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Phrase of the Week: Stay Back!
"Stay back! I have a knife!" "Stay back! There's broken glass on the floor. Don't come in here until I clean it up." In movies, people often tell monsters or other scary creatures to "stay back!" This is an urgent command not to come any closer. Fortunately we don't...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"I really admire her work and look up at her as a person." Find the mistake. A. admire B. her work C. look up at D. as a person 「彼女の作品が大好きで人としても憧れています。」 誰かに憧れるとはその人が自分より上にいると考えられます。上を見上げてその人を見るようなイメージです。これは決まったフレーズですので、look up atではなくlook up...
Trivia of the Week: Pots and Pans
Pots and pans are containers used for cooking and usually made of metal. The difference between a pot and a pan is that a pot generally has two handles, while a pan has one handle. Both are usually round or cylindrical in shape. Of course, there are exceptions. For...
Idiom of the Week: Shipshape
"This bicycle hasn't been used for a while. I'm going to get it shipshape before I ride it into town this weekend." A ship has to be organized and in good condition before it can sail. A bicycle is not a ship, but we compare anything to a ship when it is clean, neat...
Word of the Week: Oops
"Oops! I forgot to lock the door!" "Oh, I spelled this word wrong. Oops!" "Oops" is something we say when we realize we made a mistake. It can also occasionally be used to sympathize with someone else's mistake. "I just tripped on a rock." "Oops. Are you okay?"...
Phrase of the Week: Just Because
"Thank you! But what are the flowers for?" "Just because. I don't need a reason to bring you flowers, do I?" We usually use "because" before the reason for something. But when there's no reason, there's nothing to say after "because". It's very romantic to do...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“We present you with this award to recognize your courage and ______.” Fill in the blank. dedication deduction didactics deprecation 「この賞であなたの勇気と献身を認めます。」 ...
Move and turn around along with Pinka! ピンカと一緒にくるっと回って体を動かそう！
Moving your body makes learning English more fun! Let's learn some motions from Pinka in this week's video. 体を動かすことで英語を学ぶ楽しさがアップします！今週の動画でピンカに色んな動きを教えてもらいましょう。 Classroom Tip Fun fact: This was the first video that showed Pinka in full animation. Have fun turning and...
Trivia of the Week: Gluten
The word "gluten" looks like "glue" because it holds bread together. It's a mixture of proteins found in wheat and other grains. Some people are allergic to gluten, so recently products without gluten have become more available. Gluten can also be used to make...
Idiom of the Week: If You Can’t Stand the Heat
"My physics teacher is so mean. He won't answer my questions." "Well if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! You're just no good at math." "Shut up, Brad. Mom, can you check my physics homework?" "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the...
Word of the Week: Beat
"I finally beat my dad at tennis!" "I can't beat the last level of this game!" "Beat" can mean to hit something, but in these examples to win against someone or something. 「やっとテニスで父さんに勝った！」 「いつももう少しのところで勝てないんだ。」...
Picture of the Week: Skeleton
Do you think skeletons are cool or creepy? Understanding skeletons is important not only for doctors but for artists, who can draw the human body better when they know how it's put together....
Phrase of the Week: It’s Safe to Say
"All your practice test scores have been good, so I think it's safe to say you'll pass." We use this phrase when we are pretty sure something will prove to be true. It's "safe" to say this because there's no danger that it will turn out to be wrong. ...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"This technique is character of this artist." Find the mistake. A. technique B. character C. of this D. artist 「この描き方はこの画家の特徴です。」...
Trivia of the Week: Poker Joke
Here is a joke. Q: Why can't you play poker on the African savannah? A: There are too many cheetahs! "Cheetah" (the name of an animal) sounds like "cheater" (someone who doesn't play fair). If one player is a cheater, the game isn't fun! 今回もジョークを紹介します。...
Modern English Idiom of the Week: Rock-Bottom
"I lost my job and my husband left me and took the kids. I've really hit rock-bottom." When you are digging a hole with a shovel and you hit solid rock, you can't dig any farther. The rock is the bottom of the hole, and you can't go any lower. When things are going...
Word of the Week: Pour
"Oh, you made lemonade? Pour me a glass." "Next, pour a little batter onto the pan." "It's really pouring outside!" "Pour" describes letting some liquid fall from a container. We often pour liquids such as juice or tea into cups or glasses before drinking them....
Picture of the Week: Spring Butterfly
Spring is coming. Plum blossoms are blooming. What flowers have you seen so far? What part of spring are you most looking forward to?...
Phrase of the Week: Take the Fall
"He stole a lot of money but never went to jail because one of his underlings took the fall." To take the fall is to receive the blame and consequences for someone else's bad actions. 「彼は大金を盗んだが、手下が身代わりになったので刑務所に入らずに済んだ。」 「Take the...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"You must ______ your software to the latest version." Fill in the blank. A. update B. postdate C. backdate D. predate 「ソフトを最新版に更新する必要があります。」...
