English learners should not think that mistakes, or errors, are bad.One American language expert advises that language learners should instead see errors as signs of progress.Alex Poole is a professor of English and interim department head of modern languages at Western Kentucky University.One common problem is that English learners think too much about errors instead of communication."The goal is to be able to communicate in practical terms.If you have an error, the only time you should worry about it is if it causes communication breakdown," Poole said.Poole has some useful ideas about ways English learners can use errors.When you are speaking with a native English speaker, there are two kinds of things you can do to look for errors, Poole said.The first is to look for misunderstanding or other signs of confusion.For example, perhaps a person gives an unusual response to something you said.You can then ask them directly what the problem is.
