Common English Mistakes in Novels by German Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Incorrect word order in subordinate clauses

In the quiet village of Grünwald, where the forest meets the river,there lived a young girl named Liesel. She loved to wander through the woods, where the trees whispered secrets to those who listened closely. One day, as she walked along the path, she noticed that the birdssingiong wereas more melodious than usual. She stopped to listen, and shethouinkinght about how beautiful the world was,—whensuddenly a strange feelingsuddenly overcame her. It was as if the forest itself was trying to tell her something important, but she could not quite understand what it was.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaks to fix instances of incorrect word order, among other changes."

In the quiet village of Grünwald, where the forest meets the river, there lived a young girl named Liesel. She loved to wander through the woods, where the trees whispered secrets to those who listened closely. One day, as she walked along the path, she noticed that the birdsong was more melodious than usual. She stopped to listen, thinking about how beautiful the world was—when a strange feeling suddenly overcame her. It was as if the forest itself was trying to tell her something important, but she could not quite understand what it was.

In the quiet village of Grünwald, where the forest meets the river, lived a young girl named Liesel. She loved to wander through the woods, where the trees whispered secrets to those who listened closely. One day, as she walked along the path, she noticed that the birds singing were more melodious than usual. She stopped to listen, and she thought about how beautiful the world was, when suddenly a strange feeling overcame her. It was as if the forest itself was trying to tell her something important, but she could not quite understand what it was.

Mistake Example #2

Capitalizing all nouns (following German grammar rules)

In the Qquiet Vvillage of Grünwald, the Cchildren played by the Rriver, their Llaughter echoing through the Fforest. Little Anna, with her Rred Bballoon, ran after the Bbutterflies, her Hheart full of Jjoy and Aadventure. Meanwhile, the Oold Mman in the Ccottage watched from his Wwindow, his Mmind wandering to the Ddays of his Yyouth, when Ddreams seemed as Eendless as the Ssky.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some adjusting for proper use of capitalization."

In the quiet village of Grünwald, the children played by the river, their laughter echoing through the forest. Little Anna, with her red balloon, ran after the butterflies, her heart full of joy and adventure. Meanwhile, the old man in the cottage watched from his window, his mind wandering to the days of his youth, when dreams seemed as endless as the sky.

In the Quiet Village of Grünwald, the Children played by the River, their Laughter echoing through the Forest. Little Anna, with her Red Balloon, ran after the Butterflies, her Heart full of Joy and Adventure. Meanwhile, the Old Man in the Cottage watched from his Window, his Mind wandering to the Days of his Youth, when Dreams seemed as Endless as the Sky.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of passive voice

In the quiet village, the townsfolk were whispering abouta mysterious event. At night, strange figures waere visbeiting whispered about by the townsfolk. The old manor, which was said to be haunted,. was being visited by strMange figures at night. It wasy believedby many that the spirits of the past were being disturbed by the living, and everyone who lived nearby felta sense of uneasewas felt by all who lived nearby.

Text corrected by:
Michele A., Boston, Massachusetts; United States

"I changed the passive voice to the active voice in some of the phrases. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

In the quiet village, the townsfolk were whispering about a mysterious event. At night, strange figures were visiting he old manor, which was said to be haunted. Many believed that the spirits of the past were being disturbed by the living, and everyone who lived nearby felt a sense of unease.

In the quiet village, a mysterious event was being whispered about by the townsfolk. The old manor, which was said to be haunted, was being visited by strange figures at night. It was believed by many that the spirits of the past were being disturbed by the living, and a sense of unease was felt by all who lived nearby.