Minor but significant mistakes you may have made in speaking English

billzhao

Some friends, especially those who are just learning English, often make the following mistakes.

; K3 t2 Y/ K* p, U. z1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
  `4 ]' \: u3 I3 P/ L7 D2 u
2 k0 ~& ~( o  E; \% gThe reason to make this mistake is not due to grammar knowledge. One reason might be she and he have the same pronunciation in Chinese.
8 @) H$ B' O- n8 F- p' i
; F0 d( a4 e; u( P2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
) Y9 y! f) p) V- B; ^$ ?: Z+ W3. Please close your phone.
These mistakes are made because of direct translation. Another similar mistake is: I very like Canada. You really like Canada, or you like Canada very much.


4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
; a$ ~9 S: c7 z6 IThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?
) @. B- f/ @1 E9 U! K4 ^
: ?. z$ ]/ X. O0 ^4 a$ Z9 R* U5. I am a Chinese.
) @( G  x" `+ D6 Q5 F/ dI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
$ N% i6 s0 \, U' J6. He is a gay.
He is gay.

* z9 N8 q2 o& d* P" g7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!