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.
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1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
3 h9 p4 e: A& H3 l# y: }" L$ e, |    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

) w  I3 }" v! T3 S5 r4 E5 E) e  `# ~2 ?1 uThe 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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2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
+ J/ w* C* l1 P( v5 J9 t& c3. 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.


6 o. o  ]5 d& c8 ]4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
; N" t' v; l% v. o4 A$ V6 bThe 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.
6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
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7. Why? No why.
$ q2 M: `3 a8 mNot no why, no reason.
; n+ o! [" G* |$ J. K! E$ m8. Thanks! No thanks!
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