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.
% v0 D! }) F$ `/ h5 V    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

0 u, L2 h. W4 C4 Y4 M- YThe reason to make this mistake is not due to grammar knowledge. One reason might be she and he have the same pronunciation in Chinese.
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2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3. Please close your phone.
' S, n8 L  R9 i! N( RThese 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?
1 ]9 A8 k3 r4 R( j7 MThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?
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5. I am a Chinese.
" E, Z/ c* z7 v- T+ G( vI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
5 u# v' ^& j1 }" @- ~7 k# i1 r6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
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1 B. o' P7 d* w" B3 s- O' u6 k7. Why? No why.
- W8 I$ I7 @. b5 N4 ONot no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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