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.
    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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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.
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4 e- X6 x4 L& T  l2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
" v6 s' s% q6 t& K0 n) _; d3. 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.
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/ z; Q! G8 _& X" r3 T: S1 h4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
0 e2 x  b8 l3 N6 C' F9 Q2 X' I' {) YThe 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.
; b8 g+ g* J& p6. He is a gay.
3 [6 ^. k( J& M$ x1 yHe is gay.
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7. Why? No why.
% B4 f' ^- l0 g# f+ lNot no why, no reason.
2 H% h& ~, J* c" o9 V  H& u. y( j8. Thanks! No thanks!
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