Common English Mistakes in Policy Briefs by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

In recent years, Hong Kong has faced numanyerous challengesin managing its waste. The government has introduced several policyies to address these issues, but there is still much work to be done. It is important to allocate sufficient resources to improve recycling programs and reduce landfill usage. By doing so, we can ensure a more sustainable future for our city and its many residents.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to fix countable/uncountable noun problems."

In recent years, Hong Kong has faced numerous challenges managing its waste. The government has introduced several policies to address these issues, but there is still much work to be done. It is important to allocate sufficient resources to improve recycling programs and reduce landfill usage. By doing so, we can ensure a more sustainable future for our city and its many residents.

In recent years, Hong Kong has faced many challenges in managing its waste. The government has introduced several policy to address these issue, but there is still much work to be done. It is important to allocate sufficient resource to improve recycling programs and reduce landfill usage. By doing so, we can ensure a more sustainable future for our city and its many residents.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

The recent policy changes arevery important for the development of our community, and it isvery necessary to implement them as soon as possible. The government has been verycommitted to ensuring that these policies arevery effective in addressing the current issues. It is verycrucial that all stakeholders arbevery aware of their roles in this process to achieve verysuccessful outcomes.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Overall your writing was very professional; it just needed a few tweaks to make things consistent and remove unneeded words. Good job!"

The recent policy changes are important for the development of our community, and it is necessary to implement them as soon as possible. The government has been committed to ensuring that these policies are effective in addressing the current issues. It is crucial that all stakeholders be aware of their roles in this process to achieve successful outcomes.

The recent policy changes are very important for the development of our community, and it is very necessary to implement them as soon as possible. The government has been very committed to ensuring that these policies are very effective in addressing the current issues. It is very crucial that all stakeholders are very aware of their roles in this process to achieve very successful outcomes.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

The government should consider toadding more resources to the public housing sector, because the current supply is not enough to meet the demand. If we do not address this issue,it will be like adding oil to the fire, and the situation will become more serious. Therefore, it is important to take action as soon as possible to aprevoident the problem from getting worse.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

The government should consider adding more resources to the public housing sector because the current supply is not enough to meet the demand. If we do not address this issue, the situation will become more serious. Therefore, it is important to take action as soon as possible to prevent the problem from getting worse.

The government should consider to add more resources to the public housing sector, because the current supply is not enough to meet the demand. If we do not address this issue, it will be like adding oil to the fire, and the situation will become more serious. Therefore, it is important to take action as soon as possible to avoid the problem from getting worse.