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.

6 b8 \$ W8 i$ {" @  Z+ y- n  S# h1. 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.
  n% T7 f8 j. i2 r6 c' w& K! d
: _, l. E2 z( u6 e* j8 OThe 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.
3. Please close your phone.
+ F. U* u0 `" }" P" j* B9 ^/ wThese 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?
+ r, u3 m0 I% HThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?
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5. I am a Chinese.
! i3 {- l: U/ V! T7 {+ UI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
' Q# t! q0 V/ [* k* b6. He is a gay.
He is gay.

7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
4 U5 b+ {$ F) s2 I8 ]8. Thanks! No thanks!