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 A5 ^- O1 Y5 R8 K4 C% w! u    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
; b  S! K, ^) W
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.
/ M6 ?1 h4 h' H1 B
2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
2 t5 S/ \1 p# V5 P9 u3. Please close your phone.
$ s% }" c  P# j- f6 _8 b, M/ PThese 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.
" k) ^4 V: v6 ?! g( B# J! w' u

! ?- R3 X, V3 D* N! b6 x* N) L4 g* k4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
" u$ K, `3 Z( {The correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

* V. t  J2 K: A2 q# Z: D& F# n5. I am a Chinese.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
0 z; E3 n8 D  O# j6. He is a gay.
' z" V2 B' n+ l, \7 `He is gay.

7. Why? No why.
  C, ]7 D9 k" d) @Not no why, no reason.
% c& x8 D2 V$ b5 K0 B8. Thanks! No thanks!