Common English Mistakes in Short Stories by Italian Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Confusing singular and plural nouns

In a small village nestled between the hills, there was a legend about a mysterious cat who could grant wishes. Every child in the village would tell story about the cat's magical powers, hoping one day to meet it. One evening, as the sun set behind the mountains, a young girl named Lucia decided to search for theis cat, believing that her wish could change her family's fortune.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I fixed a couple of issues with singular and plural nouns and made a few other small changes."

In a small village nestled between the hills, there was a legend about a mysterious cat who could grant wishes. Every child in the village would tell story about the cat's magical powers, hoping one day to meet it. One evening, as the sun set behind the mountains, a young girl named Lucia decided to search for this cat, believing that her wish could change her family's fortune.

In a small village nestled between the hills, there was a legend about a mysterious cat who could grant wish. Every child in the village would tell story about the cat's magical power, hoping one day to meet it. One evening, as the sun set behind the mountain, a young girl named Lucia decided to search for the cat, believing that her wish could change her family fortune.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of passive voice

In the quiet village of San Gimignano, the townspeople whispered abouta mysterious eventwas being whispered about by the townspeople. The ancient bell tower was said to be haunted by a ghost, and the elders toldmany stories were being told by the elders. One night, a brave young girl named Lucia decided that she must discoverthe truthmust be discovered by her,and so,she made a planwas made by her to visit the tower at midnight.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Your ideas were clear :) I just made a few small changes to improve the flow and polish things up. "

In the quiet village of San Gimignano, the townspeople whispered about a mysterious event. The ancient bell tower was said to be haunted by a ghost, and the elders told many stories. One night, a brave young girl named Lucia decided that she must discover the truth, so she made a plan to visit the tower at midnight.

In the quiet village of San Gimignano, a mysterious event was being whispered about by the townspeople. The ancient bell tower was said to be haunted by a ghost, and many stories were being told by the elders. One night, a brave young girl named Lucia decided that the truth must be discovered by her, and so, a plan was made by her to visit the tower at midnight.

Mistake Example #3

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

In the small village of Monteverde, Luca and his friends decided to explore the mysterious old house at the end of the street. "We aregoing to the house tonight," Luca said with excitement. "Bring your flashlight, and we swill bee us at the gate when the moon is high." As they approached the creaky door, Luca whispered, "Be careful, the floor is not so stable, and we don't want to make noise toand wake the ghosts."

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

"I just replaced a word or two to make the English sound more natural. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

In the small village of Monteverde, Luca and his friends decided to explore the mysterious old house at the end of the street. "We are going to the house tonight," Luca said with excitement. "Bring your flashlight, and we will be at the gate when the moon is high." As they approached the creaky door, Luca whispered, "Be careful, the floor is not so stable, and we don't want to make noise and wake the ghosts."

In the small village of Monteverde, Luca and his friends decided to explore the mysterious old house at the end of the street. "We go to the house tonight," Luca said with excitement. "Bring your flashlight, and we see us at the gate when the moon is high." As they approached the creaky door, Luca whispered, "Be careful, the floor is not so stable, and we don't want to make noise to wake the ghosts."