Phrase of the Week: Take to Task

“The teacher took him to task when he forgot his homework twice in a row.” 「連続で宿題を忘れたので先生は彼を叱った。」 誰かを「take to task」するということは、悪いことしたのを責める、叱るということです。その人がしたことをforを使って示せます:「彼が汚れた服を床に置いておいたことを叱った。」 To take someone to task is to criticize or scold them for doing something...

Phrase of the Week :Spring has sprung

The vernal, or spring equinox, marks the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This year it fell on March 20th. We celebrate this in England with a nonsense poem Spring has sprung The grass has ris I wonder where the birdies is? Sprung is the past tense of...

Phrase of the week: catch it, Bin it, kill it.

For many years in the UK, the NHS (national health service) has promoted a campaign for public hygiene. Catch it. Bin it. Kill it. Catch your cough or sneeze in a tissue. Put it in the bin or flush it down the toilet as soon as possible. Kill the germs on your hands...

Phrase of the Week: Few and Far Between

“In the desert, oases are few and far between.” 「砂漠ではオアシスが少ない。」 “You’ll probably have to take your trash home with you. Trash cans here are few and far between.” 「ゴミは持って帰ることになるでしょう。ここにゴミ箱は少ないです。」 何かの数が少ないならfewと言います。一か所に集まっていないなら、お互いに距離がある。これでは見つけるのが大変です。 When there...

Phrase of the Week: Sure Enough

“I told him he would do fine, and sure enough, he got an A+ on the test.” 「私が彼に大丈夫と言った。言った通り、テストの結果がA+だった。」 “I thought I heard a noise, so I went to look, and sure enough, someone had knocked over the vase.” 「物音が聞こえたから見に行った。、思った通り、誰かが花瓶を倒していた。」 “I couldn’t shake the...