Common English Mistakes by Arabic Speakers

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

Category:Fiction & Creative Writing
Writing for storytelling, entertainment, and artistic expression.
Common Users:Authors, Playwrights, Poets.
Mistake Example #1

Fiction & Creative Writing / Creative Nonfiction

Overuse of passive voice

In the golden sands of the desert, a story was told bythe windtold a story. The ancient city was built by the hands of skilled artisansbuilt the ancient city, andits beauty was admired by travelers from distant landsadmired its beauty. TGeneration after generation passed down the tales of the citywere passed down through generations, andits secrets were whispered by the stars in the night skywhispered its secrets.


Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to reduce the use of passive voice."

In the golden sands of the desert, the wind told a story. The hands of skilled artisans built the ancient city, and travelers from distant lands admired its beauty. Generation after generation passed down the tales of the city, and the stars in the night sky whispered its secrets.

In the golden sands of the desert, a story was told by the wind. The ancient city was built by the hands of skilled artisans, and its beauty was admired by travelers from distant lands. The tales of the city were passed down through generations, and its secrets were whispered by the stars in the night sky.

Mistake Example #2

Fiction & Creative Writing / Flash Fiction

Overuse of passive voice

In the quiet desert, a mysterious light was seen by the villagers. They did not understand the source of the glowwas not understood, butthey told many storieswere told. It wasSome believedby some that a treasure was hidden beneath the sands, waiting to be discovered by the brave.


Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Very good! I just changed some (not all) of the passive voice constructions to the active voice to improve the flow of your story."

In the quiet desert, a mysterious light was seen by the villagers. They did not understand the source of the glow, but they told many stories. Some believed that a treasure was hidden beneath the sands, waiting to be discovered by the brave.

In the quiet desert, a mysterious light was seen by the villagers. The source of the glow was not understood, but many stories were told. It was believed by some that a treasure was hidden beneath the sands, waiting to be discovered by the brave.

Mistake Example #3

Fiction & Creative Writing / Novel

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

In the heart ofthe desert, there wasan oasis that shimmered under sun. Layla, ayoung girl with dreams as vast asthe dunes, often wandered there. She believed that inthe oasis, she could find answers to questions that danced in her mind like amirage. One day, she meta stranger who spoke of distant lands and adventures. He had amap, but Layla knew thather true journey was not on paper, but in her heart.


Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I added articles before certain words to improve readability. Nice work!"

In the heart of the desert, there was an oasis that shimmered under sun. Layla, a young girl with dreams as vast as the dunes, often wandered there. She believed that in the oasis, she could find answers to questions that danced in her mind like a mirage. One day, she met a stranger who spoke of distant lands and adventures. He had a map, but Layla knew that her true journey was not on paper, but in her heart.

In the heart of desert, there was oasis that shimmered under sun. Layla, young girl with dreams as vast as dunes, often wandered there. She believed that in oasis, she could find answers to questions that danced in her mind like mirage. One day, she met stranger who spoke of distant lands and adventures. He had map, but Layla knew that true journey was not on paper, but in heart.

Mistake Example #4

Fiction & Creative Writing / Personal Essay

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

When I wasa child, I always dreamed of visiting thedesert with my family. We would packthe car with food and water, and drive into thevast emptiness where thesand meetsthe sky. Those trips were special because they gave mea sense of freedom and adventure that I still cherish today.


Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I love your vivid use of the language. I just needed to add articles before some of the words."

When I was a child, I always dreamed of visiting the desert with my family. We would pack the car with food and water, and drive into the vast emptiness where the sand meets the sky. Those trips were special because they gave me a sense of freedom and adventure that I still cherish today.

When I was child, I always dreamed of visiting desert with my family. We would pack car with food and water, and drive into vast emptiness where sand meets sky. Those trips were special because they gave me sense of freedom and adventure that I still cherish today.

Mistake Example #5

Fiction & Creative Writing / Poem

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

Inthe desert's embrace, I find peace, under amoon that shines likea silver piece. I walk on thesand, feelthe cool breeze, andthe stars above whisper secrets with ease. In anight so calm, I hear thecall ofan owl, and inmy heart, I carrythe dream of tomorrow's goal.


Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed changes to correct some missing articles ("the," "an," etc.)."

In the desert's embrace, I find peace, under a moon that shines like a silver piece. I walk on the sand, feel the cool breeze, and the stars above whisper secrets with ease. In a night so calm, I hear the call of an owl, and in my heart, I carry the dream of tomorrow's goal.

In desert's embrace, I find peace, under moon that shines like silver piece. I walk on sand, feel cool breeze, and stars above whisper secrets with ease. In night so calm, I hear call of owl, and in heart, I carry dream of tomorrow's goal.

Mistake Example #6

Fiction & Creative Writing / Screenplay

Overuse of passive voice

INT. COFFEE-SHOP- DAY The coffee was being sipped byLAYLA, a young woman in her twenties, sipped her coffee. Her eyes werebeing drawn to the window, where she observedthe bustling citywas being observed by her. The thoughts of the meeting were beingreplayed in her mind, and she madea decisionwas being considered by her.


Text corrected by:
Michele A., Boston, Massachusetts; United States

"I changed some parts from the passive voice to the active voice to make the English sound more natural to a native speaker. Otherwise, your ideas were clearly expressed."

INT. COFFEE-SHOP DAY LAYLA, a young woman in her twenties, sipped her coffee. Her eyes were drawn to the window, where she observed the bustling city. The thoughts of the meeting replayed in her mind, and she made a decision.

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY The coffee was being sipped by LAYLA, a young woman in her twenties. Her eyes were being drawn to the window, where the bustling city was being observed by her. The thoughts of the meeting were being replayed in her mind, and a decision was being considered by her.

Mistake Example #7

Fiction & Creative Writing / Script Treatment

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

Inthe bustling city of Dubai,a young filmmaker named Ahmed dreams of creating afilm that capturesthe essence of his vibrant hometown. He envisions astory abouta group of friends who embark on an adventure throughthe desert, discovering thehidden secrets ofan ancient civilization. As thesun sets overthe skyline, Ahmed imagines ascene where the protagonist stands atop asand dune, gazing at thehorizon witha sense of wonder and possibility.


Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Pretty good! I just needed to add some articles."

In the bustling city of Dubai, a young filmmaker named Ahmed dreams of creating a film that captures the essence of his vibrant hometown. He envisions a story about a group of friends who embark on an adventure through the desert, discovering the hidden secrets of an ancient civilization. As the sun sets over the skyline, Ahmed imagines a scene where the protagonist stands atop a sand dune, gazing at the horizon with a sense of wonder and possibility.

In bustling city of Dubai, young filmmaker named Ahmed dreams of creating film that captures essence of his vibrant hometown. He envisions story about group of friends who embark on adventure through desert, discovering hidden secrets of ancient civilization. As sun sets over skyline, Ahmed imagines scene where protagonist stands atop sand dune, gazing at horizon with sense of wonder and possibility.

Mistake Example #8

Fiction & Creative Writing / Short Story

Overuse of passive voice

In the quiet village of Al Ain, the townspeople witnesseda mysterious eventwas witnessed by the townspeople. The sky was painted with colors of the sunset, and the townspeople sawa strange lightwas seen hovering above the palm trees. Whispers of the event werespread among the villagers, and soon, a gatheeldering was organized bya gatheeldersing to discuss what theyhadbeen observed.


Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"I've made some edits so that your writing uses a blend of active and passive voice. Generally, active voice is preferred when possible. "

In the quiet village of Al Ain, the townspeople witnessed a mysterious event. The sky was painted with colors of the sunset, and the townspeople saw a strange light hovering above the palm trees. Whispers of the event spread among the villagers, and soon, the elders organized a gathering to discuss what they had observed.

In the quiet village of Al Ain, a mysterious event was witnessed by the townspeople. The sky was painted with colors of the sunset, and a strange light was seen hovering above the palm trees. Whispers of the event were spread among the villagers, and soon, a gathering was organized by the elders to discuss what had been observed.