Common English Mistakes by Cantonese Speakers

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

Category:Journalism & Media
Writing for news, articles, and investigative reports.
Common Users:Journalists, Bloggers, Columnists.
Mistake Example #1

Journalism & Media / Editorial

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Hong Kong is a very vibrant city with avery unique blend of cultures and traditions. The skyline is vetruly impressive, and the food scene is vquitery diverse, offering avery wide range of cuisines. However, the cost of living is versky-high, making it vrerally challenging for many residents to afford housing and other necessities.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"This text was well-written – I just made a few minor changes to make it sound a bit more natural :)"

Hong Kong is a very vibrant city with a unique blend of cultures and traditions. The skyline is truly impressive, and the food scene is quite diverse, offering a wide range of cuisines. However, the cost of living is sky-high, making it really challenging for many residents to afford housing and other necessities.

Hong Kong is a very vibrant city with a very unique blend of cultures and traditions. The skyline is very impressive, and the food scene is very diverse, offering a very wide range of cuisines. However, the cost of living is very high, making it very challenging for many residents to afford housing and other necessities.

Mistake Example #2

Journalism & Media / Feature Story

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

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, there is much excitement about the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival. Many people are preparing for the event, and there isare muchany activities planned for the day. The festival is a time when families come together, and everyone is looking forward to enjoying the delicious rice dumplings and watching the thrilling boat races.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I fixed an issue with much/many and made a couple of other small changes. Well done!"

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, there is much excitement about the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival. Many people are preparing for the event, and there are many activities planned for the day. The festival is a time when families come together, and everyone is looking forward to enjoying the delicious rice dumplings and watching the thrilling boat races.

In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, there is much excitement about the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival. Many people are preparing for the event, and there is much activities planned for the day. The festival is a time when families come together, and everyone is looking forward to enjoy the delicious rice dumplings and watch the thrilling boat races.

Mistake Example #3

Journalism & Media / Interview Transcript

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

**Interview Transcript:** Interviewer: Thank you for joining us today. Can you tell us about your experience working in the media industry in Hong Kong? Interviewee: Yes, of course. I have been working in the media industry for over ten years, and it is very, very exciting. The pace isvery fast, and you have to be very, veryquick to adapt toall the changes. I find it veryso rewarding to see the impact of our work on the audience.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I took out or changed some of the "verys" to improve the flow of the text. "

**Interview Transcript:** Interviewer: Thank you for joining us today. Can you tell us about your experience working in the media industry in Hong Kong? Interviewee: Yes, of course. I have been working in the media industry for over ten years, and it is very exciting. The pace is fast, and you have to be quick to adapt to all the changes. I find it so rewarding to see the impact of our work on the audience.

**Interview Transcript:** Interviewer: Thank you for joining us today. Can you tell us about your experience working in the media industry in Hong Kong? Interviewee: Yes, of course. I have been working in the media industry for over ten years, and it is very, very exciting. The pace is very fast, and you have to be very, very quick to adapt to changes. I find it very rewarding to see the impact of our work on the audience.

Mistake Example #4

Journalism & Media / Investigative Report

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

The recent investigation into the city's waste management practices has revealed some veryconcerning findings. The report highlights that the recycling facilities are veryinadequate, leading to avery significant amount of waste being improperlydisposed ofal. This situation isvery alarming and calls for immediate action from the authorities to address thevsery pressing environmental issues facing Hong Kong.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I took out "very" because it was redundant, plus I made a few other small tweaks. Nice job!"

The recent investigation into the city's waste management practices has revealed some concerning findings. The report highlights that the recycling facilities are inadequate, leading to a significant amount of waste disposal. This situation is alarming and calls for immediate action from the authorities to address these pressing environmental issues facing Hong Kong.

The recent investigation into the city's waste management practices has revealed some very concerning findings. The report highlights that the recycling facilities are very inadequate, leading to a very significant amount of waste being improperly disposed of. This situation is very alarming and calls for immediate action from the authorities to address the very pressing environmental issues facing Hong Kong.

Mistake Example #5

Journalism & Media / News Article

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

Hong Kong's Central district is experiencing muchany changes as new developments continue to rise. Many people are expressing concerns about the impact on local businesses, with some saying there areis too manyuch constructions happening at once. The government has announced several initiatives to address these issues, but there is still much debates among the residents about the effectiveness of these measures.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"There were some issues with "much" and "many" but good work overall!"

Hong Kong's Central district is experiencing many changes as new developments continue to rise. Many people are expressing concerns about the impact on local businesses, with some saying there is too much construction happening at once. The government has announced several initiatives to address these issues, but there is still much debate among the residents about the effectiveness of these measures.

Hong Kong's Central district is experiencing much changes as new developments continue to rise. Many people are expressing concerns about the impact on local businesses, with some saying there are too many constructions happening at once. The government has announced several initiatives to address these issues, but there is still much debates among the residents about the effectiveness of these measures.

Mistake Example #6

Journalism & Media / Op-Ed

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Hong Kong is avery vibrant city with avery unique blend of cultures and traditions. The food here is verydelicious, and the skyline is vquitery impressive, making it a very popular destination for tourists. However, the cost of living is voutragery highous, which makes it vrerally challenging for many residents to afford housing.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"This was already very well-written – I just made a few minor changes to make it sound a bit more natural :)"

Hong Kong is a vibrant city with a unique blend of cultures and traditions. The food here is delicious, and the skyline is quite impressive, making it a very popular destination for tourists. However, the cost of living is outrageous, which makes it really challenging for many residents to afford housing.

Hong Kong is a very vibrant city with a very unique blend of cultures and traditions. The food here is very delicious, and the skyline is very impressive, making it a very popular destination for tourists. However, the cost of living is very high, which makes it very challenging for many residents to afford housing.

Mistake Example #7

Journalism & Media / Press Release

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

For immediate release,: oOur company is happy to announce the grand opening of anew store in Central onnext Saturday. WeBrinviteg allyour friends and family tocome and join the celebration, where thereyou will befind many exciting activities and special offers. We hope everyone can come outto support and share the joy withus.!

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

" Overall, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed. I just replaced a few words to make the English sound more natural."

For immediate release: Our company is happy to announce the grand opening of a new store in Central next Saturday. Bring your friends and family to join the celebration, where you will find many exciting activities and special offers. We hope everyone can come out to support us!

For immediate release, our company is happy to announce the grand opening of new store in Central on next Saturday. We invite all friends and family to come and join the celebration, where there will be many exciting activities and special offers. We hope everyone can come to support and share the joy with us.