Blog
Phrase of the Week: Tell Apart
“I’m not Sarah, I’m Sally!” “Oh! Sorry, I can’t tell you twins apart when you wear the same clothes.” When two things are similar, it’s hard to tell them apart. We also say “tell the difference”. Can you tell the difference between margarine and butter?...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“The user experience is customized for each individuality.” Find the mistake. A. user experience B. is customized C. for each D. individuality 「個々のユーザーのためにユーザー体験がカスタマイズされます。」 「個々のユーザー」と言いたいので、「individuality」では足りません。「個性」という意味になりますが、誰の個性かを言わないと微妙です。ここは「individual...
Trivia of the Week: Jaguar
The jaguar is a beautiful spotted cat that lives in the rainforest in Central and South America. Not only can they climb trees, they can also swim. Sometimes a jaguar is born with all black fur, although if you look closely you can still see the spots....
Idiom of the Week: Ride Out the Storm
“Although some smaller companies went bankrupt, most were able to ride out the storm until the economy improved.” “Riding out the storm” is surviving a difficult situation until things get better. When a storm comes, if you can keep yourself safe and wait, the storm...
Word of the Week: Selfie
“I don’t want to follow you on this website because you post too many selfies.” This year the word “selfie” was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. A selfie is a picture that you take of yourself. Recently it has become more fashionable to post selfies on social...
Picture of the Week: Kayak
A kayak is a small boat powered by a double-bladed paddle. Sitting in a kayak, you can paddle easily on either the left or right side. Because the cockpit is usually covered, some talented people can flip the kayak in the water and come back up again without falling...
Phrase of the Week: No Wonder
“You walked ten miles? No wonder you’re tired!” We say something is “no wonder” when it’s not strange or amazing at all. If you walked ten miles, of course you’re tired. If you ate three tubs of ice cream, it is not surprising that your stomach hurts. If you didn’t...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“Because the manager was not available, the decision _______ to the next senior staff member.” Fill in the blank. A. fell B. rose C. trickled D. delegated 「経営者が不在のため、決定権は主任が握った」 Dは適切な気がしますが、それなら「was...
Trivia of the Week: Rainforest
Rainforests are a kind of forest where a lot of rain falls. Most rainforests are tropical. They are very warm. More unique species can be found in the rainforest than anywhere else. We still haven’t discovered many plants and animals that live in the rain forest. But...
Idiom of the Week: On my Father’s/Mother’s Side
“Is that your father? You don’t look anything like him at all!” “Oh, I take after my mother. Everyone on my mother’s side of the family has this hair color.” If you draw a line through the middle of your family tree, one half will be your father’s side—your father,...
