It is only natural that you want your child to start reading as early as possible.

It is also normal to feel slightly anxious when your child doesn’t start reading when others his/her age are already doing so. Or that your child is not reading as well as others.

Mistakes in everyday conversations often carry on in your child’s work in school. You should find ways to help your child identify common mistakes made in casual conversations so as not to repeat them in school and formal communications.

Take the time to help your child be sensitive to common mistakes made in spoken English. You can have him or her tell you about the things that happen in school. This will help sharpen his/her senses to spot common mistakes made in everyday conversations.

Have a go at challenging yourself and your children (7 – 12 years) to identify the common mistakes made by Singaporeans in everyday conversations.

Make it a friendly competition to see who can spot the most number of mistakes and correct them in 10 minutes.

Many Singaporeans have a tendency to lapse into non-Standard English in casual conversations. The dialogue between Hui Ling and Ahmad is a good example of this.