Common English Mistakes in Life Advice Columns by Korean Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

Dear Advice Column, I am feeling very stressed inat my job lately, and I don't know how to manage it. I often find myself working late at night and on weekends, which makes me feel exhausted in the morning. Can you give me some tips on how to balance mywork and personal life better? Thank you for your help in advance.

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

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

Dear Advice Column, I am feeling very stressed at my job lately, and I don't know how to manage it. I often find myself working late at night and on weekends, which makes me feel exhausted in the morning. Can you give me some tips on how to balance my work and personal life better? Thank you for your help in advance.

Dear Advice Column, I am feeling very stressed in my job lately and I don't know how to manage it. I often find myself working late at night and on weekends, which makes me feel exhausted in the morning. Can you give me some tips on how to balance work and personal life better? Thank you for your help in advance.

Mistake Example #2

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

Dear Advice Column,I am having trouble withmakinga decision aboutmy career. I want to pursue mydream of becomingan artist, but my parents think it is not astable choice. They suggest thatIshould consider ajob inthe business field instead. How can I balance my passion with their expectations?

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Nice work! I just added some missing articles and made a couple of other small changes."

Dear Advice Column, I am having trouble making a decision about my career. I want to pursue my dream of becoming an artist, but my parents think it is not a stable choice. They suggest that I consider a job in the business field instead. How can I balance my passion with their expectations?

Dear Advice Column, I am having trouble with making decision about career. I want to pursue dream of becoming artist, but my parents think it is not stable choice. They suggest I should consider job in business field instead. How can I balance my passion with their expectations?

Mistake Example #3

Incorrect word order in complex sentences

Dear Advice Column,I am feeling very stressed because my work-life balance is not good. When I come home, I feel sotiredso much that I cannot enjoy hobbies or spend time with myfamily. How can I manage bettermy timebetter so that I can relax more and be happy? I appreciate your help very much.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Nice work! I changed the order of some of the words and made a few stylistic tweaks."

Dear Advice Column, I am feeling very stressed because my work-life balance is not good. When I come home, I feel so tired that I cannot enjoy hobbies or spend time with my family. How can I manage my time better so that I can relax more and be happy? I appreciate your help very much.

Dear Advice Column, I am feeling very stressed because my work-life balance is not good. When I come home, I feel tired so much that I cannot enjoy hobbies or spend time with family. How can I manage better my time so that I can relax more and be happy? I appreciate your help very much.