Common English Mistakes in Personal Essays by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

When I was a child, I had avery very special place where I would go to think and dream. It was a very veryquiet corner of the park, surrounded by very very tall trees that seemed to touch the sky. I felt very verypeaceful there, and it was my very very favorite spot to escape from the busy city life of Hong Kong.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Nice work! I just left only one "very" and took the others out."

When I was a child, I had a very special place where I would go to think and dream. It was a quiet corner of the park, surrounded by tall trees that seemed to touch the sky. I felt peaceful there, and it was my favorite spot to escape from the busy city life of Hong Kong.

When I was a child, I had a very very special place where I would go to think and dream. It was a very very quiet corner of the park, surrounded by very very tall trees that seemed to touch the sky. I felt very very peaceful there, and it was my very very favorite spot to escape from the busy city life of Hong Kong.

Mistake Example #3

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

When I was young, I always dreamed of becoming a writer. I have mucha lot of imagination and many ideas that I want to share with the world. My family gives me mucha lot of support, and I feel very lucky to have them by my side.

Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"I have enhanced the overall fluency, with special attention to the use of "much" and "many.""

When I was young, I always dreamed of becoming a writer. I have a lot of imagination and many ideas that I want to share with the world. My family gives me a lot of support, and I feel very lucky to have them by my side.

When I was young, I always dreamed of becoming a writer. I have much imagination and many ideas that I want to share with the world. My family gives me much support, and I feel very lucky to have them by my side.