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.
0 X& R8 S  [1 C4 n& S9 D% t( ?% M    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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0 r$ T: z7 n! T: m3 g0 Z  yThe 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.
% ?9 y) C% Q4 R* w3. Please close your phone.
- Y( p8 v' l/ [: @  t3 M# h" XThese 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.


* x( l' _# n( P3 ~4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
1 F& r4 s5 g6 y0 Y1 {; l' D0 tThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

$ {/ i% z& P* Q" y0 W5. I am a Chinese.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
# c5 g6 Z# t: X4 F6. He is a gay.
0 X" i! z. O, m. f) K; ZHe is gay.
% u0 Q( \# B$ _; U0 ?
7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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( m; w3 Y6 z; u+ z) Q) ~3 Y$ }