Editing Error Types | Build a Personal Grammar Error Map

If every editing mistake is recorded simply as “grammar,” the learner learns almost nothing from it.

A missed subject–verb agreement error is not the same as a wrong tense repair. A preposition error that is noticed but corrected incorrectly is not the same as a correct sentence changed by over-editing. A learner who knows the rule but cannot detect the error in a passage has a different problem from a learner who sees the error immediately but does not know the replacement. If all of these failures are placed in one box marked grammar mistakes, practice becomes vague and repetitive.

This article is the canonical SETC longform for editing error types and the personal grammar error map. It belongs to the Secondary English Editing Examination Performance lane. It builds on error detection, major grammar families, passage transfer, time-pressure execution and sentence-level diagnosis.

Its job is deliberately narrower than the broader English Exam Error Diagnosis and English Exam Error Analysis owners. Those pages ask why marks disappear across English examinations. This page asks a more specific question:

WHAT KIND OF EDITING FAILURE KEEPS RECURRING, WHAT GRAMMATICAL RELATIONSHIP DOES IT BELONG TO, AND WHAT SHOULD THE LEARNER PRACTISE NEXT?

It also does not replace the later dedicated grammar-error-log spoke in this lane. A log records individual events over time. A map aggregates those events into a usable model of the learner.

Maren will help separate structural error families. Iona will ask whether the evidence really supports the label. Leonie will help distinguish grammar knowledge from performance breakdown under time. Their combined aim is to turn scattered mistakes into a training map.

1. A mistake is an event; an error type is a pattern

Suppose a learner writes:

The list of names are complete.

That is one event. The error type is subject–verb agreement under attraction: the plural noun names attracts the verb away from singular head list.

Now suppose the learner later writes:

The quality of the photographs have improved.

Different sentence, same underlying pattern.

If the teacher records only the surface words, the two mistakes look separate. If the teacher records the relationship, they collapse into one trainable family.

2. Why a personal grammar map matters

A map answers questions that a score cannot:

• Which grammar families recur most often?
• Which errors are noticed but repaired incorrectly?
• Which errors appear mainly under time pressure?
• Which correct sentences are repeatedly changed?
• Which mistakes occur in sentences but disappear in passages—or the reverse?
• Which patterns have improved enough to move into maintenance?
• Which rare errors cost disproportionate marks or time?

The map therefore turns correction into training allocation.

3. The two-axis model

Every editing failure should be classified on two axes:

1. Grammar family: what language relationship is involved?
2. Performance failure: where did the editing process break?

Example:

The list of names are complete.

• Grammar family: subject–verb agreement.
• Performance failure if unnoticed: detection miss.
• Performance failure if noticed but names is changed to name: wrong repair.
• Performance failure if a correct sentence The list of names is complete is changed: false positive.

This two-axis system prevents vague diagnosis.

4. The core grammar-family map

A practical editing taxonomy can begin with sixteen major families:

1. subject–verb agreement;
2. verb chains and auxiliaries;
3. tense and aspect;
4. word form;
5. articles and determiners;
6. countability and noun number;
7. pronoun form and reference;
8. prepositions and lexical frames;
9. complementation;
10. relative clauses;
11. modifiers and attachment;
12. comparisons;
13. parallelism and coordination;
14. connectors and logical relations;
15. sentence boundaries;
16. collocation or lexical compatibility when the task includes it.

The categories are broad enough to organize evidence but specific enough to guide practice.

5. The core performance-failure map

Across those grammar families, a learner may fail in at least ten ways:

1. Detection miss: error not noticed.
2. Misclassification: error noticed but assigned to the wrong relationship.
3. Controller error: wrong word or phrase is treated as controlling the form.
4. Wrong repair: error is correctly identified but replacement is wrong.
5. Over-repair: more of the sentence is changed than necessary.
6. False positive: correct language is changed.
7. Context-loss: local grammar is edited without considering sentence or passage meaning.
8. Slow retrieval: learner knows the rule but cannot access it efficiently.
9. Transfer failure: rule works in drills but not in unfamiliar sentences or passages.
10. Execution/answer-transfer failure: correct thinking is lost in the final written response.

6. Grammar family versus performance failure

Consider four learners facing the same sentence:

Each of the machines need maintenance.

Maren does not notice the problem. That is a detection miss.

Iona circles machines and changes it to machine. She noticed tension but selected the wrong controller. That is a controller error leading to wrong repair.

Leonie changes need → needs correctly but takes forty-five seconds because she repeatedly rereads the sentence. That is slow retrieval.

A fourth learner changes the already-correct sentence Each of the machines needs maintenance to need because she follows the nearby plural noun. That is a false positive.

Same grammar family; four different training needs.

7. Family 1 — Subject–Verb Agreement

Agreement errors arise when the finite verb does not match the grammatical number or person of its controller.

Common subtypes

• nearest-noun attraction;
• each/every/either/neither;
• a number of / the number of;
• relative-clause agreement;
• existential there constructions;
• collective nouns;
• compound subjects;
• uncountable nouns that look plural;
• plural nouns that look singular;
• long delayed subjects.

Agreement examples

1. The list of names are complete.
2. Each of the reports contain a summary.
3. The number of visitors have increased.
4. A number of visitors is waiting.
5. The students who studies regularly improve.
6. There is several reasons.

Repairs

1 are → is. 2 contain → contains. 3 have → has. 4 is → are. 5 studies → study. 6 is → are in formal agreement with plural reasons.

What to map

Do not write only “SVA.” Add the subtype:

• SVA—attraction;
• SVA—distributive head;
• SVA—relative clause;
• SVA—quantity phrase;
• SVA—existential.

This reveals whether the learner has a broad agreement weakness or one narrow recurring structure.

8. Family 2 — Verb Chains and Auxiliaries

These errors occur when the form after an auxiliary is wrong.

Core patterns

• modal + base verb;
• have + past participle;
• progressive be + -ing;
• passive be + past participle;
• modal perfect: modal + have + past participle.

Examples

1. The result may indicates a problem.
2. The committee has chose a new chair.
3. The students are revise for the test.
4. The samples were store safely.
5. They should have check the answer.

Repairs

indicate, chosen, revising, stored, checked.

Map label

Use labels such as verb chain—modal, verb chain—perfect participle, verb chain—passive participle.

9. Family 3 — Tense and Aspect

Tense errors are often misclassified because the surface verb looks familiar. The real failure is temporal relationship.

Common subtypes

• finished past time + present perfect;
• ongoing period + simple past/present;
• earlier past relationship;
• future time clauses;
• narrative consistency;
• purposeful tense shift misread as error;
• state versus activity aspect;
• since/for interaction.

Examples

1. She has submitted the form yesterday.
2. We live here since 2022.
3. By the time I arrived, they have left.
4. When the meeting will start, we will begin.

Repairs

1 submitted. 2 have lived / have been living. 3 had left. 4 starts.

Map warning

Do not label every tense disagreement as “tense.” Record the temporal cue:

• tense—finished time;
• tense—ongoing since;
• tense—earlier past;
• tense—future subordinate clause.

10. Family 4 — Word Form

Word-form errors occur when the root meaning is plausible but the grammatical category is wrong.

Subtypes

• adjective/adverb;
• noun/verb;
• adjective/noun;
• participle form;
• -ed/-ing adjective;
• derived noun;
• derived adjective;
• negative prefix or semantic word-family choice.

Examples

1. The machine operates reliable.
2. The explanation was remarkably clarity.
3. The team reached a decide.
4. The students were boring by the lecture.

Repairs

reliably, clear, decision, bored.

Map cue

Record the slot: word form—adverb slot, not merely “word form.”

11. Family 5 — Articles and Determiners

These errors involve whether a noun is introduced, specific, generic, singular count, plural or mass.

Subtypes

• missing article before singular count noun;
• unnecessary article before mass noun;
• indefinite versus definite reference;
• first mention versus subsequent mention;
• generic zero article;
• demonstrative or possessive mismatch.

Examples

1. She bought laptop yesterday.
2. We need an information.
3. A researcher opened a box. Later, she examined a box again.

Repairs

1 a laptop. 2 information. 3 the box if it is the same established box.

Map distinction

Sentence-level article errors and passage-level reference errors should be recorded separately. The latter may indicate discourse tracking rather than determiner knowledge alone.

12. Family 6 — Countability and Noun Number

This family includes count/mass distinctions, plural forms and quantity expressions.

Examples

1. several useful informations;
2. new equipments;
3. three advices;
4. many furniture;
5. an evidence.

Repairs

useful information / pieces of information; new equipment; three pieces of advice; much furniture / many pieces of furniture; evidence / a piece of evidence.

Map cue

Separate countability—mass noun from noun number—irregular plural.

13. Family 7 — Pronoun Form and Reference

Subtypes

• subject/object case;
• possessive form;
• reflexive misuse;
• number agreement;
• person shift;
• unclear antecedent;
• reference across sentences.

Examples

1. Between you and I…
2. Please contact myself.
3. The manager asked she to wait.
4. When Maren spoke to Iona, she looked worried.

Analysis

1 case error: I → me. 2 reflexive misuse: myself → me. 3 case error: she → her. 4 may be grammatically ambiguous rather than formally wrong. Record ambiguity separately if the task includes clarity.

14. Family 8 — Prepositions and Lexical Frames

Preposition errors are often highly personal because they are shaped by lexical memory and language experience.

High-frequency frames

• interested in;
• responsible for;
• capable of;
• depend on;
• focus on;
• participate in;
• listen to;
• access to;
• effect on;
• solution to;
• reason for;
• based on.

Map distinction

Separate:

• preposition—time/place semantics;
• preposition—verb frame;
• preposition—adjective frame;
• preposition—noun frame;
• preposition—passive frame.

15. Family 9 — Complementation

Complementation errors arise when a verb, adjective or noun selects the wrong structure after it.

Examples

1. avoid to repeat;
2. decide revising;
3. suggest to check;
4. capable to explain;
5. look forward to present;
6. made the students to explain;
7. allowed students use dictionaries.

Repairs

avoid repeating; decide to revise; suggest checking; capable of explaining; look forward to presenting; made the students explain; allowed students to use.

Map cue

Use complement—gerund, complement—to-infinitive, complement—bare infinitive, or complement—preposition + -ing.

16. Family 10 — Relative Clauses

Subtypes

• relative pronoun duplication;
• agreement inside relative clause;
• antecedent identification;
• restrictive/nonrestrictive punctuation where tested;
• who/whom case where relevant to target standard;
• missing relative element.

Examples

1. The student who she won the prize…
2. The students who studies regularly…
3. The books that is on the shelf…

Repairs

Delete she; studies → study; is → are.

17. Family 11 — Modifiers and Attachment

This family is structural rather than morphological.

Subtypes

• dangling participial modifier;
• misplaced limiting adverb;
• unclear attachment;
• squinting modifier;
• misplaced phrase.

Example

Walking through the museum, the paintings impressed Maren.

Repair the attachment by making Maren the subject of the main clause.

Map cue

Record modifier—dangling subject, not merely “sentence structure.”

18. Family 12 — Comparisons

Subtypes

• double comparative;
• double superlative;
• as…as pattern;
• than-complement mismatch;
• illogical comparison;
• comparison reference word omitted.

Examples

1. more easier;
2. most shortest;
3. as faster as;
4. The salary of engineers is higher than teachers.

Repairs

easier; shortest; as fast as; higher than that of teachers.

19. Family 13 — Parallelism and Coordination

Examples

1. The programme aims to reduce waste, improving efficiency and lower costs.
2. Maren enjoys reading, writing and to discuss ideas.
3. The team collected samples, analysed them and writing the report.

Repairs

reduce / improve / lower; reading / writing / discussing; collected / analysed / wrote.

Map distinction

Separate structural parallelism from agreement in compound subjects.

20. Family 14 — Connectors and Logical Relations

These errors may be grammatically local but logically relational.

Examples

1. Although it rained, but we continued.
2. Because the printer failed, therefore the report was delayed.
3. The second trial was more stable because the team still reported limitations.

Diagnosis requires naming the intended relation: concession, cause, result, contrast, example or addition.

21. Family 15 — Sentence Boundaries

Subtypes

• fragment;
• comma splice;
• fused sentence/run-on;
• misjoined subordinate clause;
• boundary punctuation where punctuation is in task scope.

Examples

1. The alarm sounded, everyone left.
2. Because the weather changed suddenly.
3. The printer failed the report was delayed.

22. Family 16 — Collocation and Lexical Compatibility

This family should be used only when the target editing task includes lexical choice.

Examples

• make a decision, not usually do a decision;
• heavy rain, not usually strong rain;
• conduct/do research, not usually make research.

Do not mislabel a collocation issue as pure grammar if the distinction matters pedagogically.

23. Family 17 — Spelling and Orthographic Form

Some assessments combine editing with spelling. If so, keep spelling separate from grammar in the map.

Examples:

• definately → definitely;
• occured → occurred;
• seperate → separate.

A learner who has strong grammar but weak spelling needs different training.

24. Family 18 — Punctuation

If punctuation is tested, classify it separately:

• comma after introductory clause;
• nonrestrictive relative commas;
• apostrophes;
• quotation punctuation;
• semicolon/colon use;
• sentence boundary punctuation.

Do not blur punctuation with sentence-boundary grammar if the learner needs targeted repair.

25. Performance Failure 1 — Detection Miss

Definition: the error was present but the learner did not flag it.

Possible causes:

• search cue not recognized;
• attention captured by another word;
• sentence read for meaning only;
• grammar family not automated;
• passage context overloaded working memory;
• time pressure reduced scan depth.

Training response

Use unlabelled mixed sets and search-cue practice. Do not spend all training re-explaining the repair if the learner already knows it once pointed out.

26. Performance Failure 2 — Misclassification

Definition: the learner notices something is wrong but thinks the wrong relationship is responsible.

Example:

The machine operates reliable.

Learner says “tense error.” Actual issue: word form—adverb slot.

Training response

Require a family label before correction. Use contrastive examples that separate similar surface forms.

27. Performance Failure 3 — Wrong Controller

Example:

The list of names are complete.

Learner treats names as the subject head because it is nearest the verb.

Training response

Use head-noun stripping, clause bracketing and controller marking.

28. Performance Failure 4 — Wrong Repair

Definition: the learner has correctly identified the error but supplies an invalid replacement.

Example:

The committee has chose a new chair.

Learner notices chose is wrong but writes choosed.

Training response

Rebuild morphology or lexical form. Detection practice alone will not solve this.

29. Performance Failure 5 — Over-Repair

Definition: the learner changes more than the target relationship requires.

Original:

Each of the machines need repair.

Over-repair:

Every machine requires repairing immediately.

Minimal repair:

Each of the machines needs repair.

Training response

Use one-change constraints and ask the learner to prove why each changed word needed changing.

30. Performance Failure 6 — False Positive

Definition: correct language is changed.

Examples of common triggers:

• A number of students are… changed to singular;
• past perfect removed even when earlier-past relation matters;
• adjective after linking verb changed to adverb;
• correct passive rewritten;
• accepted variation treated as error.

Training response

Use correct-control passages and explicit “no change” drills. The later `SETC-SEC-EDIT-070` spoke will own false-positive control in depth.

31. Performance Failure 7 — Context Loss

Definition: the learner edits locally but ignores sentence or passage meaning.

Example:

A researcher opened a box. Later, she examined the box.

Learner changes the box to a box because she is practising indefinite articles, breaking reference cohesion.

Training response

Use passage-level editing and require the learner to state the referent or timeline before correcting.

32. Performance Failure 8 — Slow Retrieval

Definition: the learner knows the rule when prompted but takes excessive time to retrieve it independently.

Example:

The learner eventually remembers responsible for after thirty seconds.

Training response

Use retrieval practice, spacing and timed minimal pairs—not more explanation.

33. Performance Failure 9 — Transfer Failure

Definition: performance is accurate in familiar drills but collapses when surface form changes.

Example:

Learner corrects The list of names are… but misses The quality of the photographs have….

Training response

Vary vocabulary, topic and syntax while preserving the same relationship.

34. Performance Failure 10 — Execution Failure

Definition: the learner arrives at the correct judgment but records the answer incorrectly.

Examples:

• wrong line number;
• replacement copied into wrong box;
• misspelling during answer transfer;
• skipped answer after return;
• changing the original word but forgetting required answer format.

Training response

Use target-format simulation and final transfer checks.

35. Performance Failure 11 — Confidence Mismatch

A powerful map records confidence as well as correctness.

• high confidence + correct = stable;
• high confidence + wrong = misconception;
• low confidence + correct = fragile;
• low confidence + wrong = weak knowledge.

High-confidence wrong answers deserve urgent attention because the learner is unlikely to question them independently.

36. Performance Failure 12 — Time-Sink Error

Some items are eventually answered correctly but consume disproportionate time.

Map them separately. A grammar relationship can be accurate yet operationally expensive.

Example label:

Preposition—accepted variation | correct after 58 seconds | time sink.

37. Performance Failure 13 — Final-Third Decline

If errors cluster near the end of a timed task, the map should record position.

This may reveal:

• fatigue;
• clock pressure;
• rushed answer transfer;
• attention depletion;
• poor skip-and-return management.

38. Performance Failure 14 — Format Misread

A learner may understand grammar but misunderstand whether the task requires:

• one-word correction;
• whole-sentence rewrite;
• correct-line marking;
• error + correction columns;
• spelling or punctuation changes.

Record format failures separately. They are not grammar weaknesses.

39. The personal error-map table

Family	Subtype	Detection	Repair	False Positives	Speed	Priority
Agreement	of-phrase attraction	Weak	Strong	Low	Medium	High
Tense	finished past	Strong	Strong	Low	Fast	Maintenance
Word form	adjective/adverb	Medium	Medium	Medium	Slow	High
Preposition	adjective frame	Medium	Weak	Low	Slow	High

This map is much more actionable than “Grammar: 6/10.”

40. Use counts, not impressions

After several tasks, count:

• opportunities presented;
• errors present;
• errors detected;
• repairs correct;
• false positives;
• slow decisions;
• high-confidence wrong decisions.

Memory is biased toward dramatic mistakes. Counts reveal the actual pattern.

41. Frequency is not the same as importance

A learner may make:

• eight small preposition errors;
• three agreement errors;
• one catastrophic answer-transfer failure.

Training priority should consider frequency, cost, transfer and repairability.

42. The four-priority model

Classify families as:

1. Repair now: frequent, costly, trainable.
2. Build access: known but slow or unstable.
3. Maintain: formerly weak, now stable.
4. Monitor: rare or context-specific.

43. Error cost

Some errors are cheap to repair and frequent, making them excellent targets. Others are rare and ambiguous.

The broader English Exam Error Cost page owns whole-exam prioritisation. Here we apply the same logic only to editing families.

44. The repairability question

Ask:

• Can this error be explained clearly?
• Can it be practised in short drills?
• Can transfer be retested quickly?
• Is the learner likely to encounter it again?

High-frequency, high-repairability patterns should move to the front of training.

45. Map by opportunity, not raw count only

If a learner sees twenty agreement opportunities and misses four, that is different from seeing five and missing four.

Where possible, calculate rates.

46. Detection rate by family

Detection rate = errors detected ÷ errors present.

Example:

Agreement errors present: 10. Detected: 7. Detection rate: 70%.

That says more than “3 agreement errors.”

47. Repair rate by family

Repair rate = correct repairs ÷ detected errors.

Example:

Seven agreement errors detected, six repaired correctly: repair rate ≈86%.

That profile means detection is weaker than repair.

48. False-positive rate

False-positive rate = correct items changed ÷ correct items presented.

This matters because aggressive editing can make raw “number of errors found” look impressive while reducing final accuracy.

49. Time-cost index

During timed practice, record which family consumes the most seconds per decision.

A learner may have:

• agreement: 7 seconds average;
• tense: 12 seconds;
• word form: 9 seconds;
• prepositions: 31 seconds.

Prepositions may be the operational bottleneck even if accuracy is acceptable.

50. Confidence-risk index

Count high-confidence wrong decisions by family.

A family with only three errors but all three high-confidence may deserve more urgent repair than a family with five low-confidence guesses.

51. Sentence versus passage map

Record whether the same family behaves differently in different formats.

Family	Sentence Accuracy	Passage Accuracy	Interpretation
Agreement	90%	68%	context/search load problem
Tense	85%	60%	timeline integration weak
Word form	78%	75%	knowledge weakness stable across formats

52. Untimed versus timed map

Family	Untimed	Timed	Likely issue
Agreement	92%	90%	stable
Tense	88%	66%	timeline retrieval under pressure
Prepositions	80%	55%	slow lexical retrieval
Word form	68%	65%	knowledge gap more than timing

This comparison prevents unnecessary grammar teaching when the real issue is execution.

53. Familiar versus unseen map

If a learner performs well on repeated worksheet patterns but poorly on unseen material, classify transfer failure.

Do not mistake memorized item success for stable grammar control.

54. Correct-control map

Track which correct structures trigger false positives:

• collective nouns;
• past perfect;
• linking-verb adjectives;
• passive voice;
• plural scientific data;
• singular data in general usage;
• formal inversion;
• sentence-final prepositions;
• singular they.

This creates a false-positive risk map.

55. The personal error-map code

A compact code can make review efficient:

• AGR-ATT = agreement attraction;
• AGR-DIST = distributive head;
• VC-MOD = modal chain;
• VC-PERF = perfect participle;
• T-FIN = finished-time tense;
• T-SINCE = ongoing since/for;
• WF-ADV = adjective/adverb slot;
• PREP-ADJ = adjective-preposition frame;
• COMP-GER = gerund complement;
• REL-AGR = relative-clause agreement;
• MOD-DANG = dangling modifier;
• PAR = parallelism;
• COMP = comparison;
• BOUND = sentence boundary;
• FP = false positive;
• DET = detection miss;
• WR = wrong repair;
• TIME = slow retrieval.

The code is optional. The value is consistency.

56. Do not make the map too complicated

A taxonomy with fifty labels can become harder to use than the grammar itself. Begin broad, then split only where repeated evidence justifies it.

For example, start with Agreement. If most agreement mistakes involve of-phrases, create Agreement—Attraction as a separate subtype.

57. The minimum useful map

For many learners, a map with these columns is enough:

• family;
• subtype;
• missed or noticed;
• repair right/wrong;
• confidence;
• timed/untimed;
• next action.

58. Maren’s sample map

Family	Pattern	Evidence	Priority
Modifiers	dangling introductory phrases	4 errors across 3 sets	High
Parallelism	mixed -ing/to-infinitive lists	3 errors	High
Agreement	strong	1 error in 20 opportunities	Maintain
Prepositions	medium confidence	2 slow decisions, both correct	Build speed

Maren’s training should not be “more grammar.” It should target modifiers and parallelism, then maintain agreement.

59. Iona’s sample map

Family	Pattern	Evidence	Priority
False positives	accepted variation	5 correct lines changed	Very high
Tense	past perfect overuse	3 unnecessary changes	High
Reference	strong	high passage accuracy	Maintain
Word form	strong	near-perfect	Maintain

Iona needs evidence-threshold work, not more rule memorization.

60. Leonie’s sample map

Family	Pattern	Evidence	Priority
Prepositions	slow lexical retrieval	accurate untimed, weak timed	High
Agreement	final-third misses	3 late-task errors	High
Word form	stable	fast and accurate	Maintain
Transfer	passage decline	sentence > passage accuracy	Medium

Leonie needs retrieval compression and final-third simulation.

61. Error-Type Exercise A — classify the grammar family

Label each without correcting first.

1. The list of names are complete.
2. The result may indicates a problem.
3. She has submitted the form yesterday.
4. The machine operates reliable.
5. We need an information.
6. Between you and I…
7. Iona is interested on grammar.
8. Leonie avoided to repeat the mistake.
9. The students who studies regularly improve.
10. Walking through the museum, the paintings impressed Maren.
11. This method is more easier.
12. The programme aims to reduce waste, improving efficiency and lower costs.
13. Although it rained, but we continued.
14. The alarm sounded, everyone left.

Classification key

1 agreement. 2 verb chain. 3 tense. 4 word form. 5 article/countability. 6 pronoun case. 7 preposition. 8 complementation. 9 relative-clause agreement. 10 modifier. 11 comparison. 12 parallelism. 13 connector. 14 sentence boundary.

62. Error-Type Exercise B — classify the performance failure

For each scenario, label the process failure.

1. Learner does not notice are in The list of names are….
2. Learner notices something is wrong but changes names → name.
3. Learner identifies has chose as wrong but writes has choosed.
4. Learner changes correct The number of students is… to are.
5. Learner corrects the sentence but rewrites six unnecessary words.
6. Learner gets the answer right after forty seconds.
7. Learner is correct in sentence drills but wrong in passages.
8. Learner knows the correction but writes it in the wrong answer box.

Key

1 detection miss. 2 controller error/wrong repair. 3 wrong repair. 4 false positive. 5 over-repair. 6 slow retrieval/time sink. 7 transfer failure. 8 execution/answer-transfer failure.

63. Error-Type Exercise C — two-axis coding

Classify both grammar family and performance failure.

1. Misses Each of the reports contain….
2. Corrects responsible of to responsible to.
3. Changes correct The fabric feels soft to softly.
4. Corrects has finished yesterday after thirty seconds.
5. Finds students who studies in drills but misses it in a passage.

Key

1 Agreement—distributive head + detection miss. 2 Preposition—adjective frame + wrong repair. 3 Word form—linking-verb adjective + false positive. 4 Tense—finished past + slow retrieval. 5 Relative-clause agreement + transfer failure.

64. Build a heat map

After several tasks, assign each family:

• Green = stable;
• Amber = occasional/slow;
• Red = recurring or costly.

Then add a symbol:

• D = detection weakness;
• R = repair weakness;
• F = false positives;
• T = timing weakness;
• X = transfer weakness.

Example:

Agreement: Red-D
Tense: Amber-T
Word form: Green
Prepositions: Red-R/T

65. What Green means

Green does not mean “never practise again.” It means maintenance is enough.

A family can move to Green when:

• accuracy is consistently high;
• false positives are low;
• performance survives unseen examples;
• timed performance remains stable;
• the learner can explain the controller.

66. What Amber means

Amber means the relationship is usable but fragile.

Examples:

• correct but slow;
• correct in sentences but less stable in passages;
• occasional false positives;
• one recurring subtype remains weak.

67. What Red means

Red means targeted repair is required.

Possible reasons:

• frequent misses;
• frequent wrong repairs;
• high-confidence misconceptions;
• major timed collapse;
• high transfer failure;
• high false-positive cost.

68. The personal top-five list

After mapping, select no more than five active risks at a time.

Example:

1. agreement—attraction;
2. word form—adverb slot;
3. preposition—adjective frames;
4. relative-clause agreement;
5. false positives—accepted variation.

This list becomes the learner’s near-term practice agenda.

69. Why not fix everything at once?

Large unfocused practice dilutes feedback. If fifteen categories are active, the learner may complete many questions without enough repetitions of the critical relationship to improve retrieval.

Prioritize, repair, retest, then rotate.

70. Priority formula

A practical qualitative priority score can consider:

• frequency;
• mark cost;
• confidence risk;
• time cost;
• transfer weakness;
• repairability.

You do not need a complicated equation. Use the factors consistently.

71. High-frequency + high-repairability

Example: agreement attraction missed often but repaired easily once taught.

This is an excellent high-priority target.

72. Low-frequency + high-cost

Example: answer-transfer mistake that loses several responses at once.

Rare does not mean unimportant. Simulate and protect against it.

73. High-frequency + low-confidence

Example: preposition frames guessed repeatedly.

Build lexical retrieval and correct controls.

74. Low-frequency + accepted variation

Example: collective-noun agreement in a global-English context.

Usually monitor rather than overtrain unless the target exam specifies a convention.

75. Drill selection from the map

The map should determine the exercise:

Map result	Best next practice
Detection weak, repair strong	unlabelled mixed detection
Detection strong, repair weak	reconstruction and minimal pairs
False positives high	correct-control/no-change sets
Timed decline	compressed retrieval and simulation
Passage decline	contextual passage editing
One subtype dominates	targeted family drill
Answer transfer weak	target-format response practice

76. Detection-first practice

If the learner knows repairs but misses errors, do not underline the target. Present mixed correct and incorrect sentences and ask only C/E first.

Then repair after detection.

77. Repair-first practice

If detection is strong but repair is weak, temporarily underline the target to reduce search load and rebuild the form.

Then return to unlabelled work.

78. False-positive practice

Use correct sentences that contain high-risk cues:

1. A number of students are waiting.
2. The number of students is increasing.
3. The fabric feels soft.
4. Before the teacher arrived, the students began the warm-up.
5. The data are convincing.
6. The data is convincing.
7. The committee is meeting today.
8. The team are arguing among themselves.

The goal is calibrated preservation.

79. Controller practice

If the learner repeatedly chooses the wrong controller, strip the sentence down.

Full:

The quality of the photographs taken during the final stage has improved.

Strip modifiers:

The quality has improved.

Then rebuild.

80. Transfer practice

Keep the grammar relationship but change:

• topic;
• vocabulary;
• sentence length;
• position of target;
• passage type.

This tests whether the learner owns the relationship rather than the example.

81. Speed practice

Use timed minimal pairs only after accuracy is secure.

Example:

• responsible for / responsible of;
• interested in / interested on;
• capable of / capable to;
• depend on / depend of.

Then move the frames into full sentences and passages.

82. Error-map Exercise D — build a sample map

Suppose a learner completes 40 items and makes these errors:

• misses 4 agreement attraction errors;
• detects 3 tense errors and repairs all 3;
• detects 5 preposition errors but repairs only 2 correctly;
• changes 4 correct collective-noun sentences;
• takes very long on 3 preposition items;
• makes no word-form errors.

Map

• Agreement—Attraction: Red-D.
• Tense: Green/Maintain.
• Prepositions: Red-R/T.
• False positives—Collectives: Red-F.
• Word form: Green.

Training allocation

Prioritize agreement detection, preposition reconstruction and collective-noun calibration. Do not waste most of the week re-teaching tense.

83. Error-map Exercise E — diagnose a different learner

Data:

• agreement 95% untimed, 70% timed;
• word form 65% untimed, 63% timed;
• prepositions 80% untimed, 78% timed;
• false positives low.

Interpretation

Agreement: execution/timing weakness, not core knowledge. Word form: knowledge weakness, because timing changes little. Prepositions: moderate but stable; likely maintenance or targeted subtype work.

84. Error-map Exercise F — sentence/passage split

Data:

• tense sentence accuracy 90%;
• tense passage accuracy 58%;
• agreement sentence accuracy 88%;
• agreement passage accuracy 84%.

Interpretation

Tense has a context integration or passage timeline problem. Agreement is relatively stable across formats.

85. The hidden category: “I knew it after marking”

Learners often say, “I knew that.” The statement may be true—but incomplete.

If the rule appears only after the answer key reveals the target, the learner has retrieval or detection weakness.

Record:

• knew after prompt;
• did not retrieve independently.

That is a real performance gap.

86. The hidden category: “I changed my correct answer”

Record whether the answer was:

• correct first, wrong final;
• wrong first, correct final;
• wrong both times;
• correct both times.

This reveals calibration and review quality.

87. The hidden category: “I ran out of time”

Do not automatically label every unfinished item as timing.

Ask what caused the time loss:

• slow reading?
• one time sink?
• weak lexical retrieval?
• too much answer changing?
• large rewrites?
• poor skip-and-return?

The time symptom needs a cause.

88. The hidden category: “I guessed and got it right”

A correct guess should not be treated as mastery.

During practice, mark low-confidence correct answers as fragile and retest later.

89. The hidden category: “I understood the sentence but missed the form”

This is common in word form, agreement and prepositions. Meaning comprehension is intact; grammatical form retrieval is weak.

Do not assign more comprehension work to solve a morphology problem.

90. The hidden category: “I fixed the form but changed the meaning”

Example:

Leonie almost answered every question.

Changing to Leonie answered almost every question is grammatical but changes scope.

Record meaning-preservation failure.

91. The hidden category: accepted variation

Mark a separate category when a learner changes a recognized standard variant because it differs from the form they were taught.

Examples may include:

• collective nouns;
• data agreement;
• different from/to/than;
• sentence-final prepositions;
• singular they;
• certain tense choices where aspect differs but grammar remains valid.

92. Why variation matters in a global lane

This SETC lane is world-facing. It should teach learners to distinguish:

• ungrammatical form;
• different register;
• different English variety;
• different but valid aspect or meaning;
• target-exam convention.

The correct exam strategy is to know the target standard before the paper, not to treat one variety as the entire language.

93. Map target-exam conventions separately

Add a note such as:

Collective nouns: target exam usually expects singular-unit agreement.

That resolves the exam decision without turning the convention into a false universal claim.

94. Building a map from five papers

Use several comparable tasks, not one.

For each paper:

1. mark grammar family;
2. mark performance failure;
3. record confidence;
4. record time pressure;
5. record whether the same subtype appeared before.

After five papers, aggregate.

95. Example five-paper summary

Family	P1	P2	P3	P4	P5	Pattern
Agreement attraction	2	1	2	1	1	persistent
Tense finished past	1	0	0	0	0	repaired
Preposition adjective frame	1	2	1	2	1	persistent
Word form adverb	1	1	0	0	0	improving

96. Trend matters more than lifetime total

A family with six old errors but none in the last four papers may be stable. A family with three errors all occurring recently may deserve more attention.

Use recent evidence to update the map.

97. Do not erase history completely

Keep enough history to see recurrence after a gap. A formerly stable error may return under higher difficulty or time pressure.

98. Map difficulty level

Add whether the error occurs in:

• simple sentence;
• complex sentence;
• passage;
• timed passage;
• advanced variation item.

A learner may have “agreement—Green at simple, Amber at embedded-clause level.”

99. Map context distance

Some grammar depends on nearby information; some depends on distant context.

• local: modal + base;
• clause: agreement;
• sentence: modifier/comparison;
• passage: tense sequence/article reference/pronoun chain.

Record whether errors rise as context distance increases.

100. Map cognitive load

If an error appears only when the sentence contains unfamiliar vocabulary or multiple clauses, the rule may be known but vulnerable under load.

Train the same relationship across increasing structural complexity.

101. Structural complexity ladder

Agreement example:

1. The list is complete.
2. The list of names is complete.
3. The list of names from both classes is complete.
4. The list of names that the teachers submitted is complete.
5. The list of names that the teachers submitted after the meeting is complete.

If accuracy drops at stage 4, the map should show agreement—embedded structure, not generic agreement.

102. Timeline complexity ladder

1. She finished yesterday.
2. She has worked here since January.
3. By the time I arrived, she had left.
4. She had been waiting for an hour when the bus arrived.
5. The museum opened in 1998, has expanded several times since then and will add a new wing next year.

Map the level at which tense breaks.

103. Reference complexity ladder

1. Maren lost her notebook.
2. Maren spoke to Iona because she needed help.
3. A sensor was installed. The device began recording. It transmitted data hourly.
4. Two sensors were installed. One failed after rain. It was replaced.
5. Three groups submitted reports, two of which referred to earlier studies that had used different methods.

Reference mapping should reflect complexity.

104. Error-map Exercise G — identify the threshold

A learner is correct on:

• The list is complete.
• The list of names is complete.

but wrong on:

• The list of names that the students submitted are complete.

Do not classify as “does not know agreement.” Classify as agreement—controller lost under embedded-clause complexity.

105. Map by trigger

Record visible triggers that often precede errors:

• of-phrase;
• relative pronoun;
• modal;
• since;
• finished time phrase;
• linking verb;
• preposition frame;
• comparison marker;
• fronted modifier.

This helps build future scan cues.

106. Trigger is not proof

A trigger tells you where to inspect, not what answer to force.

Before the teacher arrived, the students began the warm-up. is correct. The word before does not automatically demand past perfect.

Map false positives caused by trigger overuse.

107. The trigger-to-rule chain

Example:

Trigger: of-phrase before verb.
Question: What is the head noun?
Rule: finite verb agrees with head.
Decision: preserve or repair.

This is stronger than “Whenever you see of, use singular.”

108. From map to personal scan

A personal scan should be built from recurring red/amber risks.

Example:

HEAD NOUN → VERB CHAIN → TIME MARKER → ADVERB SLOT → MY PREPOSITION LIST → REFERENCE → STOP.

Another learner may need a different scan.

109. Do not give every learner the same scan

Generic checklists are useful early, but personal maps should eventually produce personal scans.

If Maren has stable tense, she does not need to spend disproportionate attention rechecking every tense. If Leonie repeatedly misses final-third agreement, agreement remains prominent.

110. Weekly map review

Once a week:

1. count new errors by family;
2. mark detection/repair/false-positive status;
3. note timed versus untimed;
4. update Green/Amber/Red;
5. choose next week’s top three targets.

111. Monthly map review

Once a month, ask:

• Which Red families turned Amber?
• Which Amber families turned Green?
• Which errors returned?
• Which weaknesses exist only under time?
• Which false positives remain?
• Does the personal scan need to shrink or change?

112. Error-map Exercise H — update priority

Week 1:

• Agreement attraction: 5 misses.
• Prepositions: 4 wrong repairs.
• Word form: 3 errors.

Week 4:

• Agreement attraction: 1 miss.
• Prepositions: 4 wrong repairs.
• Word form: 0 errors.

Updated map

Agreement moves from Red to Amber. Prepositions remain Red. Word form moves to Green/Maintain. Training allocation should change accordingly.

113. Error-map Exercise I — confidence update

Suppose a learner has:

• three preposition errors, all low confidence;
• two agreement errors, both high confidence;
• four word-form errors, medium confidence.

The agreement misconception may deserve urgent attention despite lower raw frequency.

114. Error-map Exercise J — false-positive priority

A learner detects 90% of genuine errors but changes six correct lines.

Do not celebrate detection alone. The map should mark false-positive control—Red.

115. The precision–recall balance

Editing quality depends on both:

• finding genuine errors;
• not inventing errors.

A strong map should therefore track both detection rate and false-positive rate.

116. High recall, low precision

The learner flags nearly everything and finds most errors, but also changes many correct forms.

Training: correct controls, evidence thresholds, accepted variation.

117. High precision, low recall

The learner rarely changes correct language but misses many genuine errors.

Training: search cues, unlabelled detection, wider family coverage.

118. Low precision, low recall

Both detection and restraint are weak.

Return to foundational grammar plus controlled mixed sets. Heavy time pressure is premature.

119. High precision, high recall

The learner is ready for harder passages, timed simulation and score stability work.

120. Map repair verification

Every time a family moves from Red to Amber or Amber to Green, verify with:

• new sentence structures;
• unfamiliar vocabulary;
• delayed retest;
• passage context;
• timed conditions.

Otherwise the map may reflect memory of practice rather than transfer.

121. The delayed-retest rule

Do not update a family to Green immediately after a successful drill. Wait and retest later.

Durability matters.

122. The unseen-retest rule

Do not reuse the same sentences. Test the relationship in new surface forms.

123. The pressure-retest rule

If the examination is timed, a family is not truly Green until it survives realistic time pressure.

124. The passage-retest rule

If the exam uses passages, a family is not fully Green if it works only in isolated sentences.

125. Map progression example

Week 1: AGR-ATT Red-D.
Week 2: AGR-ATT Amber-D.
Week 3: AGR-ATT Green untimed, Amber timed.
Week 4: AGR-ATT Green timed sentences, Amber passage.
Week 5: AGR-ATT Green passage transfer.

This is a real progression, not a binary weak/strong label.

126. Map granularity should follow evidence

Do not create Agreement—of phrase—three-word modifier—plural attraction after one error. Split only when repeated evidence shows that specificity is useful.

127. Map stable strengths too

Strengths matter because they reduce training load.

Record:

• families that are consistently Green;
• families that remain fast under time;
• families that transfer well to passages;
• correct structures that the learner preserves reliably.

A good map prevents overtraining strengths.

128. Map “maintenance dose”

For Green families, use occasional mixed retrieval rather than full lessons.

Example:

Agreement stable → 5 mixed agreement items per week inside broader editing, not a full agreement worksheet every day.

129. Map improvement, not identity

A learner is not “bad at grammar.” The map describes current patterns in current tasks.

Use statements such as:

• “Agreement attraction is currently a high-priority detection risk.”
• “Preposition repair is slow under time.”
• “Word form is stable in mixed sets.”

These are specific and changeable.

130. Teacher conference using the map

A useful discussion can be:

You are not losing editing marks everywhere. Most of the current loss comes from three places: long-subject agreement, adjective–preposition frames and changing correct tense forms during review. We will train those three, then retest on a new passage.

That is far more useful than “revise grammar.”

131. Parent explanation using the map

Parents do not need every grammar label. A simplified version can show:

• what is stable;
• what is recurring;
• whether the child notices errors;
• whether repairs are correct;
• whether time pressure changes performance;
• what will be trained next.

132. Student explanation using the map

The learner should be able to state:

My main editing risks are agreement after long subjects, prepositions after adjectives and over-changing correct tense forms. I am practising those first.

If the learner cannot summarize the map, it may be too complicated.

133. Personal Map Practice Set 1 — Agreement and verb chains

Mark family, subtype and process failure if you answer incorrectly.

1. The list of sources are complete.
2. Each of the machines need repair.
3. A number of students is waiting.
4. The number of students are increasing.
5. The result may indicates a problem.
6. The committee has chose a chair.
7. The samples were store safely.
8. They should have check the answer.

Key

1 AGR-ATT. 2 AGR-DIST. 3 AGR-NUMBERPHRASE. 4 AGR-NUMBERPHRASE. 5 VC-MOD. 6 VC-PERF. 7 VC-PASS. 8 VC-MODPERF.

134. Personal Map Practice Set 2 — Tense and word form

1. She has submitted the form yesterday.
2. We live here since 2022.
3. By the time I arrived, they have left.
4. When the bell will ring, we will begin.
5. The machine operates reliable.
6. The plan seems sensibly.
7. The decision caused widespread confuse.
8. The students were boring by the lecture.

Key

1 T-FIN. 2 T-SINCE. 3 T-EARLIERPAST. 4 T-FUTCLAUSE. 5 WF-ADV. 6 WF-LINKADJ. 7 WF-NOUN. 8 WF-PARTADJ.

135. Personal Map Practice Set 3 — Frames and structure

1. Iona is interested on grammar.
2. Leonie is capable to explain the answer.
3. The team discussed about the issue.
4. The students who studies regularly improve.
5. Walking through the museum, the paintings impressed Maren.
6. This method is more easier.
7. The programme aims to reduce waste, improving efficiency and lower costs.
8. Although it rained, but we continued.

Key

1 PREP-ADJ. 2 COMP-PREPING. 3 PREP-ZERO/DIRECTOBJECT. 4 REL-AGR. 5 MOD-DANG. 6 COMP-COMPARATIVE. 7 PAR. 8 CONN-DOUBLE.

136. Personal Map Practice Set 4 — Correct controls

All are correct. If you change one, record a false positive.

1. A number of students are waiting.
2. The number of students is increasing.
3. The fabric feels soft.
4. Before the teacher arrived, the students began the warm-up.
5. The data are convincing.
6. The team are arguing among themselves.
7. Who did you speak to?
8. Only after the second test did the fault become clear.

137. Personal Map Practice Set 5 — Mixed 20

1. The quality of the photographs have improved.
2. The photographs in the archive have faded.
3. The series of workshops begin next month.
4. The news was unexpected.
5. The machine may requires repair.
6. The report has been completed.
7. The museum has opened in 1998.
8. The museum opened in 1998.
9. The students worked careful.
10. The students were careful.
11. The result depends of several factors.
12. The result depends on several factors.
13. The students who studies regularly improve.
14. The students who study regularly improve.
15. The salary of engineers is higher than teachers.
16. The salary of engineers is higher than that of teachers.
17. Walking through the archive, Iona noticed the photographs.
18. Walking through the archive, the photographs interested Iona.
19. Although the road was closed, we continued.
20. Although the road was closed, but we continued.

Key

1 AGR-ATT error. 2 correct. 3 AGR-head error. 4 correct. 5 VC-MOD error. 6 correct. 7 T-FIN error. 8 correct. 9 WF-ADV error. 10 correct. 11 PREP-VERB error. 12 correct. 13 REL-AGR error. 14 correct. 15 comparison mismatch. 16 correct. 17 correct. 18 dangling modifier if Walking… modifies photographs. 19 correct. 20 connector duplication.

138. Map the wrong answer, not just the source item

If two learners miss the same sentence in different ways, their maps should differ.

Source:

The list of names are complete.

Learner A leaves it unchanged → AGR-ATT + detection miss.

Learner B changes names → name → AGR-ATT + controller error/wrong repair.

Learner C changes are → is after 50 seconds → AGR-ATT + slow retrieval.

Learner D changes the correct version back to are → AGR-ATT + false positive.

139. Map the first cause, not every symptom

One mistake can generate several visible problems. Try to identify the first repairable cause.

Example:

If a learner chooses the wrong subject head, the agreement repair will also be wrong. The first cause is controller selection, not “does not know singular verbs.”

140. Map causal chains

Possible chain:

LONG SUBJECT → NEAREST-NOUN ATTRACTION → WRONG CONTROLLER → WRONG AGREEMENT REPAIR.

Training the first link may fix the rest.

141. Another causal chain

UNFAMILIAR PREPOSITION FRAME → LOW CONFIDENCE → LONG REREADING → TIME LOSS → FINAL-THIRD RUSH.

The final-third errors may actually originate in preposition retrieval.

142. Another causal chain

FEAR OF MISSING ERRORS → OVER-SCANNING → FALSE POSITIVES → ANSWER CHANGES → LOWER FINAL SCORE.

The first repairable cause is calibration, not grammar knowledge.

143. Error map versus error log

The distinction is important:

• Error log: individual mistake records over time.
• Error map: aggregated pattern showing where risk is concentrated.

Example log entry:

11 Sep — “quality of images have” — AGR-ATT — missed.

Map after several entries:

AGR-ATT: Red-D, 7 misses across 5 tasks.

The later dedicated grammar-error-log article will own logging workflow in depth.

144. Error map versus general exam diagnosis

The wider English exam diagnosis system may identify:

• reading weakness;
• task interpretation;
• time allocation;
• writing development;
• evidence selection;
• attention control.

This article stays inside supplied-text editing and grammar classification.

145. Error map versus syllabus guide

This is not a level-by-level syllabus checklist. It does not say what every Secondary 1, 2, 3 or 4 learner must know. It provides a transferable diagnostic system that can be applied to the editing task defined by the target examination.

146. Error map versus grammar textbook

A grammar textbook organizes the language. A personal error map organizes the learner’s recurring performance failures.

The difference is crucial.

147. Map review after a mock paper

After a realistic editing mock:

1. mark the paper;
2. label every genuine error by family/subtype;
3. label every performance failure;
4. record false positives;
5. record time sinks;
6. update priority colours;
7. choose the next practice target.

148. Map review after a perfect score

A perfect score is evidence, not final proof. Ask:

• Was the passage familiar?
• Were there enough correct controls?
• Were the weak families represented?
• Was the task timed?
• Did the learner guess any answers?

Then retest unseen.

149. Map review after a poor score

Do not classify the whole map Red. Separate the failures.

A 5/10 result might consist of:

• 3 agreement detection misses;
• 1 wrong preposition repair;
• 1 answer-transfer mistake.

That is a focused repair plan.

150. The “same score, different map” principle

Two learners can both score 6/10 but need completely different training.

Learner A:

• misses four agreement errors;
• everything else stable.

Learner B:

• detects every error;
• makes four false-positive changes.

Same score, opposite diagnosis.

151. The “different score, same map” principle

One learner scores 8/10 on an easy set and 6/10 on a hard set, yet the same preposition subtype causes both losses. The map may be more stable than the raw scores suggest.

152. Build training sets from the map

Example Red families:

• AGR-ATT;
• PREP-ADJ;
• FP-VARIATION.

Build a set containing:

• 6 agreement attraction errors + 4 agreement controls;
• 6 adjective-preposition errors + 4 controls;
• 10 correct variation sentences requiring no change.

Then mix them into one unseen set.

153. Blocked repair then mixed transfer

Training sequence:

1. blocked family repair;
2. correct/incorrect discrimination within family;
3. mixed family sentences;
4. passage transfer;
5. timed transfer;
6. delayed retest.

154. The map should shrink over time

As families become stable, the active Red list should shrink. If the map stays permanently crowded, either training is not transferring or the categories are too broad.

155. New difficulties can appear at higher levels

A learner who masters basic agreement may later struggle with:

• embedded relative clauses;
• inversion;
• complex comparatives;
• formal complementation;
• accepted variation.

The map evolves with task difficulty.

156. Do not confuse growth with regression

When task difficulty increases, raw accuracy can fall even though underlying skill has improved. Compare like with like and record complexity level.

157. A map for examination week

Near an examination, simplify to:

• top three red risks;
• top two false-positive traps;
• one timing rule;
• one answer-transfer rule.

Do not carry the full diagnostic taxonomy into the paper.

158. Example final-week card

1. LONG SUBJECT: FIND HEAD.
2. RESPONSIBLE/INTERESTED/CAPABLE: CHECK FRAME.
3. SINCE/YESTERDAY: BUILD TIME.
4. DO NOT CHANGE COLLECTIVES WITHOUT TARGET-STANDARD EVIDENCE.
5. RETURN ONCE; CHECK ANSWER BOXES.

159. Map maintenance after the examination

After a major examination, use the same taxonomy to review released work or practice evidence where available. Patterns can inform the next stage of English learning.

160. Map boundaries: what not to include

Do not put unrelated weaknesses into this grammar map:

• poor essay ideas;
• weak comprehension inference;
• oral fluency;
• listening memory;
• task misinterpretation outside editing.

Those belong to their own performance systems.

161. Map discipline: one label must lead to one action

If a label does not change what you practise, it may be too vague or unnecessary.

Useful:

Agreement—attraction → head-noun stripping + mixed detection.

Less useful:

Grammar weak → practise grammar.

162. Map discipline: distinguish symptom from cause

Useful:

Final-third agreement misses caused by time sink on prepositions.

Less useful:

Bad at the end.

163. Map discipline: preserve uncertainty

If the evidence is not strong enough to label an error, record uncertain rather than forcing a category.

Good diagnosis is allowed to be provisional.

164. Map discipline: revise labels when evidence changes

A learner initially labelled weak in tense may later show that tense is strong untimed but slow in passages. Update the label to tense—passage retrieval under pressure.

165. Final 60-item classification audit

For each item, mark C or E. For every E item, label the grammar family before repairing it.

1. The list of names is complete.
2. The list of names are complete.
3. Each of the reports contains a summary.
4. Each of the reports contain a summary.
5. A number of students are waiting.
6. The number of students are increasing.
7. The result may indicate a problem.
8. The result may indicates a problem.
9. The committee has chosen a chair.
10. The committee has chose a chair.
11. The bridge was built in 1980.
12. The bridge was build in 1980.
13. She submitted the form yesterday.
14. She has submitted the form yesterday.
15. She has lived here since 2022.
16. She lives here since 2022.
17. When the meeting starts, we will begin.
18. When the meeting will start, we will begin.
19. The machine operates reliably.
20. The machine operates reliable.
21. The machine is reliable.
22. The machine is reliably.
23. The explanation was remarkably clear.
24. The explanation was remarkable clear.
25. The students were bored by the lecture.
26. The students were boring by the lecture.
27. We received useful information.
28. We received several useful informations.
29. The equipment was delivered.
30. The equipments were delivered.
31. Between you and me, the plan seems risky.
32. Between you and I, the plan seems risky.
33. Iona is interested in grammar.
34. Iona is interested on grammar.
35. Leonie is capable of explaining the answer.
36. Leonie is capable to explain the answer.
37. The class discussed the issue.
38. The class discussed about the issue.
39. The students who study regularly improve.
40. The students who studies regularly improve.
41. Walking through the museum, Maren noticed the paintings.
42. Walking through the museum, the paintings impressed Maren.
43. This method is easier.
44. This method is more easier.
45. The salary of engineers is higher than that of teachers.
46. The salary of engineers is higher than teachers.
47. The programme aims to reduce waste, improve efficiency and lower costs.
48. The programme aims to reduce waste, improving efficiency and lower costs.
49. Although the road was closed, we continued.
50. Although the road was closed, but we continued.
51. The alarm sounded; everyone left.
52. The alarm sounded, everyone left.
53. Only after the second test did the fault become clear.
54. Only after the second test the fault became clear.
55. Had the warning arrived earlier, the team might have changed course.
56. Had the warning arrived earlier, the team might changed course.
57. The data are convincing.
58. The data is convincing.
59. The team are arguing among themselves.
60. The committee is meeting today.

Classification key

2 agreement-attraction. 4 agreement-distributive. 6 agreement-number phrase. 8 verb chain-modal. 10 verb chain-perfect. 12 passive participle. 14 tense-finished past. 16 tense-ongoing since. 18 tense-future clause. 20 word form-adverb. 22 linking-verb adjective. 24 word form-adverb. 26 participial adjective. 28 countability. 30 countability. 32 pronoun case. 34 preposition-adjective frame. 36 complementation. 38 direct-object/preposition frame. 40 relative-clause agreement. 42 dangling modifier. 44 comparison. 46 illogical comparison. 48 parallelism. 50 connector duplication. 52 comma splice. 54 inversion. 56 modal perfect. Items 57–60 are correct in appropriate standard contexts; if changed merely because another variety is preferred, record a false positive.

166. Final map-construction audit

After completing the 60-item set, build a map from your own results. Do not look only at total score.

Fill:

Family	Errors Present	Detected	Repaired	False Positives	Confidence Risk	Status
Agreement
Verb chains
Tense
Word form
Countability
Pronouns
Prepositions/complements
Relative clauses
Modifiers
Comparison/parallelism
Connectors/boundaries

167. What a useful map should tell you in one minute

After looking at the map, the learner should be able to answer:

1. What are my top three editing risks?
2. Do I mainly miss errors or repair them wrongly?
3. Do I over-edit correct language?
4. Which family slows me down?
5. Which family fails only in passages or under time?
6. What should I practise next?

If the map cannot answer those questions, simplify it.

168. What improvement looks like

Improvement is visible when:

• Red families turn Amber;
• Amber families turn Green;
• detection rate rises;
• repair rate rises;
• false-positive rate falls;
• timed and untimed performance converge;
• sentence and passage performance converge;
• high-confidence wrong answers disappear;
• the personal scan becomes shorter.

169. What stagnation looks like

The same category remains Red despite repeated worksheets. Possible causes:

• wrong training response;
• surface repetition without transfer;
• category too broad;
• controller not understood;
• false positives not measured;
• timing introduced too early;
• feedback not converted into new practice.

170. If the same error keeps returning

Move one level deeper.

Instead of:

Agreement keeps returning.

Ask:

• Which agreement subtype?
• Detection or repair?
• Only under long subjects?
• Only in passages?
• Only under time?
• High confidence or low confidence?

The map should become more precise only where precision helps.

171. If a new error appears

Do not immediately make it Red. Record it once, monitor recurrence and consider task difficulty.

One event is not yet a pattern.

172. If a family disappears

Move it to maintenance, not oblivion. Include occasional retrieval in mixed work.

173. If a learner starts over-editing after learning more grammar

Add correct controls and evidence-threshold work. Increased knowledge has expanded the hypothesis space; calibration must catch up.

174. If timing gets worse while accuracy improves

This may be a normal intermediate stage. The learner is reasoning more carefully. Once the relationship is stable, compress the proof.

175. If timing gets faster while accuracy falls

Do not celebrate speed. Reduce pressure and restore diagnosis.

176. If score improves but false positives rise

The learner may be finding more genuine errors while becoming more aggressive. Continue until precision improves too.

177. If sentence accuracy rises but passage accuracy does not

Use the Passage Editing Practice system. The grammar map should mark transfer/context weakness, not endlessly repeat sentence drills.

178. If timed performance remains unstable

Use English Editing Under Time Pressure and map which family or process creates the time loss.

179. If diagnosis itself is weak

Return to Sentence Correction Exercises and practise controller-first reasoning.

180. If detection itself is weak

Return to English Error Correction Exercises With Answers and train correct/error discrimination.

181. If grammar-family knowledge is weak

Use Grammar Editing Exercises for deep work on agreement, tense, word form and prepositions.

182. Independence test

The learner can manage a personal grammar map independently when she can:

• label the grammar family accurately;
• separate detection from repair failure;
• recognize false positives;
• identify timing and transfer problems;
• update priorities from evidence;
• choose a matching practice type;
• retest before declaring mastery.

183. Final personal map template

Family/Subtype	Status	Main Failure	Evidence	Next Practice	Retest
AGR-ATT	Red	Detection	5 misses / 12 opp.	head-noun mixed detection	unseen passage
PREP-ADJ	Red	Repair + Speed	3 wrong, slow	lexical-frame retrieval	timed mixed set
WF-ADV	Amber	Transfer	sentence strong, passage weaker	passage word-form mix	delayed passage
T-FIN	Green	—	stable across 4 sets	maintenance	monthly mix

184. The final operating model

DO NOT COUNT ONLY MISTAKES. CLASSIFY THE GRAMMAR FAMILY, LOCATE THE PERFORMANCE FAILURE, MEASURE THE PATTERN, SET A PRIORITY, CHOOSE THE MATCHING PRACTICE, RETEST UNSEEN, AND UPDATE THE MAP.

The goal is not a permanent catalogue of weaknesses. The goal is a changing model that tells the learner what to do next.

185. Relation to the wider SETC editing lane

This spoke owns the editing-specific grammar error taxonomy and personal error map. It does not replace the broader whole-exam error-diagnosis owners, and it does not replace the later dedicated grammar-error-log article. Its task is aggregation: turn repeated editing events into a compact model of current risk.

Return to the Secondary English Editing Examination Performance hub. The next spoke is SETC-SEC-EDIT-070 — Editing Accuracy | Avoid False Positives and Unnecessary Changes, which will take one part of this map—over-editing—and train it in depth.

186. Final principle

A CORRECTION TELLS YOU WHAT WAS WRONG ONCE. A MAP TELLS YOU WHAT KEEPS GOING WRONG, WHY IT KEEPS HAPPENING, AND WHAT TO TRAIN NEXT.