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.
3 ~  P! k# @' M& w" t# r8 v    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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) W, i2 L! C4 r- U) u4 M% \& fThe 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.
  L# P1 k8 U( U+ G3. 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?

5. I am a Chinese.
& o1 h4 W, H. [) c/ II am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
3 S  M( ]% b5 i0 ~: b3 Q5 _He is gay.
* z# H  {! X- c5 |; j0 O7 j( y/ r
; N: z& S9 _' u- |7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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