Common English Mistakes in Poems by Arabic Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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 #2

Overuse of passive voice

In the desert's embrace, the moon wstars admired bythe starsmoon, and the night was painted with whispers of the wind. TSheadowsands were danced upon bythe shandows, and the silence was broken by the call of the distant owl. Dreams were woven by the gentle breeze, and the heart was touched by the beauty of the night.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Lovely poem! I changed some (not all) of the passive voice constructions to the active voice to improve the flow. "

In the desert's embrace, the stars admired the moon, and the night was painted with whispers of the wind. Shadows danced upon the sands, and the silence was broken by the call of the distant owl. Dreams were woven by the gentle breeze, and the heart was touched by the beauty of the night.

In the desert's embrace, the moon was admired by the stars, and the night was painted with whispers of the wind. The sands were danced upon by shadows, and the silence was broken by the call of the distant owl. Dreams were woven by the gentle breeze, and the heart was touched by the beauty of the night.