Picture of the Week: Hydrangeas

Have you seen any hydrangeas yet this year? These pretty blue flowers bloom in the rainy season. The color of the flowers can change according to the pH of the soil. What colors have you seen?...

Phrase of the Week: A Big Deal

“Sorry I lost the book you lent me.” “Don’t worry; it’s not a big deal.” A big deal is something very important or meaningful. When we use this phrase, we usually say things are not a big deal. For example, when someone apologizes for a small mistake, we say it’s not...

TOEIC Practice Question of the Week

“Only successful _____ will be contacted.” Fill in the blank. A. applications B. application C. applicants D. applicant 「採用決定者のみにご連絡いたします」 就職活動でよく見る文章です。連絡が来ないということは不採用という意味です。「Be...

Trivia of the Week: Pruney Fingers

Have you noticed that if you take a long bath, the skin on your fingers and toes gets wrinkly? English speakers call this “pruney fingers”, because the wrinkled skin looks like the skin of a prune (a sweet dried plum). Scientists say this doesn’t happen because our...

Word of the Week: Else

“The car ran out of gas, and it started raining. What else can go wrong?” “Okay, that’s one sandwich and one coffee. Do you want anything else?” “I’m tired of ice cream. Let’s get something else.” “Else” means “other than that” or “in addition to that.” It is useful...