The "TH" sound

Hey everyone, here's a quick lesson about the "TH" sound. You make this sound by putting your tongue between your teeth and pulling back. BUT there are two versions:

a VOICED as in, THat, THink THose

and an UNVOICED sound as in, mouTH, baTH, cloTH

Here's a phrase to help you practiced the voiced TH:

Think things through Theo~!

To think through means to think carefully about something and think about the possible consequences of your actions. Meaning if I do A then maybe B will happen...

Here's a phrase to practice the unvoiced TH:

Beth studied math in the bath.

Here's a video to help you out:

Have a good weekend!

Phil

Eh, I'm not too picky...

Hey everyone! It's time for another mini-lesson. Today we'll talk about the word:

PICKY

Do you know this word? It comes from the verb "to pick" meaning "to choose". For example;

Hurry up and pick something so we can all order!

When you add Y to words in English you can make them into casual adjectives.

pick ----> pickY

rock ----> rockY

luck ----> luckY

Picky means you are very particular about your choices. You only want X and nothing else.

A: Here's your salad.

B: Huh, what's this? This isn't arugula!

A: Sorry, I only have romaine lettuce.

B: Well then I'm not eating it, I only eat arugula.

A: Wow, you're really picky.

The most common synonym is choosy. You might also hear finicky or fussy. BUT these are usually used to talk about KIDS!

C: What do you want for dinner?

D: Anything's fine, I'm not picky.

Have a nice week!

Phil

What's he like? What does he like?

Do you know the difference between these two questions?

What's _________ like?

Is asking for a DESCRIPTION, 名状 (めいじょう).

A: What's Bob like?

B: He's a really nice guy.

------------

C: What's Kappazushi like?

D: Oh, it's pretty good and the sushi is cheap!

When we ask What does _________ look like?

We are asking for a physical description.

A: What does Sally look like?

B: She's slim, tall and very pretty.

A: Really?

B: Yeah, and she has long straight blond hair.

But when we ask What does __________ like?

We are asking for a preference, 選好 (せんこう).

A: What does Bob like?

B: He's a foodie, he loves food.

A: Really, what kind of food does he like?

B: He likes all kinds of food, but he really loves French food.

I hope this lesson was clear, have a great week!

Phil

It's time to stock up...

...Happy Valentine's Everyone!

So at this time of year chocolate is on sale and it is a good chance to stock up.

The word stock means inventory, 在庫 (ざいこ). So when something is sold-out it is, out of stock = 売り切れ (うりきれ). Around Valentine's is a good time to stock up on chocolate.

Stock up means that you build up a lot of inventory-you buy many so that you can use them in the future. So whenever I see snacks on sale at a good price I often stock up so that I can enjoy them later ^_^

Ok that is all for today but here is a link to a website where you can study more Valentine's English:

http://cambridgeenglishonline.com/valentines_english/

It's called the Valentine's English Zone, enjoy!

Phil

It's a family heirloom.

Hey everyone, do you know what heirloom means?

In Japanese you'd say, 家宝 (かほう). So like the kanji say it is a family treasure that is passed down from parents to their children as is often kept in the family as long as possible. It could be a watch, a painting, a bracelet, furniture, a book, etc.

Now when you have an heirloom you would often say:

Oh that painting? It's a family heirloom, we've had it for ages.

or

A: Where'd you get that watch? It's really nice.

B: Oh this? I have no idea, it's been in my family for ages. I guess it's kind of like a family heirloom.

For ages means for a really long time. An age is like; an Ice Age, the Stone Age, the Computer age, etc. In Japanese, I guess it is like 時代 (じだい). So for ages means for many ages! I guess it has passed from your great-grandparents(or before) down to you.

I've had this car for ages, I thinks it's time I get a new one.

Now if you want to use a weaker expression you can say for years. This also means for a long time but LESS than for ages.

A: Hey nice tie!

B: Oh this old thing? I've had it for years.

or

We've been coming to this restaurant for years and you STILL don't know our names??

Alright that's it for today, have a nice weekend!

Phil

What's the matter? What's wrong?

Hey everyone, here's another lesson about English usage. Do you know the difference in feeling between:

What's the matter?

and

What's wrong?

They are both really close in meaning. When you see someone who looks a bit angry, sad, crying, etc. you'd probably ask them:

What's wrong? is used when there is something obviously wrong with someone. They are showing signs of a big emotional problem, like crying, screaming, shouting, punching, kicking, etc.

A: waaah, sniff , sniff, waah (crying sounds)

B:Oh, what's wrong little girl?

A: I can't find my Mommy.

B: Do you know your phone number? You can call home on my cell.

As you can see in this example, the girl is crying so "What's wrong?" sounds more natural. "What's the matter?" would be more polite but he's talking to a child so it isn't really necessary.

Don: Damn! Stupid piece of crap!!! (hits his keyboard)

Paul: Hey Don, calm down. What's wrong?

Don: My stupid computer froze AGAIN. I hate windows!!

There's an obvious problem and Don and Paul are friends so, "What's wrong?" sounds better.

"What's the matter?" is more flexible and also more polite. You can use it when someone is crying, screaming, angry, etc. AND when they are simply quiet or don't seem like themselves.

A: You're quiet today. What's the matter?

B: I just got dumped~!

A: Oh, your boyfriend broke up with you? He's a jerk!

So, there was no obvious sign of anything wrong she was just quieter than usual. In the case, it's more natural to me to say "What's the matter?".

I think "What's the matter?" because it is more polite and less direct makes it softer and so more flexible, maybe even kinder. "What's wrong?" is a bit too direct to use with strangers.

A: waah waah sniff sniff waaaah (crying)

B: What's the matter?

A: I lost my cat.

B: It's ok, I'm sure it will come back. Do you want me to help you find it?

A and B don't really seem to know each so "What's the matter?" sounds a bit better.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson, have a good week,

Phil

Bacteria vs. germs

Hey everyone, here's a quick little lesson to start off the month. Do you know what the difference is between bacteria and germs? I am not talking about a detailed difference in the biological sense but about the difference in meaning in casual everyday spoken English...

...GERMS is NEGATIVE, it is used to talk about bad micro-organisms. In Japanese, you might say: 病菌 (びょうきん) or 黴菌 (ばいきん).

I hate germs~! They make us sick.

Oh, if you don't know, organism means a living thing like 有機体 (ゆうきたい) or 生き物 (いきもの). Probably it is closer in meaning to "yuukitai". A micro-organism is simply a very very small living thing.

BACTERIA on the other hand is more neutral, it could be bad or good.

I eat a special yogurt to give my stomach some good bacteria to help with my digestion.

I always use anti-bacterial cleaning products, I hate bacteria like salmonella!

Bacteria in Japanese is of course, バクテリア.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson, I will try and post a new one soon!

Phil