Common English Mistakes in Personal Essays by Italian Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Italian speakers from Italy when writing a Personal Essay in English.

Mistake Example #1

Confusing singular and plural nouns

When I was a child, my favorite memory was visiting the beautiful countryside with my family. We would spend hours exploring the field and picking wildflowers, which my mother would later arrange into a lovely bouquet. The air was filled with the scent of fresh grass and the sound of birds singing, creating a symphony that I still cherish today.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"This is mostly great, but please remember to use plural nouns properly: "picking wildflower" should be "picking wildflowers" and "sound of bird" should be "sound of birds"."

When I was a child, my favorite memory was visiting the beautiful countryside with my family. We would spend hours exploring the field and picking wildflowers, which my mother would later arrange into a lovely bouquet. The air was filled with the scent of fresh grass and the sound of birds singing, creating a symphony that I still cherish today.

When I was a child, my favorite memory was visiting the beautiful countryside with my family. We would spend hours exploring the field and picking wildflower, which my mother would later arrange into a lovely bouquet. The air was filled with the scent of fresh grass and the sound of bird singing, creating a symphony that I still cherish today.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of passive voice

When I waAs a child, I spenthe summerswere spent in the countryside with my grandparents. TMy grandfather explored the fields with mere explored, and thold me stories of the pastwere told by my grandfather. Every evening, thwesky was watchedthe sky as the stars appeared, and Idreamsed of the future. wI remembere imagined. Tthose daysare remembered fondly, and I deeply cherishthe lessons Ilearnedare cherished deeply.

Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"Where possible, try to use active voice rather than passive voice. "

As a child, I spent summers in the countryside with my grandparents. My grandfather explored the fields with me and told me stories of the past. Every evening, we watched the sky as the stars appeared, and I dreamed of the future. I remember those days fondly, and I deeply cherish the lessons I learned.

When I was a child, the summers were spent in the countryside with my grandparents. The fields were explored, and the stories of the past were told by my grandfather. Every evening, the sky was watched as the stars appeared, and dreams of the future were imagined. Those days are remembered fondly, and the lessons learned are cherished deeply.

Mistake Example #3

Using direct translations from Italian (e.g., 'We see us tomorrow' instead of 'See you tomorrow')

When I was a child, my grandmother always said, "The early bird catches the worm,." bBut I never understood why a bird would want a worm. In Italy, we say, "The morning has gold in its mouth," which makes more sense to me because who wouldn't want gold? We'll see useach other tomorrow at the park, and I will tell you more about these funny sayings.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I just made a few small changes so it would read more naturally."

When I was a child, my grandmother always said, "The early bird catches the worm." But I never understood why a bird would want a worm. In Italy, we say, "The morning has gold in its mouth," which makes more sense to me because who wouldn't want gold? We'll see each other tomorrow at the park, and I will tell you more about these funny sayings.

When I was a child, my grandmother always said, "The early bird catches the worm," but I never understood why a bird would want a worm. In Italy, we say, "The morning has gold in its mouth," which makes more sense to me because who wouldn't want gold? We see us tomorrow at the park, and I will tell you more about these funny sayings.