Common English Mistakes in Personal Essays by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

I am very happy to share my experience of hiking Dragon's Back last weekend. The weather was very good, and the view was like a painting. I and mMy friendsand I walked for two hours, and we took many photos to keep asfor our memory.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

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

I am very happy to share my experience of hiking Dragon's Back last weekend. The weather was very good, and the view was like a painting. My friends and I walked for two hours, and we took many photos to keep for our memory.

I am very happy to share my experience of hiking Dragon's Back last weekend. The weather was very good, and the view was like a painting. I and my friends walked for two hours, and we took many photos to keep as memory.

Mistake Example #2

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

Growing up in Hong Kong, I have always been fascinated by the vibrant city life and the many opportunities it offers. I have much interest in exploring different cultures and trying new foods, which is why I enjoy traveling. During my last trip, I made many unforgettable memories and met muchany interesting people who shared their stories with me.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I just needed to change a "much" to a "many". Good work!"

Growing up in Hong Kong, I have always been fascinated by the vibrant city life and the many opportunities it offers. I have much interest in exploring different cultures and trying new foods, which is why I enjoy traveling. During my last trip, I made many unforgettable memories and met many interesting people who shared their stories with me.

Growing up in Hong Kong, I have always been fascinated by the vibrant city life and the many opportunities it offers. I have much interest in exploring different cultures and trying new foods, which is why I enjoy traveling. During my last trip, I made many unforgettable memories and met much interesting people who shared their stories with me.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

When I first visited the Peak in Hong Kong, the view was verybreathtaking. The city lights were vquitery bright, and the air felt vextrya fresh. I was very hlappyted to be there with my friends, and we took verymany photos to remember the moment.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Great job! Very few changes were needed for improved vocabulary usage."

When I first visited the Peak in Hong Kong, the view was breathtaking. The city lights were quite bright, and the air felt extra fresh. I was elated to be there with my friends, and we took many photos to remember the moment.

When I first visited the Peak in Hong Kong, the view was very breathtaking. The city lights were very bright, and the air felt very fresh. I was very happy to be there with my friends, and we took very many photos to remember the moment.