....cellphones have become very popular.
So today, we will have a small lesson covering the difference between two grammatical structures:
in a few...
This structure is used to talk about the FUTURE.
I will be with you in a few minutes.
Please wait a little bit.
I am going to Thailand in a few weeks.
In 1-2 weeks I will go to Thailand.
In a few days, the weekend will be here again~!
Soon the weekend will arrive again.
in the last few...
This is used to talk about the recent PAST.
In the last few weeks, magazines have been talking about funemployment.
Recently, magazines have been talking about funemployment.
He left a few minutes ago.
He just left 1 or 2 minutes ago.
In the last few years, computers have become smaller, cheaper and more powerful.
In the last couple of years, computers have become smaller, cheaper and more powerful.
You can also use:
in a couple of (past)
in the last couple of (future)
in the same way. A couple of is usually pronounced "acupula" in North American English.
Alright, that is all for now. Have a good week,
Phil
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Updated my tags...
Hey everyone just a quick post to say that I just spent 10-15 minutes updating my tags. Tags are the topic markers that help you organize your posts on a blog and make them easier to search through.
So now you can go through all the lessons related to pronunciation by clicking on pronunciation, if you want to work on phrasal verbs click on phrasal verbs, idioms click on idioms and so on...
To find the list of tags covering all my lessons so far just look for the list in the left-hand column on your screen.
I also came across an old lesson on "How to Improve your Vocabulary" which I really recommend to any new readers of my blog it has lots of useful tips~! So just click on the above link to read it ^_^
Phil
So now you can go through all the lessons related to pronunciation by clicking on pronunciation, if you want to work on phrasal verbs click on phrasal verbs, idioms click on idioms and so on...
To find the list of tags covering all my lessons so far just look for the list in the left-hand column on your screen.
I also came across an old lesson on "How to Improve your Vocabulary" which I really recommend to any new readers of my blog it has lots of useful tips~! So just click on the above link to read it ^_^
Phil
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Excuse me, where's the nearest ATM?
Hi everyone, I thought I had already written a lesson on this topic but I guess not... and thanks to Minette for commenting, I wish more of my readers commented or asked me questions...
So, today I will be taking about all the different was to say ATM in English. ATM stands for Automated Teller Machine. A teller is short for bank teller and is the person you see when you want to make a deposit(put money into the bank) or a withdrawal(take money out of the bank).
I think that ATM is the most common word in North America and I remember when I first visited Europe I was surprised to see signs everywhere saying CD. Now, in Canada and the US CD stands for Compact Disk so at first I thought that there were alot of music stores in Europe!
Eventually, I figured out that CD also stands for Cash Dispenser. You might also hear the term cash machine in some countries, usually in Asia.
Since I am from North America, Cash Dispenser and Cash Machine sound REALLY strange to me. I will understand the word but it will sound unnatural.
So if you are travelling in Canada and the U.S. remember to ask:
"Excuse me, where's the nearest ATM?"
Phil
So, today I will be taking about all the different was to say ATM in English. ATM stands for Automated Teller Machine. A teller is short for bank teller and is the person you see when you want to make a deposit(put money into the bank) or a withdrawal(take money out of the bank).
I think that ATM is the most common word in North America and I remember when I first visited Europe I was surprised to see signs everywhere saying CD. Now, in Canada and the US CD stands for Compact Disk so at first I thought that there were alot of music stores in Europe!
Eventually, I figured out that CD also stands for Cash Dispenser. You might also hear the term cash machine in some countries, usually in Asia.
Since I am from North America, Cash Dispenser and Cash Machine sound REALLY strange to me. I will understand the word but it will sound unnatural.
So if you are travelling in Canada and the U.S. remember to ask:
"Excuse me, where's the nearest ATM?"
Phil
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Um, sorry I didn't answer my cellphone but...
...my battery was dead.
The other day I was at work and thought about this sentence. It is becoming more and more useful because people are carrying more and more gadgets(high tech toys) that need batteries.
When I asked my co-workers:
What happened to the clock, did the batteries die?
They didn't understand me. So I had them tell me how to say it in Japanese...
電池がない。
But in English this can be translated in a few ways:
1- The battery is dead.
2- The batteries are dead.
3- There's no battery.
4- There are no batteries.
The expression "the batteries are dead" is a great and natural way to say that you lost power or something doesn't work because the batteries don't have a charge anymore. You can also use a similar expression:
The line went dead.
You will hear it often in movies, someone picks up a phone and suddenly it no longer works~! Usually, you hear it in horror movies where the killer has cut the phone lines... so when the phone line suddenly stops working while you are using the phone say "the line went dead" but if you pick up the phone and it doesn't work say "the line IS dead".
Ok that is it for now,
Phil
The other day I was at work and thought about this sentence. It is becoming more and more useful because people are carrying more and more gadgets(high tech toys) that need batteries.
When I asked my co-workers:
What happened to the clock, did the batteries die?
They didn't understand me. So I had them tell me how to say it in Japanese...
電池がない。
But in English this can be translated in a few ways:
1- The battery is dead.
2- The batteries are dead.
3- There's no battery.
4- There are no batteries.
The expression "the batteries are dead" is a great and natural way to say that you lost power or something doesn't work because the batteries don't have a charge anymore. You can also use a similar expression:
The line went dead.
You will hear it often in movies, someone picks up a phone and suddenly it no longer works~! Usually, you hear it in horror movies where the killer has cut the phone lines... so when the phone line suddenly stops working while you are using the phone say "the line went dead" but if you pick up the phone and it doesn't work say "the line IS dead".
Ok that is it for now,
Phil
Friday, July 17, 2009
Beer Part 3
Today, I will wrap up my lessons about beer with some words, phrases and expressions that I think you should know.
Last call
This is your last chance to order alcohol at a bar, usually 15 minutes before closing time.
Many bars in the US play the song "Closing Time" and turn on the lights to let you know it is time to leave the bar. To hear the song follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERg8kBFhXao
So if you hear someone say "It's closing time" that means it is time for you to go home.
Round
This is when people take turns buying drinks. So we are 4 people out drinking together. Paul buys the first round, Jim the second, Tom the third and Alex the fourth. After that it is Paul's turn again.
"Who wants to buy the first round?"
"Whose round is it?"
On the house
This means that it is free, the house (the business or owner) will pay for it.
customer: "I didn't order this."
bartender: "It's on the house."
customer: "Thanks~!"
Bartender(men and women)
& barmaid(women, old fashioned)
These are the people working behind the bar who sell alcohol, waiters and waitresses leave the bar and serve you drinks at your table. Bartenders just stay at the bar, serving drinks and mixing cocktails.
Hmmm, that is all I can think of at the moment so I guess this is the end of my beer series!
Phil
Last call
This is your last chance to order alcohol at a bar, usually 15 minutes before closing time.
Many bars in the US play the song "Closing Time" and turn on the lights to let you know it is time to leave the bar. To hear the song follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERg8kBFhXao
So if you hear someone say "It's closing time" that means it is time for you to go home.
Round
This is when people take turns buying drinks. So we are 4 people out drinking together. Paul buys the first round, Jim the second, Tom the third and Alex the fourth. After that it is Paul's turn again.
"Who wants to buy the first round?"
"Whose round is it?"
On the house
This means that it is free, the house (the business or owner) will pay for it.
customer: "I didn't order this."
bartender: "It's on the house."
customer: "Thanks~!"
Bartender(men and women)
& barmaid(women, old fashioned)
These are the people working behind the bar who sell alcohol, waiters and waitresses leave the bar and serve you drinks at your table. Bartenders just stay at the bar, serving drinks and mixing cocktails.
Hmmm, that is all I can think of at the moment so I guess this is the end of my beer series!
Phil
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Beer Idioms... Beer Part 2
Hey everyone, welcome to Part 2 of my series about beer... ummm... beer ^_-
Ok so today I will be talking about some beer idioms/expressions. When I first thought about making this lesson I came up with 3 different ones:
1-Beer Run
This means you need to go to the store to buy more beer. You might also hear "smoke run" or "cigarette run" when someone needs to go get more cigarettes.
"I'm going on a beer run, does anybody need anything?"
2-Beer goggles
Goggles are the glasses people use to see underwater when swimming, usually you don't see very clearly when wearing goggles. So, this idiom means that after drinking many beers someone looks good but the next morning you seem them sober (not drunk) and they don't look as good as you remember.
"Man, did you see the girl Paul left with? He must be wearing beer goggles~!"
3-Beer belly
This is the big belly(stomach) that men usually start to get in middle age. It kind of looks like they are pregnant... we call it a beer belly.
"My Dad has a beer belly
."
When doing my research for this lesson I came across a few more interesting idioms:
beer up = to drink a lot of beer
"Time to beer up guys~!"
to cry in one's beer = to feel sorry for oneself
"He's crying in his beer, his girlfriend just left him."
Life is not all skittles and beer = you can't always be having fun
This is a saying or proverb, not an idiom.
small beer = something that is not important
This is British and Australian English, in Canada and the US we say small potatoes instead.
Ok that is it for now, I learned a few new idioms and I hope you did too~!
Phil
Ok so today I will be talking about some beer idioms/expressions. When I first thought about making this lesson I came up with 3 different ones:
1-Beer Run
This means you need to go to the store to buy more beer. You might also hear "smoke run" or "cigarette run" when someone needs to go get more cigarettes.
"I'm going on a beer run, does anybody need anything?"
2-Beer goggles
Goggles are the glasses people use to see underwater when swimming, usually you don't see very clearly when wearing goggles. So, this idiom means that after drinking many beers someone looks good but the next morning you seem them sober (not drunk) and they don't look as good as you remember.
"Man, did you see the girl Paul left with? He must be wearing beer goggles~!"
3-Beer belly
This is the big belly(stomach) that men usually start to get in middle age. It kind of looks like they are pregnant... we call it a beer belly.
"My Dad has a beer belly
." When doing my research for this lesson I came across a few more interesting idioms:
beer up = to drink a lot of beer
"Time to beer up guys~!"
to cry in one's beer = to feel sorry for oneself
"He's crying in his beer, his girlfriend just left him."
Life is not all skittles and beer = you can't always be having fun
This is a saying or proverb, not an idiom.
small beer = something that is not important
This is British and Australian English, in Canada and the US we say small potatoes instead.
Ok that is it for now, I learned a few new idioms and I hope you did too~!
Phil
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Ummm... Beer ^_^ Part 1
Hi everybody, I decided to do a small series about beer. During my trip to Canada, I enjoyed many local beers which has inspired me to talk abit about one of my favorite alcoholic beverages: BEER.
So while I was in Montreal I drank alot of Boreale (http://www.boreale.qc.ca/joomla/index.php?lang=eng) which is a local beer. It is made and sold only in Montreal and is quite popular, you will find it at most bars. These kind of beers that are made in smaller quantities are called microbrews. They are usually craft beers made in more traditional ways than the big industrial beers like Sapporo, Asahi, Suntory, Heineken, Budweiser, Molson, etc.
I am gonna talk a little about the main types of beer:
a lager - this is the most common, Sapporo, Asahi and Suntory are all lagers as are most industrial beers, they are a soft golden (yellow) color.
an ale - this is the traditional beer of the UK and still very popular there, an old word for a bar is an alehouse (!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ale they are a darker color than lagers.
a stout - this is a very dark beer, almost black. It is a little bitter with a chocolaty taste. The most famous stout is Guinness www.guinness.com
a white beer - also called a wiessbier(from the German) it is a white color, a bit cloudy and has a fruity taste. A famous white is Hoegaarden http://www.hoegaarden.com/
There are also lambics, pale ales, red beers, etc. The best microbrew I have had in Japan was in Kagoshima and is called Satsuma Purple(http://wscreen.blog19.fc2.com/blog-entry-443.html) it is made using sweet potatoes and is a purple color~!
When you go to a bar and want a "nama biiru" you should ask for a draft beer. They are usually served in a glass, a pint or a pitcher(4-6 glasses of beer). You might also hear half-pint, 3/4 pint and 1L. Draft beer is served from a tap on a keg (barrel of beer) so if you want to know what kinds of draft beer they have you should ask:
"What do you have on tap?"
The waiter or waitress will then tell you something like:
"Heineken, Guiness and, Asahi"
When I was in Montreal the waitress said:
"Boreale Rousse (red), blanche (white), noire (black) et blonde (lager)."
We were speaking French ^_- You should be careful when ordering white beer on tap in Japan, it is usually about 1000 yen for a pint and often the beer is FLAT. This means that there are no more bubbles in the beer...
Hmm, I guess that is it for now. The next lesson will be about beer idioms!
Phil
So while I was in Montreal I drank alot of Boreale (http://www.boreale.qc.ca/joomla/index.php?lang=eng) which is a local beer. It is made and sold only in Montreal and is quite popular, you will find it at most bars. These kind of beers that are made in smaller quantities are called microbrews. They are usually craft beers made in more traditional ways than the big industrial beers like Sapporo, Asahi, Suntory, Heineken, Budweiser, Molson, etc.
I am gonna talk a little about the main types of beer:
a lager - this is the most common, Sapporo, Asahi and Suntory are all lagers as are most industrial beers, they are a soft golden (yellow) color.
an ale - this is the traditional beer of the UK and still very popular there, an old word for a bar is an alehouse (!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ale they are a darker color than lagers.
a stout - this is a very dark beer, almost black. It is a little bitter with a chocolaty taste. The most famous stout is Guinness www.guinness.com
a white beer - also called a wiessbier(from the German) it is a white color, a bit cloudy and has a fruity taste. A famous white is Hoegaarden http://www.hoegaarden.com/
There are also lambics, pale ales, red beers, etc. The best microbrew I have had in Japan was in Kagoshima and is called Satsuma Purple(http://wscreen.blog19.fc2.com/blog-entry-443.html) it is made using sweet potatoes and is a purple color~!
When you go to a bar and want a "nama biiru" you should ask for a draft beer. They are usually served in a glass, a pint or a pitcher(4-6 glasses of beer). You might also hear half-pint, 3/4 pint and 1L. Draft beer is served from a tap on a keg (barrel of beer) so if you want to know what kinds of draft beer they have you should ask:
"What do you have on tap?"
The waiter or waitress will then tell you something like:
"Heineken, Guiness and, Asahi"
When I was in Montreal the waitress said:
"Boreale Rousse (red), blanche (white), noire (black) et blonde (lager)."
We were speaking French ^_- You should be careful when ordering white beer on tap in Japan, it is usually about 1000 yen for a pint and often the beer is FLAT. This means that there are no more bubbles in the beer...
Hmm, I guess that is it for now. The next lesson will be about beer idioms!
Phil
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Wedding words...
Last week I was in Montreal to attend my sister's wedding so I decided to write a short lesson about wedding vocabulary~!
So before the wedding day arrives the groom(man getting married) traditionally has a stag party(British English) or bachelor party. This is seen as a man's last night of freedom and usually involves watching adult movies, drinking beer, going to strip clubs to see naked women, etc.
Women usually had a bridal shower which was a much cleaner party with women giving the bride(woman getting married) gifts and having fun. Recently, women are acting more like men and having bachelorette parties. Where women watch adult movies, drinking alcohol, going to strip clubs to see naked men, etc.
Before the wedding ceremony, women usually follow an old tradition to wear "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" which is said to bring the bride good luck.
After the wedding ceremony, there is the wedding RECEPTION which my Japanese students always call the wedding party... but in English wedding party is a combination of the words wedding and the formal word party meaning a group or people. This is like what you will hear at an expensive restaurant from the Maitre D' : "How many in your party?".
At the wedding reception, the bride throws the bouquet to all the unmarried wedding at the reception. The tradition says that the woman who catches the bouquet will be the next one who gets married. After that, the groom usually takes a garter belt from the brides leg and throws it to the waiting men.
Alright, that's it for now have a good week~!
Phil
So before the wedding day arrives the groom(man getting married) traditionally has a stag party(British English) or bachelor party. This is seen as a man's last night of freedom and usually involves watching adult movies, drinking beer, going to strip clubs to see naked women, etc.
Women usually had a bridal shower which was a much cleaner party with women giving the bride(woman getting married) gifts and having fun. Recently, women are acting more like men and having bachelorette parties. Where women watch adult movies, drinking alcohol, going to strip clubs to see naked men, etc.
Before the wedding ceremony, women usually follow an old tradition to wear "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" which is said to bring the bride good luck.
After the wedding ceremony, there is the wedding RECEPTION which my Japanese students always call the wedding party... but in English wedding party is a combination of the words wedding and the formal word party meaning a group or people. This is like what you will hear at an expensive restaurant from the Maitre D' : "How many in your party?".
At the wedding reception, the bride throws the bouquet to all the unmarried wedding at the reception. The tradition says that the woman who catches the bouquet will be the next one who gets married. After that, the groom usually takes a garter belt from the brides leg and throws it to the waiting men.
Alright, that's it for now have a good week~!
Phil
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