Errors are inevitable in the foreign language learning process. They are indications to educators of the unlearnt knowledge and problematic areas of the learners. For this reason, it is important to investigate and classify the most frequent errors produced by non-native speakers of English. The present research investigated the spoken errors of university level learners. A classifi cation of spoken errors using the Common European Framework for Language's (CEFL) (2001) on the communicative language competences was developed to shed light into the diffi culties which learners experience in their learning progress. Data were collected from 40 EFL learners through in class observations and recordings. The results of revealed that the most prevalent errors were produced in the main category of linguistic competences. Within the linguistic competence the most prevalent errors were produced in the sub category of lexical competence followed by grammatical competence, functional competence, phonological competence, sociolinguistic competence, pragmatic competence and lastly semantic competence. The fi ndings have implications for educators to understand the problems which learners encounter and set more realistic expectations for themselves and their learners.

Research on the speech act of compliment is abundant; however, studies on the characteristics of compliments in Turkish, in general, and in Turkish TV dramas, in particular, are scarce. Therefore, to fill this research gap, the present study set out to investigate the use of compliments in a popular Turkish soap opera. To achieve the purposes of this research, thirty-two episodes of a TV drama called Sahra were selected at random to be viewed and analyzed while focusing on the topics, functions, and characteristics of compliments with reference to the role of gender. Four main topics and functions, and two major characteristics of Turkish compliments emerged from the analysis of the data. Similarities and differences were also found in the use of compliments in Turkish and other languages. The findings may have implications for research on speech acts, in general, and complimenting behavior in TV dramas, in particular.Keywords: Turkish compliments; TV drama; elaboration; exaggeration; gender