He claims he works for Mr. Smith...

Hey everyone, today we're going to look at the difference between these two sentences:

He says it was an accident.

He claims it was an accident.

Do you know the difference in meaning between the two???

Don't worry you will! So when we report speech we can either use SAY or CLAIM.

Say is a neutral verb, and we use it to just report the information someone told us. It doesn't carry any sort of judgement of the information.

She said that she didn't break the vase.

Claim is used when we want to imply that we DON'T BELIEVE the speaker. We are highly skeptical about what we're told.

She claimed that she didn't break the vase. (but I don't believe her)

Any questions?

Phil

Is it your first trip to...?

Hey everyone, it is almost summer vacation time so let's look at a few useful phrases:

Is it your first trip to (country name)?

We use this phrase most often BEFORE we go on a trip.

A: Is it your first trip to Australia?

B: Yes, it is but I've wanted to go for a long time!

A: Well, have fun. I wish I could go with you...

REMEMBER ~to + specific place! So you can't say

Are you going to home? X INCORRECT

Are you going to abroad? X INCORRECT

Instead say:

Are you going home? O CORRECT

Are you going abroad? O CORRECT

I think people get mixed up because you can also say:

Are you going to go home? O CORRECT

Are you going to go abroad? O CORRECT

BUT here going to = gonna with the verb go and home/abroad DON'T follow to!

Is it/this your first time in (country name)?

We use this when you are IN the country. We often use it when talking to tourists or people from out of town. So it is most often used DURING YOUR VISIT.

Local: Is this your first time in London?

Tourist: Yeah, it is. So far I'm having a great time!

Local: Be sure not to miss the British Museum and the Tate Modern.

Tourist: Thanks for the tip!

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

Friend: Is it your first time in Japan?

Out-of-towner: Yeah, it is. People are so helpful here.

Friend: I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Thanks for visiting, I was a bit homesick.

Out-of-towner: No problem! Here's some food from home.

Friend: Wow, thanks! I really missed Mac n' cheese!

Any questions? Enjoy this rainy Monday!

Phil

How was it? How is it?

Ok so for today's lesson we will look at two useful sentences:

How is it?

pronounced

How izzit?

This question is used to ask about current events, most often when trying food.

For example:

A: Here, try my cake. I baked it this morning

B: Ok, sure. It looks great. (takes a bite)

A: How is it?

B: Wow~! It's delicious! Can I have the recipe?

How was it?

pronounced

How wazzit?

This is a much more useful phrase. We use it all the time to talk about past experiences.

Bob: I went to Australia.

Dan: Really? How was it?

Bob: The weather was great and the people were really friendly.

----------

Tracy: I saw the movie Thor last week.

Fred: How was it?

Tracy: It was good but I was expecting more. X-Men: First Class was better.

----------

Hank: I finally tried that new sushi place.

Mel: I've been dying to try it! How was it?

Hank: It was pretty good but a bit expensive.

Mel: Is it worth checking out?

Hank: Yeah, I think so.

Ok that's enough for today, if you have any questions leave me a comment!

Phil

Idiom app

Hey everyone, I just came accross this app (in Japanese you say appli - which is short for application) to help people learn English idioms and it is currently free~!

It is called Idiom Attack with 300 idioms in 25 chapters. It looks good so why don't you check it out?

http://itunes.apple.com/app/idiom-attack-japanese-edition/id409791811?mt=8

Phil

I'll think about it....

Hi everyone, it's time for another cultural miscommunication's lesson~!

When someone says:

I'll think about it.

It often means:

No.

When someone you are dating says:

We need to talk.

It usually means, there's bad news... for example:

I'm gonna break up with you.

BUT sometimes it can be good news~!

We need to talk... ...I'm pregnant!

Well, that example could be good or bad news depending on your point of view ^_-

These examples are a kind of code that is culturally based, you hear them all the time in movies and TV shows. People react not based on the words that are said but on their hidden meaning!

For example, in the 1950s this was a common scene:

Tom: Hey, Sally wanna go out with me on Friday night?

Sally: Sorry, I'm busy. I'm washing my hair.

Tom: Oh, ok... -_-

The subtext here is that:

I'm washing my hair = I am not interested in you/I don't want to date you.

Have a nice rainy day,

Phil

ねちょっと聞いて。

Phil: Guess what?

Students: What?

Phil : I'm gonna write 6-7 lessons this month!

So "ねちょっと聞いて" literally means "Hey, listen a bit" but in English we say "Guess What?".

The answer is always "What?" after which the person usually tells you his big news.

For example:

A: Guess what?

B: What?

A: I'm getting married~!

B: Wow, congratulations!

But sometimes people say:

A: Guess what?

B: What?

A: Go on guess!

B: Umm, You're new girlfriend is an alien?

A: No, come on make a serious guess!

B: Huh, I don't know. I give up.

A: I won a trip to Italy!

B: Wow, great!

So the next time someone asks you "Guess what?" remember to reply "What?"!

Have a great weekend,

Phil