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.

  i: i' W5 Z8 ^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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, V5 q6 o9 x( p/ v1 L% MThe 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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7 v8 [9 ?* e; A9 d: ?2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3. 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.
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8 l0 X0 ^2 ?2 ~  Q. k2 `- J4. 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.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
# K  R$ A* q/ I& L0 \6. He is a gay.
He is gay.

2 z/ \; H% [$ J7 ?% _# i8 b7. Why? No why.
4 }$ o- c( l' i- ^" q$ |* nNot no why, no reason.
( k" w* s: l3 U, D1 m' ^7 b8. Thanks! No thanks!