that can cause miscommunication and persistent mistakes, they get noticed. So again,
9. 0:58there's a lot of tension here. If you worry too much about your mistakes, you're going to disrupt your fluency. But if you only focus on communication,
10. 1:09you may be making some persistent mistakes that undermine your smooth and natural sound.
11. 1:16So today we're going to focus on one common grammar mistake.
12. 1:20I hear often mixing up word forms. Now here's what I mean.
13. 1:25Imagine you hear someone say, she's a very competition person, instead of saying, she's a very competitive person,
14. 1:34or I want to improve my confident, instead of I want to improve my confidence. And here's one more.
15. 1:42I hear a lot.
16. 1:43I want to speak fluency instead of fluently. Now, all of these sentences are understandable,
17. 1:51but the mistake is noticeable. So let's fix it. To get started, I want to be very clear about something first.
18. 1:59This issue that we're talking about is not a vocabulary problem, the mistakes I just showed you of using competition rather than
19. 2:08competitive or confident instead of confidence.
20. 2:12These are not unfamiliar words, my guess is you already know them and understand them perfectly.
21. 2:19The challenges that most English words have different forms for different jobs in a sentence. For example, we might have the word compete,
22. 2:27which can become competition, competitive or competitor.
23. 2:31And a word like to succeed can become success or successful.
24. 2:36And when we're speaking in real time, our brains grab the form of the word that it knows best, not necessarily the form of the word that we need for this sentence.
25. 2:47And that's why we might hear someone say confident when what they really need is confidence or competition, when again,
26. 2:56what they need is competitive. And this pattern shows up time and time again.
27. 3:01So if you're making these mistakes regularly, they're worth fixing, not because people won't understand you if you don't, but because you're here working towards smooth,
28. 3:12more accurate English communication.
29. 3:14And the good news is there's a pattern to these word forms. Once you learn it, you can smooth out the rough edges and prevent future mistakes.
30. 3:23Now that pattern, it's in the word endings, what we call suffixes. Now, super quick if you need a reminder, a suffix is an ending added to a word that changes what job
31. 3:35that word does in a sentence. Now, English has a lot of suffixes, but the forms I hear my students mix up the most often tend to be nouns and adjectives.
32. 3:48So that's what we're going to focus on today to introduce you to the patterns you need to know for today. Here's something I want you to think about.
33. 3:56Imagine that the base form of a word is a little bit like a power tool, and the suffixes are like the attachments. I know this sounds kind of strange,
34. 4:06but I'm super visual, so I love stuff like this.
35. 4:10But let me explain what I mean with an example.
36. 4:13Let's say you have the base word to compete. It's your power tool, and then you add on the suffix, shun, it becomes a noun competition,
37. 4:23or you snap on the suffix tiv and it becomes competitive, an adjective that you would use in a sentence.
38. 4:32And by giving it that suffix, you're giving it a new job. In the end, you have the same tool, the same base word with different attachments,
39. 4:40different suffixes, which all lead to different jobs. So with this in mind, the pattern that you need to recognize is this.
40. 4:48Some endings signal a noun, other endings signal adjectives. And once you know which is which, you'll know which form you need.
41. 4:58So let's take a look at some noun suffixes. First, when you're naming a thing, a person, a quality, an action, or a result, you use the noun form.
42. 5:10I want you to listen carefully to the words that I'm going to share in a moment and really pay attention to how they end.
43. 5:17We'll start with competition and decision.
44. 5:21We've got that shun at the end, and that suffix signals a noun.
45. 5:27Think for a moment about any other words that you might know that end with shun, like production creation.
46. 5:37Anytime we have that word ending, we have a noun. And now here's the next one, improvement development here.
47. 5:45We have meant at the end, and once again, this signals a noun.
48. 5:50So when we need the noun form in a sentence, you'll hear it like this.
49. 5:54She has made a huge improvement in her math score. Now, in a moment, I'm gonna give you some clues or hints to help you know when you need a noun versus an adjective. But before we get there,
50. 6:05let's look at a few more endings that we need to be aware of.
51. 6:09The next one for a noun, isness, happiness, awareness, and then there's it flexibility,
52. 6:19possibility. Again, think about that suffix for a moment.
53. 6:24Do you know any other words that end with that sound?
54. 6:28What about creativity?
55. 6:30Then there's ants as in confidence and importance.
56. 6:36This can be spelled with either an ENCE or a NCE.
57. 6:41In both cases, that suffix indicates a noun. And lastly, we have ER as in competitor or teacher.
58. 6:50This can be spelled with either an or an er. And in this case, when we use that suffix, we're naming the person doing the action.
59. 7:00Again, each of these suffixes, each of these endings is a signal that you're naming a thing, a person, a quality, or a result. Now, as I said in a moment,
60. 7:11I'm going to give you some quick clues that'll make it very easy to know when you need a noun versus an adjective in a sentence. But first,
61. 7:20I want to show you what those adjective suffixes are. And to start, let's make sure we're clear on what an adjective does.
62. 7:29We use this when you're describing what something is like or what someone is like. So listen carefully to these words.
63. 7:39Competitive, decisive, creative, that if ending signals an adjective, again, a word that we need to describe something or someone,
64. 7:50a creative process, a competitive person, then we have full as in the words, successful, careful, helpful.
65. 8:01Next up is us with OUS as in dangerous, famous, and we have three more.
66. 8:10The first one is all as in practical, musical, national. Then we have flexible and adaptable.
67. 8:20Here we have a bowl spelled with an A or Abel spelled with an I.
68. 8:25In each case it signals an adjective.
69. 8:28And finally we have the suffix ant with ENT or a NT as in confident important.
70. 8:37When we have words ending in any of those suffixes, it's a signal that you're describing what someone or something is like.
71. 8:46Now, before we get into those clues that help you know when to use a noun versus an adjective, I want to show you how this works with a few complete word families.
72. 8:58And we'll start with the base word we've already talked about a little bit, compete. When we have competition, we've got that shun at the end, which means we have our noun, our thing, for example.
73. 9:10There's a lot of competition in this industry.
74. 9:13Then with the word competitive, we have the, if sound indicating an adjective form that we're describing someone or
75. 9:21something. For example, she's a very competitive person. And then finally, we have competitor ending in, or for the person doing it,
76. 9:30for example, she's my main competitor. In the event next week, I want to take a look at one more word family to really get comfortable with
77. 9:39these patterns. And here we'll use the word decide. That's our base word.
78. 9:44Now we can have the word decision again, adding on that shun for the noun, the thing for example, that was a really tough decision.
79. 9:54Or we can snap on a different suffix if for decisive.
80. 10:00Once we've done that, we've turned it into an adjective. For example, we need a decisive leader. Now, if you want to see more examples of word families like this and really
81. 10:12solidify this pattern, I've included several more of them in the written lesson on my website over@speakconfidentenglish.com.
82. 10:20And here's why I encourage you to take a moment to review them.
83. 10:24The more examples you see, the faster you'll start to recognize these patterns on your own.
84. 10:30You'll start to hear shun or if and know immediately which form you're dealing with. So if you want that extra practice,
85. 10:39head over to the blog post and I'll leave a link in the description below. Now, what I love about learning patterns like this is, well, number one,
86. 10:48it's much easier than memorizing a ton of word families. But more importantly, you start to recognize them quickly.
87. 10:55You'll recognize them when you hear and read them, and more importantly, you can start to choose the right form when you're speaking.
88. 11:03So now that you know those suffix patterns, here's a question you can use to help you choose the right word form every time.
89. 11:11Am I naming something or am I describing? And that's it.
90. 11:16Just one question. If you are naming something in your sentence, the thing, the person, the quality, you need the noun form.
91. 11:25And that means you need the words, you know, that end with shun meant ness, it, and so on.
92. 11:32And then if you're describing something or someone what it's like or what they're like, you need the adjective form.
93. 11:39So here you're going to use the words you know that end with if full a bull and so on. I wanna show you exactly how this works.
94. 11:47So we're going to look at a sentence with a mistake.
95. 11:51Ask this question to use it to identify which word form we need.
96. 11:56So here's example. Number one, I want to improve my confident.
97. 12:01I shared this one earlier because it's one that I hear a lot from my students and I read often in emails that I receive.
98. 12:09So let's use that one question.
99. 12:12Ask yourself in this sentence, are we naming something or are we describing something?
100. 12:18And if you're not sure, here's another way to think about it after the word my, are you naming the thing that you want to improve?
101. 12:28Or are you describing something? If you said naming, you're exactly right.
102. 12:33You're talking about the quality that you want to improve.
103. 12:37And that means we need the noun form.
104. 12:40So if we go back to our noun suffixes, we have ants for the word confidence, and this gives us the correct sentence.
105. 12:48I want to improve my confidence.
106. 12:51The pattern to remember here is that most of the time after a word like my, you're almost always naming something that you have or want.
107. 13:02So you need a noun. Now, let's look at this in another example to really see how this question helps decide between a noun form and an adjective form.
108. 13:13This time we're going to use the sentence, she's a very competition person.
109. 13:18Again, let's think about is this naming something or describing something or someone In this one, we are definitely describing someone,
110. 13:29and that means we need the adjective form. So again, if we go back to our list and we focus on the adjective endings, we know that with the word compete,
111. 13:39we can add if for competitive. And once again, this gives us the correct word form to use.
112. 13:45She's a very competitive person. Now, here's another clue that you can often use after the word very.
113. 13:53You're almost always describing, so you need an adjective.
114. 13:58In fact, having the word very followed by an adjective is one of the most common patterns in English. And again, by learning these patterns,
115. 14:08we can avoid memorizing super long lists and just focus on recognizing those patterns and making quick decisions in the moment. Now,
116. 14:17the one thing that will make this quick and easy in the moment of speaking is repeated learning and practice.
117. 14:27So again, if you want more practice applying this question to other examples, I've included several more in the written lesson over at my website. Again,
118. 14:37you can find that@speakconfidentenglish.com.
119. 14:41Going through more examples like this will help you recognize these patterns faster and start making the right choice more automatically.
120. 14:51So after you finish here, make sure you go check out that lesson to get extra practice. Okay, you just saw how asking that simple question, am I naming or describing,
121. 15:02can help us fix these common grammar mistakes or prevent them from happening in the first place? But can we make this even easier?
122. 15:11Absolutely. Again, the more you practice with examples, you'll start to notice other patterns that make it easier and faster for you
123. 15:19to decide in the moment of speaking. In fact, I've already mentioned two.
124. 15:24We briefly talked about words that follow my most.
125. 15:28Often we're going to use a noun, and then words that come after vary are usually an adjective.
126. 15:34So here are a few more clues that you can use. First, we'll focus on a few patterns that need words in the noun form. For example,
127. 15:44words that follow my, the uh, for example, my confidence, the competition, uh, decision. Also,
128. 15:55words that follow the word more as in more flexibility, more success. And words that follow verbs,
129. 16:05like improve, develop, build, for example, improve fluency, develop or build confidence.
130. 16:14And then here are some patterns that require the adjective form.
131. 16:19Words that follow vary or so like very competitive or so flexible. Also, words that come before a word, like person,
132. 16:31leader or speaker. For example, a decisive leader, a confident speaker. Similarly, words that come before words like skills, advice,
133. 16:43or solution are adjectives. For example, analytical skills and practical advice.
134. 16:51Learning patterns like this is the first step. It creates that awareness.
135. 16:55And then you're going to start to hear them and see them building up that awareness and recognition. The more that you recognize these patterns,
136. 17:04the easier it'll be to know which form you need in a sentence without even asking the question that we talked about. And of course, the more that you practice this with intent, with focus,
137. 17:16the more automatic this becomes. Now, when I say that word practice, I don't mean just watching videos or listening to podcasts like this one.
138. 17:27Those help you understand English, but they don't help you build speaking fluency.
139. 17:33If speaking fluently and with confidence is your goal, then the number one way to get there is through speaking practice
140. 17:42using the English that you learn out loud in real conversations.
141. 17:47In fact, recently I shared a full lesson about why you can understand English, but you may feel like you can't speak it fluently even after years of
142. 17:58trying.
143. 17:59And one of the biggest reasons is believing that you just need to study more or learn more before you can speak. But here's the truth,
144. 18:08speaking is studying. It's the most effective kind.
145. 18:13Every time you speak, you're training your brain to find what you've learned and use the language that you've learned in the moment.
146. 18:22That is something that no vocabulary list or video can help you do.
147. 18:27So if you're ready to stop only learning English and start using it, I'd love to invite you into the Confident Women community.
148. 18:37The CWC is a women-only space where you practice English regularly through monthly topics, study guides, live workshops,
149. 18:47and conversation sessions with women from around the world.
150. 18:50This isn't about textbook English, you talk about topics that actually matter in real life.
151. 18:56Things like setting boundaries, navigating work challenges, expressing how you feel, talking about your goals, relationships, travel, all of it. And you'll always know what to practice next,
152. 19:08because every month you get a clear study guide with vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and speaking tasks that are tied or focused to that month's topic. As a result,
153. 19:20you learn and build up new vocabulary and then use it immediately.
154. 19:25In real speaking, it's a calm, supportive space where mistakes are normal and you can practice without pressure. So if that sounds like something that you're looking for,
155. 19:35you can learn more and join us over at Speak Confident English slash community. I'll leave a link in the description below. Now, throughout this lesson,
156. 19:45I've touched on the importance of getting extra practice so that you build up the awareness, the recognition, and the ability to use what you're learning.
157. 19:55So I wanna go a little bit deeper here to help you know exactly how to do that.
158. 20:00And I want to begin with something very important.
159. 20:02Don't wait until an important meeting or conversation to use this knowledge By then, it will be too late,
160. 20:11and most likely you'll freeze up trying to remember what you learned, which may lead to overthinking and losing your fluency. Instead,
161. 20:22I want you to practice now before you really need it so that it becomes automatic so that you can use it when you need to.
162. 20:30So here are three ways to do that. Practice strategy.
163. 20:33Number one is creating that daily awareness for the next week.
164. 20:38Just pay attention to the word forms that you see in everything that you read, that you hear in podcasts and conversations.
165. 20:49When you see or hear a word with one of these suffixes, pause and ask yourself, was that a noun or an adjective?
166. 20:57And if you recognize that it's a noun, then take a moment and ask yourself, what would the adjective be? Now, you don't have to do this with every single noun or adjective that you hear or
167. 21:08see that would maybe take your entire day.
168. 21:12But if you do this intentionally a few times throughout the day, just take a moment to think this is going to help build up that pattern.
169. 21:21Recognition without a lot of pressure, you're not performing, you're just noticing.
170. 21:26And that brings us to strategy two sentence transformation.
171. 21:31After you begin to build up that recognition, take a few moments, maybe five or 10 minutes before an important speaking event,
172. 21:39like a meeting or a presentation or job interview and practice transforming sentences using these patterns. For example, you might have a sentence like,
173. 21:50I am confident that I'm the right person for this job.
174. 21:53And then transform it into a different sentence. For example, I have confidence in my ability to meet the demands of this position.
175. 22:01Or you might start with, our team is flexible and then change it to our team has flexibility.
176. 22:08A practice like this drills the naming versus describing distinction so that it's there when you need it in the moment, it's already automatic.
177. 22:19And then practice Strategy number three is to record and review.
178. 22:23Start speaking, start using these patterns out loud.
179. 22:28If you've watched any of my other videos, you probably already know that one of my favorite ways to get speaking practice is to record yourself speaking.
180. 22:36Do it for just a couple of minutes about your work or a topic that you care about, and then listen back to it.
181. 22:43And when you're working on this particular issue, listen for those noun versus adjective distinctions.
182. 22:51Listen to see if there are any mistakes, and if there were, go back record again and fix them.
183. 22:57The goal of this strategic practice is that by the time you're in an important speaking situation, you've developed this automatic skill.
184. 23:07You won't need to think carefully about suffixes.
185. 23:10You'll just naturally choose the one that you need.
186. 23:13You'll choose the right word.
187. 23:16So now that you've got a solution to prevent or avoid this common mistake, while speaking, I want you to remember this at the beginning,
188. 23:25I highlighted that yes, communication is a priority, being understood is important, but when a mistake is persistent and noticeable, it's worth fixing.
189. 23:35The aim is not to be perfect, but to communicate more smoothly and more confidently. And don't forget, if you want more practice with this.
190. 23:45Head over to the full lesson over at my Speak confident english.com website.
191. 23:50I've included additional word families and examples that you can practice with.
192. 23:54As always, if you found this lesson helpful, don't forget to subscribe or follow wherever you're watching or listening from today. Thank you so much for joining me, and I look forward to seeing you next time.