Common English Mistakes in Book Reviews by Cantonese Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Cantonese speakers from Hong Kong when writing a Book Review in English.

Mistake Example #1

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

The book "The Great Adventure" is very good, and I like it very much. The story is about a boy who goes to the mountains to find his lost dog, and he meets many interesting people on the way. I think the author writes very well, and the book makde me feel very excitinged.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to sound more native and natural."

The book "The Great Adventure" is very good, and I like it very much. The story is about a boy who goes to the mountains to find his lost dog, and he meets many interesting people on the way. I think the author writes very well, and the book made me feel very excited.

The book "The Great Adventure" is very good, and I like it very much. The story is about a boy who go to the mountain to find his lost dog, and he meet many interesting people on the way. I think the author write very well, and the book make me feel very exciting.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

The book "The Great Adventure" is an vextremely exciting andvery thrilling read. The author has done an verspecially good job increating an veultrya-vivid world that is verhighly engaging. I found the characters to be very interesting and the plot is vquitery well-paced, making it a vethoroughly enjoyable experience overall.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed tweaking to address overuse of the word "very." "

The book "The Great Adventure" is an extremely exciting and thrilling read. The author has done an especially good job creating an ultra-vivid world that is highly engaging. I found the characters to be very interesting and the plot is quite well-paced, making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience overall.

The book "The Great Adventure" is a very exciting and very thrilling read. The author has done a very good job in creating a very vivid world that is very engaging. I found the characters to be very interesting and the plot is very well-paced, making it a very enjoyable experience overall.

Mistake Example #3

Confusion with countable vs. uncountable nouns ('She has much friends')

I recently read "The Great Adventure" and it is truly an amazing book. The author has much creativity and imagination, which makes the story very engaging. There isagreat mdeanyl of excitement and suspense throughout the chapters, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

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

"I changed "many" to "a great deal" because "excitement" is a non-countable noun."

I recently read "The Great Adventure" and it is truly an amazing book. The author has much creativity and imagination, which makes the story very engaging. There is a great deal of excitement and suspense throughout the chapters, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

I recently read "The Great Adventure" and it is truly an amazing book. The author has much creativity and imagination, which makes the story very engaging. There are many excitement and suspense throughout the chapters, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.