Common English Mistakes in Flash Fictions by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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."

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

The night was verypitch dark, and the wind was vbitterly cold as Mei walked through the veerily quiet streets of Hong Kong. She felt vdereply scared, but she was also vfiercely determined to reach the vanciery oldnt temple at the end of the road. The city lights were verdazzlingly bright, but they couldn't chase away the heaverydeep shadows that seemed to follow her every step.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"I made some adjustments to avoid repetition—specifically, the word "very"—and tweak the wording."

The night was pitch dark, and the wind was bitterly cold as Mei walked through the eerily quiet streets of Hong Kong. She felt deeply scared, but she was also fiercely determined to reach the ancient temple at the end of the road. The city lights were dazzlingly bright, but they couldn't chase away the heavy shadows that seemed to follow her every step.

The night was very dark, and the wind was very cold as Mei walked through the very quiet streets of Hong Kong. She felt very scared, but she was also very determined to reach the very old temple at the end of the road. The city lights were very bright, but they couldn't chase away the very deep shadows that seemed to follow her every step.

Mistake Example #3

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 many adventures. She had muchany ideas about where to go next, but her heart was set on exploring the hidden alleyways that held secrets of the city's past. As she walked, she noticed a group of children playing with much joy, their laughter echoing through the air like a melody of happiness.

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

"I changed "much" to "many" because "ideas" is a countable noun."

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Mei wandered through the market, her mind filled with thoughts of her many adventures. She had many ideas about where to go next, but her heart was set on exploring the hidden alleyways that held secrets of the city's past. As she walked, she noticed a group of children playing with much joy, their laughter echoing through the air like a melody of happiness.

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Mei wandered through the market, her mind filled with thoughts of her many adventure. She had much idea about where to go next, but her heart was set on exploring the hidden alleyways that held secrets of the city's past. As she walked, she noticed a group of children playing with much joy, their laughter echoing through the air like a melody of happiness.