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.

% ^# Y  B5 T- H1 }1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
1 a; ]7 S9 j& P( \6 ]% F7 u0 V    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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: ?. s- K/ @. r% K: {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.

. n& Y4 c- h6 E% D  A: m4 F2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
5 q5 Q' r7 g$ s3. Please close your phone.
+ n& O( |- O3 _$ AThese 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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; \. X4 U/ ]+ @; }7 _* z1 d5. I am a Chinese.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
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1 Q& Y" f2 M- ]( t  Q( O6 u7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!

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