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.
) n3 h) N! k3 s# T& C    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

, Q$ d7 W5 o  w1 I+ F+ p5 v4 tThe 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 z; I7 F+ K2 n) }' I3. Please close your phone.
% ^/ ]+ w6 C; c. a$ T! k) M; RThese 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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: c/ x: i9 C; B1 \0 D4 X& a) h4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
  j; n9 P/ s, J! A+ A6 h' h6 zThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?
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5. I am a Chinese.
# P5 Y) C& u% Z1 z: v1 \- dI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
) b0 m  R+ T5 a3 K5 S! R% ]% I6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
, `" R- K+ n1 n9 ~5 T. c
. t& j" R/ d; ~/ f7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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