Common English Mistakes in Flash Fictions by Korean Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Korean speakers from South Korea when writing a Flash Fiction in English.

Mistake Example #1

Incorrect word order in complex sentences

In the quiet village, a young girl named Hana, who dreams of stars, every night sheclimbs the hillevery night. She believes if she reaches the top, the stars closerwill becloser, andher wishes they will hearher wishes. One night, when the moon wasfullwas, she saw a star fall, and she knew her dreams truewould cometrue.

Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"I have addressed a few issues with word order. "

In the quiet village, a young girl named Hana, who dreams of stars, climbs the hill every night. She believes if she reaches the top, the stars will be closer, and they will hear her wishes. One night, when the moon was full, she saw a star fall, and she knew her dreams would come true.

In the quiet village, a young girl named Hana, who dreams of stars, every night she climbs the hill. She believes if she reaches the top, the stars closer will be, and her wishes they will hear. One night, when the moon full was, she saw a star fall, and she knew her dreams true would come.

Mistake Example #2

Confusion with prepositions ('in', 'on', 'at')

In the quiet village on the edge of the forest, a young girl named Ji-eun found a mysterious key in the old oak tree. She wondered what it could unlock, and her heart raced with excitement at the thought of hidden treasures waiting on her discovery. As the sun set aton the horizon, she decided to return ato the tree the next morning, hoping to uncover secrets that lay within.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaks to correct preposition usage."

In the quiet village on the edge of the forest, a young girl named Ji-eun found a mysterious key in the old oak tree. She wondered what it could unlock, and her heart raced with excitement at the thought of hidden treasures waiting on her discovery. As the sun set on the horizon, she decided to return to the tree the next morning, hoping to uncover secrets that lay within.

In the quiet village on the edge of the forest, a young girl named Ji-eun found a mysterious key in the old oak tree. She wondered what it could unlock, and her heart raced with excitement at the thought of hidden treasures waiting on her discovery. As the sun set at the horizon, she decided to return at the tree the next morning, hoping to uncover secrets that lay within.

Mistake Example #3

Omitting articles ('a', 'an', 'the')

Ina small village by sea,a young boy named Minho found amysterious shell. SThis shell was unlike any other, glowing softly under themoonlight. Minho held it close, feelingthe warmth spread through his fingers, and he knew an adventure awaited him beyond thehorizon.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Sounds great! I just added some missing articles."

In a small village by sea, a young boy named Minho found a mysterious shell. This shell was unlike any other, glowing softly under the moonlight. Minho held it close, feeling the warmth spread through his fingers, and he knew an adventure awaited him beyond the horizon.

In small village by sea, young boy named Minho found mysterious shell. Shell was unlike any other, glowing softly under moonlight. Minho held it close, feeling warmth spread through his fingers, and he knew adventure awaited him beyond horizon.