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:Marketing & Advertising Writing
Persuasive writing used in marketing and advertising.
Common Users:Copywriters, Digital Marketers, Content Creators.
Mistake Example #1

Marketing & Advertising Writing / Ad Copy

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

Discover the secret to glowing skin with our new skincare line! Our product contains many natural ingredients that nourish and hydrate your skin. Experience the difference with our formula that brings somuchany benefits to your daily routine. Try it today and see why so many customers are choosing us for their skincare needs in Hong Kong!

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking for countable vs. uncountable nouns."

Discover the secret to glowing skin with our new skincare line! Our product contains many natural ingredients that nourish and hydrate your skin. Experience the difference with our formula that brings so many benefits to your daily routine. Try it today and see why so many customers are choosing us for their skincare needs in Hong Kong!

Discover the secret to glowing skin with our new skincare line! Our product contains many natural ingredient that nourish and hydrate your skin. Experience the difference with our formula that brings much benefit to your daily routine. Try it today and see why so many customer are choosing us for their skincare needs in Hong Kong!

Mistake Example #2

Marketing & Advertising Writing / Landing Page Copy

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Welcome to our veryexciting andvery innovative online store! We offer a verywide range ofvery high-quality products that are veryaffordable andvery stylish. Our team isvery dedicated to providing you with averyn excellent shopping experience, and we arevery committed to making sure you are very satisfied with your purchase.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Your landing page copy reads well, but I took out all but one "very"."

Welcome to our exciting and innovative online store! We offer a wide range of high-quality products that are affordable and stylish. Our team is dedicated to providing you with an excellent shopping experience, and we are committed to making sure you are very satisfied with your purchase.

Welcome to our very exciting and very innovative online store! We offer a very wide range of very high-quality products that are very affordable and very stylish. Our team is very dedicated to providing you with a very excellent shopping experience, and we are very committed to making sure you are very satisfied with your purchase.

Mistake Example #3

Marketing & Advertising Writing / Newsletter

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Dear Subscribers, wWe are veryso excited to share our vebryand new product with you! This verhighly innovative gadget is designed to make your life verymuch easyier and veultrya-convenient. We arevery confident that you will find it vextremely useful and very enjoyable. Don't miss out on this vsupery-special offer, available only for a verylimited time!

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

Dear Subscribers, We are so excited to share our brand new product with you! This highly innovative gadget is designed to make your life much easier and ultra-convenient. We are confident that you will find it extremely useful and very enjoyable. Don't miss out on this super-special offer, available only for a limited time!

Dear Subscribers, we are very excited to share our very new product with you! This very innovative gadget is designed to make your life very easy and very convenient. We are very confident that you will find it very useful and very enjoyable. Don't miss out on this very special offer, available only for a very limited time!

Mistake Example #4

Marketing & Advertising Writing / Press Release

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

We are very excited to announce the verygrand opening of our vebryand new flagship store in the veryheart of Hong Kong. Thisvery special event will feature veryexclusive promotions andvery exciting activities for all ourvery valued customers. Join us on this verymemorable day to experience veryexceptional shopping and verydelightful surprises.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I took out all but one "very" to avoid repetition. Otherwise, it sounds pretty good!"

We are very excited to announce the grand opening of our brand new flagship store in the heart of Hong Kong. This special event will feature exclusive promotions and exciting activities for all our valued customers. Join us on this memorable day to experience exceptional shopping and delightful surprises.

We are very excited to announce the very grand opening of our very new flagship store in the very heart of Hong Kong. This very special event will feature very exclusive promotions and very exciting activities for all our very valued customers. Join us on this very memorable day to experience very exceptional shopping and very delightful surprises.

Mistake Example #5

Marketing & Advertising Writing / Product Description

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

This is averyn amazing smartphone that isvery perfect for your everyday needs. It has a very powerful processor and a vrerally clear display, making itvery ideal for both work and entertainment. You will find it vquitery easy to use and very reliable, which makes it a vgrery goodat choice for anyone looking for a veryhigh-quality device.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Changes I made were mostly to improve fluidity and readability. Nicely done :)"

This is an amazing smartphone that is perfect for your everyday needs. It has a very powerful processor and a really clear display, making it ideal for both work and entertainment. You will find it quite easy to use and very reliable, which makes it a great choice for anyone looking for a high-quality device.

This is a very amazing smartphone that is very perfect for your everyday needs. It has a very powerful processor and a very clear display, making it very ideal for both work and entertainment. You will find it very easy to use and very reliable, which makes it a very good choice for anyone looking for a very high-quality device.

Mistake Example #6

Marketing & Advertising Writing / SEO Article

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

In Hong Kong, we always say that time is money, so why not make your website more attractive to theyour customers? By using our SEO services, you can increase your website's visibility and battringact more peoplevisitoyourdoors. Don't miss the boat,—act now and let us help you tostand out in the crowd.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

In Hong Kong, we always say that time is money, so why not make your website more attractive to your customers? By using our SEO services, you can increase your website's visibility and attract more visitors. Don't miss the boat—act now and let us help you stand out in the crowd.

In Hong Kong, we always say that time is money, so why not make your website more attractive to the customers? By using our SEO services, you can increase your website's visibility and bring more people to your door. Don't miss the boat, act now and let us help you to stand out in the crowd.

Mistake Example #7

Marketing & Advertising Writing / Slogan

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

"Eatuntil you're full, andthenbe happy! Our restaurant bring you the best tasteing food under the sky. Come fast,And nolong waitlongs!"

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"It needed some changes to make the English correct and natural sounding."

"Eat until you're full, and then be happy! Our restaurant bring you the best tasting food under the sky. And no long waits!"

"Eat full, then happy! Our restaurant bring you the best taste under the sky. Come fast, no wait long!"

Mistake Example #8

Marketing & Advertising Writing / Social Media Ad

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Discover thevery amazing new skincare line that isvery perfect for your very sensitive skin! Our products are very100% natural and verhighly effective, making your skin feel vsupery smooth and vetruly refreshed. Don't miss out on this vextrya special offer, available foronly foravery limited time!

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Changes I made were mostly to improve fluidity and readability. Nicely done :)"

Discover the amazing new skincare line that is perfect for your very sensitive skin! Our products are 100% natural and highly effective, making your skin feel super smooth and truly refreshed. Don't miss out on this extra special offer, available for only a limited time!

Discover the very amazing new skincare line that is very perfect for your very sensitive skin! Our products are very natural and very effective, making your skin feel very smooth and very refreshed. Don't miss out on this very special offer, available only for a very limited time!

Mistake Example #9

Marketing & Advertising Writing / Website Content

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

Welcome to our travel website, where you can find muchany exciting destinations and useful travel tips. Whether you are planning a trip with family or looking for adventure, we have manylots of helpful information tfohelpr you. Explore our site to discover muchall kinds of amazing places and make your travel dreams come true!

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

"I changed a few words to reflect the proper usage with countable and non-countable nouns. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

Welcome to our travel website, where you can find many exciting destinations and useful travel tips. Whether you are planning a trip with family or looking for adventure, we have lots of helpful information for you. Explore our site to discover all kinds of amazing places and make your travel dreams come true!

Welcome to our travel website, where you can find much exciting destinations and useful travel tips. Whether you are planning a trip with family or looking for adventure, we have many information to help you. Explore our site to discover much amazing places and make your travel dreams come true!