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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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.

2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
- [  n9 H& A  m* }( {- L3. Please close your phone.
6 b7 q/ ^# b- qThese 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?
8 E" B# u+ J0 ], }% R8 U2 A  E" lThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

5. I am a Chinese.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
6 o: D! N7 `: u* p$ T, {4 PHe is gay.

7. Why? No why.
0 x9 u, F( @' n& Q3 {9 RNot no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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