Common English Mistakes in Op-Eds by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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 #2

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

In recent years, the government has been putting a lot of effort into improve theing air quality, but the results are not as ideal as expected. Many people think that the government should add more resources to solve theis problem, but I think it is like adding oifuel to the fire. Instead, we should focus on educating the public about the importance of reducing emissions, so everyone can contribute their powart tod makeing the sky blue again.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Very good! I just made some small changes so the English will sound more natural."

In recent years, the government has been putting a lot of effort into improving air quality, but the results are not as ideal as expected. Many people think that the government should add more resources to solve this problem, but I think it is like adding fuel to the fire. Instead, we should focus on educating the public about the importance of reducing emissions, so everyone can contribute toward making the sky blue again.

In recent years, the government has been putting a lot of effort to improve the air quality, but the results are not as ideal as expected. Many people think that the government should add more resources to solve the problem, but I think it is like adding oil to the fire. Instead, we should focus on educating the public about the importance of reducing emissions, so everyone can contribute their part to make the sky blue again.

Mistake Example #3

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

In recent years, Hong Kong has faced many challenges, but there is still much hope for the future. Many people believe that thegovernment should do more to support local businesses, as they arean important part of our economy. While some argue that there is too much focus on international trade, it is clear that local industries need more support to thrive.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

In recent years, Hong Kong has faced many challenges, but there is still much hope for the future. Many people believe that the government should do more to support local businesses, as they are an important part of our economy. While some argue that there is too much focus on international trade, it is clear that local industries need more support to thrive.

In recent years, Hong Kong has faced many challenges, but there is still much hope for the future. Many people believe that government should do more to support local businesses, as they are important part of our economy. While some argue that there is too much focus on international trade, it is clear that local industries need more support to thrive.