Common English Mistakes in Instructional Guides by Ukrainian Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Ukrainian speakers from Ukraine when writing a Instructional Guide in English.

Mistake Example #1

Skipping articles ('I bought car' instead of 'I bought a car')

To make borscht, you need somebeetroot, potatoes, andsome cabbage. First, peel thebeetroot and cut it into small pieces. Then, add thebeetroot toa pot with water and bring ittoa boil. After that, peel thepotatoandes, chopthem into cubes, and adding them tothe pot. Finally, shred thecabbage and mix it intothe soup, cooking ituntil allthe vegetables are tender. Enjoythis delicious Ukrainian borscht with yourfamily!

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Sounds delicious! I added some missing articles and made a few more small changes."

To make borscht, you need some beetroot, potatoes, and some cabbage. First, peel the beetroot and cut it into small pieces. Then, add the beetroot to a pot with water and bring it to a boil. After that, peel the potatoes, chop them into cubes, and add them to the pot. Finally, shred the cabbage and mix it into the soup, cooking it until all the vegetables are tender. Enjoy this delicious Ukrainian borscht with your family!

To make borscht, you need beetroot, potato, and cabbage. First, peel beetroot and cut into small pieces. Then, add beetroot to pot with water and bring to boil. After that, peel potato and chop into cubes, adding them to pot. Finally, shred cabbage and mix into soup, cooking until all vegetables are tender. Enjoy delicious Ukrainian borscht with family!

Mistake Example #2

Using 'will' incorrectly in conditionals ('If it will rain, I will stay' instead of 'If it rains, I will stay')

To prepare the traditional Ukrainian dish, borscht, you must follow these steps carefully. First, if you will finduse fresh beets, it will be better for the taste. Next, if youwill chop the vegetables finely, they will cook more evenly. Remember, if it willboils too rapidly, the flavors might not develop fully,—so keep an eye on the heat.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking for correct word usage in conditionals."

To prepare the traditional Ukrainian dish borscht, you must follow these steps carefully. First, if you use fresh beets, it will be better for the taste. Next, if you chop the vegetables finely, they will cook more evenly. Remember, if it boils too rapidly, the flavors might not develop fully—so keep an eye on the heat.

To prepare the traditional Ukrainian dish, borscht, you must follow these steps carefully. First, if you will find fresh beets, it will be better for the taste. Next, if you will chop the vegetables finely, they will cook more evenly. Remember, if it will boil too rapidly, the flavors might not develop fully, so keep an eye on the heat.

Mistake Example #3

Confusion with word order ('Always I go to the store' instead of 'I always go to the store')

To bake a delicious apple pie, first you need to gather all theingredients. Always youstart withby peeling and slicing the apples., Tthen, mix them with sugar and cinnamon. After youprepareing the filling,you roll out the dough for the crust. Carefullyyou place the dough in the pie dish and fill it with the apple mixture. Finally, youcover the pie with another layer of dough and bake it in the oven.

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

"I removed the word "you" to make the English grammatically correct. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

To bake a delicious apple pie, first you need to gather all the ingredients. Always start by peeling and slicing the apples, then mix them with sugar and cinnamon. After preparing the filling, roll out the dough for the crust. Carefully place the dough in the pie dish and fill it with the apple mixture. Finally, cover the pie with another layer of dough and bake it in the oven.

To bake a delicious apple pie, first you need to gather all ingredients. Always you start with peeling and slicing the apples. Then, mix them with sugar and cinnamon. After you prepare the filling, you roll out the dough for the crust. Carefully you place the dough in the pie dish and fill it with the apple mixture. Finally, you cover the pie with another layer of dough and bake it in the oven.