Was Rolando Vera a CORRIDOR?

Well neither Rolando Vera nor Jefferson Pérez for that matter (both Ecuadorian) are CORRIDORS but a student of mine long ago came to the belief that was the right word in English. We know the correct word is ATHLETES (race-walkers to be more precise), but my student did not. How did it happen? It's really simple. The problem began because she did not use her bilingual dictionary properly and jumped into the conclusion that the first word listed there was the one she was looking for and thus ignored the rest among which there was the right one. So what she ended up saying was that "Rolando Vera is a HALLWAY." In Spanish a runner is called corredor and a corridor is also called corredor (again a case of false cognates) which explains her mistake. Shy as she was, I decided to explain to her what the problem was with her example once the class was over and not before.
Using a dictionary  can be tricky for the English learner. It is advisable to review all concepts or to ask for advice from someone who is knowledgeable (a teacher or just someone who knows) until acquiring the necessary skills to use a dictionary and  avoid this type of misunderstandings in the future.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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