Common English Mistakes in Flash Fictions by Ukrainian Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

Ina small village near ariver,an old man lived withhis cat. Every morning, he would walk tothe market and buy fresh fish. One day, he found amysterious box on theroad. Inside thebox wasa map leading toa hidden treasure. Excited, he decided to follow themap, hoping to finda fortune that would change his life forever.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some adjustments to add missing articles."

In a small village near a river, an old man lived with his cat. Every morning, he would walk to the market and buy fresh fish. One day, he found a mysterious box on the road. Inside the box was a map leading to a hidden treasure. Excited, he decided to follow the map, hoping to find a fortune that would change his life forever.

In small village near river, old man lived with cat. Every morning, he would walk to market and buy fresh fish. One day, he found mysterious box on road. Inside box was map leading to hidden treasure. Excited, he decided to follow map, hoping to find fortune that would change his life forever.

Mistake Example #2

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

In the quiet village, alwaysthe sunalways rises before the rooster crows. Every morning, she goesto the rivershe goes, carrying a basket full of dreams and hopes. Her heart, like the river, flows with stories untold, and shealwaysshe wonders if one day they will be heard.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Wonderful! I just fixed some issues with the word order."

In the quiet village, the sun always rises before the rooster crows. Every morning, she goes to the river, carrying a basket full of dreams and hopes. Her heart, like the river, flows with stories untold, and she always wonders if one day they will be heard.

In the quiet village, always the sun rises before the rooster crows. Every morning, to the river she goes, carrying a basket full of dreams and hopes. Her heart, like the river, flows with stories untold, and always she wonders if one day they will be heard.

Mistake Example #3

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

The storm clouds gathered ominously over the small Ukrainian village, casting long shadows on the cobblestone streets. If it willrains tonight, the villagers will gather in the old barn, sharing stories and laughter to keep the darkness at bay. But if the skies willclear, they will dance under the stars, celebrating the fleeting moments of peace and joy.

Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"I have corrected the use of "will" in your conditionals ("if" statements). Otherwise this looks very good! "

The storm clouds gathered ominously over the small Ukrainian village, casting long shadows on the cobblestone streets. If it rains tonight, the villagers will gather in the old barn, sharing stories and laughter to keep the darkness at bay. But if the skies clear, they will dance under the stars, celebrating the fleeting moments of peace and joy.

The storm clouds gathered ominously over the small Ukrainian village, casting long shadows on the cobblestone streets. If it will rain tonight, the villagers will gather in the old barn, sharing stories and laughter to keep the darkness at bay. But if the skies will clear, they will dance under the stars, celebrating the fleeting moments of peace and joy.