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.

! N1 t: k1 D( M- f5 p) H# y5 J( L1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

- V6 n& O5 a2 C& c+ H' a4 P- GThe 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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4 E9 J* f! q5 k; I7 g0 {( l2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3. Please close your phone.
- {4 L9 ]5 x, }& }* Z7 _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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/ M: u9 A# C, f) U8 u5 t; n9 s4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
& ^& e" ]& N% N  Z4 s( aThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?
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5. I am a Chinese.
# x( P4 O* u3 z( Q9 s* a( `, CI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
# n! k( ~* `& c5 R- k! {He is gay.
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7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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