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.

1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
( o& D% U4 M" Z% r+ y: r9 i+ K1 C    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

6 E6 P0 U, z6 ~6 u9 G2 Q+ _The reason to make this mistake is not due to grammar knowledge. One reason might be she and he have the same pronunciation in Chinese.
' T2 G/ K6 [, N, T6 o
0 {9 T5 P. q, y! J  l# n$ s2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3. Please close your phone.
0 E2 m8 k2 s8 m2 v* e- j4 ?5 H- dThese 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.


; e7 D5 T$ G1 l$ k' ~* t4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
3 m* e/ k/ s) v3 V" y% {The correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

5. I am a Chinese.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
4 G; q$ D! N7 C- e, b9 x6. He is a gay.
He is gay.

9 \- g7 E/ N% W+ q" j7. Why? No why.
/ d- n4 P! M: `& WNot no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!