A major issue in the field of L2 acquisition is the role that language learners' L1 plays in the acquisition of an L2. This article shows some of the salient linguistic features of Chinese that may present communication challenges for Chinese-speaking learners of English as an additional language. Instructors' awareness of such features will better inform their teaching and help learners develop effective communication strategies to counter potential interfering linguistic influences from the learners' L1 during communication in English.