Common English Mistakes in Instructional Guides by Arabic Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

To start cooking pasta, you need to boil water in alarge pot. Once the water is boiling, addthe pasta and stir occasionally. After thepasta is cooked, drain it using acolander and return it to thepot. Addthe sauce of your choice and mix well before serving. Enjoy your meal with family or friends.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"This is fairly well-written. However, don't forget to use articles in your sentences: for example, "boil water in large pot" should be "boil water in a large pot" and "Once water is boiling" should be "Once the water is boiling"."

To start cooking pasta, you need to boil water in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and stir occasionally. After the pasta is cooked, drain it using a colander and return it to the pot. Add the sauce of your choice and mix well before serving. Enjoy your meal with family or friends.

To start cooking pasta, you need to boil water in large pot. Once water is boiling, add pasta and stir occasionally. After pasta is cooked, drain it using colander and return it to pot. Add sauce of your choice and mix well before serving. Enjoy your meal with family or friends.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of passive voice

To bake a traditional Emirati bread, gatherthe ingredients are gatheredfirst. TMix the flouris mixed with water and salt until adough is formed. TLeave the doughis then left to rest for an hour. After resting, dividethe doughis divided into small balls, which are flattened. TCook the flattened doughis cooked on a hot griddle until golden brown. TServe the bread is served with honey or cheese for a delicious taste.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Great job! Very few changes were needed to make your instructions active. "

To bake a traditional Emirati bread, gather the ingredients first. Mix the flour with water and salt until dough is formed. Leave the dough to rest for an hour. After resting, divide the dough into small balls, which are flattened. Cook the flattened dough on a hot griddle until golden brown. Serve the bread with honey or cheese for a delicious taste.

To bake a traditional Emirati bread, the ingredients are gathered first. The flour is mixed with water and salt until a dough is formed. The dough is then left to rest for an hour. After resting, the dough is divided into small balls, which are flattened. The flattened dough is cooked on a hot griddle until golden brown. The bread is served with honey or cheese for a delicious taste.