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.

, n( P' o' ?; v1 j. m1. 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.

6 P$ F, t4 o9 h( E; \% i. Z4 u2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
+ }2 o! R* p9 _+ W2 l7 v3. Please close your phone.
( i! ^8 q( u. f4 K) G% ?: NThese 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?
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.
4 U: d9 g! I$ \: J# hI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
' A, \" |3 A0 k  g% B* KHe is gay.
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, G# t5 t' G; G- \6 |. Q( V3 r7. Why? No why.
; O: Y0 R  A" [9 f5 F4 ^- iNot no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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