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:ESL Writing
Writing for English as a Second Language learners improving their skills.
Common Users:Non-native speakers, Language learners.
Mistake Example #1

ESL Writing / Email Practice

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Dear Mr. Lee,I hope you are well. I am writing to ask if you have anyfree time to meet next week. I want to discuss aboutthe new project and see how we can cooperatetogether. Please let me know your available time, and we can fscheduleix atime. Thank you for your attention.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Good work overall! It just needed a few tweaks to make the English sound more natural."

Dear Mr. Lee, I hope you are well. I am writing to ask if you have any free time to meet next week. I want to discuss the new project and see how we can cooperate. Please let me know your available time, and we can schedule it. Thank you for your attention.

Dear Mr. Lee, I hope you are well. I am writing to ask if you have free time to meet next week. I want to discuss about the new project and see how we can cooperate together. Please let me know your available time, and we can fix a time. Thank you for your attention.

Mistake Example #2

ESL Writing / Essay Writing Practice

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

In Hong Kong, wevery like to eat dim sum on the weekends because it is very lively. When we go to the restaurant, we willdrink tea and chat withour friends, just like the old days. This is a tradition that makes us feel warm inat heart.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I just made some small changes so the English would sound more natural. Well done!"

In Hong Kong, we like to eat dim sum on the weekends because it is very lively. When we go to the restaurant, we drink tea and chat with our friends, just like the old days. This is a tradition that makes us feel warm at heart.

In Hong Kong, we very like to eat dim sum on the weekend because it is very lively. When we go to the restaurant, we will drink tea and chat with friends, just like the old days. This is a tradition that makes us feel warm in heart.

Mistake Example #3

ESL Writing / Grammar Exercises

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

The weather inHong Kong is very hot today, and the sun is vrerally bright. I went to the market, and it was vquitery crowded with people buyingvery fresh vegetables. The city isvery busy, and everyone seems to be in a verybig hurry.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Just a few minor tweaks to improve readability :) Nice work! "

Hong Kong is very hot today, and the sun is really bright. I went to the market, and it was quite crowded with people buying fresh vegetables. The city is busy, and everyone seems to be in a big hurry.

The weather in Hong Kong is very hot today, and the sun is very bright. I went to the market, and it was very crowded with people buying very fresh vegetables. The city is very busy, and everyone seems to be in a very big hurry.

Mistake Example #4

ESL Writing / Pronunciation Guide

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Welcome to the pronunciation guide for English learners. Today, we will learn how to correctlysay the word "apple."correctly. In Cantonese, we say "ping gwo," but in English, it is important to make the sounda more rounded sound. You should open your mouth bwigde and say "ah-pul," not "ping-gwo." Practice this many times, and you will spoon beakusing English like native speakersoon.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

Welcome to the pronunciation guide for English learners. Today, we will learn how to correctly say the word "apple." In Cantonese, we say "ping gwo," but in English, it is important to make a more rounded sound. You should open your mouth wide and say "ah-pul," not "ping-gwo." Practice this many times and you will soon be using English like native speaker.

Welcome to the pronunciation guide for English learners. Today, we will learn how to say the word "apple" correctly. In Cantonese, we say "ping gwo," but in English, it is important to make the sound more round. You should open your mouth big and say "ah-pul," not "ping-gwo." Practice this many times, and you will speak like native speaker soon.

Mistake Example #5

ESL Writing / Sentence Structure Guide

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

When you are writing sentences, it is important to knowthe difference between countable and uncountable nouns. For example, in Hong Kong, many people say "She has much friends," but it should be "She has many friends" because "friends" is countable. Another common mistake is saying "There is too much informations," but "information" is uncountable, so it should be "There is too much information." Understanding these differences can help improve your English writing skills.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"Great job! Very few changes were needed overall."

When you are writing sentences, it is important to know the difference between countable and uncountable nouns. For example, in Hong Kong, many people say "She has much friends," but it should be "She has many friends" because "friends" is countable. Another common mistake is saying "There is too much informations," but "information" is uncountable, so it should be "There is too much information." Understanding these differences can help improve your English writing skills.

When you are writing sentences, it is important to know difference between countable and uncountable nouns. For example, in Hong Kong, many people say "She has much friends," but it should be "She has many friends" because "friends" is countable. Another common mistake is saying "There is too much informations," but "information" is uncountable, so it should be "There is too much information." Understanding these differences can help improve your English writing skills.

Mistake Example #6

ESL Writing / Vocabulary Building Exercises

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

In this exercise, you will learn how to use adjectives to describe things in a verhighly effective way. For example, when you want to say something is very big, you can use words like enormous or gigantic. Similarly, instead of saying very happy, you can say ecstatic. Try to think of other words that can replace very tired, very small, or very interesting. This will help you to make your writing vextrya colorful and vextremely engaging.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

In this exercise, you will learn how to use adjectives to describe things in a highly effective way. For example, when you want to say something is very big, you can use words like enormous or gigantic. Similarly, instead of saying very happy, you can say ecstatic. Try to think of other words that can replace very tired, very small, or very interesting. This will help you to make your writing extra colorful and extremely engaging.

In this exercise, you will learn how to use adjectives to describe things in a very effective way. For example, when you want to say something is very big, you can use words like enormous or gigantic. Similarly, instead of saying very happy, you can say ecstatic. Try to think of other words that can replace very tired, very small, or very interesting. This will help you to make your writing very colorful and very engaging.