Common English Mistakes in Personal Essays by Ukrainian Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

Growing up in Ukraine, IalwaysI found joy in the simple things around me. Every summer, with my familyI would visit the countrysidewith my family, where the airwas fresh and the fields seemedendlessseemed. These trips, which IalwaysI remember fondly, taught me to appreciate the beauty of nature and the warmth of family bonds.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Very nice! I just changed the word order a little to make the English sound more natural."

Growing up in Ukraine, I always found joy in the simple things around me. Every summer, I would visit the countryside with my family, where the air was fresh and the fields seemed endless. These trips, which I always remember fondly, taught me to appreciate the beauty of nature and the warmth of family bonds.

Growing up in Ukraine, always I found joy in the simple things around me. Every summer, with my family I would visit the countryside, where the air fresh and the fields endless seemed. These trips, always I remember fondly, taught me to appreciate the beauty of nature and the warmth of family bonds.

Mistake Example #2

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

Growing up in Ukraine, I have always cherished the summer days spent at my grandmother's house in the countryside. If it willrains, wewill stay inside and listen to her stories by the fireplace, which are always full of magic and adventure. But if the sun willshines, wewill explore the fields and pick fresh berries, enjoying the simple pleasures of nature.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Just a few small changes were needed. Otherwise it sounds great!"

Growing up in Ukraine, I have always cherished the summer days spent at my grandmother's house in the countryside. If it rains, we stay inside and listen to her stories by the fireplace, which are always full of magic and adventure. But if the sun shines, we explore the fields and pick fresh berries, enjoying the simple pleasures of nature.

Growing up in Ukraine, I have always cherished the summer days spent at my grandmother's house in the countryside. If it will rain, we will stay inside and listen to her stories by the fireplace, which are always full of magic and adventure. But if the sun will shine, we will explore the fields and pick fresh berries, enjoying the simple pleasures of nature.

Mistake Example #3

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

Growing up in Ukraine, I always dreamed of traveling theworld. Last summer, I finally hada chance to visit Italy. I was amazed by thebeauty ofthe ancient architecture and thedelicious food. From a local artistI boughta beautiful paintingfrom local artist, which now hangs in my living room. This trip inspired me to explore more cultures and learn about thehistory of different countries.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"This was well-written – I just made a few minor changes to add articles and make the sentences clear :) "

Growing up in Ukraine, I always dreamed of traveling the world. Last summer, I finally had a chance to visit Italy. I was amazed by the beauty of the ancient architecture and the delicious food. From a local artist I bought a beautiful painting, which now hangs in my living room. This trip inspired me to explore more cultures and learn about the history of different countries.

Growing up in Ukraine, I always dreamed of traveling world. Last summer, I finally had chance to visit Italy. I was amazed by beauty of ancient architecture and delicious food. I bought beautiful painting from local artist, which now hangs in my living room. This trip inspired me to explore more cultures and learn about history of different countries.