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.
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2 `# D, P! L( \7 x# ?. u1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
! i9 E. q/ n1 h' X/ g! g" T    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

5 R: @8 h( [" LThe reason to make this mistake is not due to grammar knowledge. One reason might be she and he have the same pronunciation in Chinese.

2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
) v- ?" P6 {! t9 ~3. Please close your phone.
" u  o2 Q) ^2 x: j, W; P/ @  Y* u& p: kThese 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.
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1 H5 o% M. J' A) R6 p4 n4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
- {" n! g4 Q# ?+ r+ WThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

5. I am a Chinese.
8 w- W; N3 c7 q: hI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
( _, ~& |; X9 S, U2 N! l* k6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
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7. Why? No why.
9 n1 H9 a5 ^- O) a) @4 ^; }Not no why, no reason.
1 U/ `- j; P& a) ~8. Thanks! No thanks!
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