In-Depth Tips from Dr English

Everyone makes grammar mistakes in their speech or writing at one time or another. These mistakes are hugely varied in nature and can range from missing articles and incorrect prepositions to missing parts of speech.

However, in Hong Kong, there seem to be a number of particularly common grammar mistakes. This article will focus on ten of the most common mistakes Hong Kong speakers and writers make.

Firstly, read through the following sentences and think about what is wrong with each sentence. The explanations and corrections are on the following page.

1. Have you had a lunch yet?

This sentence contains an unnecessary article. When talking about lunch in general i.e. the everyday event, we do not use an article.

However, we do use an article before ‘lunch’ if it is a special, organized event. This rule also applies to ‘dinner’. Compare the two sentences below:

2. I will request for three new laptops.

This sentence is incorrect because it contains an unnecessary preposition. When ‘request’ is a verb, it is not followed by a preposition. However, when ‘request’ is a noun, it should be followed by the preposition ‘for’. Compare the two sentences below:

3. I will meet him later to discuss about the new promotion.

Again, the error in this sentence is related to an unnecessary preposition. The verb ‘discuss’ should not be followed by a preposition. However, the noun ‘discussion’ is followed by ‘about’. Another possible reason why this mistake is made is because the verb ‘talk’ is followed by ‘about’, and many people confuse ‘discuss’ and ‘talk’ in usage. Compare the following sentences.

4. I am seeking for a new maid at the moment.

Similar to the above two examples, this sentence contains an unnecessary preposition. This mistake is in fact very common and most Hong Kong people do not realize that it is incorrect. The verb ‘seek’ is not followed by a preposition. This mistake is made because we also say ‘look for’ which means the same as ‘seek’.

5. He will come back to the office 5 minutes later.

When referring to a specific amount of time in the future, we use the preposition ‘in’. The adverb ‘later’ is used to talk about an unspecific amount of time in the future. Compare the following sentences:

6. I had seen him yesterday.

In the above example, the past perfect tense is used unnecessarily instead of the past simple, perhaps because ‘had seen’ seems more ‘past’ than ‘saw’. Remember that the past perfect should only be used when you are emphasising that one past action happened before another. Compare the sentences below:

7. Thank you for your calling.

This mistake is made because people confuse two commonly used telephone phrases! The correct phrases are:

8. He is lack of experience.

The word ‘lack’ can be either a noun or a verb, but not an adjective. The noun form is ‘a lack of…’ and is used with the verb ‘have’. It is simpler though, to use the verb form.

9. I would be appreciated if you could send me the report today.

This mistake is normally made in writing. This sentence is a combination of the passive sentence ‘It would be appreciated if you could…’ and the active sentence ‘I would appreciate it if you could…’ forming a grammatically incorrect sentence.

10. He will arrive Hong Kong next Tuesday.

Again, this sentence contains a preposition mistake. However, this mistake is a missing preposition. The verb ‘arrive’ should be followed by a preposition. The preposition you use would depend on the object. In this sentence ‘in’ should be used as Hong Kong is a country/region. Compare the following sentences: