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.
" T4 p8 V2 q2 }. C2 X+ N    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.

5 B9 Q5 v; I- V4 z1 T8 G% A- oThe 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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) l2 U; O+ l  A+ \2 U2. 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.

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4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
; ^6 d2 f+ Z' a$ DThe 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.

3 O8 V( k: R9 n( O% Y- @  _+ Q3 p+ \7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
& S. P& W5 O6 q* F8. Thanks! No thanks!

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