Common English Mistakes by Cantonese Speakers

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

Category:Educational & Instructional Writing
Writing used in teaching and educational settings.
Common Users:Teachers, Educators, Corporate Trainers.
Mistake Example #1

Educational & Instructional Writing / E-learning Module

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Welcome to this e-learning module about how to use English in daily life. Today, we will talk about how to make a goodconversation with others. When you meet a friend, you can say, "Have you eaten riceyet?" This is a common way to show care in Hong Kong. Also, remember notto add "lah" at the end of sentences, to makes itdoes not sound more friendly, like "See you later, lah!".

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

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

Welcome to this e-learning module about how to use English in daily life. Today, we will talk about how to make conversation with others. When you meet a friend, you can say, "Have you eaten yet?" This is a common way to show care in Hong Kong. Also, remember not to add "lah" at the end of sentences, as it does not sound more friendly.

Welcome to this e-learning module about how to use English in daily life. Today, we will talk about how to make a good conversation with others. When you meet a friend, you can say, "Have you eaten rice yet?" This is a common way to show care in Hong Kong. Also, remember to add "lah" at the end of sentences to make it more friendly, like "See you later, lah!"

Mistake Example #2

Educational & Instructional Writing / Educational Handout

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Welcome to the English learning class. Today we will talk about how to use English in daily life. When you go out to eat, you can say, "I want to order food," instead of "I want to call food." Also, remember to say, "tTake a photo," instead of "tTake a picture." These small changes can help you sound more like anative speaker.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Just a few minor tweaks to the text :) Well done! "

Welcome to the English learning class. Today we will talk about how to use English in daily life. When you go out to eat, you can say, "I want to order food," instead of "I want to call food." Also, remember to say, "Take a photo," instead of "Take a picture." These small changes can help you sound more like a native speaker.

Welcome to the English learning class. Today we will talk about how to use English in daily life. When you go out to eat, you can say "I want to order food" instead of "I want to call food." Also, remember to say "take a photo" instead of "take a picture." These small changes can help you sound more like native speaker.

Mistake Example #3

Educational & Instructional Writing / Instructional Guide

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

To make the rice dumplings, firstyou need to soak the glutinous rice overnight,. tThenyou, wrap the rice withn bamboo leaves. After that,you boil the dumplings for about three hours,. and you can eat them when tTheya’rebest enjoyed hot. RBemsurember to pfutlly submerge the dumplings in thewater, and you must covkerep the potcovered, orelse the water will evaporate too qun awaickly.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"I made changes for it to sound more natural and polished."

To make rice dumplings, first soak the glutinous rice overnight. Then, wrap the rice in bamboo leaves. After that, boil the dumplings for about three hours. They’re best enjoyed hot. Be sure to fully submerge the dumplings in water and keep the pot covered, or the water will evaporate too quickly.

To make the rice dumplings, first you need to soak the glutinous rice overnight, then you wrap the rice with bamboo leaves. After that, you boil the dumplings for about three hours, and you can eat them when they are hot. Remember to put the dumplings in the water, and you must cover the pot, or else the water will run away.

Mistake Example #4

Educational & Instructional Writing / Lesson Plan

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

Lesson Plan: Today, we will discussabout the importance of water in our daily life. Students will learn how water is essential for many activities, and they will be encouraged to share their own experiences. We will also have muchany activities to help students understand the concept better, including a group discussion and a hands-on experiment.

Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"Watch out for the use of "many" and "much" when using these words with countable vs. uncountable nouns."

Lesson Plan: Today, we will discuss the importance of water in our daily life. Students will learn how water is essential for many activities, and they will be encouraged to share their own experiences. We will also have many activities to help students understand the concept better, including a group discussion and a hands-on experiment.

Lesson Plan: Today, we will discuss about the importance of water in our daily life. Students will learn how water is essential for many activities, and they will be encouraged to share their own experiences. We will also have much activities to help students understand the concept better, including a group discussion and a hands-on experiment.

Mistake Example #5

Educational & Instructional Writing / Online Course Content

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

Welcome to the online course on English writing skills improvement. In this lesson, we will discuss how to write effective introductions. Many students find it difficult to create strong opening paragraphs because they have mucha lot of ideas butare not sure how to organize them. It is important to remember that anintroduction should give the reader a clear understanding of what the text will cover.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Just a few minor tweaks to the writing :) Nice work! "

Welcome to the online course on English writing skills improvement. In this lesson, we will discuss how to write effective introductions. Many students find it difficult to create strong opening paragraphs because they have a lot of ideas but are not sure how to organize them. It is important to remember that an introduction should give the reader a clear understanding of what the text will cover.

Welcome to the online course on English writing skills improvement. In this lesson, we will discuss how to write effective introductions. Many students find it difficult to create strong opening paragraphs because they have much ideas but not sure how to organize them. It is important to remember that introduction should give reader a clear understanding of what the text will cover.

Mistake Example #6

Educational & Instructional Writing / Training Material

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

This training material is very important for your English lstudiearnings. It isvery essential to practice every day to improve your skills. These exercises are verywill helpful and will make you vberycome confident in speaking and writing.

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

"I just replaced a word or two to make the English sound more natural and reduce repetition of the adverb "very.""

This training material is very important for your English studies. It is essential to practice every day to improve your skills. These exercises will help you become confident in speaking and writing.

This training material is very important for your English learning. It is very essential to practice every day to improve your skills. The exercises are very helpful and will make you very confident in speaking and writing.