Typical.

Hey everyone, today we'll look at a casual usage of the word typical. This is an adjective that means regular, usual, standard, average, etc. It basically means that something matches a particular group or type.

A: What do you do on a typical day at work?

B: I prepare lessons, talk to students and teach classes.

It can be used as the adverb typically.

Typically Japanese houses are rebuilt every 30 years.

Now the usage of typical I want to look at today is casual English. It acts as a kind of negative さすが. It's used when someone does something wrong or bad but that person often does that kind of thing. So it's their typical behavior.

She cancelled your date at the last minute again? Typical.

Student: I forgot to do my homework.

Teacher: Typical. You'll have to stay after school today.

You're husband was out late with co-workers, that's so typical of him!

As you can see it is regularly, or typically, used as a one wonder answer when someone shares information.

Kenta: The JR Tokaido line is delayed again today.

Yuko: Typical.


Gerry: My boss was in a bad mood again today.

Sam: Typical.

Gerry: Yeah, I think his wife yelled at him again for coming home so late.

You can find the Japanese definition on weblio here. The examples we've been looking at are under 2b:

【叙述的用法の形容詞】 〔+of+(代)名〕〔…の〕特徴を示して.

用例

It's typical of him to forget to bring a present. プレゼントを持ってくるのを忘れるとはいかにも彼らしい.

But as I said, when used in this way it is generally, or typically, used to describe a NEGATIVE behavior.

Have a nice week,

Phil

We go way back...

This weekend one of my ex-students & good friends came into town for a visit so I thought I'd introduce a few expressions you can use in casual English to say that you've known someone for a long time.

We go way back.

You often use this when introducing an old friend or someone you've known for a very long time.

Alice: Kay,I had no idea you knew Jerry.

Kay: Yeah, we go way back but I haven't seen him in years. We kind of lost touch.

To lose touch with someone is when you lose contact with them & don't know what they are doing anymore...

Another way of saying the same thing:

We go back a long way.

Fred: How long have you been friends with Jack.

Jim: Jack? Oh, we go back a long way... maybe 15-20 years.

Fred: Wow, that's a long time!

Have a great week,

Phil

Some words are older than they appear...

This is a great article about many slang words which are much older than most people think.

Check it out:

http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/51857/16-words-are-much-older-they-seem

Enjoy,

Phil

When I was a kid...

...I always used to play using my imagination. It was great!

Today we are looking at the word:

kid

This word has a few meanings.

The original meaning is a baby goat!

Wow, what a cute mama goat & kid!

These gloves are many of the finest kid skin.

These days most people don't use this meaning as most people aren't farmers anymore.

The most common usage in North American English is as the casual word for child.

Saying "When I was a child" sounds very formal and old fashioned to people in Canada & the US. Instead, we say "When I was a kid".

Did you see that kid break the window?

Do you want to have kids?

Kids often get into trouble.

When I was a kid, I loved Star Wars!

I'm not a kid anymore, I'm 19!

He's just a kid, he can't play with us.

That's my kid brother.

The last two are a related meaning that says someone is younger than yourself.

The last major meaning of kid is as a verb: to kid. This means to joke, to pull someone's leg, to try and trick someone, to tease.

No kidding, Tom got married again?
meaning really, you're not trying to trick me

I was just kidding.
meaning I was just joking.

Stop kidding around this is serious!
meaning stop making jokes

My Dad likes to kid around.
meaning my Dad likes to make jokes & trick people

Are you kidding? No way!

The last one can be used to ask someone "Really?" when they tell you something incredible or add me at the end to express frustration when something unbelievable happens.

Are you kidding me? Someone dented my car! Again!

Are you kidding me? The train is late again!?

Have a nice week,

Phil

You're robbing the cradle!

Hey everyone do you understand what that idiom means? It is North American English. We use it  when someone is dating someone much younger than them. A cradle is a baby's bed!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cradle_2_(PSF).png

So someone who is robbing the cradle is stealing a baby from their bed, it is a bit of a joking/teasing expression used between friends.

 Anthony is robbing the cradle! His new girlfriend is 20 years younger than him!

It can also be used as a noun: a cradle-robber.

Pat: Tim's a real cradle-robber, he's always dating much younger women. When he was 25 he dated a 15 year old!

Sheila: Ewww, gross.

That expression can be used for both men & women who date people much younger than them. A fairly new expression is: a cougar. This refers to a woman who dates much younger guys, usually for their bodies.

Harry likes to go to cougar bars, he loves older women.

Shannon's a real cougar, she's always hitting on young guys since her divorce.

Have a nice week,

Phil

He has a big mouth!

Today we will look at two similar idioms. The first is:

to have a big mouth

This has two meanings, the first is that someone can't keep a secret.

Bill: John, tell me what happened.

John: No way, you have a big mouth!

Bill: I swear, I can keep a secret.

John: No, everyone knows you love to gossip!

The second meaning is that you speak when you shouldn't, you don't know when to keep your mouth shut.

Tom: Terry has a big mouth!

Helen: Huh? What are you talking about?

Tom: I was talking to our boss about our project and she interrupted him to attack the project!

Helen: What?! Really?

Tom: Yeah, now the boss is rethinking it. That's 2 months of work down the drain...

The second idiom we will look at is:

to be a blabbermouth

This also means someone can't keep a secret. It doesn't have any other meanings.

Chris: Ted's a real blabbermouth.

Pat: Why do you say that?

Chris: Every time I tell him something private, the next day everyone in the office is talking about it!

So if you know someone that can't keep a secret you now have two ways to describe them! But remember these expressions are pretty negative so be careful.

Have a nice week,

Phil 
  

 

must, have to, got to

Today we'll talk about things that you are obligated to do. You have no choice, you are required to do it. In those situations you can use the following verbs:

Must

This is very formal sounding and isn't really used in casual conversation.

I'm terribly sorry but I must be going.

Have to

This is a fairly standard verb used to talk about obligations.

I'm sorry but I have to go.

In more casual English you would say hafta.

I'm sorry but I hafta go.

I hafta clean my room, it's a real mess right now.

In the past tense, to talk about things you were obliged to do before, use had to.

I had to wear a uniform in high school.

If you want to sound more casual use had TA.

I had TA do my homework when I was a kid or I'd get in trouble.

Got to

Another verb with exactly the same meaning is got to.

I'm sorry but I got to go.

I got to work hard to realize my dreams.

In casual English, we say godda.

I godda call my Mom, it's her birthday today!

I think got to sounds slightly more friendly/casual than have to. It is also only used to talk about current obligations NOT things you had to do in the past.

Well, I godda go. I hafta get ready for work.

See you,

Phil

She's got you wrapped around her little finger!

Have you guys ever heard that expression before? It is usually used to describe people dating when one controls the other.

Al: Tom, why did you cut your hair???

Tom: Oh, Lacy likes it better like this.

Al: Did she ask you to cut it?

Tom: No, but she said she'd like to see me with short hair.

Al: And you just cut your hair after growing it long for 6 years?!?! She really has you wrapped around her little finger!

According to thefreedictionary.com it means to manipulate or control someone. It means you are able to make someone do anything you want usually because they like you so much.

 You can find it on weblio here.

We usually use this to talk about other people, often to comment negatively on a relationship. Sometimes you might hear someone use it to talk about themselves but this sounds mean.

Don: Sam, did you go get the papers from the printers?

Sam: Not yet, I'll get Mary to do it.

Don: But you're supposed to do it.

Sam: Yeah, but she'll be happy to help me. She likes me.

Don: But you're not interested in her, you shouldn't lead her on.

Sam: He he he, yeah I've got her wrapped around my little finger.

Don: Seriously, don't be a jerk. You shouldn't manipulate people like that.    

To lead someone on means to make them think you are interested in dating them but you aren't.

After leading him on for a year, she finally told him she would never date him.  

 Hope you had a Happy New Year!

Phil 

We all need to chip in and lend a hand!

Hey everyone, today we will look at the meaning of the phrasal verb:

chip in

It has three meanings. The first is to work together.

Ed: How were you able to get this party ready in just a day?

Fred: We all chipped in and did our best.

Ed: That's great.

The second meaning is related, it means to help pay for something together.

Paul: Wow guys, a new computer! You shouldn't have!

Friends: Well, we all chipped in.

Paul: Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.

It is a great way to buy a really special gift for someone. Individually, you don't want to spend so much but together you can afford a fantastic present!

It is also useful when asking people to help pay for something.

Hey guys, it's almost closing time. I'll go get more beer if you all chip in.

I'll give you a ride to Tokyo if you chip in on gas.

The third meaning is to interrupt with a comment.

During my presentation this guy kept chipping in with stupid comments. It was really annoying...

If you have any questions or comments feel free to chip in with your two cents.

Someone's two cents, means their opinion. 

Any questions? 

Phil

kind of = sort of

Today I was reminded once again that most textbooks don't teach sort of. This has the same meaning as kind of. I feel it is more casual and maybe using it makes you sound a bit young. Plus, I feel it is probably a dialectical difference.

I mean depending on where the speaker is from they will be more likely to use kind of or more likely to use sort of. This is kind of like the difference between 超　（ちょう）　and　めちゃ. People in Osaka tend to use mecha and people in Tokyo tend to use cho but they mean the exact same thing!

That's why I think it is important to know both expressions as you will often hear them in different TV shows or movies. Anyways, here's a lesson I wrote a few years ago explaining sort of and kind of!

I just did some quick research and apparently kind of is preferred in American English and sort of is preferred in British English. Being from Canada I guess that is why it seems natural to me to use both!

The study focuses on modern British English and also states that kind of seems to be preferred in written English and sort of in spoken English. Maybe that's why most textbooks seem to focus on kind of... I think it is a really interesting study with lots of tips about usage of these two expressions in British English. You can find it HERE.

------------------------------------------------
Kind of, Sort of posted October 27th, 2010

Hey everyone, today I am just writing a quick lesson while taking a break from studying Japanese. In all the textbooks I've taught, they always teach:

KIND OF

which is a very useful expression. It has two main meanings:

- a type of thing

- a little bit, somewhat

That store sells many types of furniture.

means

That stores sells many kinds of furniture.

When you use type of it sounds a bit more formal/educated/business like and kind of sounds more casual/friendly. Also, the pronunciation of kind of changes pretty easily:

kind of ------> kindov ---->kinda

When you want to specify more than one kind of use kinds of. Which is pronunced:

kinds of -----> kinzov ----> kinza

Kinda and kinza are pronunced with a bit of a rising intonation on the a.

The second meaning of kind of is somewhat or a little bit, it is similar to め in Japanese:

柔らかい　－－－－＞　柔らかめ

Yawarakai (soft) becomes Yawarakame(kind of soft).

Now, most textbooks don't teach the even more casual form which has the exact SAME MEANING as kind of which is SORT OF.

The pronunciation of sort of is:

sort of -----> sordov -----> sorda

Again with a rising intonation on the a.

I'm somewhat hungry.

I'm a bit hungry.

I'm kind of hungry.

I'm sort of hungry.

So somewhat is the MOST formal and sort of is the LEAST formal. Remember, by saying sorda or kinda you will make it even more casual~! But all of these sentences have the same general meaning. ^_^

Have a good day,

Phil

Ummm... I'm stumped.

Hey everybody, have you heard this expression before?

According to thefreedictionary.com it means "to be at a loss, to baffle". It basically means that you don't know the answer to something, you are puzzled or confused...

It's either used as an adjective:

stumped

Tom's stumped. He has no idea what the answer is~!

or as a verb:

to stump someone

I learned a new riddle and hopefully I'm gonna stump the teacher!

OK, you stumped me. What's the answer?

You will often hear people use this when they are giving up figuring out a problem on their own and want some help.

Ally: I'm stumped.

Bill: Oh, what's wrong?

Ally: I can't figure out the problem with our new program.

Bill: Let me take a look. Together, I think we can figure it out.

Ally: Thanks Bill.

Have nice night,

Phil

This is a stick up~!

Today, we are looking at phrasal verbs and expressions using the verb "to stick". The first one we are looking at is:

a stick up

This is a robbery. Someone comes into a bank or shop and yells "This is a stick up" and all the people there stick their hands up in the air.

to stick with ( X )

This means that you will stay on the same team as someone. You won't leave them.

I tried Coke but I think I'll stick with Pepsi.

Meaning, I am a Pepsi drinker and I tried coca-cola but I won't change brands. I will continue to drink Pepsi.

We have to split up. Tom you stick with me. Jed go with Paul.

to stick up for ( X )

This means that you will stand up for someone. You will take their side and defend them.

When I was young I always stuck up for my brother.

You should stick up for yourself. You shouldn't let people push you around.

to stick around

This means that you will stay in the same place. You won't leave.

Al: Ted you should stick around till Jill shows up. You'll like her.

Ted: I can't stick around anymore or I'm gonna miss my train.

Al: Don't leave yet. Stick around just a bit more.

Ted: OK, I'll stick around for 10 more minutes.


 Have a good week,

Phil

You don't have to rub it in!!!

Hey guys sorry for not posting more but I am on vacation and not really in the mood to blog about English which is my job!

Do you understand this lesson's title? It comes from an expression: rubbing salt into an open wound. This actually disinfects the wound but is EXTREMELY painful. The expression has been shortened to "to rub (something) in" it means that someone repeats many times something negative to make themselves feel good and you feel bad.

John: I hear Tara broke up with you.

Ben: Yeah, it sucks.

John: I told you she would, she was no good for you.

Ben: Yeah, you warned me.

John: Yup, she wasn't the girl for you. I heard she's dating Ted now.

Ben: Ok, ok, quit rubbing it in!

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

Ben: John's a real jerk sometimes.

Sara: Why do you say that?

Ben: Whenever he's right, he likes to gloat. He always rubs it in.

Sara: Yeah, that's true.

To gloat means to express or feel a great sense of pleasure or satisfaction usually because you won or you are right. It has a negative meaning!

Winners who gloat are jerks.

That guy is always gloating whenever he's right. He loves rubbing it in!

So you can see that the usage of "rub (something) in" is when someone is bothering you by telling something true but that you don't want to hear or be reminded of. Usually we say "Stop rubbing it in!" the it referring to what the other person said or did.

A: We won! In your face suckahs!

B: Good game...

A: You guys SUCK!

B: Um, yeah, you beat us.

A: Hahaha we're number 1, we're number 1!!!

B: Ever heard of sportsmanship??? It's not nice to rub it in...


Any questions?

Phil

I'm dead tired...

Hey guys, I am now back in my hometown after a grueling trip that took over a day! Grueling means physically or mentally demanding to the point of exhaustion. The trip was fine and I even got upgraded to business class but traveling internationally these days is such a hassle with all the lines (security, immigration customs), paperwork and flight delays.

Anyways, right now I am feeling jet lagged (jisa boke in Japanese) and exhausted from my trip but happy to be back. So, today we will look at the casual English expression:

to be dead tired

It simply means that you are super tired, you are exhausted, you don't have any energy left to do anything.

Tracy: Sam ya wanna go out dancing?

Sam: Nah, I'm dead tired. I was helping out at my Uncle's farm all day.

Tracy: Wow, sounds exhausting. How about we go to a day spa and relax?

Sam: That sounds nice, but... how about tomorrow? I think if I go today, I'll fall asleep in the hot tub!

Tracy: OK, get some rest and see you tomorrow!

Any questions?

Phil

Are you a slob?

Hey everyone, have you heard the casual English noun a slob before? It means someone who is VERY MESSY, they often have food stains on their clothes, their rooms have garbage everywhere, etc. I think it might be similar to the Japanese: ふしだらな人.


A: I had to break up with Paul.


B: Really? Why? He was such a good guy.


A: Yeah, but he was a total slob! His apartment was really gross.


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


Hal: Jill, you have to stop being such a slob at work!


Jill: Huh? What do you mean?


Hal: People are starting to complain about all the empty take-out containers all over your desk and your overflowing trash can.


Jill: Oh, uh... sorry. I'll try to clean up more often.


So,


Are you a slob?


Phil

Where's Tom? He was a no show.

Here's a quick Sunday lesson. Do you understand this lesson's title? Well you will soon~!


We're looking at the expression:

no show

It means that someone didn't show up, they didn't come. The structure is:

to be + no show

For example:

Sally's been really busy lately, I hope she won't be a no show at the party...

Harry: Where's Sue?

Terry: Sue's a no show man, she just texted me to let me know.

Harry: Really? That sucks man.


To text means to send someone a short written message to their cellphone usually from your cellphone.

Have a good night,

Phil

It's on me.

Today we will look at the expressions my treat and it's on me. These have the same meaning, I will pay. I briefly talked about treat in an earlier lesson. 

When people go out for drinks they often buy rounds. This means that each person takes a turn paying for a round of drinks (everyone's drink).

Ted: Whose round is it?

Bill: I think it's Tom's.

Tom: Ok, the next round's on me but then it's Bill's turn! You always try to leave before buying your round!

Bill: Ok, I promise to get the next round.

 People often offer to pay so that someone will accept an invitation.

John: Hey Jill, wanna go to the car show on Saturday?

Jill: Car show? That's not really my thing...

John: C'mon it'll be fun! My treat.

C'mon = come on

Jill: Your treat? Sure, it could be fun.

Any questions? Have a good week!


Phil


  

You and me both buddy~!

Have you ever heard anyone say this before? I used it last week and my wife asked me what I meant so I decided to explain it to everyone online. It is similar to ME TOO. 

We use it when we want to show we share an opinion or thought. Mostly, it is used to express shared desires or regrets ESPECIALLY when the situation is unlikely to happen, it's just a dream... so it has a kind of rough feeling implying that it will never happen.

Andy:  I wish she wasn't marrying that jerk.
Bill: You and me both!

---------


Dan: Did you see that Ferrari? I want a car like that someday...
Helen: You and me both.


---------


Pat: I want to go to Oktoberfest.
Jim: You and me both!


Have a good Sunday,


Phil

buzzkill? killjoy?

Do you guys know these words? They are both nouns and have similar meanings.

Buzzkill

A buzz, is when you are a bit drunk or on drugs and feel nice, happy and comfortable. So a buzzkill, is when something or someone kills your buzz. Basically, it ruins your mood.

Oh no! Ben's coming to the party? He's a total buzzkill.

I was having a great night out with my buddies when my wife called my cell. It was a major buzzkill.

 Killjoy

This is basically the same as buzzkill. It is something or someone who kills your joy.

My science teacher is a real killjoy, he never let's us have fun in class.

What a bunch of killjoys~! I can't believe the cops made us cancel our party...

Have a great weekend,


Phil

What do you do when you wanna veg out?

Have you ever heard the expression:

to veg out

Veg comes from the word vegetable. So, it is pronounced veh-ju. It is used as a phrasal verb with out to mean to act like a vegetable. To sit and relax without moving.

I like vegging out in front of the TV.

That guy is such a stoner, he's always vegging out smoking weed and listening to Pink Floyd.

A stoner is someone who smokes a lot of marijuana. Weed is another word for marijuana.

Pink Floyd is a band popular with stoners. Here's the video Comfortably Numb for you guys to veg out to!



Ok time for me to continue my Sunday night vegging out watching movies...

See you!

Phil