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.
2 l$ B% @0 }% U5 F+ v, D; N    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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8 Q4 n1 M& J, h) j$ xThe 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.
/ ?% y' X2 W0 T1 s: f5 j6 f3. Please close your phone.
  u  m1 }+ b$ z9 V9 CThese 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.


- t4 T2 r* W1 C$ O+ t  X4. 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.
2 a0 Z2 i# W$ W& g- y$ m/ Q) hI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
He is gay.

7. Why? No why.
& J# z) s" [/ g# V9 ONot no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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