Common English Mistakes in Grant Applications by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Our organization is applying for the grant to support thedevelopment ofa community center in our district. We hope to receive funding because it will benefit many people, especially children andthe elderlyand children. The center will pofferovide activities like art classes, sports, andlanguage lessons, whichand asporets—very important for improving quality of life. We believe that with your support,we're sure we can make this project successful and bring much happiness to the community.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

Our organization is applying for the grant to support development of a community center in our district. We hope to receive funding because it will benefit many people, especially children and the elderly. The center will offer activities like art classes, language lessons, and sports—very important for improving quality of life. With your support, we're sure we can make this project successful and bring much happiness to the community.

Our organization is applying for the grant to support the development of community center in our district. We hope to receive funding because it will benefit many people, especially the elderly and children. The center will provide activities like art classes, sports, and language lessons, which are very important for improving quality of life. We believe that with your support, we can make this project successful and bring much happiness to the community.

Mistake Example #2

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

Our organization is applying for the government grant to support the development of innovative technology inthe education sector. We have much experience in implementing projects that benefit local communities and have received manylot of positive feedbacks from stakeholders. The funding will allow us to purchase necessary equipments and hire additional staffs to expand our reach and impact.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"I've made edits to correct certain errors such as "innovative technology in education sector" which should be "innovative technology in the education sector" and "many positive feedbacks" which should be "a lot of positive feedback"."

Our organization is applying for the government grant to support the development of innovative technology in the education sector. We have much experience in implementing projects that benefit local communities and have received a lot of positive feedback from stakeholders. The funding will allow us to purchase necessary equipment and hire additional staff to expand our reach and impact.

Our organization is applying for the government grant to support the development of innovative technology in education sector. We have much experience in implementing projects that benefit local communities and have received many positive feedbacks from stakeholders. The funding will allow us to purchase necessary equipments and hire additional staffs to expand our reach and impact.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Our project proposal is very important for the development of the community, and we are veryeager to receive the grant to implement ourvery innovative solutions. The funding will allow us to create avery comprehensive program that addresses the needs of the local population in averyn effective manner. We arevery confident that our project will have avery significant impact and contribute to the verysustainable growth of the region.

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

"I removed multiple instances of the word "very" to reduce repetition. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

Our project proposal is very important for the development of the community, and we are eager to receive the grant to implement our innovative solutions. The funding will allow us to create a comprehensive program that addresses the needs of the local population in an effective manner. We are confident that our project will have a significant impact and contribute to the sustainable growth of the region.

Our project proposal is very important for the development of the community, and we are very eager to receive the grant to implement our very innovative solutions. The funding will allow us to create a very comprehensive program that addresses the needs of the local population in a very effective manner. We are very confident that our project will have a very significant impact and contribute to the very sustainable growth of the region.