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.
6 V; z! N* |% A5 j& ~8 P( P# T2 L    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

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.

2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
8 f9 R0 S- a3 m: z0 U7 ]; V3. Please close your phone.
. ~8 }- ~3 d4 T7 f" CThese 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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! P9 `, N9 J4 u. I# O2 U4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
9 ^. W' ?$ p. C+ P& L4 R( tThe 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.
, X7 [1 w$ W/ |6 O' R" w# Z6. He is a gay.
* p7 h8 s1 s* J, OHe is gay.

7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
* r7 k" ~$ t/ ^# n9 K, ]8. Thanks! No thanks!

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