So much, So big... Using emphasis words correctly

A lot of my Chinese friends make this mistake frequently:

Examples:
1. That's so big building.
2. So big flavor.
3. So relax! So enjoy!

First, here are the correct ways to say those examples:
1. That's such a big building.
2. "Such big flavor" or "So much flavor"
3. So relaxing! So enjoyable!

You'll notice that the above uses the words "so" and "such" a lot. Generally speaking, 'such' takes a noun phrase, whereas 'so' takes an adjective.

Other uses of the word "so":

'So … that'

'So … that' takes an adjective. 'That' can be used following the noun phrase but is not required.

So + adjective + that/this

Example:

The game was so fascinating that he played for hours.

'So' for Results

'So' can also be used to express a result. In this case 'so' is followed by a full clause:

Examples:

I had a lot of time so I visited the museum.
She wasn't happy in her current position so she looked for a new job.

Here's a link to a quiz to help you test your new words:

CLICK HERE FOR THE QUIZ

Is it?

Okay, this one is from some of my Indian acquaintances, but does apply to Chinese as well. I find that people who have English as a second language frequently use the term "is it?" answer a question or keep the conversation going. There is a time that this phrase can be used correctly, but usually I find it used out of context. Here are some INCORRECT examples that I hear frequently:

Example #1:

• Person 1: "My dad called me today"
• Person 2: "Is it?"

Example #2:

• Person 1: "I heard that John really likes you"
• Person 2: "Is it?"

These examples usually spawn from a literal translation, when someone does not know the correct word to use. Then the bad habit stays and you continue to use it long after you are fluent in English. We have words that can be used for this purpose. They are called interjections. Some examples of interjections are:

• Really?
• Is that so?
• You don't say?

Chinese and other languages are grammatically more simple than English, and recycle some words to use interjections, such as "是嗎". This literally translates to "Is?" but English uses different words to create questions, for reasons which we will not discuss here.

CORRECTIONS TO ABOVE:

Example #1:

• Person 1: "My dad called me today"
• Person 2: "He did?"

Example #2:

• Person 1: "I heard that John really likes you"
• Person 2: "He does?"

The only time "is it?" can be used would be in response to when the pronoun "it" is used, or if the subject of the sentence is already known and the use of pronoun "it" is okay. Here are some more examples:

Example #1:

• Person 1: "It's going to be hot today!"
• Person 2: "Is it?"

Example #2:

• Person 1: "That insect is chewing on your shirt again."
• Person 2: "Is it?"

When to use "Many" or "Much"

When to use "Many" or "Much"

I still see my friends struggle with this one. It may be as simple as building a better habit by practicing your English speaking more, but I still hear the words "many" and "much" used incorrectly, often interchanged when the other should be used.

Let's see the basic rules:

- Use "Many" when you can count the objects in question.
- Use "Much" when you cannot count the objects in question.

Example: How MUCH oil will you buy today?
Reason: Oil itself cannot be measured in whole numbers. You cannot say that I have 3 oils--it doesn't make sense. You can say that I have 3 bottles of oil, but in that sentence the bottles are the subject, not the oil. If you must use units like L or mL to measure something, then MUCH should be used.

Example: How MANY quarters do you have?
Reason: Quarters are objects that can be measured. I can have 3 quarters. I can have 500 quarters. If I cut one of my quarters, then I will have one half of a quarter. The point is that if you can measure something with a specific number, than MANY should be used.

Please let me know if you have questions or examples in your life that do not make sense to you!

Using the word "even"

EVEN

The word "even" in the English language is used very commonly during daily English speaking.   I frequently have Chinese students speak to me using the following grammar in this sample sentence:

"Even I learn how to drive, I still don't have car."

This is very wrong, but I hear this mistake being spoken at least once a day. I believe people are translating Chinese directly to English without using the correct English grammar.   In Chinese, for example, you can correctly say something like "即使我學會開車﹐我還是沒有車"  This sentence can be directly translated as "Even I learn to drive, I still no have car" but that direct translation is not correct English grammar. 

A correct way to say this is:
"Even if I learn how to drive, I still don't have a car."

or another way you can say this is:
"Even when I learn how to drive, I still don't have a car."

You can say this different ways because the context is not clear when translating from Chinese to English. Again, I am not teaching formal English, but here are the basic rules you should follow when using the word EVEN. I only describe the three more common uses below:

1. Even is usually followed by a conjunction like if, though or when.
-"Even when I make more money, my rent will still be the same."
-"Even if I fall down in the race, I have to get back up and finish."
-"Even though you gave me a fish today, I will need one tomorrow to eat again."

2. Even can be used as an adjective to describe levels of things.
-"The road is not even."
-"The game's score was even and finished at 2-2."

3. Even can be used to stress a situation or show stronger feeling.
- "Even you don't know, so I guess I can't find the answer now."
- "I don't even know why you tried to fix this because everyone else has failed before you."