Word of the Week: Nod

“Did you make these sandwiches all by yourself?” Mom asked. The boy nodded proudly. Nodding is moving the head up and down. We usually use it to answer “yes” using body language and not words. It can sometimes be used for other things. For example, when you fall...

Phrase of the Week: On Purpose

“Ow! You stepped on my foot!” “Sorry. It wasn’t on purpose.” When you do something intentionally, we say it was “on purpose”. That is, it was your purpose to do so. It wasn’t a mistake or an accident. 「痛い!今、私の足を踏んだ!」 「ごめん!わざとじゃなかった。」 何かをわざとするとき、それは「on...

TOEIC Practice Question of the Week

“When you move to a new house, you realize how much unnecessary clutter you ______ over the years. Fill in the blank. A. require B. accumulate C.acclimate D. respite 「引っ越しをするとき、これまでどれだけ不要なガラクタを集めていたのだろうと思い知らされる。」...

Trivia of the Week: Typhoon vs. Hurricane

Both typhoons and hurricanes are large, dangerous, spiral-shaped storms. Typhoons are common in Japan, while hurricanes often strike America. So what’s the difference? Actually, the only difference between a hurricane and a typhoon is where it was formed. Hurricanes...

Idiom of the Week: State of the Art

“My new phone is state of the art!” “Whatever. It’ll be outdated next week.” If something is “state of the art”, it has the latest technology and features. It reflects the current “state” of its field (e.g. the “art” of making cell phones). 「私の新しい携帯は最新型だ!」...