Common English Mistakes in Life Advice Columns by Ukrainian Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

Dear Advice Column,I am writing to you because I need help with a decision. If it willrains tomorrow, I will stay at home, but I am not sure if this is the best choice. My friends say that if I willgo out, I might enjoy the day more, but I am worried about the weather. What do you think I should do?

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"It just needed a few small tweaks to correct the verb tense. Well done!"

Dear Advice Column, I am writing to you because I need help with a decision. If it rains tomorrow, I will stay at home, but I am not sure if this is the best choice. My friends say that if I go out, I might enjoy the day more, but I am worried about the weather. What do you think I should do?

Dear Advice Column, I am writing to you because I need help with a decision. If it will rain tomorrow, I will stay at home, but I am not sure if this is the best choice. My friends say that if I will go out, I might enjoy the day more, but I am worried about the weather. What do you think I should do?

Mistake Example #2

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

Dear Advice Column, I am feeling very confused about arecent decision I made. I boughta car last month, but now I am not sure if it wasthe right choice. My friends say I should have waited for abetter deal, but I neededa vehicle urgently. What should I do to feel more confident aboutin my decision?

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Very good! Just a couple of changes to make articles consistent. "

Dear Advice Column, I am feeling very confused about a recent decision I made. I bought a car last month, but now I am not sure if it was the right choice. My friends say I should have waited for a better deal, but I needed a vehicle urgently. What should I do to feel more confident in my decision?

Dear Advice Column, I am feeling very confused about recent decision I made. I bought car last month, but now I am not sure if it was right choice. My friends say I should have waited for better deal, but I needed vehicle urgently. What should I do to feel more confident about my decision?

Mistake Example #3

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

Dear Advice Column, IalwaysI find myself struggling with time management. Every day, I try to plan my tasks, but often I end up doing things in thewrong order. Can you suggest how I canbetterI can organize my day to be more productive?

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"I made a few changes to correct the word order: "always I find myself" should be "I always find myself" and "Can you suggest how better I can" should be "Can you suggest how I can better organize"."

Dear Advice Column, I always find myself struggling with time management. Every day, I try to plan my tasks, but often I end up doing things in the wrong order. Can you suggest how I can better organize my day to be more productive?

Dear Advice Column, always I find myself struggling with time management. Every day I try to plan my tasks, but often I end up doing things in wrong order. Can you suggest how better I can organize my day to be more productive?