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.
& i: n6 R3 b/ O$ c4 T/ @    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

1 s( k% M# I" s$ @The 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.
. a8 a7 R4 e/ `3 V: H3. 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.
# Z8 }1 k/ d4 @& C% [3 ~2 ]* v- p5 ^
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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?

5. I am a Chinese.
* c- k* u. _5 A( j9 wI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
0 [  ?- A& g: P8 X) T6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
4 [3 h- I3 r% n8 X" A' j9 L, X
7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
6 k6 ]/ y1 v( \9 l+ e+ Y! R8. Thanks! No thanks!
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