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fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

I'm compiling a list of cliches/overused words and phrases used by Chinese students in their English writing.

For example:

and so on
every coin has two sides
as we all know

Others?

Many thanks in advance for any and all additions to this topic.

Warm regards,
fat_chris

doogsville · Joined: 17 Nov 2011 Posts: 924 Location: China

It's not just in writing either. I do IELTS prep and competition stuff, and they come up a lot verbally too. Drives me nuts. I tell then, don't say 'and so on', give the information, finish the damn sentence properly. Also 'as we all know'. Really! If we already know, why are you telling us! What if someone doesn't know, you're insinuating they are lacking in some way.

Can't think of anything to add at the moment. To be honest, a lot of the writing I have had to deal with has been so poor a cliché would have been welcomed. At least it would have been grammatically correct.

choudoufu · Joined: 25 May 2010 Posts: 3325 Location: Mao-berry, PRC

at the end of an oral presentation......."that's all!"

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

"in our daily lives"

"Over" (meaning they have completed their discourse)

Shroob · Joined: 02 Aug 2010 Posts: 1339

Most of these aren't from writing, but I have seen them in writing when they can be applied.

Thank you for your listening.

On the one hand <first way of saying X>, on the other hand <insert another way of saying X>.

'I know'- instead of 'I see'.

roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

In a word, Chinese students of writing often use not only extra phrases, such as the above-mentioned, "as we all known", but also other cliches, that eat up word counts, and furthermore, make me not want to teach writing. 38 "in a" words.

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

Oh!

"in a word"

In a word, how could that one have slipped my mind? Cool

Yeah, plenty of cliches in speaking too (and those are also welcome in this thread). In class I am focusing on cliche-free writing (haha, yeah, good luck with that!) at the moment though.

I have been hearing the "life is like a box of chocolates" cliche in students' speaking a lot lately. Darn you Forrest Gump!

Warm regards,
fat_chris

MisterButtkins · Joined: 03 Oct 2009 Posts: 1221

"With the development of society"

Using "On the one hand... On the other hand" in ways that do not make sense at all. Like, "On the one hand, exercise is very important. On the other hand, it can give us healthy bodies." What?

One phrase, though, both in speaking and in writing, annoys me above and beyond any other: "delicious food". Example:
Student: My mother cooked dinner.
Me: What did she cook?
Student: Delicious food.
Me: What kind of food?
Student: Delicious food.

OR

Student: I went to the store.
Me: What did you buy?
Student: Delicious food.

OR

Student: We went to the restaurant together. I ordered many delicious food.

JUST SAY WHAT THE DAMN FOOD IS!!!

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Very interesting! I'm not in China and have only a very few Chinese students, but I recognise quite a lot of this. My friends in Korea get sick of the 'delicious food' thing, and ' and so on.'

We don't hear either of these much in Europe, but the on the one/other hand thing is endemic here too (and usually applied wrongly to indicate addition instead of contrast, though I've never heard it used as a reformulation like Shroob or as a causal like in Mr. Buttkins' example).
We usually just tell students to avoid the phrase because it is unlikely they will use it correctly. Shocked

Bad teaching? Maybe, but I am 150% certain that they can write and speak at very high levels accurately without this phrase.

That's all. I tell them we all picture Porky the Pig when we hear that:-)

damn_my_eyes · Joined: 13 Jul 2013 Posts: 225

"Social harmony" used to come up in a lot of my essays usually finished with something along the lines of "tomorrow will be a better day"

Toast · Joined: 08 Jun 2013 Posts: 428

"How are you?"

"Frankly speaking....I'm just so-so!"

Great - thanks for your honesty.

"Diligent" is one I hear a lot here.

"How was your weekend?"

"Frankly speaking - I studying diligently!"

Who teaches them this shit?

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

SH_Panda · Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 455

How are you?

I'mfinethankyouandyou (all one word)

or

How are you?

Am jast so-so

SH_Panda · Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 455

Oh and SELDOM!

"I seldom go to that bar"

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

These days when they mean lately.

As we all know and needless to say. IF WE ALL KNOW IT, WHY SAY IT? IF IT IS NEEDLESS TO SAY IT, WHY IN #@*% EVEN SAY IT?

Of course.

And my all-time favorite adjective: lovely. Once, a very well-educated Chinese teacher sat in on my class and commented (during the class) that he didn't understand my objection to the aforementioned words and phrases, even after I explained their shortcomings and why they shouldn't be used. This guy had extensive experience as an interpreter in the U.K. but he couldn't get his head wrapped around the fact the word lovely doesn't mean a d*mned thing in most cases.

A lot of these are carryovers from their Chinese oral English classes. The idiotic phrases are used to buy time for them to gather their words together.