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.

- t6 T) _; u1 w5 F/ @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.

" ?! W4 l4 Y( O0 u% P" ^5 GThe reason to make this mistake is not due to grammar knowledge. One reason might be she and he have the same pronunciation in Chinese.

4 o: A: n" N0 r0 [2 o2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
5 t  r( G& m0 T0 H2 J3. Please close your phone.
% U6 ]$ }  K: t( |5 q% t* E0 w$ {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.
* i1 o/ a" @2 _4 K6 I* t
$ t7 ?+ }% U) m- s* U
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.
! ~$ f: A0 O& I# \7 ~3 R0 G8 KI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
He is gay.

7. Why? No why.
8 T7 A+ V5 A' U5 J' y& {Not no why, no reason.
# d; t) j7 c$ ?( L, S3 H8. Thanks! No thanks!