Common English Mistakes in Book Reviews by German Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native German speakers from Germany when writing a Book Review in English.

Mistake Example #1

Overuse of passive voice

TI read the book "The Great Adventure" was read by melast weekend, and it wasI foundit to be quite engaging. The characters were developed well, and the plot was enjoyed by many readers, including myself. The themes of friendship and courage were explored deeply, and a lasting impression was left on me bythe author's storytellingleft a lasting impression on me.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"Please be mindful of the following errors (overuse of passive voice): - "The book "The Great Adventure" was read by me last weekend, and it was found to be quite engaging." should be "I read the book "The Great Adventure" last weekend, and I found it to be quite engaging." - "and a lasting impression was left on me by the author's storytelling" should be "and the author's storytelling left a lasting impression on me"."

I read the book "The Great Adventure" last weekend, and I found it to be quite engaging. The characters were developed well, and the plot was enjoyed by many readers, including myself. The themes of friendship and courage were explored deeply, and the author's storytelling left a lasting impression on me.

The book "The Great Adventure" was read by me last weekend, and it was found to be quite engaging. The characters were developed well, and the plot was enjoyed by many readers, including myself. The themes of friendship and courage were explored deeply, and a lasting impression was left on me by the author's storytelling.

Mistake Example #2

Capitalizing all nouns (following German grammar rules)

The Book "The Great Adventure" by Aauthor John Smith is a fascinating Jjourney through the Wworld of Ffantasy and Iimagination. The Ccharacters are well-developed, and the Pplot keeps the Rreader engaged from Sstart to Ffinish. However, some Pparts of the Sstory could have been more detailed to give the Rreader a better Uunderstanding of the Ssetting and the Mmotivation of the Pprotagonist. Overall, it is a highly recommended Rread for Ffans of the Ggenre.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to correct capitalization errors."

The Book "The Great Adventure" by author John Smith is a fascinating journey through the world of fantasy and imagination. The characters are well-developed, and the plot keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. However, some parts of the story could have been more detailed to give the reader a better understanding of the setting and the motivation of the protagonist. Overall, it is a highly recommended read for fans of the genre.

The Book "The Great Adventure" by Author John Smith is a fascinating Journey through the World of Fantasy and Imagination. The Characters are well-developed, and the Plot keeps the Reader engaged from Start to Finish. However, some Parts of the Story could have been more detailed to give the Reader a better Understanding of the Setting and the Motivation of the Protagonist. Overall, it is a highly recommended Read for Fans of the Genre.

Mistake Example #3

Incorrect word order in subordinate clauses

TI recently read the book "The Silent Forest". Irecently read, which was both captivating and thought-provoking. The author, who isa master of suspenseis, creates a world where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. Although the plot wassometimes confusingwas, the characterswere so well-developedwere that they kept me engaged throughout the entire story.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Nice job! I just made some changes to the word order."

I recently read the book "The Silent Forest". It was both captivating and thought-provoking. The author, who is a master of suspense, creates a world where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. Although the plot was sometimes confusing, the characters were so well-developed that they kept me engaged throughout the entire story.

The book "The Silent Forest" I recently read, which was both captivating and thought-provoking. The author, who a master of suspense is, creates a world where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. Although the plot sometimes confusing was, the characters so well-developed were that they kept me engaged throughout the entire story.