2015 is now more than half finished. At the start of this year, many people make resolutions to do or not do something. Did you make any resolutions? Did you keep them or did they fall be the wayside? I made a few and forgot a few. I just started on one of my resolutions this week! It is never too late to start something new. Last week the challenge I gave you was the differences between some words. Here they are: 1. SHADE and SHADOW A shadow is an area or shape made by an object when it blocks light. Shade is cover or shelter provided […]
In a shadow or in the shade?????
The sun sure is HOT!! Now that the rainy season has officially ended it is time for SUMMER!! Some of you like it and some of you are not so keen on it. I, for one, am balanced somewhere in the middle. I love it and I dislike it. I love the possibilities it brings: long walks along a sandy beach, hiking in the mountains, swimming in the refreshing ocean while avoiding jellyfish and relaxing! Last week I asked you about some ADVERBS OF QUANTITY. Please see below for the ranking: ALWAYS USUALLY OFTEN SOMETIMES SELDOM HARDLY EVER ALMOST NEVER NEVER Today I have a very difficult mission […]
Typhoon – hurricane – cyclone
There is a big typhoon coming to Japan. It is predicted to make landfall in the Kansai region later today. For all our friends all over the country, TAKE CARE!! Do you know the difference between a TYPHOON, a HURRICANE, and a CYCLONE? Well, they are all the same!!! The difference is their point of origin. A TYPHOON, as most Japanese know, starts in the south Pacific. A HURRICANE starts in the Atlantic Ocean or the North Pacific. A CYCLONE is in the Indian Ocean. Being a Canadian I had never experienced anything like a typhoon prior to living in Tokyo. What an eye-opener! Here you can see the difference: […]
In three days…..
TIME: the one thing that we always want more of but never seem to be able to get. There are so many idioms and proverbs about time. If you had more time what would you do? Would you use it to work more? Would you use it to volunteer somewhere? Would you spend it lazing around and catching up on sleep? I think that I would spend it wisely and enjoy the things in life that make me happy. Family, museums, walks in the park……. Well, last week I posed an important question. Were you able to get it? WHAT DO YOU DO? This question is about your […]
What do you do? The present simple.
The rainy season sure is with us. Last week, when I went to teach my Friday afternoon corporate lessons in Jingu-Mae, the members of the class called me an ‘雨男’ or ‘RAIN MAN’. This is because it had rained every Friday for over a month!! Well, in English, RAIN MAN is the name of a movie which starred Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. What they meant was that I brought the rain with me. Here is a song called 雨男! Enjoy it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Ks8v91KyY Last week in this blog I asked about the difference between the following: I was amused by the play. I was amusing by the play. The first […]
Confused vs. Confusing
Hi everyone. It is a hot one today! About 30 degrees. I have been safely inside, out of the heat, drinking iced coffee with my students. Last week I asked you about the use of COLONS and SEMI-COLONS. Can you uses them? COLONS: The colon is used mainly to introduce a list. eg. You will need to prepare a few things for the party tomorrow: food, drinks and entertainment for all the guests. SEMI-COLONS: Semi-colons are used to join two independent clauses, that is two sentences. eg. I call it football; Yoshi calls it American football. I call it soccer; Yoshi calls it football. Now for this week’s point!!! […]
Punctuation
Is it Thursday again already? HOLY COW!! Where does the time go? Yes, TIME FLIES so make the most of every day. The rainy season this year has already brought us some torrential rains and some destruction. I hope that everyone comes through this without any problems. Last week I asked you about some animal idioms. Did you get them? 1. Curiosity killed the cat: too many questions can get you into trouble 2. Cry wolf: to cry for help when there is no need of it 3. Beat a dead horse: to talk about an idea or issue over and over 4. Sick as a dog: incredibly sick […]
Animals, animals, they are all animals!
Today is Thursday and that means that we have passed HUMP DAY. Do you know hump Day? It is Wednesday!! Why, you may be asking, is it called hump day? Well, Wednesday is the middle of the week and like a hump on a camel, the first part goes up and then it peaks and goes down. That is a HUMP! Wednesday is stuck right in the middle of the week – two days after the weekend and two days before the weekend. Last week I asked you about the difference between I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU. The difference is that […]
Business email
Hi everyone!! Well, the rainy season has officially started. The announcement yesterday made me a little blue. I hope that we have enough rain and some nice weather too! Last time I asked you the difference between CLAIM and COMPLAIN. CLAIM is used for several situations. 1. to claim means to say. 2. to make a claim means to request an insurance payment. COMPLAIN 1. to say that something is not good. This week I would like to show you something about writing email. Do you know the difference: I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU. I hope you can figure it […]
Live life to the fullest.
It is a HOT ONE today!! I hope that you are enjoying the summer weather this week. I took this photo last week because it reminded me of my grandmother. She had poppies growing in her garden and I always enjoyed spending time with her there. Family is an important part of our lives. Sometimes we live too far away from each other and sometimes we live too close to each other. I think that living every day to the fullest is a good way to go through life. You do not have regrets and you do not think ‘What if?’. Make the best of each day, do […]