1

Road to HKDSE 2019

Writing Notes 18 (Analysis of Common mistakes)

A. Common mistakes in Useful Expressions

 

1. As a conclusion, heritage preservation can 1.

coexist with economic development.

2. In a word, examinations are necessary evils in 2.

a society.

3. As the whole, Lionel Messi has been 3.

performing well.

4. In my point of views, true democracy will 4.

never be adopted in Hong Kong.

5. In my opinions, I think CY Leung is an 5.

incompetent Chief Executive.

6. It is no doubt that the sound legal system is 6.

the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s stability and

prosperity.

7. It is no denying that studying is sometimes 7.

dreary.

8. Beyond a shadow of doubt, the national 8.

anthem of China is disgusting.

9. The English standard of local students leaves a 9.

lot to be desired. In other word, every effort

has to be made to enhance their English level.

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 

10. The ramifications of legalizing marijuana are 10.

as follow.

11. Last but not the least, the conservative values 11.

of Confucianism has hampered the

development of ancient China.

12. Japan has been plunged into the quagmire of 12.

prolonged recession since the early 1990s. In

the contrary, China has been enjoying

burgeoning economic growth since then.

13. The government should take an in-deep look 13.

at the practicality of the local education

system.

14. Conquering the monster of sloth is no easy 14.

task. By that it may be, we should be

determined and persistent so that we can

achieve brilliant results in the HKDSE.

15. Schools and parents should pay concerted 15.

effort to nurture our next generation.

16. The reasons for the decline of Cantopop are 16.

twofolds.

17. Although the incarceration of Zhou Yongkang 17.

is a welcome development, his corruption

scandal is just tip of the iceberg.

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 

18. On one hand, Cheung Chau is a remote area in 18.

Hong Kong. On other hand, it is renowned for

its picturesque scenery.

19. When it comes to the choice between toiling 19.

ceaselessly and wallowing in the mire of

impoverishment, the former is apparently a

lesser evil.

20. More recreational facilities should be 20.

constructed in Tin Shui Wai without future

delay.
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B. Common grammar mistakes in English writing

Type 1 –

 

1. The donation benefit both of us. 1.

2. The environment are being destroyed. 2.

3. Many information are available on the 3.

Internet.

4. Obeying school rules are students’ 4.

responsibility.

5. The young women wants to have babies. 5.

6. Many people is my friends. 6.

7. There was lots of mosquitoes. 7.

8. The repercussions of Hong Kong’s 8.

independence is hard to estimate.

9. The following is my suggestions. 9.

10. The number of university places have 10.

remained unchanged in the past 20 years.

11. A number of protestors was arrested last 11.

night.
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Type 2 -

 

1. Every happy families have the same story. 1.

2. Another areas which should be looked into is 2.

the feasibility of organizing the 2022 World

Cup in Qatar.

3. The quality of human resources determines 3.

the success of country.

4. There are many non-governmental 4.

organization in Hong Kong.

5. There is an amusement park where people 5.

can play game.

6. The teacher provides many advice for his 6.

students.

7. We can find a large number of information 7.

from Wikipedia.

8. In the exam-oriented system in Hong Kong, 8.

students are required to do a lot of
homeworks.
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 

9. Newspapers are an important media for us to 9.

understand more about current affairs.

10. During our leisure time, we should do more 10.

exercises to train our stamina.

11. The times allowed for this test is 20 minutes. 11.

12. HSBC is going to lay off 20,000 staffs. 12.

13. There is only a mean to succeed in the HKDSE 13.

– work hard.

14. The audiences were captivated by the 14.

performance of Lisa Wong.

mean means

意思 平均數 方法

例子 the mean the 2015 DSE English reading a means to solve the problem

paper

audience viewer

意思 觀眾群 觀眾 (一個人)

例子 The audience was inspired by the The theatre can accommodate 20,000

speaker’s experience. viewers.

List of uncountable nouns

news advice information knowledge vocabulary

evidence traffic behavior software hardware

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stationery furniture homework housework scenery

equipment refuse/rubbish/litter pressure luggage baggage

countable nouns (加 s) uncountable nouns (不可加 s)

beauty 美人 美麗

exercise 練習 運動

experience 經歷 經驗

fire 火災 火

life 生命 生活

room 房間 空間

time 次數/時代/倍數 時間

countable uncountable countable uncountable

suggestions advice goods merchandise

apparatuses equipment dollars/cents money

sofas/wardrobes furniture poems poetry

assignments homework staff members/workers staff

chores housework pens/erasers stationery

sports exercise vocabulary items vocabulary

details information

s s

arms (武器) arm (手臂)

arts (美術) art (美術)

brains (頭腦) brain (腦)

clothes (衣服) cloth (布)

contents (目錄) content (滿足)

Customs (海關) custom (習俗)

damages (賠償金) damage (破壞)

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glasses (眼鏡) glass (玻璃)

goods (貨品) good (好)

honours (榮譽學位) honour (榮譽/榮幸)

horizons (視野) horizon (地平線)

manners (禮貌) manner (態度)

means (方法) mean (平均數)

minutes (會議記錄) minute (分鐘)

pains (辛苦) pain (痛苦)

papers (報紙) paper (紙)

prospects (前景/前途) prospect (機會/可能性)

premises (房屋/住宅單位) premise (大前提)

relations (公事上的關係) relation (普通關係)

spirits (烈酒/情緒) spirit (精神)

studies (學習/學業) study (書房/研究)

values (價值觀) value (價值)

waters (水域) water (水)

woods (樹林) wood (木)

Type 3 –

 

1. Mary LV handbag was stolen. 1.

2. English is many students Achilles’ heel. 2.

3. The house’s doors are painted red. 3.

Type 4 –

 

1. It is a excellent opportunity. 1.

2. Although he is senior form student, he 2.

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behaves like a 5-year-old boy.

3. I saw my sister using expensive smartphone. 3.

4. The Bank of China Tower and the Clock Tower 4.

are an important landmarks in Hong Kong.

5. Kobe Bryant is fourth NBA player to score 5.

more than 30,000 points.

6. She is most glamorous participant in the 6.

beauty contest.

7. Most of illegal immigrants came from China 7.

and Vietnam.

8. Some of MTR trains are imported from China. 8.

9. Contributing to the society is his dream. 9.

10. The diligent boy went to the bed at 5 a.m. this 10.

morning.
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the the

in future (從今以後) in the future (不久將來)

society (社會) the society (社團/團體/學會)

in public (在公眾場合) the public (市民大眾)

nature (大自然) the nature (性質)

space (空間) the space (太空)

out of question (沒有問題) out of the question (不可能)

behind time (遲到) behind the times (落伍)

in class (上課中) in the class (在班中)

at table (吃飯中) at the table (坐在桌旁)

on earth (究竟) on the earth (在地球上)

by sea (乘船) by the sea (在海旁)

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Type 5 –

 

1. Athletes usually do not success if they do not 1.

work hard.

2. Michael Jordan was a very success basketball 2.

player.

3. She will loss weight. 3.

4. The old woman suffering from dementia got 4.

 
loss in the mountain.
1. Without any prepare, the performance 2.
5. Every government has the responsible to 5.
yesterday was a total disaster.
mainland the law and order of a society.
2. Lucky Village will bring fortunate to you. 3.
6. Healthy is the most important asset in our life. 6.
3. Thanks to the rapidly economic development 4.
7. Andy Hui and Sammi Cheng got marry early 7.
since the implementation of the open-door
this year.
policy, the Chinese have enjoyed higher living
8. The average weigh of a schoolbag is more 8.
standard.
than 5kg.
4. I am writing to complaint about the 5.
9. More than one-thirds of Americans are 9.
government commercials about constitutional
overweighted.
reforms.
10. Please donation your equipment. 10.
5. It is all the more important for the Chinese 6.
11. Your donate can bail the survivors of the 11.
University to improve its competitive.
devastating earthquake out of misery.
6. The 12-year-old illegal immigrant is obesity. 7.
12. Social workers are very patience. 12.
7. North Korea is not a safety place for 8.
13. For those who lack self-confident, they can 13.
investment.
participate in public speaking courses.
8. Several octogenarians have requested the 9.

Japanese government for compensating for

their war-time atrocities, but there has been

no respond so far.

9. Many China people were addicted to opium. 10.

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Type 5 –
 13

 

14. The food at Maxim and Café de Coral is not 14.

hygiene all the time.

15. For most students, the summer holiday is the 15.

time for relax.

16. It is danger for women to travel in India. 16.

17. We can save energy by using environmental- 17.

friendly air-conditioners.

18. Sixth-formers are easily stressful due to the 18.

HKDSE.

19. The pro-establishment camp always emphasis 19.

on the significant of harmony and stability.

20. Studying in Britain is very trouble if you are 20.

poor in English.

21. Few students are interest in Chinese History. 21.

22. The teacher looked seriously when he was 22.

announcing the results of the final

examination.

23. Teenage should pursuit their dreams. 23.

Type 5 –
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Type 6 –

 

1. They haven’t get other interests. 1.

2. Dalai Lama is not recognize by the Chinese 2.

government.

3. Even a good tutorial teacher is not help 3.

students improve their English overnight.

4. Chairman Mao did not stepped down until his 4.

death.

5. Many people are believed that capital 5.

punishment is a necessary evil in China.

6. Participating in exchange trips can broadened 6.

our horizons.

7. There have 300 million people in the United 7.

States.

8. Students afraid of failures. 8.

9. She does not aware of the significance of 9.

English grammar.

10. He has not any cars despite his wealth. 10.

11. Lazy students can not get good results. 11.

12. Students no need go to school when typhoon 12.

signal no.8 is hoisted.

Type 7 –
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 

1. Many teenagers do not know where do the 1.

drugs come from.

2. Do you know who is the fastest runner in the 2.

world?

3. Many students ask when should they start 3.

preparing for the HKDSE.

Type 8 –

 

1. Germany beated Argentina in the 2014 FIFA 1.

World Cup final.

2. What springs to your mind right away if I said 2.

the word “Depression”?

3. Last summer, I work in one of the local theme 3.

parks.

4. Asian singers and artists become more and 4.

more popular.

5. Since Singapore has become independent in 5.

1965, it transformed into a prosperous

country.

6. It is time teachers care about the 6.

psychological needs of students.

Type 9 –
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 

1. Mr. Yu listened the radio when he was a 1.

primary school student.

2. About 40% of the respondents agree the 2.

democrats that the constitutional reform

package proposed by the government should

not be adopted.

3. Today, I am going to talk the importance of 3.

balanced diet.

4. Under the current senior secondary 4.

curriculum, students are required to

participate voluntary work.

5. They arrived the airport last night. 5.

6. I am writing to tell the amendment of our 6.

project.

7. The fathers of modern political philosophy 7.

emphasized on the freedom of people.

8. We are going to discuss about the proposed 8.

cooking classes.

9. Many companies lack of leaders who are 9.

audacious to propose reforms.

10. Many people wonder if Nicholas Tse will 10.

marry with Faye Wong.

Type 10 –
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 

1. The Tangshan earthquake was happened in 1.

1976.

2. The mentally-disabled boy was disappeared 2.

seven years ago.

3. Leslie Cheung was suffered from depression 3.

and plunged to his death in 2003.

4. More than 300,000 people were died after the 4.

earthquake in Haiti.

5. The cultural heritage in Hong Kong is belonged 5.

to all Hong Kong citizens.

6. Many students fail to be concentrated when 6.

studying.

7. The malfunctioning smartphone cannot use. 7.

8. Most sixth-formers want to admit by top 8.

universities.

9. The Merchant of Venice is a classical play 9.

wrote by William Shakespeare.

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Type 11 –

 

1. Since Mary wasted so much money, her 1.

parents have stopped her purchase luxury

goods.

2. We should avoid to stay up late. 2.

3. Parents should prevent their children browse 3.

Facebook and hkgolden excessively.

4. Would you mind to switch off the fan? 4.

5. Some students use a lot of time to attend 5.

tutorial classes, but their results are poor.

6. Some educationalists believe that force 6.

children to participate in talent classes will

only be counterproductive.

7. Parents will not let children to participate in 7.

military camps.

8. His maid made him to do all the housework. 8.

9. Exercising regularly can help us strengthening 9.

our muscles.

10. Shinchan saw a ghost haunted his dog. 10.

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Type 12 –

 

1. Hong Kong people are greatly disappointing 1.

by what CY Leung has done so far.

2. Stephen Curry does not satisfy with his 2.

performance in the NBA Finals.

3. When comparing with African children, the 3.

“Hong Kids” are far luckier.

4. Many children borning in India are tormented 4.

by starvation.

5. The Chinese History teacher is bored. He 5.

always makes student fall asleep.

6. Known that it was difficult to achieve excellent 6.

results in the HKDSE, John worked

industriously.

7. The ferry disaster occurred in early June 7.

caused 442 deaths.

8. Lily found forget the script embarrassed. 8.

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Type 13 –

 

1. I am honoured to share my view about 1.

democracy to you.

2. When it comes to the advantages being in the 2.

club, I can tell you that you will become more

eloquent if you join us.

3. Please take a look of the terms before signing 3.

the contract.

4. Lionel Messi is skillful on dribbling and scoring. 4.

5. Teachers should be careful the feeling of 5.

students.

6. President Obama will be visiting the 6.

Forbidden City at the afternoon.

7. The winner of Miss Hong Kong was smiling to 7.

the audience.

8. If sixth-formers don’t want to go university, 8.

they can enroll in the Institute of Vocational

Education.

9. With ever-increasing workload, it is difficult 9.

for working mothers to take care their

children.

10. We should care the elderly. 10.

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Type 13 –

 

11. The schedule for the coming examination can 11.

be downloads in the Internet.

12. Many students in Hong Kong only focus on 12.

examination skills and do not pay attention on

grammar.

13. It is advisable to students to work hard during 13.

the coming summer holiday.

14. The Chinese University provides many 14.

programmes to choose.

15. There are hundreds of bats and mosquitoes in 15.

there.

16. Not many people concern the plight of the 16.

refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

17. Browsing hkgolden excessively is bad to the 17.

psychological development of teenagers.

18. When she was travelling in Croatia, many 18.

interesting things happened on her.

19. The middle-aged woman loves watching 19.

cookery programmes in TV.

20. Some lazy university students search 20.

information from Wikipedia only.

21. YY Lam is the most popular Chinese tutorial 21.

teacher in the market.

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Type 14 –

 

1. She very like the TV dramas produced in the 1.

1980s and the 1990s.

2. Students can learn a lot of knowledge by 2.

reading.

3. She is going to born a pair of twins next 3.

month.

4. There have 18 districts in Hong Kong. 4.

5. There has the phenomenon of socially 5.

withdrawal in Hong Kong.

6. Hong Kong University admits different country 6.

students.

7. Everyone doesn’t want to happen an epidemic 7.

in Hong Kong.

8. Through joining the Debating Club can we 8.

developing our mouth skills.

9. Students can widen their eyes through 9.

travelling around the globe.

10. Remember to bring your own sleeping clothes 10.

for the coming trip.

11. Soon after the fire broke out, a fire car arrived 11.

at the scene.

12. Students from single-sex schools cannot make 12.

opposite sex friends.

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Type 14 –

 

13. Heart-stirring TV dramas and charming singers 13.

sparked the Korean wind in the early 2000s.

14. Guitar can play pop music. 14.

15. A sports centre can play basketball. 15.

16. Many people complain that the sales in the 16.

shop are rude.

17. I and my friends went to Xinjiang. 17.

18. Have many people hate the monopoly of TVB. 18.

19. The government seems doesn’t care about 19.

the plight of the poor.

20. Why the Qing government didn’t carry out 20.

thorough political and economic reforms?

21. What teenagers usually do in their leisure 21.

time?

22. How to protect our next generation from 22.

criminals?

23. The survivors of the traffic accident were 23.

bleeding blood profusely.

24. People are prohibited from eating cigarettes 24.

in public venues.

25. Teenagers nowadays have more choices to 25.

choose.
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Type 14 –

 

26. There were 6000 spectators supported the 26.

Hong Kong soccer team.

27. In Hong Kong, one year has at least one time 27.

fireworks display.

28. Eating outside school during lunchtime has a 28.

lot of benefits.

29. English teachers are necessary to pass the 29.

language benchmark test.

30. One nanny is impossible to take care of more 30.

than 20 kindergarten students.

31. Students are not easy to get a 5** in HKDSE 31.

English.

32. Cantonese is difficult to learn. 32.

33. Children are dangerous to play with fire. 33.

34. The students go to work is suitable for them. 34.

35. Going to work can gain some money for 35.

students.

36. Computers can do many things like playing 36.

online games and acquiring knowledge.

37. The results you can imagine. 37.

38. Many benefits students will have if they can 38.

have a larger locker.

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Type 15 –

 
1. It is kind for Winston to let the old man take a 1.
seat on the MTR train.
2. It is important of schools to organize more 2.
extra-curricular activities for students.

Type 16 –

 
1. We want to learn English well must work hard. 1.
2. The man wave the national flag of the United 2.
Kingdom is a member of hkgolden.
3. The country attracts girls most is Korea. 3.
4. The athlete wins the most gold medals in the 4.
Olympics is Michael Phelps.
5. The female singer admits steal goods from a 5.
supermarket.
6. Eat junk food is detrimental to our health. 6.

Type 17 –

 
1. He needs to work more harder if he wants to 1.
get promoted.
2. When you are more healthy, you can go 2.
abroad.
3. It is more safer to go out with your parents. 3.
4. Michael Jordan is best basketball player I have 4.
ever seen.
5. The quality of Japanese products is much 5.
higher than Chinese products.
6. The train services in Hong Kong are much 6.
more reliable than India.
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Type 18 –

 

1. The government needs to pay effort to restore 1.

public confidence.

2. To enhance the problem of parallel trading, 2.

the government has stepped up law

enforcement.

3. To solve their competitiveness, many athletes 3.

from mainland China are training in foreign

countries.

4. Many Chinese herbal medicine shops treat 4.

mainland tourists.

5. Living in foreign countries, students have no 5.

choice but to use English.

6. The woman bit her dog last night. 6.

7. Many girls are captivated by the outlook of 7.

Lee Min-ho.

8. The blind girl has an optimistic life view. 8.

9. To reduce your burden, please pick your 9.

schoolbags.

10. The students in Hong Kong have to wear 10.

heavy school bags every day.

11. During the tutorial lessons of Patrick Chan, 11.

students are required to drop down notes

quickly.
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 

12. The government needs to pay effort to restore 12.

public confidence.

13. Mr. Yu remains his students to complete all 13.

their assignments.

14. The principal is disturbed by the wrong 14.

behavior of students.

15. The United Nations was found in 1945. 15.

16. Supermarket chains have become more and 16.

more in Hong Kong.

17. The prices of iPhones have become more and 17.

more expensive.

18. The speed of the Ferrari is very fast. 18.

19. A Primary Four student suicide yesterday 19.

because bullying.

20. Li Ka-shing concerns the political conflicts in 20.

Hong Kong.

21. She showed her concerned about her son’s 21.

health.

22. This book concerned the tennis career of 22.

Rafael Nadal.

23. What concerned about me is the lack of 23.

innovation in Hong Kong.

24. I am writing in response to your accusations 24.

concerned the operation of our hospital.

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1. is/am/are/was/were concerned (adj.)about 2. is/am/are/was/were concerned (adj.) with

感到擔心 與…有關的

She is concerned about the welfare of animals in This article is concerned with Leung Chai Yan’s

Hong Kong. relationship with her parents.

3. is/am/are/was/were concerned (adj.)in 4. concern (v.)

被牽涉入 與…有關

Donald Tsang is concerned in a corruption scandal. The book concerns the phenomenal success of

Toyota over the past few decades.

5. concern (v.) 使人擔心 6. concern (n.) + about / for / over

The spread of the Middle Eastern Respiratory 憂慮、擔心

Syndrome concerns many people in the world. The exacerbating problem of official corruption is

a matter of concern in our society.

7. Concerning (prep) + n. + SVO.

Concerning the availability of world-class sports

facilities, Hong Kong lacks behind many other Asian

cities.

 

25. Participating in the exchange trip will explore your 25.

social networks.

26. Please catch this chance. 26.

27. The Chinese government ruthlessly stops the 27.

rights of its citizens.

Type 19 –
 29

 

1. As the surging tide of anti-nuclear sentiment, 1.

the Japanese government has to develop

other methods of power generation.

2. Students work hard because of their parents 2.

compel them to do so.

3. You did not perform well. Because you 3.

participated in the competition for the first

time.

4. Because the Chinese University is remote, so 4.

not every JUPAS applicant likes it.

5. After removing PE lessons from the curriculum 5.

so students can concentrate more on

academic subjects.

6. Ignoring the traffic light and crossing the road. 6.

The old woman was knocked down by a lorry.

7. Although the heavy rain, the soccer match 7.

was not suspended.

8. Although the job was challenging, but I liked 8.

it.

9. Novak Djokovic ran out of energy, therefore 9.

he was defeated.
 30

Type 20 –

 
1. After finishing a challenging marathon held by 1.

Standard Chartered can really make us feel

satisfied.

2. Once have ideas in our mind, will easier to 2.

write.

Type 21 –

 
1. The students they do not read newspapers 1.

regularly.

2. As parents, they can participate in some 2.

courses.

3. A lot of Hongkongers, take me as an example, 3.

I often go hiking.

Type 22 –

 
1. To make our society more harmonious. We 1.

should be considerate and care about others.

2. If no junk food is sold in the canteen. Our 2.

students will have fewer sugary drinks.

3. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are 3.

adversaries on the tennis court, however, they

respect each other.

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Type 23 –

 

1. As a teenager, it has many joys to share with 1.

you.

2. iPhones are very expensive, so not many 2.

people can afford it.

3. Under peer influence, many teenagers cannot 3.

resist the temptation of luxury products. You

may commit crimes, like shoplifting or theft.

4. I think me teacher is irresponsible. 4.

5. The exchange trip let she know the 5.

importance of teamwork.

6. Classical music makes they very relaxed. 6.

7. Most of our students eat junk food, fast food 7.

and sugary drinks as their breakfast and lunch.

It makes me worried.

Type 24 –

 

1. His parents wanted him to study hard and 1.

became a successful person.

2. Some students prefer sleeping and play video 2.

games all the time.

3. Some teenagers engage in compensated 3.

dating and trafficking drugs.