Common English Mistakes in Creative Nonfictions by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, the air was thick with excitement as the festival approached. People mMountain people, sea, people—everyone was eager to join the celebration. The vibrant colors of the lanterns danced in the night sky, and the aroma of street food filled the air, making it a night to remember.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, the air was thick with excitement as the festival approached. Mountain people, sea people—everyone was eager to join the celebration. The vibrant colors of the lanterns danced in the night sky, and the aroma of street food filled the air, making it a night to remember.

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, the air was thick with excitement as the festival approached. People mountain people sea, everyone was eager to join the celebration. The vibrant colors of the lanterns danced in the night sky, and the aroma of street food filled the air, making it a night to remember.

Mistake Example #3

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

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, there is much excitement as the annual dragon boat festival approaches. My cousin, who has manyuch enthusiasm for the event, is preparing to join the race with muchgreat determination. She tells me about her training, saying, "I have mucha lot of energy and manyuch hope to win this year."

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I just fixed some issues with much/many. Nice work!"

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, there is much excitement as the annual dragon boat festival approaches. My cousin, who has much enthusiasm for the event, is preparing to join the race with great determination. She tells me about her training, saying, "I have a lot of energy and much hope to win this year."

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, there is much excitement as the annual dragon boat festival approaches. My cousin, who has many enthusiasm for the event, is preparing to join the race with much determination. She tells me about her training, saying, "I have much energy and many hope to win this year."