Word of the Week: Hop

“The rabbit hopped across the grass.” A hop is a small jump. Rabbits don’t walk very much; they hop instead. Other things that are known for hopping include frogs and children! 「ウサギがぴょんぴょんと草の上を跳びはねました。」...

Word of the Week: Tease

“Mom, Billy’s teasing me!” “Don’t tease the dog or he might bite you.” Teasing is speaking or acting in a mean way. It usually isn’t meant to really hurt anyone. However, it can easily go too far—a sibling’s teasing...

Word of the Week: Count

“That doesn’t count!” In tennis, if your opponent doesn’t hit the ball back, you get a point. However, if the ball doesn’t bounce inside the lines, it doesn’t count. We don’t count that point when we calculate your score. We can say something counts or doesn’t count...

Word of the Week: Absolutely

“Are you going to read the next book in this series when it comes out?” “Absolutely!” “There are absolutely no monsters under the bed.” “Absolutely” can be a more enthusiastic way to say “yes”. It can also emphasize that something is 100% true—not mostly true but...

Word of the Week: Gentle

“A gentle breeze was blowing.” “Pet the kitten gently.” To be gentle is to be very soft and not cause any damage, even to something delicate like a young kitten. 「優しい風が吹いていた。」 「子猫を優しくなでてね。」...