Some words and phrases have given particular difficulty to TYR reporters over the years. They are here given in alphabetical order.
A
to accuse someone of doing something -- Mr Lee accused the government of using inflation as an excuse for overspending on the project.
to be accustomed to (doing) something -- He said that he was accustomed to flying with an instructor and was worried about flying solo.
to adapt (something) to -- The Hong Kong side quickly adapted to Chelsea's tactics and began to fight back.
to give advice on (doing) something -- The ICAC was prepared to give advice on setting up company guidelines dealing with the acceptance of gifts, said Mr Hung.
to adjust to (doing) something -- He said that since the children were used to singing with a piano accompaniment they needed time to adjust to Chinese instruments.
to advocate something -- Mr Tam is one of the main voices advocating the setting up of a pro-China party.
an advocate of something -- Mr Manuel Woo is an advocate of the imported labour scheme.
an affront to someone -- The burning of copies of the Basic Law was an affront to the Chinese government.
to be afraid of (doing) something -- Some AIDS victims refuse to go public because they are afraid of upsetting their families.
an agent for -- Metropolis is the only Hong Kong agent for Thailand's TK City.
to agree to do something -- The students agreed to carry out the survey.
to agree with someone/something (doing something) -- Mr Choi said he agreed with the government setting priorities for the new scheme.
aid/aids/AIDS/aide need to be distinguished -- Some correct uses: Foreign aid to Bangladesh dropped last year./The overhead projector is a useful teaching aid./Five new AIDS cases were notified in Hong Kong this month./Mr Chung is an aide to the president.
to aim to do something -- The organisation aims to vaccinate 80 percent of the children before the end of 1997.
the aim of doing something -- The organisation was set up with the aim of promoting education about healthy nutrition.
to alert somebody to something -- USIS gets stories and background material from Washington every morning to alert staff to what is happening around the world, particularly in Asia.
an alternative to -- The local computer industry has been putting in much more effort into software production, providing clients with an alternative to imported software.
to express anger at something -- Nearly 500 tenants from Rennie's Mill demonstrated outside the Housing Authority headquarters in Ho Man Tin yestersday to express their anger at being neither informed nor consulted by the government about the clearance of their homes.
to be angry about something -- the tenants were angry about not being warned of the clearance of their homes.
an apology for -- The organisation wants an apology for the Tienanmen showdown.
to apologise for -- The organisation wants the Chinese government to apologise for the killings.
to apply for (somebody to do) something -- Employers with relatives on the mainland can apply for them to come to Hong Kong.
to appoint someone to -- Mr Leung was appointed to the new council.
an approach to -- "This is the positive approach to keeping Hong Kong clean," he said.
to seek/get approval for something -- Karaoke disc producers may voluntarily seek approval for individual discs from the Obscene Articles Tribunal.
to approve something -- Karaoke discs need not be approved by the Obscene Articles Tribunal.
to approve of something -- Parents may not approve of their children going to karaoke bars.
to arrive in (a named place, a country, a town) -- We will arrive in Canada on July 3.
to arrive at (a public place) -- The group arrived at the airport just after 4 p.m.
to assure someone of -- The governor assured the ICAC commissioner of his continuing support.
to assure someone that -- Staff demanded that the investment company assure them that there would be no negative return rate on their provident fund.
to pay attention to -- The Secretary for Security isn't paying enough attention to the issue of illegal immigrant mothers, she said.
authority/authorities go as follows: The department does not have the authority to grant unpaid leave./The college authorities allowed him to take unpaid leave./The author of the book is an authority on China./The Chinese authorities ordered the army to attack the students.
awake is a difficult verb to use properly because it takes a multitude of curious forms in different tenses: awoke, awaked, awaken, awakened. Best policy is to reserve "awake" for use as an adjective and use "wake (up)" as the verb: -- When my mother came in to wake me I was aleready awake.
aware : cannot be used as a verb. You are aware of something. You cannot just aware it. -- Ms Pang said most people are not aware of the importance of non-academic subjects in the school curriculum.
B
to benefit from (doing) something -- Local workers benefit directly from joining the fund.
had better do something -- Mr Hung said companies had better issue guidelines on the acceptance of gifts otherwise their employees might find themselves in trouble under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
to blame somebody for (doing) something -- He blames the government for doing nothing to help homosexuals.
C
to be capable of doing something -- If the students think they are not capable of tackling the tasks of the Student Union, they will not bother to join it.
to be careful to do something -- His family asked him to be careful to use safe sex methods.
cast past participle is also "cast", not "casted -- Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. (1 Kings, 19;19)
to cater for -- The restaurant caters for business people rather than families.
to cater to -- The 12 channels will cater to the interests of a mass audience as well as to special interest groups.
to charge someone with [a crime/doing something (bad)] -- He said a company would not be charged with bribery for permitting employees to receive advantages when it was a matter of business considerations.
to choose to do something -- He said schools could choose whether to join the scheme or not.
to cling to something -- If these organisations continue to cling to the demand for an apology for the Tiananmen incident their members will soon start to question the rationale behind their stand.
to commit oneself to doing something -- "We are urging the government to commit itself fully to improving social services," she said.
to be committed to doing something -- Ms Lau said she was committed to improving services as quickly as possible.
to compare has different meanings depending on the word which follows it. If you compare something to something else you imply that they are similar; if you compare it with something else you are looking at the differences. For practical purposes this means that the next word should usually be "with", not "to".-- More people are unemployed compared with last year.
to compensate (somebody) for something -- He claimedwholesalers gave discounts to the supermarkets and then raised their prices for other retailers to compensate for the losses they made.
to complain to somebody about something -- They complained to the Labour Department about their working conditions
to complain of -- The child had complained of backache for several months.
to complain that -- They complained that their actual working conditions were poorer than their contract promised.
compliment, complement are different. To compliment someone is to praise them; to complement something is to make it complete or to go well with it. -- I complimented him on his appearance. His tie complemented his shirt.
to comply with -- The company failed to comply with the additional request for letters of credit amounting to nearly $2 billion.
to concentrate on doing something -- The road ouside is so noisy that students can't concentrate on their homework.
concern cannot be used as a transitive verb. In other words people do not concern things - though they may be concerned about them or may concern themselves with them. One solution is not to use "concern" as a verb at all. Try "worry about" or "care for/about" instead.
to concern somebody -- News stories are about events that concern readers
concern for -- He showed his concern for the refugees by volunteering to teach them.
to be concerned about -- "They are only concerned about how much homework is being given, not what their children are learning," she said.
to have confidence in something -- People who lived in the flats refused to take part in the scheme because they had no confidence in the company's ability to raise funds.
to be confident about something/one would do something -- Paul was confident about passing the exams/Paul was confident he would pass the exams.
to be confident of -- Paul was confident of passing the exam. to conflict with -- His pro-democracy activities conflicted with his role as a member of the Basic Law Drafting Committee.
to consider doing something -- Unions say the government has not considered other ways of easing the labour shortage.
to consist of -- Wharf Cable's programming will consist of locally produced fare as well as imports.
to continue to do something, to continue doing something -- There is no point in continuing to run an organisation when there are no clear guidelines for action.
continuous means without interruption. Things which happen frequently but intermittently are continual.
to contradict someone/something -- "Increasing the rent contradicts the Housing Authority's aim of providing accommodation for the poor," said Mr Chung
a contradiction of -- "Increasing the rent is a contradiction of the Housing Authority's aim of providing housing for the poor," said Mr Chung.
to contribute to -- The company said it would refuse to contribute to any pension scheme because it preferred to give other perks to its workers.
contribution to -- The co-chairmen kicked off the rally by planting a tree as a symbol of the government's contribution to keeping the territory clean over the past 20 years.
convicted takes "of", not "for".
convince takes "of" or "that" -- never "to". You may convince someone of something or convince him that something is true but you may not convince him to do something. Use "persuade" instead if you want to follow with a verb. -- The barrister tried to convince the judge of his client's innocence. He tried to convince the jury that his client could not have committed the crime. He tried to persuade them to acquit his client.
to take a course -- Those who take the course will only receive an attendance certificate.
credible, credulous Ideas or stories are credible (you can believe them); people are credulous (they are too willing to believe others).
crisis -- plural crises
criteria is a plural. The singular is "criterion".
critical of - The magazine does not publish articles critical of the US government.
to criticise someone for doing something - Mr. Chan criticised the government for being too passive and for lacking insight in the port development plan.
to criticise something/someone as -- They are criticising the Housing Authority's proposal as a contradiction of its own aim of providing housing welfare
D
to dare not do something -- He dare not report the abuse in case he is blacklisted by the Chinese authorities. (Past tense: He didn't dare (to) report the abuse ...)
to dare someone to do something -- The boy lost his footing after his school friend dared him to climb the slope.
data on something/someone -- I would like to ask you for some data on old people...
to decrease by (an amount) -- The real wage decreased by by 1 per cent.
to define someone/something as -- Police defined him as a triad according to the law.
demand for -- "The actual demand for manpower may be different from our projections," she said.
to demand that someone do something -- The men started a series of protests demanding that the government release their wives and not repatriate them.
to deter someone from doing something -- The arrest of members of the Hong Kong Federation of Students who demonstrated outside the New China News Agency earlier this year might have deterred other students from joining student unions.
to devote (time, attention,etc.) to (doing) something -- The committee members devote 70 per cent to 80 per cent of their spare time to (working for) charity.
to find it difficult to do something -- He has found it difficult to get a single day's work from contractors since the end of last year.
to have difficulty (in) doing something -- She had difficulty (in) getting to class because the bus service is so unreliable.
to discourage someone from doing something -- Doctors and nurses often discourage new mothers from breastfeeding because the staff haven't time to help.
discrimination against -- He said the homosexuals' hotline was really a form of discrimination against themselves.
to discriminate against -- There is no Hong Kong law to stop employers discriminating against women.
to discuss something -- The legislators discussed a resolution to set up a select committee
to be dissatisfied with -- Hong Kong people, long dissatisfied with the two local TV channels, welcomed cable TV when it opened in 1992.
to doubt something -- The Rev Kwok doubts the Basic Law's guarantee of freedom of religious worship.
to doubt that -- The shop owner, Mr Lai, said he doubted that the telephone had been bought there in the first place.
to be due to something -- Mr Hui said the increase in complaints was due to the company's borrowing vehicles from Lantau Bus Limited.
E
to have an effect on -- The taxi fare increase had no effect on custom.
to be effective in doing something -- Father Lok said the mass media were effective in spreading Western ideas.
to put effort into (doing) something -- The director of the council criticised the government for putting too little effort into research into accidents involving children.
to be eligible for something -- People aged 60 and over will be eligible for the discount card.
to emigrate (with "from") is to leave a country. To immigrate (with "to") is to arrive in another one. The two are usually done simultaneously; Hong Kong's emigrants are Canada's immigrants. You can usually avoid making your mind up by using "migrant" but do not use "migrate" because this has a well-established meaning (usually applied to birds) which is to make an annual trip to somewhere warm for the winter.
to emphasise something -- The instructors emphasise safety in the management of the firearms.
to emphasise that -- They emphasised that guns must be properly controlled at all times.
an emphasis on -- The emphasis of the course is on the safe management of firearms.
to encourage someone to do something -- He encouraged social workers never to give up on drug addicts.
enthusiasm for -- The groups reconfirmed their enthusiasm for the pro-democracy movement in China.
to be enthusiastic about something -- Mr Tsao said there were many people who were enthusiastic about writing but had nowhere to publish their work.
every day are two words except when used together as an adjective -- an everyday story of country folk.
to expect someone to do something -- My advice to anyone who plans to go overseas on a package tour this Christmas is: equip yourself well and don't expect the tour guide to help you out.
F
farther, further -- use the first for distances, the second where you mean "in addition".
to favour -- Some committee members criticised the government for favouring the British by giving the $7.2-billion contract to the consortium of Trafalgar House and Mitsui.
fewer, less provide scope for fine distinctions. The rule is that if something is countable -- like people, car crashes, murder cases or whatever -- you should use fewer. If it is uncountable -- like water, money, equipment, furniture -- then you should use less. Take fewer baths and use less water. If you get it wrong you will have plenty of company.
figures on -- The department does not keep figures on the number of old people who return to China for part of the year.
find is not as versatile in English as it is in Cantonese. You can only use it when the search has been a success, or is likely to be one . I am going to find my sister, is all right, if a bit loose, but it implies that you already know more or less where she is. If you mean to look for something, leaving open the question whether it is actually located or not, you must use "look for" or "seek".
flaunt, flout are often confused. To flaunt something is to show it off; as the ad used to say: if you've got it, flaunt it. To flout is to show contempt or indifference for something -- usually a law, the Law in general, or a convention -- He flouted the law by parking without putting any money in the meter.
to forgo means to refrain from something or do without it. To forego someone is to go ahead of them.
funds/funding for -- Mrs Yeung said many kindergartens lacked funds for well-equipped playgrounds.
fowl is the singular and the plural (like sheep, deer and fish). Someone who breaks the rules of the game commits a foul.
G
to be good for -- He saidthe permit was only good for a year and a new application would have to be made when it expired.
to guarantee (that) someone something/that something will happen -- Mrs Yau said the legislation would not guarantee trained teachers a reasonable salary/Mrs Yau said the legislation could not guarantee that teachers would get a reasonable salary
H
to happen -- (NB This verb is intransitive) The accident happened just after 2 pm.
hanged, hung -- the word for judicial executions, suicides and accidents which result in death is "hanged". "Hung" is used for pictures and other items which are used as wall decorations, etc. It also has a special meaning in the phrase "hung parliament", which has nothing to do with walls -- it means there is no party with a clear majority.
hardly does not mean "with difficulty". It means "very little". If you want to say that someone finds it difficult to do something you cannot say "he hardly does it", which means he only does it occasionally -- On rainy days we hardly go out at all.
it's high time (somebody/something) did something -- It's high time China's newspapers were commercialised.
to hire someone as something -- Many travel agents end up hiring free-lancers as tour guides.
to place hope in -- Some religious groups are not placing hope in other broadcasters -- they have set up their own radio stations.
I
(to have) an impact on someone/something-- The railway company announced that it would employ consultants to prepare detailed designs for its plan to reduce the impact of railway noise on people living nearby.
imply, infer mean different things, at least in careful usage. You imply something if you hint or suggest it: you infer something if you deduce it from the hint or suggestion. The use of infer to mean imply is a habit of great antiquity but still offends fussy readers.
to impress someone with something -- He impressed the students with his wide knowledge of China.
an impression of something -- He said his impression of China remained vague even after living in Guangdong Province for six months.
incentive for -- She said the bleak prospects of employment reduced the incentive for teachers to enrol in training courses.
include is sometimes used when "comprise" is required. If you say A included B you imply that there was something else in A. Thus it would be correct to say that the Hong Kong football team included two South China players, but it would be wrong to say it included 11 men and a substitute.
to be inferior to -- He said local software was still inferior to imported products.
to inform someone of something -- The magazine aims to tell the Chinese about what American people think rather than inform them of US government policy, he said.
to insist on doing something -- She said some workers are stubborn and insist on staying on in their present job instead of taking alternatives.
insistence on doing something -- The main reason for the Hong Kong government's insistence on keeping the ban is security, said Mr Lam.
to intend to do something -- The government does not intend to change the regulations despite pressure from business organisations.
to have no intention of doing something -- "The government has no intention of solving the problem or giving explanations," said Mr Wan.
to be interested in (doing) something -- Most youngsters today are not interested in becoming blue-collar workers.
to interview someone -- The company interviewed nine applicants for the job.
an interview with someone -- An interview with someone who couldn't get a job should be included in the story.
to introduce someone to someone else -- He introduced his mother to other homosexual couples.
to invest in something -- The upheavals in Thailand would not stop Hong Kong people investing in property there, she said.
an investment in -- The upheavals in Thailand would not reduce Hong Kong's investments in Thailand, she said.
K
to be keen on something -- The survey found that students were not keen on the new plan.
(to have) knowledge of -- Untrained tour escorts may not have much knowledge of the countries they take tours to.
L
to lack something -- They used to be passive and lack confidence, but since the training course they have been more outgoing.
a lecturer at -- He is a journalism lecturer at Hong Kong University.
a lecturer in -- She is a lecturer in the Social Work Department at Hong Kong Baptist College, OR, She is a lecturer in social work, OR, She is a social work lecturer.
to lecture in -- She lectures in social work at Hong Kong Baptist College.
a limit on -- There is no fixed limit on the time between a reporter's receiving a gift and his or her asking for permission from a superior.
literally means in the exact and natural meaning of the words. If you say that a Legislative Councillor was literally walking a tightrope you mean he really was up there with only a rope between him and a nasty fall to the council chamber floor. Best not to use the word at all. Generally your readers will take you literally anyway.
to live in -- He lives in Kowloon./ He lives in public housing./ He lives in luxury.
to live on -- He lives on Lantau./He lives on a public housing estate./He lives on $3,000 a month.
to live up to -- Ms Lee is worried that her reputation has been overstated and she won't be able to live up to it.
M
to be made up of -- Mr Chow said the Travel Industry Council represented the interests of travel agents because it is made up of travel agents themselves, unlike the government-sponsored Hong Kong Tourist Association.
to put money into (doing) something -- "It is difficult for the government to put more money into implementing full-day schooling because of demand in other areas, such as social services," said Mr Lau.
N
nauseous is the word for things which cause nausea, not for people who suffer from it.
needy cannot be used indiscriminately for people who need counselling, accomodation, medical help or other sociable goods. It means only those in need of money. The needy are the poor.
O
to object to something -- The three parties objected to the government's passing of the new rates bill.
an obstacle to doing something -- Ms Wong said that the low status of education colleges was one of the big obstacles to attracting highly qualified applicants.
an opinion on something -- The editorial gave the newspaper's opinion on the subject.
an opinion about someone/something -- He said he had no opinion about the formation of the new department.
an opportunity to do something -- All students should have the same opportunities to choose subsidised schools, Mr Cheung said.
an opportunity for -- Despite its shortcomings, CrossOver had achieved its goal of providing more opportunities for young writers, he said.
to be optimistic about -- Dr Yeung said he was optimistic about the future of Chinese traditional medicine.
P
to participate in something -- Through participating in the Asian homosexual organisations' activities, he learned of the "coming-out" process.
the permission of/permission from -- Reporters may not take any kind of gift from contacts unless they have permission from (or: the permission of) their superiors.
to persuade someone to do something -- Although the Secretary for Education and Manpower tried to persuade legislators to support the bill, he failed in the face of concerns that it would not address the problems of poor children.
to take a photograph of someone -- The police took photographs of the demonstrators, the court heard.
to have one's photograph taken -- The group had their photo taken in Tiananmen Square.
a plan to do something -- The plot opens when Mrs Martin overhears a plan to kill someone.
police/the police take a plural verb -- While legislators are pushing to get the government to crack down on triads, the police (i.e. the organisation) claim that triad activities are not serious in schools. Police corruption was curbed by the formation of the ICAC. Police (i.e. some individual officers) went to a flat in Waterloo Road after receiving a complaint about excessive noise.
a policy for/on -- Every company should devise its own policy on accepting gifts, he said. "I want to ask the Urban Council about their policy for dealing with this situation," Ms Lam said.
the power to do something -- The section of the ordinance concerning the ICAC's power to detain anyone for enquiries for up to three hours was repealed.
to praise someone for doing something -- Ms Wong praised social workers for helping so much in the fight against drugs.
a prerequisite for -- He said the main prerequisite for future Sino-British cooperation is that the Chinese government recognise the Legislative Council.
a press conference to promote something -- "The Thai property market has good prospects," said Miss Candy Dong, manager of Metropolis Realty, yesterday at a press conference to promote a residential block now being built in Bangkok.
to prevent something (from) happening -- Therefore, he said, social workers and police have their roles to play in preventing schoolchildren (from) committing crimes.
the price of -- Since 1987 there has been continuous growth in the prices of Thai property.
a privilege for someone -- There should be no special privileges for any one group.
the probability of doing something -- The probability of finding a cheap flat to rent is very low these days.
the problem of -- The problem is one of lack of resources, he admitted.
the problem with (doing) something -- The problem with the organisation is that its policies are outdated and it cannot recruit new members
prone means lying face down. If you are facing up you are supine.
a proposal to do something -- The Legislative Council has already discussed the proposal to abolish the double-rent policy.
prospects for -- The bleak prospects for promotion discourage teachers from taking training courses.
prostrate means lying down. The occasionally troublesome gland is the prostate.
a protest against something -- The students organised a protest against the increase in fees.
to protest against something -- Workers protested against the labour importation scheme
to protest at/about something -- The students protested at/about the heavy workload
to provide someone with something -- The organisation is asking Mr Fung to provide it with a phone and office.
to provide something for someone -- Mr Law said the new channel's objective was to provide the latest news for the local audience.
provision for -- The old ordinance contains no provision for direct punishment for unauthorised land use.
R
rack, wrack are sometimes confused. To rack means to torture, originally by stretching. The rack was a common feature of medieval torture chambers. The word survives in the phrase "nerve-racking" which should be so spelt. To "wrack" is an alternative form of "wreck". Use wreck except in the phrase "wrack and ruin".
to raise something -- The government planned to raise tuition fees by 18 percent next year.
a reason for -- The reason for introducing the legislation was that there were significant changes in Hong Kong's political, social and economic circumstances.
a reason + verb -- He had no reason to go.
a receipt for -- His boss ordered him to sign a receipt for $13,000.
to recommend someone for something -- When recommending someone for hospital detention, a doctor will look not only at the person's mental state but also his relationship with his family.
to recommend something to someone -- There were complaints after one reviewer recommended a certain book to readers, who then found out it was not available in Hong Kong.
to refuse to do something -- It is pointless to refuse to recognise the Chinese government.
to regard something/someone as -- Most teenagers in his survey regarded any legal means of getting money as acceptable.
to register with -- The society is not registered with the government and is therefore illegal.
to regret (doing) something -- Sir David says he does not regret taking up his post.
a remedy for something -- Mr Pak said that seminars should deal with measures to avert violence rather than remedies for the problem itself.
to remember someone doing something/something happening -- "As a doctor's daughter, you should go to university," she remembers her father telling her.
a report on -- It was not only Ming Pao that had done a report on the adjusting of interest rates, he said.
a request for -- The company failed to comply with the the additional request for letters of credit worth nearly $2 billion.
to require somebody to do something -- Guangdong Province requires women to be married for eight years or more before they are eligible for a one-way permit to Hong Kong.
to respond to -- The workers responded to an appeal from the union.
a response to -- There was a positive response to the government's proposal to increase funding for schools.
to be responsible for (doing) something -- The duty officer is responsible for jotting down all the details of the reported crime.
to have a responsibility to someone -- The bus companies have a responsibility to the public to provide cheap and frequent services.
responsibility for -- The responsibility for providing better living conditions for the needy has been laid on the poor themselves, she said.
to restrict something to -- Despite the decriminalisation of homosexuality, the activities of homosexuals are still restricted to gay bars and baths.
a restriction on doing something -- There are restrictions on civil servants borrowing money from colleagues.
to result in -- The "bomb bag" can go off with a loud explosion that can cause temporary deafness and may result in permanent damage to the hearing.
a rise in something -- He reported a rise in the profits of the People's Bank of China.
to rise (intransitive) by -- Tuition fees at tertiary institutions will rise by 18 per cent next year. See raise.
to play a role in doing something -- The Consumer Council also plays an important role in protecting the interests of purchasers, she said.
to risk (doing) something -- Smokers risk getting lung cancer.
a risk of -- Obesity can contribute to the risk of gallstones, apoplexy, rheumatoid arthritis and sleeplessness.
role as -- He told students about USIS's role as the public affairs service of the US government.
S
to be satisfied with something -- Ms Ho said she was not satisfied with Citybus's services.
to be scared of -- "Even the gweilos are scared of me," said Ben.
a scheme to do something -- The government introduced a scheme to import labour.
to search someone for something -- The police then search the suspect for any hidden weapons.
a search for something -- In its search for a scapegoat, he said, the Chinese government would likely look for another target among Hong Kong reporters.
to seek something -- People who are dissatisfied with travel agencies' services can only seek compensation through the Small Claims Tribunal.
to sentence someone to (a legal punishment) -- Xi Yang was sentenced to 12 years in jail.
shambles means a slaughterhouse. Some readers still object to its use for scenes of disorder or chaos generally, though the (mis)use is well-established and given in most dictionaries.
to share something with somebody -- The young gang members feel they are affiliated to a group, accepted by their peers and have somebody to share their troubles with.
to be short of -- "We are short of manpower," said Mr Wai of the Environmental Protection Department.
to smuggle something into -- Police believed the syndicate in Hong Kong had close connections with one in China and together they smuggled ice from southern China into Hong Kong.
a solution to -- Getting housewives to go back to work is one solution to the territory's labour shortage.
to spend money on (doing) something -- The government is to spend $x million on cleaning up the environment in the next three years.
to spend time doing something -- Legislators spent more than an hour discussing the proposal.
to spend time on something -- He regretted the many hours he had spent on the book.
a spokesman/spokeswoman for -- The spokesman for the Catering Industry Workers' Union said . . .
a standard of (something) -- He said that the general standard of French among Hong Kong students was rising.
stationery is office equipment; "stationary" means standing still.
story means a tale, "storey" a floor in a building.
stress when used as a noun takes "on". When used as a verb it does not -- The editor put the stress on the need for accuracy. The editor stressed the need for accuracy. As the example above illustrates, using "stress" as a verb usually produces a more active -- and shorter -- sentence.
a student at -- Leo Li, a chemistry student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said ... Better: Leo Li, a Hong Kong University of Science and Technology chemistry student, Š
a study on something -- Mr Lau has just published a study on childhood nutrition in Hong Kong.
to subscribe to -- Mr So said that viewers would have to pay extra to subscribe to the so-called premium channels, which showed pornographic programmes and violent movies.
to substitute something for something else -- The thieves substituted fake notes for the real money so that the robbery would not be noticed immediately.
a substitute for -- The treatment uses methadone as a substitute for heroin.
to succeed in doing something -- The women succeeded in getting the wages they were due (NB - this verb is usually dispensable in the interests of tight writing - The women received the wages they were due ...)
to suffer is intransitive -- Mr Lee said it seemed like a long-term policy and could cause many local workers to suffer in the short term.
to suffer from (an illness) -- The boy was suffering from TB. (N.B. It would be much better to say "... had TB")
to suggest (to someone) that somebody (should) do something -- He suggested that the Labour Department (should) blacklist offending employers.
support for -- "What we are doing now is trying to demonstrate our support for democracy by sending Christmas cards to prisoners in China," the volunteer said.
the support of -- "Losing weight depends on the patience of the individual and the support of his family," he said.
to suspect someone of doing something -- They suspected him of having leaked the information.
to be symbolic of -- The excessive use of plastic bags has become symbolic of the way in which we waste valuable resources, he said.
to sympathise with -- He said he sympathised with those who were unable to vote but could do nothing about it now.
to feel sympathetic towards -- Mr Leung said he felt sympathetic towards public housing tenants who were being forced out of their flats but didn't have enough money to buy private property.
to have no sympathy for -- She had no sympathy for those who failed to report by the due date, she said, because it had been well publicised beforehand.
a system for -- Unlike the European countries, Hong Kong has no registration system for tourist guides.
T
a textbook on -- She said there was no need to revise the primary school textbooks on health education.
to think of doing something -- After he failed this test, he even thought of quitting the pilot training scheme.
it's time to do something (see also "high time") -- It's time to commercialise China's newspapers.
to train someone to do something -- Mr Ng trains the children to dance in the traditional style.
to treat someone as -- Mrs Chow said Legco appointees should not be treated as third class members.
U
unreasonable is not like its Cantonese counterpart; it does not mean "illogical" or "unfair". In English "reasonable" usually means balanced or moderate and "unreasonable" is scarcely used at all except in the phrase "unreasonable demands".
to urge someone to do something -- Mr Tsui and Mr Ho have urged the government to improve relations with the Chinese government.
V
to vary with -- He said his company's dependence on the two big chains varied with different products.
to vary from one thing to another -- He said his company's dependence on the two big chains varied from product to product.
W
to wait for something to happen -- Analysts say local investors will be conservative for a time, waiting for the Thai turmoil to pass.
to be on a waiting-list -- There are still 150,000 applicants on the waiting-list for public housing.
to waste time doing (something) -- "I just don't understand why students nowadays waste so much time protesting," he said.
whether, if should be distinguished. Use "whether" when there are two alternatives -- I do not know whether to go (or not) -- and "if" when the meaning is conditional -- I shall go if I can.
while should be reserved for occasions when two things happened together -- While Nero fiddled, Rome burned. It should not be used as an alternative to "although". "Whilst" is an antique. Do not use it.
to worry/be worried that something (verb) -- Many homosexuals still worry (or: are still worried) about the social aspects of their identity.
be worth doing -- "It's not worth taking a job that pays $6,000 for full-day teaching when a shop assistant earns $7,000 before commission," she said
to be worth one's while (doing something) -- "It's not worth their while taking a full-day teaching job that pays only $6,000," she said.
to be worthwhile (doing something) -- "It's not worthwhile taking a full-day teaching job that pays only $6,000," she said.
worthy means "entitled to respect or admiration". You can have a worthy cause or a person of some civic eminence may be described as a worthy. This is not the way the word is usually abused in Hong Kong, however. "Worth" may in correct usage take a gerund, as in If a thing is worth doing it is worth doing well. Or it may take a noun -- speeding is not worth the risk of getting a ticket. Or it may take "it" -- We thought of redecorating our flat but as we shall move out next year it was not worth it. Or you can use "worthwhile" -- It is worthwhile to think carefully about your choice of words. Only very rarely is it correct to say that something is worthy.
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