Blog
Idiom of the Week: Get Down to Brass Tacks
"Let's get down to brass tacks. I want to finish this project today!" Getting down to brass tacks is similar to getting down to business. It means to skip unnecessary things and do necessary work. 「本気を出していきましょう。今日中にこのプロジェクトを終わらせたい！」 Get down to brass...
Picture of the Week: Lily pad
This frog is sitting on a lily pad. It's a flat round leaf that floats on the surface of the water. Have you ever seen one? この蛙は水蓮の葉（Lily...
Phrase of the Week: My Blood Ran Cold
"I looked out the window and my blood ran cold. The monster was looking back in at me!" When we say someone's blood runs cold, it means they felt as if their blood had gone cold from a sudden shock or fear. 「窓の外を覗いたらぞっとした。モンスターがこっちを覗き返していたんだよ！」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"Since the customer has already paid us for the service, they are obligated to provide it or issue a refund." Find the mistake. A. Since the customer B. has already paid C. for the service D. they are obligated 「お客さんがもう支払った以上、そのサービスを提供するか、できなければ返金する義務があります。」...
It’s a red apple! Let’s practice simple sentences with fruit! 赤いリンゴ！フルーツで簡単な文を練習しましょう！
In this week's video, we learn the names of some delicious and colorful fruit. We also practice using "it's a" and pairing the fruits with their colors! 今週の動画で美味しくてカラフルなフルーツの名前を覚えましょう！「It's a」を使って練習をし、フルーツと色の組み合わせをやってみましょう。 Classroom Tip Before doing this chant, play...
Trivia of the Week: AFK
The Internet can be a useful tool for practicing English (or for English-speakers to practice other languages) but it sometimes has its own jargon. If you are chatting online with an English speaker and they say "AFK" it means they will be "away from keyboard" for a...
Idiom of the Week: Lingua Franca
"I couldn't speak her language and she couldn't speak mine, but we had both studied English in school, so English was our lingua franca." A lingua franca is a third language used to communicate by people who don't speak the same native languages. This is often...
Word of the Week: Creepy
"I don't like spiders. They're creepy." "That abandoned house on the hill is so creepy. I bet it's haunted." Something that's creepy is a little bit scary. It makes you feel scared or just uneasy. 「蜘蛛が嫌い。気持ち悪いよ。」 「あの丘の上の空き家、ちょっぴり怖いよね。お化けがでるんじゃないかな。」 Creepy...
Picture of the Week: Costume
This child is ready to go trick-or-treating in a lion costume! Have you ever dressed up for Halloween? What costume did you wear? Have you worn a costume for something else?...
Phrase of the Week: I’ll Call You Back
"Sorry, I can't talk now. I'll call you back." "Sorry, he isn't here right now. I'll tell him to call you back." If you were unable to talk to someone on the phone, you can try again by calling them back. Or they can call you back. 「ごめん、今は話せない。後で電話するね。」...
