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.
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1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
* G* f) P9 w' O$ s    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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- Y1 Q( U3 c9 h$ 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.
0 h7 `( e* h$ g1 k- Y% l3. Please close your phone.
These 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?
( H; d% L6 c" J! \) G5 kThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?
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5. I am a Chinese.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
He is gay.

7. Why? No why.
8 e  H4 v' s3 b$ p1 m+ A& n9 hNot no why, no reason.
* n) b+ k8 }0 M! [/ @/ R8. Thanks! No thanks!
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