Common English Mistakes in Prescription Guides by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Take one tablet of this medicine veryearly in the morning with avery full glass of water. It is very important to avoid lying down for at least 30 minutes after taking the tablet to prevent very serious side effects. If you experience any veryunusual symptoms, please contact your doctor veright awaysoon.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to avoid overuse of the word "very.""

Take one tablet of this medicine early in the morning with a full glass of water. It is very important to avoid lying down for at least 30 minutes after taking the tablet to prevent very serious side effects. If you experience any unusual symptoms, please contact your doctor right away.

Take one tablet of this medicine very early in the morning with a very full glass of water. It is very important to avoid lying down for at least 30 minutes after taking the tablet to prevent very serious side effects. If you experience any very unusual symptoms, please contact your doctor very soon.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Take two tablets aftera meal every day, and you will feel better soon. If you have any discomfort, you should stop taking themedicine and calla doctor immediately. Remember to drink more water,; it will help you to recover faster.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Just a few small changes were needed to address grammar errors. Good job! "

Take two tablets after a meal every day, and you will feel better soon. If you have any discomfort, you should stop taking the medicine and call a doctor immediately. Remember to drink more water; it will help you to recover faster.

Take two tablets after meal every day, and you will feel better soon. If you have any discomfort, you should stop medicine and call doctor immediately. Remember to drink more water, it will help you to recover faster.

Mistake Example #3

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

Take two tablets of this medicine every day with water. It is important to drink mucha lot of water to help the medicine work better. If you have any questions or feel any discomfort, please contact yourdoctor immediately.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"This was very good! Just a few small changes were needed to polish up your guide. "

Take two tablets of this medicine every day with water. It is important to drink a lot of water to help the medicine work better. If you have any questions or feel any discomfort, please contact your doctor immediately.

Take two tablet of this medicine every day with water. It is important to drink much water to help the medicine work better. If you have any question or feel any discomfort, please contact doctor immediately.