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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/ b( m( |/ t' W6 Q9 g0 o1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
8 f+ m7 v2 P0 K. x) F1 G/ `    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

6 H) ^- f$ ]6 J% J7 HThe 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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8 `9 V1 W0 R8 x' H  r& h% v2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
5 n2 `  v, b+ z8 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.


4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
: u7 j# K5 v0 Z9 z8 r9 C$ }4 AThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

2 }8 T9 U& U/ U- A" q$ _* c3 U4 F5. I am a Chinese.
* U1 `8 N% I: \1 d3 K7 PI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
. \5 Q/ T+ Z) {* k6. He is a gay.
: R1 p% z7 a$ a* ^, q3 qHe is gay.
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7. Why? No why.
9 r8 ?8 h( b  `& \0 q# [2 \: |Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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