Common English Mistakes in Lab Reports by Arabic Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Arabic speakers from United Arab Emirates when writing a Lab Report in English.

Mistake Example #1

Misuse of articles ('I have car' instead of 'I have a car')

In this experiment, we observedthe reaction of chemical A with water. The purpose was to determine therate of reaction under different temperatures. We useda beaker and thermometer to measure temperature changes. RThe results showed thatthe reaction was faster at higher temperatures, confirming thehypothesis.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"This is fairly well-written. However, don't forget to use articles in your sentences: for example, "we observed reaction of chemical A with water" should be "we observed the reaction of chemical A with water" and "was to determine rate of reaction" should be "was to determine the rate of reaction"."

In this experiment, we observed the reaction of chemical A with water. The purpose was to determine the rate of reaction under different temperatures. We used a beaker and thermometer to measure temperature changes. The results showed that the reaction was faster at higher temperatures, confirming the hypothesis.

In this experiment, we observed reaction of chemical A with water. The purpose was to determine rate of reaction under different temperatures. We used beaker and thermometer to measure temperature changes. Results showed that reaction was faster at higher temperatures, confirming hypothesis.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of passive voice

The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of temperature on enzyme activity. The samplreswearchere prepared samplesandwere placedthem in a water bath set to different temperatures. The results wearchere recorded the resultsandwere analyzedthem to identify the optimal temperature for enzyme function.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Just a few minor tweaks to reduce the use of passive voice :) Great work! "

The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of temperature on enzyme activity. The researcher prepared samples and placed them in a water bath set to different temperatures. The researcher recorded the results and analyzed them to identify the optimal temperature for enzyme function.

The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of temperature on enzyme activity. The samples were prepared and were placed in a water bath set to different temperatures. The results were recorded and were analyzed to identify the optimal temperature for enzyme function.