Common English Mistakes in Letters Of Intent by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Dear Admissions Committee,I am very excited to express my very strong interest in the Master's program at your veryprestigious university. I am veryeager to join yourvery esteemed institution because I believe it will be a very valuable opportunity for my very promising career in business management. Thank you for considering my verysincere application.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"The word "very" was not necessary, so I took it out. Otherwise, this sounds great!"

Dear Admissions Committee, I am very excited to express my strong interest in the Master's program at your prestigious university. I am eager to join your esteemed institution because I believe it will be a valuable opportunity for my promising career in business management. Thank you for considering my sincere application.

Dear Admissions Committee, I am very excited to express my very strong interest in the Master's program at your very prestigious university. I am very eager to join your very esteemed institution because I believe it will be a very valuable opportunity for my very promising career in business management. Thank you for considering my very sincere application.

Mistake Example #2

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

Dear Admissions Committee,I am writing to express my interest in the Master of Business Administration program at your esteemed university. I have much experience in managing projects and leading teams, which I believe will contribute greatly to my studies. Additionally, I have received manylot of advices from my mentors, encouraging me to pursue further education in this field. Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to your academic community.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Good work! I just fixed a few small issues with uncountable nouns."

Dear Admissions Committee, I am writing to express my interest in the Master of Business Administration program at your esteemed university. I have much experience in managing projects and leading teams, which I believe will contribute greatly to my studies. Additionally, I have received a lot of advice from my mentors, encouraging me to pursue further education in this field. Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to your academic community.

Dear Admissions Committee, I am writing to express my interest in the Master of Business Administration program at your esteemed university. I have much experience in managing projects and leading teams, which I believe will contribute greatly to my studies. Additionally, I have received many advices from my mentors, encouraging me to pursue further education in this field. Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to your academic community.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Dear Admissions Committee, I am writing to express my strong interest in applying to your respecteemed university. I have long admired your institution's reputation for excellence, and I hope to join your community to further my studies. I believe that studying at your university will allow me to broaden my horizons and achieve my academic goals. TI thank you for your consideration, andI look forward to your favorablereply.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"This letter was very well-written – I just made a few minor changes to make it sound a bit more natural :)"

Dear Admissions Committee, I am writing to express my strong interest in applying to your respected university. I have long admired your institution's reputation for excellence, and I hope to join your community to further my studies. I believe that studying at your university will allow me to broaden my horizons and achieve my academic goals. I thank you for your consideration and look forward to your reply.

Dear Admissions Committee, I am writing to express my strong interest in applying to your esteemed university. I have long admired your institution's reputation for excellence, and I hope to join your community to further my studies. I believe that studying at your university will allow me to broaden my horizons and achieve my academic goals. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to your favorable reply.