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Trivia of the Week: Japanese English: Safety-driver
We have a safety-pin, safety matches, safety-belt and safety-goggles, but no safety drivers. We say ‘safe driver’, but more probably, careful driver. Safety is a noun, the adjective is safe. Safety-driver is Japanese. セーフティードライバー...
Modern English Idiom of the Week: Don’t spill the beans!
“I know you are planning a surprise party for me.” “You do? Who spilled the beans?” To spill the beans is to let out a secret. Another way to say the same thing is “to let the cat out of the bag.” In olden times, people would sell piglets in bags, but they tricked...
Word of the Week #3: exaggerate
“The fish I caught was about a mile long!” “Don’t exaggerate, there aren’t any fish that big!” 「俺が釣った魚の長さは1マイルくらいだった！」「大げさに言わないで、そんな大きい魚はいないよ！」 Sometimes we stretch the truth just a little bit. It’s not really a lie, but it’s not exactly true either. For example, we...
Picture of the Week: England: Telephone boxes
Outside most tourist areas, red telephone boxes are now uncommon. These have been updated to use cards (left) and cash. 公衆電話...
Modern English Phrase of the Week #2: Hold on!
This can mean “Don’t give up!” or “Wait a second!” We say it to encourage a friend who is having a difficult time. We also use it to tell someone to wait a short time. “Can I talk to you?” “Hold on a second while I save my file.”...
TOEIC Practice Question #2
The tour includes neither lunch _________ dinner. A. and B. but C. nor D. or ランチもディナーもツアーに含まれない。ここは「does not include lunch or dinner」であれば「or」でいいのですが、「neither」の後は必ず「nor」になります。よって正解はC norです。 Do more TOEIC practice...
Trivia of the Week: Japanese English: Fighto
In English, ‘fight’ (never with ‘o’ at the end), means a verbal argument or physical fight. When Japanese translate 頑張って！to ファイトー, it sounds very strange to native English speakers. E.g. ‘I’m meeting a new girl tomorrow.’ ‘Fight!’ – would give completely the wrong...
Modern English Idiom of the Week: Take it with a pinch of salt!
“Did you hear Bill’s amazing story?” “Yes, but you have to take what Bill says with a pinch of salt.” When we cook, we add a little salt to the food to bring out the flavor. When we hear a fantastic story, we take it with a pinch of salt, because it might not be...
Word of the Week #2: hay fever (花粉症)
“Do you have a cold today?” “No, it’s hay fever.” 「今日は風邪をひいてるの？」「違うよ、花粉症です。」 Hay fever is similar to a cold, but it is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen. In spring, flowers and plants start to release pollen, and people with hay fever show symptoms such as...
新しく梅田校・函館校がオープンしました！
モダンイングリッシュに新しく梅田校、函館校がオープンしました。梅田校のマップ＆先生プロフィールはＨＰにアップしています。 函館校のマップ＆先生プロフィールは近日中にアップします！お楽しみに！...
