Common English Mistakes in Short Stories by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

The sun wasvery bright in thevery blue sky as Lily walked through the verybusy streets of Hong Kong. She felt veryhappy because today was avery special day; it was her birthday. Her friends had planned avery big surprise party, and she was very excited to see what they had prepared.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I took out every "very" except one."

The sun was bright in the blue sky as Lily walked through the busy streets of Hong Kong. She felt happy because today was a special day; it was her birthday. Her friends had planned a big surprise party, and she was very excited to see what they had prepared.

The sun was very bright in the very blue sky as Lily walked through the very busy streets of Hong Kong. She felt very happy because today was a very special day; it was her birthday. Her friends had planned a very big surprise party, and she was very excited to see what they had prepared.

Mistake Example #3

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

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, a young girl named Mei wandered through the vibrant markets. She had muchany dreams about exploring the world beyond her city, but today she was focused on finding theperfect gift for her friend’s birthday. As she browsed the stalls, she noticed there wereas manylot of beautiful jewelry and decided to buy a necklace that sparkled like the stars she often admired from her rooftop.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Just a few small changes were needed. Otherwise your story sounds great! "

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, a young girl named Mei wandered through the vibrant markets. She had many dreams about exploring the world beyond her city, but today she was focused on finding the perfect gift for her friend’s birthday. As she browsed the stalls, she noticed there was a lot of beautiful jewelry and decided to buy a necklace that sparkled like the stars she often admired from her rooftop.

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, a young girl named Mei wandered through the vibrant markets. She had much dreams about exploring the world beyond her city, but today she was focused on finding perfect gift for her friend’s birthday. As she browsed the stalls, she noticed there were many beautiful jewelry and decided to buy a necklace that sparkled like the stars she often admired from her rooftop.