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Picture of the Week: Australia: Watch for Sledders
This is one sign you will not see in Australia. It is a picture of a child on a sled and it either tells people not to sled in this area, or tells drivers to look out for people sledding in this area. The vast majority of land in Australia sees no snow, therefore...
Modern English Phrase of the Week #11: Hind sight is 20/20
Sometimes in life, we don’t know which choice is the best. It is usually easier to judge choices in the past, because we know the outcome of the choice that was actually made. Sometimes we have more information now than we did at the time we made the choice. We...
Today’s TOEIC Practice Question
Everyone went to the party ______ Jake. A. excess B. except C. accept D. access ジェイク以外は皆パーティーに行きました。これは「以外」の意味を持つ単語の綴りはどれが正しいですか？答えはBです。 Do more TOEIC practice here!...
Trivia of the Week: Japanese English: Challenge
Challenge: Another translation of 頑張って or 頑張っています。In English, challenge is mainly used in one of two ways. We would say, ‘I challenge you to a game of tennis,’ meaning I want to play you at tennis (because I want to beat you.) This is now somewhat old-fashioned. More...
Idiom of the Week: It’s on the house!
“How much do I owe you for the coffee, Bill?” “Don’t worry about it, Bob. It’s on the house.” If someone gives you something for free, it’s “on the house.” The “house” (the restaurant or café) pays for it for you. In the dialogue above, the Bob calls Bill by his first...
Word of the Week #11: ice cream
It’s not ice! Ice is just frozen water. It has no flavor, and it’s hard. Ice cream is a sweet dessert made from milk. In addition to plain bowls, you can also eat it in the form of an ice cream cone or an ice cream sundae. It comes in many flavors. Standard flavors...
Picture of the Week: Australia: Prepare for a Long Trip
In some remote areas of Australia, it is a long way between service stations or towns. Motorists are warned to make sure they have a full tank of petrol, to fill up whenever the opportunity arises, to travel with a supply of water and to inform other people of their...
Modern English Phrase of the Week #10: Look before you leap
This is an old saying that means the opposite of “strike while the iron is hot.” Sometimes you worry too much about not letting an opportunity escape, and you don’t take time to think about what you are doing. This can get you in trouble! So this proverb tells us to...
Today’s TOEIC Practice Question
＿＿＿＿ Taro joined the tennis club, he had been a member of the basketball club. A. After B. While C. Before D. During 太郎は、テニス部に入る前はバスケ部の部員だった。空欄に何が入りますか？太郎は、同時に二つの部には入りませんので、「During」と「While」は違います。テニス部に入った後（after）はバスケ部の部員だったのはおかしいですね。残るのはCの「Before」です。 Do more TOEIC...
Trivia of the Week: Japanese English: Viking
Baikingu: This is a katakana rendering of Viking. The Vikings were Scandinavian people of the 8-11th Centuries who raided and traded mainly in Europe, but also reached as far as Canada and North Africa. When referring to the Japanese バイキング native English speakers...
