Blog
Trivia of the Week: Fake It Till You Make It
"Fake it till you make it." This is a common piece of advice that tells people to act as if they can do something, and actually being able to do it will follow. It also helps them look confident. Even skilled people sometimes underestimate their competence, so this...
Idiom of the Week: Eating Me Out of House and Home
"Bruno is a good dog and my best friend, but he's so big. He's eating me out of house and home! I'm going to have to get a part-time job just to buy him dog food." If someone eats a lot, it costs a lot of money to keep them fed. If you spend all your money on food,...
Word of the Week: Hold
"Can I hold the baby?" "He was holding a gun!" "Hold" has many meanings. It often means to have something in your hand(s) or arms, such as the baby or the gun above. With the gun, you could say, "He has a gun!" without changing the meaning much. If he is holding a...
Picture of the Week: Picnic
In summer, especially around the 4th of July, many Americans like to have barbecues and picnics. Have you been to an event like this? What do you like to do in the summer?...
Phrase of the Week: If You Ask Me
"If you ask me, he should just apologize." You will occasionally hear someone say "if you ask me" while giving their opinion. It can be rude to give your opinion on things that aren't related to you, but it's usually okay to give your opinion when you have been asked....
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"Before I can help you with your problem, I need you to ____ which of our products you are using." Fill in the blank. A. tell B. indicator C. specify D. spectacle 「問題を解決するには、どの商品をご利用いただいているかを教えていただく必要があります。」...
Practice basic English with Kinka from Happy Valley! ハッピーバレーのキンカと英語の基礎を練習しましょう！
This week's video is a chant featuring the phrase "It's a". This phrase is very common in English but often hard to pronounce for young learners. Use this video to practice it with Kinka! 今週の動画は「It's a」のチャントです。この「It's...
Trivia of the Week: The Boy Who Cried Wolf
An old story tells of a boy who got bored while watching the sheep and yelled, "Wolf! Wolf!" He played this trick too many times and when a wolf really did come, nobody came to help because they thought he was lying again. Have you ever known someone who lied or joked...
Idiom of the Week: Rock Solid
"Are you sure Jenkins can make the sale?" "Sure, he's a rock solid salesman." Something that's solid is reliable. And there's not much more solid than a rock. So someone or something that is rock solid is very reliable. 「ジェンキンズはクライアントと契約できるかしら？」 「大丈夫だよ、彼は頼もしいから。」...
Word of the Week: Seconds
"This is really good. Can I have seconds?" "Sure, there's plenty!" When we say we want "seconds", what we mean is a second helping of some kind of food. What if you have three helpings? The third helping doesn't have a special name, as "thirds" won't be understood...
