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.
    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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) }7 k. n& s9 s* G: b  w# wThe 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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( u7 n7 `1 ?; a" K2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
$ B5 P* l1 ?# Z& s4 T8 Q# t3. 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.


  q' N2 N1 O1 C) M" h4. 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.
; j6 W' R. D: Y. i7 S/ |I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
$ }! A7 ~- W8 D6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
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+ C" n' K- a  r* d  q" d7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!