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.
    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
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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.
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2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
) o( k- |& e& l4 N: w& I4 x3. Please close your phone.
* E- [) t7 q5 ~2 ^" H$ qThese 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?
  M7 X8 M; u2 rThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

9 v4 p' n3 v( N$ o( z5. I am a Chinese.
+ Z  K, C. L/ C: h$ lI am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
( B* T) N& `) }6. He is a gay.
He is gay.

7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
8. Thanks! No thanks!
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