A few weeks ago, I had a student who asked me about the difference between:
Play with
and
Play
So, I thought I would explain it here on my blog too.
Play with is used with things/people.
I am playing with my dog.
Go and play with your friends.
Don't play with fire!
Play with fire is also an idiom which means you are playing with something dangerous.
A: Did you hear that Tina is dating John to make Ben jealous?
B: What?! She's playing with fire!
A: I know, I think it won't end well.
Play is used with games. It isn't used with people.
Let's play monopoly!
I played video games yesterday
Do you know how to play baseball?
For more about play please read this earlier post:
http://phils-english.blogspot.com/2008/05/silly-rabbit-play-is-for-kids.html
Have a nice Sunday,
Phil
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Can you break a fifty?
Hey everyone, sometimes when you're in North America, you have a big bill like a 50$ or a 100$bill and if you go to a small shop or convenience store you might want to ask them:
Can you break a fifty?
meaning
Do you have change for a 50$ bill?
Many small shops often have limited change so you will see a sign on the cash register that says they don't accept 100$ bills. Shopkeepers will get angry when you want to break a large bill and you buy a 1$ pack of gum. They might even refuse your purchase! So it is a good idea to politely ask them first:
Can you break a hundred?
Have a great weekend,
Phil
Can you break a fifty?
meaning
Do you have change for a 50$ bill?
Many small shops often have limited change so you will see a sign on the cash register that says they don't accept 100$ bills. Shopkeepers will get angry when you want to break a large bill and you buy a 1$ pack of gum. They might even refuse your purchase! So it is a good idea to politely ask them first:
Can you break a hundred?
Have a great weekend,
Phil
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
uncle vs. ankle
Hey everyone, today we have a really short lesson about the different between:
a
and
u
When we say a, as in ankle or anchor, it is with our mouth wide open and the sound made towards the nose. It is a high pitched sound.
When we say u, as in uncle or umbrella, it is with our mouth slightly open and the sound is made in the throat. It is a lower pitched sound.
I found this cool drawing that animators use when making cartoons which can give you an idea of how to pronounce the vowel sounds:
You can use this sentence to practice the difference between the a and u sounds:
My uncle hurt his ankle.
Have a nice week,
Phil
P.S. I got that picture from a post "How to use cartoons to practice English Pronunciation" from here: www.englishcafe.com/blog/How-use-cartoons-practice-English-pronunciation-8340
a
and
u
When we say a, as in ankle or anchor, it is with our mouth wide open and the sound made towards the nose. It is a high pitched sound.
When we say u, as in uncle or umbrella, it is with our mouth slightly open and the sound is made in the throat. It is a lower pitched sound.
I found this cool drawing that animators use when making cartoons which can give you an idea of how to pronounce the vowel sounds:
You can use this sentence to practice the difference between the a and u sounds:
My uncle hurt his ankle.
Have a nice week,
Phil
P.S. I got that picture from a post "How to use cartoons to practice English Pronunciation" from here: www.englishcafe.com/blog/How-use-cartoons-practice-English-pronunciation-8340
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Who cut the cheese?
Hey everyone, I was teaching an English lesson about cooking and it specified you should use the verb slice with the noun cheese.
This is because cut the cheese is an idiom in kid's English!
It means to fart. 放屁 (ほうひ)
So when someone says:
I am cutting the cheese.
Native speakers immediately think:
I am farting.
And will laugh or giggle.
The most common usage of this idiom among kids is the question:
Who cut the cheese?
meaning
Who farted?
Have a nice Sunday, I hope you enjoyed this funny little lesson,
Phil
This is because cut the cheese is an idiom in kid's English!
It means to fart. 放屁 (ほうひ)
So when someone says:
I am cutting the cheese.
Native speakers immediately think:
I am farting.
And will laugh or giggle.
The most common usage of this idiom among kids is the question:
Who cut the cheese?
meaning
Who farted?
Have a nice Sunday, I hope you enjoyed this funny little lesson,
Phil
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
ことはない
Do you know how to say ことはない in English?
The translations I've heard are:
there's no reason not to
which sounds very formal in a more casual sense you could say:
it wouldn't hurt to
For example:
Ah there's Tom, I'm a bit busy but it wouldn't hurt to say hello.
ああ あそこはTOMです。今忙しいけどHELLOと言うことはないかな。
I am not too sure about my Japanese translation but the general feeling and usage of ことはない matches it wouldn't hurt to.
It is often used when talking to yourself (as in the example) or when making suggestions.
A: I think that shop's a bit expensive for me.
B: Well, it wouldn't hurt to take a look.
A: Yeah... who knows maybe there's a sale.
B: True... let's go take a look.
Have a nice week,
Phil
The translations I've heard are:
there's no reason not to
which sounds very formal in a more casual sense you could say:
it wouldn't hurt to
For example:
Ah there's Tom, I'm a bit busy but it wouldn't hurt to say hello.
ああ あそこはTOMです。今忙しいけどHELLOと言うことはないかな。
I am not too sure about my Japanese translation but the general feeling and usage of ことはない matches it wouldn't hurt to.
It is often used when talking to yourself (as in the example) or when making suggestions.
A: I think that shop's a bit expensive for me.
B: Well, it wouldn't hurt to take a look.
A: Yeah... who knows maybe there's a sale.
B: True... let's go take a look.
Have a nice week,
Phil
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Happy New Year!
Hey everyone, sorry about the long break between lessons but I went abroad for my winter vacation and just got back. I thought I had set up a lesson to post automatically but I guess I forgot. Sorry about that!
Anyways, today I will just go over different ways you can wish someone a Happy New Year. These can be used in conversation, on nengajo (New Year's postcards), Christmas cards, etc.
Happy New Year!
Have a Happy New Year!
Wishing you a Happy New Year!
(Wishing you) All the best in 2012!
I hope you have a great year! or
I hope you have a great 2012!
Wishing you lots of love/health/wealth in the new year!
As you can see there are many different things you can say but generally, we just want to wish people luck, health, wealth and happiness in the new year. You can mention one of them or all of them. In casual English, you can also drop "Wishing you" or "I hope you" as they are implied.
Have a great 2012 people~!
Phil
Anyways, today I will just go over different ways you can wish someone a Happy New Year. These can be used in conversation, on nengajo (New Year's postcards), Christmas cards, etc.
Happy New Year!
Have a Happy New Year!
Wishing you a Happy New Year!
(Wishing you) All the best in 2012!
I hope you have a great year! or
I hope you have a great 2012!
Wishing you lots of love/health/wealth in the new year!
As you can see there are many different things you can say but generally, we just want to wish people luck, health, wealth and happiness in the new year. You can mention one of them or all of them. In casual English, you can also drop "Wishing you" or "I hope you" as they are implied.
Have a great 2012 people~!
Phil
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