Blog
Idiom of the Week: Go with the Flow
"I don't like karaoke that much, but everyone else wanted to come so I just went with the flow." If you are in a river with a strong current, you cannot fight it, so you must "go with the flow". It means to go along with what the group wants without resisting....
Word of the Week: Hurt
"Ow, that hurts!" "My stomach hurts." In English, "hurt" is a verb. If someone steps on your foot, that hurts. People can also hurt you emotionally. You can describe this with yourself as the object ("It really hurt me when you said that.") or without any object ("It...
Phrase of the Week: I’ll Get Him Back
"My brother ate the pudding I was saving, but I'll get him back. I have to think of a good prank to play on him." "You killed my father! I'll get you for that!" To "get" someone often means to do them some kind of harm, whether it's actual violence or a good-natured...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"Our inventory system is ______. We should adopt a new one." Fill in the blank. A. updated B. expired C. outdated D. postdated 「商品目録システムが古いです。新しいものを導入したほうがいいです。」...
Where’s My Hat? Ask and Answer with Happy Valley’s Kinka and Pinka! 私の帽子はどこ？！ハッピーバレーのキンカとピンカと質問して答えましょう！
This week's video shows how to ask where something is—very useful! Children can also give a simple answer to the question! 今週の動画では「～はどこ？」の形の質問の例を見せます。便利なフレーズですよね！子供は簡単に答えることができます！ Classroom Tip Watch the video and then let students pretend they are Kinka and Pinka....
Trivia of the Week: Counting Plants
Most plants are counted normally: one pine tree, three rose bushes, five apples, ten leaves. But some are more interesting: a blade of grass, an ear of corn, a head of lettuce! ほとんどの植物は普通の数え方をします。たとえば、松の木が1本、バラの茂みが3つ、リンゴが5個、葉っぱが10枚。でも、もっと面白いのがありますよ。英語では草は blade of...
Idiom of the Week: Think Outside the Box
"Consumers are no longer affected by traditional advertising strategies. We need to think outside the box for our new campaign!" "The box" contains all the old and usual ideas. If someone tells you to think outside the box, they want you to be creative and come up...
Word of the Week: OK
"How are you doing?" "OK. How about you?" "Hand me that pen." "OK." "I'm going to take the dog for a walk." "OK." "How was the movie?" "It was just OK." "OK" is a familiar word in Japan but it has more meanings in English. It can mean "fine" as an answer to "How are...
Picture of the Week: Squashes
The most common squash in Japan is the kabocha or pumpkin squash, but there are many kinds, such as acorn squash and spaghetti squash. The more familiar orange pumpkin in America and the zucchini are also members of the squash family. 日本で一番良く知られているsquashは「pumpkin...
Phrase of the Week: Pick Up
"I leaned over to pick up the pencil I had dropped." "I have to pick up my daughter from soccer practice in half an hour." "The sensor is picking up a signal!" "Pick up" has many meanings! 「落とした鉛筆をかがんで拾った。」 「３０分後にサッカーの練習から娘を迎えにいかないといけない。」 「センサーが信号を拾いました！」 「Pick...
