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.
% X( A% m/ Y% P- j    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

- }8 g9 N5 H# ~7 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.
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' I$ q! r! E6 {- u4 H' f" ?2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
( u/ \9 E* F% Z; n; Z3. 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?
6 y% ~: |# z- [7 P& C- ~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.
6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
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4 K" p( t+ S/ w+ t7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
; u! J# f* `" `8. Thanks! No thanks!
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