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 `6 n% k8 }. X4 \6 W1. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
" ?- {. D/ E! G0 b    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
+ _- f. o: T  I' p7 V6 b
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.
; t8 c6 E2 G5 Y; I) F' N; V" [2 U& f
# J+ A2 D, R/ _9 A  k5 E2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
3. 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.

! x, _5 a/ |* q/ `2 \8 A4 _
  o- \& G$ _) N# x/ W, R4. 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 K, T7 [% ?. ]; K8 g/ W4 a0 f5. I am a Chinese.
, T. A3 c8 Z% n0 @: uI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
He is gay.
$ M' [2 d1 U" O, v
# T6 \; S$ I1 _8 [5 H! ~5 r7. Why? No why.
: O) J* T7 S9 B5 @Not no why, no reason.
8 @+ T. ~. L$ n, x4 p8. Thanks! No thanks!
6 B7 g/ z4 }: V& ^  q- \" T
) X. |/ |3 l7 l6 _