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.
! Y8 a5 v# ~7 z. s. C& ^    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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" m8 q) o1 x! j5 A5 V4 K0 w% z  AThe 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.
9 ~2 u- o, F( m+ c* P3. Please close your phone.
" q! K+ |5 S" v' 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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% J5 x) c* `+ t) q7 l4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
, w7 t. Z# T4 }, J* x# H( P! _The 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.
  O: h7 L1 v% {9 W6. He is a gay.
$ P5 w$ d. W3 T. E5 {* v; ~He is gay.
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: Q7 Z5 L. S. Z- T& l7. Why? No why.
& F/ T& d# N. S0 e( q2 t$ sNot no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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