執筆者 Modern English | 2015年01月06日 | Words
“I don’t understand what you meant when you wrote this sentence. Can you explain?” “It’s not what it looks like. I can explain!” When something doesn’t make sense, it needs to be explained. For example, if you don’t know how to solve a problem in math class, you can...
執筆者 Modern English | 2014年12月16日 | Words
“In this city, most people own cars.” “Most of my family has red hair.” “Most” means “almost all” or “more than half” of a group or category. “In Japan, most people study English at school.” 「この町ではほとんどの人が車を持っている。」 「私の親族のほとんどが赤毛です。」 Most...
執筆者 Modern English | 2014年12月09日 | Words
“Why did you break up with Sarah?” “We just weren’t compatible romantically.” “This product is compatible with your existing hardware, so you can start using it right away.” If two things (or people) are compatible, it means they work well together and are capable of...
執筆者 Modern English | 2014年12月02日 | Words
“Cowabunga, dude!” “Cowabunga” is an exclamation used to show happiness. It appeared in the 1950s on the American TV show Howdy Doody, and was later adopted by surfers. It also owes popularity to the cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 「カウワバンガ！」 Cowabunga...
執筆者 Modern English | 2014年11月25日 | Words
“What is that awful noise?” “It’s not noise, Dad. It’s music!” “Noise” is another word for “sound”, but it has a negative connotation. Noise is a sound that is unpleasant, or that we don’t like. If there is a lot of noise in a certain place, that place is “noisy”. A...
執筆者 Modern English | 2014年11月18日 | Words
“It’s not clear what he wants me to do.” “The water was so clear you could see the fish at the bottom of the river.” “Clear” means “obvious” or “easy to understand”. It also means “transparent” or “see-through”. If someone is speaking too fast and the words run...
