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.
' j; I2 k* a% ?4 h2 m* O: J
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.
: y* `: m  h" z1 E; r' t
# C2 u7 U& N) p; RThe reason to make this mistake is not due to grammar knowledge. One reason might be she and he have the same pronunciation in Chinese.
8 u  o9 o$ z# i2 N1 `: i
2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3. 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.


2 K4 U' ?. z2 C' a3 d, {# V4. 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?

5. I am a Chinese.
% S" e5 {! s# N& }% MI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
' k3 w% N" b$ i- K6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
  z* y: p+ t1 a0 L8 E' D  B2 f
7. Why? No why.
4 r: h. {, v& j0 Q$ \Not no why, no reason.
! {0 [  @! l4 [4 C9 J9 H! L8. Thanks! No thanks!
6 @/ F3 s$ V3 @0 T/ d) |
3 q& P- J" p: a& p$ [- _9 K, ~