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. My husband has a good job. She makes over 100,000 dollars a year.
8 S0 D7 g! c) D1 \8 v% t* }    My girlfriend did not live with me, because he is still in China.
, A  O0 l  ?) O
( z( ~9 O  c+ U% {) ~1 ^! m' T  J/ C6 LThe reason to make this mistake is not due to grammar knowledge. One reason might be she and he have the same pronunciation in Chinese.
( p: `  E% G& N9 E. q
! r3 j  R# `6 d' S9 E8 p2. I do not like big rain, I like small rain.
. J0 Q: Y( u- U% T, F9 r3. Please close your phone.
0 ~  p+ w2 T2 |/ t3 RThese 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.
8 w+ d) J. O) q6 W

. K1 W  m5 A% v" F- K  Y4. How to say: heavy rain, light rain, and turn off your phone in English?
, _& N  k2 J6 _+ BThe correct way to ask the question is like this: how do you say... in English?

5. I am a Chinese.
I am a Chinese person, or I am Chinese.
6. He is a gay.
5 p, d  e7 @9 z  o( x* I9 M) w. s& \2 yHe is gay.
& N; h- S* A6 L0 I1 [9 s; d* Z
* L0 j6 f. v- P7 }" v9 N: U7. Why? No why.
Not no why, no reason.
4 g1 z; K, f. R, ?/ `( P6 Y  n5 V6 {8. Thanks! No thanks!