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.
    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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! m( {8 T4 Y6 BThe 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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2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
) o" v6 F' A8 H6 a/ {" Q$ S& I, T% P3. Please close your phone.
, F" _. E' N. T! A* hThese 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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4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
4 ?" y* \, G# U1 JThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

0 U/ ^, H, T0 H8 ^1 F- V# l7 w5. I am a Chinese.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
1 L& y3 U! I- H6 v3 |6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
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" F1 Q' v: t4 u! J7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
" I0 x* C' K( g2 _: `8. Thanks! No thanks!
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