Fear of Mistakes in English Learning — And How to Overcome It
Fear of Mistakes in English Learning — And How to Overcome It One of the biggest challenges for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners is the fear of making mistakes . Many students hesitate to speak, write, or even think in English because they are afraid. Afraid of being wrong. Afraid of being judged. Afraid of feeling embarrassed. But language is not a subject to be mastered before use. It is a skill you grow while using it . Mistakes are part of the path. Understanding this simple truth can transform your entire experience of learning English. Why Are We So Afraid of Mistakes? Since school, we are taught that mistakes are bad. Exams punish errors. People laugh at wrong English. Teachers correct more than they appreciate. This creates a habit of fear. We wait until our sentence is perfect — but then we never speak. A student knows what she wants to say. But she says nothing. Why? Because she is thinking, “What if my grammar ...