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.
% c, U* x; @/ A) R+ W+ y9 V: q3 m0 B5 a    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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- R/ ]& ?9 [3 y9 R2 z% T/ b  rThe 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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3 e/ g. `5 M% x+ n- k0 `2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3. Please close your phone.
. w0 m8 x! t0 `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.


4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
# a. |$ r+ ^9 H: MThe 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.
) ^0 X5 l9 E) A( @0 O. R6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
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7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!

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