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.
/ k4 U' }, z  w- S" R; P# l( W    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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. ~2 V" n5 \7 z6 E7 y$ f# M  |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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' C+ h! U7 |: w2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3. Please close your phone.
& p) t% @8 i/ D5 fThese 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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; O' w0 W  w6 s4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
The correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

( X7 q! V; P2 q8 ]5. I am a Chinese.
; f$ _; c; k- u# [) P# mI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
He is gay.

) n% g4 [* R% h+ g% |7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
  V0 @+ }. o3 e5 O( ]4 R. T8. Thanks! No thanks!

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