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.

1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
! X+ N$ g4 s. |. d2 L: F" @    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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: K" k8 ~4 v; y5 c5 v* ^6 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.

2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3. Please close your phone.
) B5 F/ y5 ]4 c8 i3 z. q" eThese 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.

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4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
2 d  p8 q5 u: tThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

5. I am a Chinese.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
' c8 m1 H1 R2 O5 AHe is gay.
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7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
" ^; H( t+ u) v8 O/ `; j+ h8. Thanks! No thanks!
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