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TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“I’m afraid this coupon isn’t validated on this item.” Find the mistake. A. afraid B. coupon C. validated D. item 「残念ですがこの商品はこのクーポンの対象外です。」...
Idiom of the Week: A Tall Order
“You want the whole report done today? That’s a pretty tall order.” A tall order is something that’s difficult, maybe impossible, to do. An “order” is an instruction to do something. Imagine a long list of things to do or items in a big order in a restaurant—if you...
Word of the Week: Gradually
“Learning a new language is difficult, but don’t be discouraged. You are gradually improving, and soon you’ll be surprised how well you can understand it!” Something that happens gradually doesn’t happen all at once. It happens very slowly, or a little bit at a time....
Picture of the Week: Costumed Dog
Children dress up in costumes for Halloween. Adults dress up too if they are going to a Halloween party. But what about dogs? For some dogs, it’s fun to dress up in a special dog costume for Halloween. ...
Phrase of the Week: I’m Not Sure
“Is that a ghost or just the wind?” “I’m not sure.” “What time does the Halloween party start?” “I think it was 7:00, but I’m not sure. Let’s ask.” “I’m not sure if I locked the door when I left.” “I’m not sure” can be the same as “I don’t know”. You can also use it...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“Our _________ for today includes two hours of free time before lunch, and then the museum.” Fill in the blank. A. schedule B. reservation C. planning D. tour 「今日の予定は昼ご飯前に2時間の自由時間、後に博物館です。」...
Practice the sounds of the alphabet with Happy Valley’s phonics song! ハッピーバレーのフォニックスソングでアルファベットの音を楽しく練習しましょう！
Classroom Tip This song, from Happy Valley Phonics Book 1, isolates the letter sounds to a slow tempo, repeating three times so students can hear it twice and then try it on their own. For this one, you can have students watch the video and then, open their books and...
Trivia of the Week: How to Make a Jack-o-Lantern
You need a large pumpkin. First, make a deep round cut around the stem and take off the top. Scoop out all the seeds and any soft flesh, leaving the pumpkin empty. Now, draw on the face. You can find a pre-made pattern, or draw your own. Make sure the pieces are big...
Idiom of the Week: Cold Turkey
“I want to quit smoking, so I’m trying to limit it to one cigarette a day.” “The best way is to just go cold turkey. That’s what I did.” When you give up something like smoking, alcohol, gambling or just chocolate, there are many strategies. You can try to reduce it...
Word of the Week: Trick
“Trick or treat!” The “trick” in “trick or treat” is a prank or joke that children might play if they don’t get a treat (candy). Most trick-or-treaters won’t actually play any tricks. But then again, most trick-or-treaters receive candy from every house they visit!...
小学生向けサポートクラスがスタート！
毎週水曜日に小学生向けのサポートクラスを開講することになりました！ このサポートクラスは、いつものネイティブ講師のレッスンのオプションとして追加で受講いただくコースです。経験豊富な日本人講師が、ネイティブ講師のレッスンで学んだことを日本語で細かく説明し、宿題や読み書きの力を強化します。また、児童英検や英検などの各種試験対策も行う予定です。 コース名：日本語サポートクラス レッスン日：毎週水曜日 16：30～18：30の間、講師が待機しています。 ※好きな時間に入退室できます。 ※試験向けの内容の場合は受講時間を設定します。 料金...
Picture of the Week: Spider
Is it possible for a spider to be cute? Or are they always scary? This spider has big eyes, so perhaps some people will find it cute. What do you think? ...
Phrase of the Week: Call on me
“You can always call on me for help.” “The teacher called on me for the hardest question.” To “call on” someone can mean to ask them for help, or ask them to do something. In a classroom, however, it’s what the teacher does when they ask you to answer a question. This...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“After the intermission, the doors will remain closed for the dilation of the concert.” Find the mistake. A. intermission B. remain C. dilation D. concert 「幕間の休憩後はコンサートの終わりまで扉が閉まっています。」...
Trivia of the Week: Bobbing for Apples
Bobbing for apples is a traditional Halloween game where players try to pull apples out of the water using only their mouths. It’s difficult because the floating apples move around. It’s also called “apple bobbing”, “apple ducking”, “dooking”, or “snap apple”. ...
Idiom of the Week: Easy as Pie
“Don’t worry; it’s as easy as pie!” But baking a pie is hard, isn’t it? It may be easy for an experienced baker, but something that’s “easy as pie” is easy for anybody! “Easy as pie” refers to eating pie, not baking a pie. Eating a pie is usually easy and fun!...
Word of the Week: Mistaken
“You must be mistaken. I’ve never been here before.” “Mistaken” is the past participle of “mistake” as a verb: “He had mistaken the branch for a snake!” It’s also commonly used this way: “If you think I’ll accept those conditions, you are mistaken.” It...
Picture of the Week: Bat
Bats are one of the scary animals we think of around Halloween. Is this bat scary? Or is it funny? Its tongue is sticking out. Maybe it’s just cute!...
Phrase of the Week: Speaking Of
“Speaking of Joe, did you know his daughter graduated high school?” “Speaking of cats, my friend is looking to adopt a kitten.” We use “speaking of” to introduce a new topic that is related to something that has been mentioned. If the conversation turns to...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“The train was ____ by a minor accident.” Fill in the blank. A. delayed B. late C. derail D. diluted 「電車がちょっとした事故のために遅れました。」 「The train was...
