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.
    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

; v1 L3 a* q( qThe reason to make this mistake is not due to grammar knowledge. One reason might be she and he have the same pronunciation in Chinese.

: b% F* T( w* F4 j2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3 D  A; D- j) X  M/ f; s3. 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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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.
( c* o+ x- C' @  \: D5 kI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
  Y" F8 q4 T  z- _, B6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
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: h8 _" F% |* s, O! L4 t  m, t7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
. P+ j0 X8 H2 t; j4 s8. Thanks! No thanks!
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