Common English Mistakes in Novels by Arabic Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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 #2

Overuse of passive voice

In the quiet village, the townspeople witnesseda mysterious eventwas witnessed by the townspeople. The old clock tower, which had stood for centuries, was suddenly struck by lightning. The villagers weregathered in the square, exchandging whispers of ancient curses were exchangedamong themselves. The elders told the legend of the towerwas told by the elders, andfear was felt by all who listenedfelt afraid.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"This sounds really interesting! I changed some of the passive voice constructions to the active voice and polished up the text. "

In the quiet village, the townspeople witnessed a mysterious event. The old clock tower, which had stood for centuries, was suddenly struck by lightning. The villagers gathered in the square, exchanging whispers of ancient curses among themselves. The elders told the legend of the tower, and all who listened felt afraid.

In the quiet village, a mysterious event was witnessed by the townspeople. The old clock tower, which had stood for centuries, was suddenly struck by lightning. The villagers were gathered in the square, and whispers of ancient curses were exchanged among them. The legend of the tower was told by the elders, and fear was felt by all who listened.