This page focuses on errors typically made by native Cantonese speakers from Hong Kong when writing in English.
| Category: | Fiction & Creative Writing Writing for storytelling, entertainment, and artistic expression. |
| Common Users: | Authors, Playwrights, Poets. |
Fiction & Creative Writing / Creative Nonfiction
Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives
The sun was very bright today, casting verylong shadows on thevery busy streets of Hong Kong. I felt vextremely excited as I walked through the verycrowded market, thevery colorful stalls filled with veryfresh fruits andvery fragrant spices. The air was verxceedingly warm, and thevery lively chatter of people made the atmosphere feel very vibrant and veryalive.
Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA
"I made changes to cut down on the use of "very"—the rest sounds great!"
The sun was very bright today, casting long shadows on the busy streets of Hong Kong. I felt extremely excited as I walked through the crowded market, the colorful stalls filled with fresh fruits and fragrant spices. The air was exceedingly warm, and the lively chatter of people made the atmosphere feel vibrant and alive.
The sun was very bright today, casting very long shadows on the very busy streets of Hong Kong. I felt very excited as I walked through the very crowded market, the very colorful stalls filled with very fresh fruits and very fragrant spices. The air was very warm, and the very lively chatter of people made the atmosphere feel very vibrant and very alive.
Fiction & Creative Writing / Flash Fiction
Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese
In the bustling city of Hong Kong, under thea sky full of stars, Mei and her friend decided to go outoand see the night view."The stars are so bright, theyare like diamonds in the sky," Mei said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.Her friend nodded, adding, "Yes, and the city lights are like a sea of stars,. tThey make me feel like I am in a dream."
Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA
"Nice work overall! I corrected the English and made some changes so it would sound more natural."
In the bustling city of Hong Kong, under a sky full of stars, Mei and her friend decided to go out and see the night view. "The stars are so bright, they are like diamonds in the sky," Mei said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Her friend nodded, adding, "Yes, and the city lights are like a sea of stars. They make me feel like I am in a dream."
In the bustling city of Hong Kong, under the sky full of stars, Mei and her friend decided to go to see the night view. "The stars are so bright, they like diamonds in the sky," Mei said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Her friend nodded, adding, "Yes, and the city lights are like a sea of stars, they make me feel like I am in a dream."
Fiction & Creative Writing / Novel
Confusion with countable vs. uncountable nouns ('She has much friends')
In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Mei wandered through the market, her mind filled with thoughts of her new life. She had muchany dreams about the future, each one more vivid than the last. As she passed by the stalls, sheand noticed the vibrant colors of the fruits and vegetables, and shMei couldn't help but think about all the cow muchoking advices her grandmother had given herabout cooking.
Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA
"This needed some tweaking for countable vs. uncountable nouns."
In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Mei wandered through the market, her mind filled with thoughts of her new life. She had many dreams about the future, each one more vivid than the last. As she passed by the stalls and noticed the vibrant colors of the fruits and vegetables, Mei couldn't help but think about all the cooking advice her grandmother had given her.
In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Mei wandered through the market, her mind filled with thoughts of her new life. She had much dreams about the future, each one more vivid than the last. As she passed by the stalls, she noticed the vibrant colors of the fruits and vegetables, and she couldn't help but think about how much advices her grandmother had given her about cooking.
Fiction & Creative Writing / Personal Essay
Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese
When I was small, I always gowent to the park with my grandmother. She would tell me stories about how she groew up in thea small village, and I listened with big ears. Those days were like sweet soup, warm and comforting, and I miss them very much.
Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA
"Very nice! I just fixed some of the verb tenses and polished it up a bit."
When I was small, I always went to the park with my grandmother. She would tell me stories about how she grew up in a small village, and I listened with big ears. Those days were like sweet soup, warm and comforting, and I miss them very much.
When I was small, I always go to the park with my grandmother. She would tell me stories about how she grow up in the village, and I listen with big ears. Those days were like sweet soup, warm and comforting, and I miss them very much.
Fiction & Creative Writing / Poem
Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese
In the garden of my heart, flowers bloom like stars in sky, their colors dance with wind's gentle whisper. Moonlight shines on thewater, likea silver dragon swimming through night, casting shadows that tell stories of old. In this quiet moment, I listen to the song of crickets, like they are sharing thesecrets of universe with me.
Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA
"Lovely poem! I just made some very small changes so the English would sound more natural."
In the garden of my heart, flowers bloom like stars in sky, their colors dance with wind's gentle whisper. Moonlight shines on the water, like a silver dragon swimming through night, casting shadows that tell stories of old. In this quiet moment, I listen to the song of crickets, like they are sharing the secrets of universe with me.
In the garden of my heart, flowers bloom like stars in sky, their colors dance with wind's gentle whisper. Moonlight shines on water, like silver dragon swimming through night, casting shadows that tell stories of old. In this quiet moment, I listen to the song of crickets, like they are sharing secrets of universe with me.
Fiction & Creative Writing / Screenplay
Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY JANE sits at a small table, looking vextremely nervous. She glances at her watch, then at the door. The coffee shop is verybuzzesy, with pconveople chrsation, punctinguated andby the sloundhiss of the espresso machinevery loud. Suddenly, the door opens and MARK walks in, looking vquitery confident. He spots Jane and walks over, a vwidery big smile on his face.
Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA
"I made changes to address the overuse of the word "very.""
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY JANE sits at a small table, looking extremely nervous. She glances at her watch, then at the door. The coffee shop buzzes with conversation, punctuated by the loud hiss of the espresso machine. Suddenly, the door opens and MARK walks in, looking quite confident. He spots Jane and walks over, a wide smile on his face.
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY JANE sits at a small table, looking very nervous. She glances at her watch, then at the door. The coffee shop is very busy, with people chatting and the sound of the espresso machine very loud. Suddenly, the door opens and MARK walks in, looking very confident. He spots Jane and walks over, a very big smile on his face.
Fiction & Creative Writing / Script Treatment
Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese
In the bustling city of Hong Kong, the night market is like a dragon dance, fuilled ofwith colors and sounds. The protagonist, Mei, sheis a girl withthe heart of lion, always ready to help others. One day, she meets a mysterious old man who tells her, "If you want to find the treasure, you must first find the dragon's eye." SoMei, withand her friends, they embark on a journey that is like climbing a mountain, fullwith ofmany challenges and surprises.
Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA
"Very good! I just made some changes so the English would sound more natural."
In the bustling city of Hong Kong, the night market is like a dragon dance, filled with colors and sounds. The protagonist, Mei, is a girl with the heart of lion, always ready to help others. One day, she meets a mysterious old man who tells her, "If you want to find the treasure, you must first find the dragon's eye." So Mei and her friends embark on a journey that is like climbing a mountain, with many challenges and surprises.
In the bustling city of Hong Kong, the night market is like a dragon dance, full of colors and sounds. The protagonist, Mei, she is a girl with heart of lion, always ready to help others. One day, she meets a mysterious old man who tells her, "If you want to find the treasure, you must first find the dragon's eye." Mei, with her friends, they embark on a journey that is like climbing a mountain, full of challenges and surprises.
Fiction & Creative Writing / Short Story
Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese
In the bustling city of Hong Kong, a young girl named Mei alwaysoften said, "“I gowalk to schoolby foot every day, and Ialways eat breakfast with my familytogether."” Her grandmother woftuld gently reminded her, "“You must add oil into your studies, Mei, so you can grow up tobecsomea big persone importanthe future."” Mei wouldnodded, thinking about how she would one dayclimb the mountain of success,—just likein the stories her grandmother always toldher in the stories.
Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA
"This needed some tweaking to sound more native and natural."
In the bustling city of Hong Kong, a young girl named Mei often said, “I walk to school every day, and I always eat breakfast with my family.” Her grandmother would gently remind her, “You must add oil to your studies, Mei, so you can grow up to be someone important.” Mei would nod, thinking about how she would one day climb the mountain of success—just like in the stories her grandmother always told.
In the bustling city of Hong Kong, a young girl named Mei always said, "I go to school by foot every day, and I eat breakfast with my family together." Her grandmother often reminded her, "You must add oil in your studies, Mei, so you can become a big person in the future." Mei nodded, thinking about how she would climb the mountain of success, just like her grandmother always told her in the stories.