執筆者 Modern English | 2015年02月28日 | Phrases
“I made tea. Would you like some?” “Thanks. I could use something to drink.” “I could really use a nap, but I have to finish my homework before dinner.” We say we “could use” something that would be nice to have. It...
執筆者 Modern English | 2015年02月27日 | TOEIC
“Unfortunately, I do not ____ your services any longer.” Fill in the blank. A. requisite B. desire C. deride D. retain 「もうあなたの提供するサービスを必要としない」というフレーズはたまに聞きますが、Aの「必要な」は形容詞なので「do...
執筆者 Modern English | 2015年02月26日 | Trivia
Joe Bloggs is a placeholder name commonly used in the U.K. and other countries. It’s different from John Doe in that John Doe is a real person with no name, while Joe Bloggs is a name with no corresponding real person. For example, you can use it as a fake account to...
執筆者 Modern English | 2015年02月25日 | Idioms
“This is a sure-fire plan. There’s no way it could fail!” We don’t really “fire” a plan, but we do fire guns. So imagine you are a soldier, and you have been marching through a swamp or hiding in a forest. Your gun is dirty and it got wet. Will it still fire? It will...
執筆者 Modern English | 2015年02月24日 | Words
“I fought a bear during summer break.” “No, you didn’t. You’re fibbing.” A fib is a lie. To fib is to tell a lie. A fib is usually a childish or unimportant kind of lie, rather than a serious lie with grave consequences. 「夏休みに熊と戦ったんだ。」 「やってないよ、うそだろ。」 Fib...
