Think Before You Ink!
Ten Writing Reminders for Chinese ELLs
I once received a text message from a Chinese friend that read, "She like to go to
store to shop for the clothing." I knew what the message meant but smiled because
of its Chinese uniqueness. The grammar of an English language learner’s native
language will inevitably influence how she or he constructs English sentences. When I
was a writing tutor in the US, I would often read sentences from Chinese students like
"Sarah like to eat chicken; he not vegetarian," "Last year, she get good pay job at
city center," and "Yesterday, I go to supermarket to buy two cake.” All of these
sentences have common mistakes. To help you transform your Chinglish writing into
English writing, I’ve compiled a short list of writing reminders that I frequently
encounter in Chinese ELLs’ writing.
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Gendered Pronouns
Adjective Order
Singular/Plural Nouns
Non-count Nouns
Omitting and Inserting Articles
Subject-Verb Agreement
Verb Tense
Confusing Prepositions
Comma Usage
Semicolon Usage
Gendered Pronouns
There are separate gendered pronouns in English. Because you don’t use gendered
pronouns when you speak Chinese, you might find yourself using only the masculine
pronouns when you write English. This would certainly sound awkward, even insulting,
if you refer to a woman using he or his. Even though pronouns are one of the first
things you learn when studying English, confusing their gender is still a very common
occurrence. This chart should help refresh your memory:
Singular Personal Pronouns
Subject
Object
Masculine
he
him
Feminine
she
Possessive
Determiner
Possessive
Pronoun
his
Reflexive
himself
Third-person
her
hers
herself
What is wrong with these sentences?
 When I met Madame White Snake, he was trying to return a young scholar
named Xu Xian to the human realm.
 Bruce Lee always tried to improve herself both physically and mentally.
Adjective Order
In English, you can use several adjectives to describe something without sounding
awkward. The problem is that cumulative adjectives have to be in a certain order or
you might confuse your English-reading audience. You also have to separate similar
types of adjectives with commas. Of course, you can always find exceptions. Here is
the correct order (in general) of adjectives in an English sentence:
1. Article or noun marker: a, an, the, her, Greg’s, two, many, some
2. Judgment, opinion, or evaluation: amazing, ordinary, impressive, trite
3. Size (height, width, length, volume): tall, narrow, long, fat,
4. Shape: octagonal, elongated, triangular
5. Age: old, outdated, modern, current, contemporary
6. Color: teal, bluish, lavender, off-white, cherry red
7. Nationality or origin: Spanish, Dutch, eastern, lunar,
8. Religion: Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, holy, religious, atheist
9. Material: cement, wooden, glassy, volcanic
10. Noun as an adjective: tree, desert, space, campus
What is wrong with these sentences?
 Don’t use my cotton orange fuzzy towel.
 The pathetic irresponsible young man drowned his sorrows in booze.
 I’m friends with a Buddhist Japanese monk.
 Sun Wukong fights with a magical iron black rod called Ruyi Jingu Bang.
Singular/Plural Nouns
In English, there are separate singular and plural forms for nouns, but in Chinese,
singular and plural nouns are contextual. The word 龙 doesn’t change whether you
write “一条龙” or “几条龙.” When writing in English, make sure you are making plural
nouns plural. Writing “I live next to three dragon” is both socially and grammatically
awkward.
What is wrong with these sentences?
 I won five hundred dollar!
 The recipe requires three goose and two chicken.
 The lady down the street has many grandchild.
Non-count Nouns
Non-count nouns, nouns that cannot be counted or are very difficult to count,
should not be transformed into plural words. These are some examples: sand, coffee,
intelligence, rice, homework, oxygen. The only time non-count words are pluralized is
if they are expressing a type. For example: The Dutch are famous for their various
cheeses.
What is wrong with these sentences?
 We cannot afford to buy new furnitures for our home.
 I have five homework I have to complete for tomorrow.
 When the Queen travels, she always has so many luggages.
 Add three cup of flours to the mixture.
Omitting and Inserting Articles
In Chinese, there is no need for articles (a, an, the) in front of nouns, so you might
forget to use the appropriate article when writing in English. At the same time,
because you know articles are important, you might add them even when they are
not needed. Correctly using these few simple words will make a huge difference in
your English writing. Indefinite articles a and an are used for non-specific singular
count nouns. For example: a monkey, an apple, a dragon, an hour. The definite
article the is used for specific singular or specific plural count nouns. For example: the
mischievous monkeys in the tree, the poisoned apple, the fastest dragon in China,
the hour of our death.
What is wrong with these sentences?
 The intelligence is gained through rigorous study.
 I will serve you a tea in morning.
 I don’t have nice dress for party.
 Would you like cup of coffee?
Subject-Verb Agreement
Verbs are not conjugated to match the corresponding subject in Chinese. However,
if you write “he like apple” in English, it will sound strange. If a subject is singular, its
verb must be singular. If a subject is plural, its verb must be plural. Notice how the
nouns and verbs change in these two sentences: The cat chases the rat. The cats
chase the rat.
What is wrong with these sentences?
 The women at the convention was bored.
 The crowd have been protesting for hours.
 The chopsticks is old. The pair of chopsticks are old.
 My grandfather grow tomatoes.
 Politicians have to runs for office in America.
Verb Tense
Depending on who you ask, there are as many as thirty tenses in English, making
tense hard to master since there is no such thing as verb conjugation to denote
tense in Chinese. You can’t directly translate sentences like “I ate,” “I have eaten,”
“I am eating,” or “I will eat” to Chinese. Instead, you would have to say something
like “我吃了饭” “我已经吃了饭,” “我正在吃饭,” or “我会去吃饭.” Verb tenses can only
be used in specific situations, so to avoid making mistakes, think about which tense
you want to use. Be especially careful of verbs ending in –ing and infinitives (to +
base form of the verb). For the most part, you can express things in the appropriate
time sequence by mastering these twelve basic tenses:
12 Verb Tenses
Simple
Progressive
Perfect
Perfect
Progressive
Past
Present
Future
Past action at a given
time.
She wrote.
Facts, habits, routines.
Future action.
She writes.
She will write.
Action happening at a
given time in the past.
She was writing.
Temporary action.
Action happening at a
given time in the future.
She will be writing.
Past action finished in the
past.
She had written.
Past action with a result.
She has written.
What will have happened
in the future.
She will have written.
Action before a certain
time in the past.
She had been writing.
Action that recently
stopped or is still going on.
She has been writing.
Duration before
something in the future.
She will have been writing.
She is writing.
What is wrong with these sentences?
 Yesterday, I go to the Green Café and drink coffees.
 I enjoy to swim in pool.
 I help you after I finish my email.
Confusing Prepositions
In Chinese, there isn’t a big difference between certain prepositions. In English,
differences are subtle and idiomatic. I ride in a car and on a train. I eat in the
afternoon and at night. I live at my house on Main Street in the United States. Many
prepositions are easy to understand, but as a native Chinese speaker, the ones you’ll
want to pay close attention to are at, on, and in when they are used to show time
and place.
Showing Time
At a specific time
At a meeting place or location
At the edge of something
At the corner of something
At a target
On a specific day or date
On a surface
On a street
On an electronic device
In a part of a 24-hour period
In a year or month
In a period of time
In an enclosed space
In a geographical location
In a print medium
at
on
in
Showing place
What is wrong with these sentences?
 I threw a snowball on my sister.
 We met and fell in love at Paris.
 The oranges will spoil at Tuesday, so let’s eat them now.
Comma Usage
For native and non-native English writers alike, comma usage is a challenge. A
misplaced or omitted comma can change the entire meaning of a sentence, so it is
important to use them correctly. The most common comma errors aren’t the
omission of commas but the overuse of commas. When you use a comma, ask
yourself why you used it. Does it prevent possible confusion or misreading? Does it do
one of the eight things on the list below? If your answer is “yes,” then it is okay to use
a comma.
1. Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any
of these seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
Example: The party was over, but her friend wouldn’t leave.
2. Use commas after introductory clauses, phrases, or words that come before
the main clause.
Example: Because the weather was bad, I decided to stay home.
3. Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases,
and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one
comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to
indicate the end of the pause.
Example: This Tuesday, which happens to be my mother’s birthday, is the only
day I don’t work.
4. Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a
series.
Example: I’ve been to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Harbin, and Beijing this past
month.
5. Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe
the same noun. Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final
adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate
adjectives.
Example: You’re such a friendly, carefree guy.
6. Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrasted coordinate
elements or to indicate a distinct pause or shift.
Example: The embalmed corpse looked healthy, almost alive.
7. Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the
month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles
in names.
Example: I live in Reading, Pennsylvania.
8. Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.
Example: Confucius says, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to
work a day in your life.”
What is wrong with these sentences?
 The panda was forced to eat bamboo, because the grocery store closed.
 The President of the United States is a strong courageous man.
 I live in Glasgow, but work in Edinburgh.
 We invited the strippers, JFK and Stalin.
Semicolon Usage
What is a semicolon and when is it used? Many native English writers have trouble
answering this question. Simply put, the semicolon replaces a period to link two
closely related independent clauses. It is more stylistic than it is necessary, so don’t
over use them.
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Incorrect: Even though I’m a fan of Microsoft; I still use an iPhone.
Unnecessary: China is a beautiful country; Peking duck is tasty.
Correct: Annabel drinks five cups of coffee every day; she’s an addict.
They also help organize complicated lists.
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In America, I visited New York City, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
Baltimore, Maryland; and Washington, D.C.
For lunch, she packed some yogurt; bacon, lettuce, and cheese sandwiches;
a fruit salad with extra blueberries and strawberries; and a sugar cookie.
Be Gone, Chinglish!
Rewrite the following sentences so they do not contain any of the aforementioned
mistakes. There may be several correct ways to interpret and rewrite them.
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Last night, it take me ten minute to get sands out of shoe.
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She like to go to store to shop for the clothing.
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Bruce like to eat chicken, she not vegetarian.
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You say “I meet you sometime on evening before movie start.”
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On January, she get good pay job at city center.
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I thought hairy big man a grizzly bear and he is going to ate me.
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I like Barbra Streisand, however, he do not bring me flower anymore.
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Yesterday, I go to supermarket to buy two cake.