Common English Mistakes in Prescription Guides by Korean Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

Take one tablet with water aftera meal every day. If you experience headache or dizziness, contact yourdoctor immediately. Do not take medication on anempty stomach. Keep medicine ina cool, dry place away from sunlight.

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

"I added articles and possessive pronouns before some of the nouns. Overall, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

Take one tablet with water after a meal every day. If you experience headache or dizziness, contact your doctor immediately. Do not take medication on an empty stomach. Keep medicine in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.

Take one tablet with water after meal every day. If you experience headache or dizziness, contact doctor immediately. Do not take medication on empty stomach. Keep medicine in cool, dry place away from sunlight.

Mistake Example #2

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

Take one tablet inthe morning and one tablet inat night with water. Do not take medication on anempty stomach. Store the medicine inat cool and dry place, away from sunlight. If you miss a dose, take it ats soon as possible, but do not double up on thenext dose.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Good work! I just changed some prepositions and added some articles."

Take one tablet in the morning and one tablet at night with water. Do not take medication on an empty stomach. Store the medicine in a cool and dry place, away from sunlight. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible, but do not double up on the next dose.

Take one tablet in morning and one tablet in night with water. Do not take medication on empty stomach. Store the medicine at cool and dry place, away from sunlight. If you miss a dose, take it at soon as possible, but do not double up on next dose.

Mistake Example #3

Incorrect word order in complex sentences

For the medication, take one tablet after mealevery dayafter a meal. If symptoms persist, you should consult yourdoctor immediately. The medicine, whichIt is important to store the medicine in a cool place,and it should not be exposed to sunlight.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"Be mindful of errors such as the following: "take one tablet after meal every day" should be "take one tablet every day after a meal" and "you should consult doctor" should be "you should consult your doctor"."

For the medication, take one tablet every day after a meal. If symptoms persist, you should consult your doctor immediately. It is important to store the medicine in a cool place and it should not be exposed to sunlight.

For the medication, take one tablet after meal every day. If symptoms persist, you should consult doctor immediately. The medicine, which is important to store in cool place, should not be exposed to sunlight.