Common English Mistakes in Dissertations by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

In this dissertation, the research focuses on the impact of social media on youth culture in Hong Kong. There is much evidence to suggest that social media platforms have asignificant influence on how theyoung peopleth perceive their identity and relationships. Many youthng people spend mucha lot of time engaging with these platforms, which leads to changes in communication patterns and social interactions. The study aims to explore these dynamics and provide insight into how digital environments shape modern youth experiences.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking for countable vs. uncountable nouns, among other fixes."

In this dissertation, the research focuses on the impact of social media on youth culture in Hong Kong. There is much evidence to suggest that social media platforms have a significant influence on how the youth perceive their identity and relationships. Many young people spend a lot of time engaging with these platforms, which leads to changes in communication patterns and social interactions. The study aims to explore these dynamics and provide insight into how digital environments shape modern youth experiences.

In this dissertation, the research focus on the impact of social media on youth culture in Hong Kong. There is much evidence to suggest that social media platforms have significant influence on how young people perceive their identity and relationships. Many youth spend much time engaging with these platforms, which lead to changes in communication patterns and social interactions. The study aims to explore these dynamics and provide insight into how digital environments shape modern youth experiences.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

In this dissertation, we will discuss about the impact of social media on young people in Hong Kong. Many students theyspend too much time on social media, which makes ithem difficultfor them to focus on their studies. This phenomenon is like "adding oifuel" to the fire," causing more stress and less productivity among the youth.

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

"I just replaced a word or two to make the English sound more natural. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

In this dissertation, we will discuss about the impact of social media on young people in Hong Kong. Many students spend too much time on social media, which makes it difficult for them to focus on their studies. This phenomenon is like "adding fuel to the fire," causing more stress and less productivity among the youth.

In this dissertation, we will discuss about the impact of social media on young people in Hong Kong. Many students they spend too much time on social media, which make them difficult to focus on their studies. This phenomenon is like "add oil" to the fire, causing more stress and less productivity among the youth.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

The research findings are very significant and veryimportant in understanding thevery complex relationship between economic growth and environmental sustainability. The data collected was verycomprehensive, covering avery wide range of variables that arevery relevant to the study. This dissertation aims to provide a vethory detailedough analysis of the results, which arevery crucial for policymakers in Hong Kong to make veryinformed decisions.

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

"I reduced repetition of the adverb "very." Overall, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

The research findings are very significant and important in understanding the complex relationship between economic growth and environmental sustainability. The data collected was comprehensive, covering a wide range of variables that are relevant to the study. This dissertation aims to provide a thorough analysis of the results, which are crucial for policymakers in Hong Kong to make informed decisions.

The research findings are very significant and very important in understanding the very complex relationship between economic growth and environmental sustainability. The data collected was very comprehensive, covering a very wide range of variables that are very relevant to the study. This dissertation aims to provide a very detailed analysis of the results, which are very crucial for policymakers in Hong Kong to make very informed decisions.