Blog
Phrase of the Week: It’s My Pleasure
"Thank you for your help.” “It’s my pleasure.” “It’s my pleasure” or “It was my pleasure” is a different way to say “you’re welcome”. Use it to tell someone you are or were happy to help, so it wasn’t an inconvenience—in fact, it was a pleasure. 「手伝ってくれてありがとう」 「喜んで」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“I can’t take this class. I haven’t taken all the ______.” Fill in the blank. A. previous B. prerequisites C. parasites D. postrequisites 「この授業は受けられない。必要条件を満たしていない（必修の授業を受けていない）。」 この授業の前に受けないといけない授業なので「previous...
Let’s Count! Count the Animals! 動物を数えましょう！
Animals are fun, and the more the better, so long as you don’t have to take care of them all! 動物って楽しい！たくさんいるともっと楽しいね。ただし自分で世話をしなくてもいいのなら・・・。 Classroom Tip During Happy Valley 1 Unit 10 Storytime, use this to introduce the main vocabulary and target language. After...
Trivia of the Week: Kryptonite
“Water is the smart phone’s kryptonite, so we made ours waterproof!” Kryptonite is not a real thing. It’s a fictional rock that is the only thing that can defeat Superman. Superman is so popular and well-known that kryptonite has become a metaphor for the weak...
Idiom of the Week: It’s My Way or the Highway
“Wouldn’t it be better if we did it like this?” “Look, I’m in charge here, so it’s my way or the highway.” This phrase means that you have to do things my way, or else you can just leave (hit the highway). It’s not very polite or professional! Hopefully you...
Word of the Week: Momentum
“I enjoyed the first half of the book but then I just lost my momentum, so I haven’t finished it yet.” “He tried to stop but his momentum carried him into the intersection, and he almost caused an accident.” When an object is moving, it keeps going at the same speed...
Picture of the Week: Tulips
What flowers are the best kissers? Tulips! It’s a joke. “Tulips” sounds like “two lips”, which you need in order to kiss! キスが一番上手な花はなんですか？ チューリップ！...
Phrase of the Week: No Problem
“Thanks for lending me a pencil for the test.” “No problem! I brought extra.” Use “no problem” instead of “you’re welcome” in casual conversations to show that helping the other person did not inconvenience you at all. 「試験に鉛筆を貸してくれてありがとう。」 「問題ない。余分持ってきたから。」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“If we go on a weekday afternoon, maybe we can void the large crowds.” Find the mistake. A. If we go B. weekday C. can void D. large crowds 「平日の午後に行けば、人ごみを避けることができるはず。」...
Trivia of the Week: Palindromes
A palindrome is a series of words that is spelled the same both forwards and backwards. In Japanese, “kitsune-tsuki” is a palindrome. In English, phrases such as “race car”, “taco cat”, “never odd or even” and “Was it a car or a cat I saw?” are palindromes. (Spaces...
Idiom of the Week: Down to a Fine Art
“He told me he was at his friend’s house. He even sent a picture of them when they were there. But he was actually at that party I said he couldn’t go to. He has lying down to his parents down to a fine art.” When someone is very skilled at something through a...
Word of the Week: Dodge
“Try to dodge the ball. The last person who hasn’t been hit by a ball is the winner.” “In this game, you have to dodge the enemies and reach the goal.” “Dodge” means moving around in order to avoid something. It’s often used in games and action movies. We can also use...
Picture of the Week: Prank
April 1 is April Fool’s Day, a holiday that encourages people to play tricks on others. For example, in this picture, someone has drawn on a kangaroo crossing sign so that the kangaroo looks like a dinosaur. Did you play any tricks this year on April 1?...
Phrase of the Week: Allow Me
“Here’s our table. Please, allow me.” This is a phrase you use when you do something helpful, such as pull out a chair or open a door for someone. It draws attention to how polite you’re being and shows that you don’t mind helping. 「こちらが私たちのテーブルですね。どうぞ。」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“The exhibit felt ______. Next time we’ll rent a larger space.” Fill in the blank. A. undercrowded B. overcrowded C. uncrowded D. decrowded...
Let’s Count! Ten Little Presents! 数えてみよう！10個のプレゼント！
Getting a present is very exciting, especially when you’re young! Please enjoy the ten presents in this video! (Although we don’t show you what’s inside!) プレゼントをもらうと、特に子供の場合はワクワクしますね！この動画に出る10個のプレゼントをお楽しみください！（中身はお見せしませんけどね！） Classroom Tip This is a...
Trivia of the Week: Brand Names
What’s English for a plastic bandage you can put on a small cut? Not Band-Aid—that’s a brand name. It’s just so popular that many people don’t know any other name for that kind of bandage. This has happened to many brands. Kleenex has become a word for any facial...
Idiom of the Week: Come Up in the World
“He used to work in the mail room, but now he’s a senior manager. He’s really come up in the world.” In the world there are many positions and jobs. Those with more power, prestige or money are considered “higher” so as you gain more power or a better job, you...
Word of the Week: Breathe
“Don’t forget to breathe.” “It was really scary. I couldn’t breathe!” It can be easy to confuse the spelling of “breathe” and “breath” (a noun, as in “Take a deep breath”), because the letters “eath” make the same vowel sound as in “breathe” in words like “wreath”....
Picture of the Week: Chick
A baby chicken is called a chick. Yesterday was Easter. Chicks are associated with Easter and spring because they hatch from eggs and symbolize new life....
