Since when've you been working there? vs. How long've you been working there?

Hey guys, here's a quick lesson looking at two very similar grammar structures that have slightly different meanings & usages.

How long've you had a dog?

This question has a NEUTRAL tone you're simply asking for the length of time someone has had a dog.

(small talk)
Al: I see your smartphone's home screen is a dog. Are you a dog person?

Bell: Yeah, I love dogs. Actually, that's a photo of my dog.

Al: What's your dog's name?

Bell: Terrence.

Al: How long've you had a dog?

Bell: I've had dogs since I was a kid, but I've had Terrence for 2 years.

One thing to note is that have is often contracted into 've which is pronounced like of. In casual North American English, the of or ou sound is often replaced with a. So you might hear this:

How long-a ya been married?

Now let's look at the structure that starts with since:

Since when've you had a dog?

This expression is asking the same thing, the length of time you've had a dog BUT it is expressing SURPRISE. The speaker thought you didn't have a dog so is surprised to see you with a dog.

(walking in the park Ken sees Mark)
Ken: Hey Mark, since when've you had a dog?

Mark: He's not mine, I borrowed him from a friend. Terrence here's a real chick magnet.

Ken: Really? He's kind of ugly.

Mark: Naw, he's a cute kind of ugly women really like him.

Ken: So meet any cute girls today with Terrence?

Mark: Yeah, I got 2 phone numbers already!

You could also use it if you visit your friend's house and they suddenly have a dog there. You want to ask them where did this dog come from? I didn't think you had a dog...

(barking sounds through the door)
Hal: Come in.

Glen: What? Since when've you had a dog Hal???

Hal: I don't, I'm just dogsitting for my sister.

Have a good week,

Phil

At Christmas? On Christmas? For Christmas? During Christmas? Over Christmas?

Hey everyone, the holiday season is coming up so I thought I'd revisit prepositions and their slight variations in meaning. 

during Christmas

This isn't used so often in North American English but the expression is talking about during Christmas vacation or during the Christmas holidays/season. Actually, it is rare to hear during Christmas being used on it's own it will usually be followed by another word such as season/holidays/vacation and is usually preceeded by THE.

I love the all the decorations during the Christmas season.

Where did you go during (the) Christmas vacation?

He's always in a good mood during the Christmas holidays.

A similar expression is over Christmas which is used with holidays or vacation.

What did you do over the Christmas holidays?

I stayed home & relaxed over (the) Christmas vacation?

for Christmas

For is used to indicate a PURPOSE, GOAL or REASON. It's not used to talk about time.

This is for you.

I got this for my birthday.

So for Christmas is talking about the reason you did something.

Dan: What are you doing for Christmas?

Alice: Well, I have to work so we'll have a special dinner on December 22nd. How about you?

Dan: For Christmas I'm putting up a ton of decorations & lights before going skiing in Switzerland!

On Christmas

On is used to indicate a specific DAY so if someone says "on Christmas" they're talking about December 25th only.

On Christmas, I always eat a big dinner.

I loved opening presents on Christmas morning when I was a kid.

At Christmas

At is used to indicate a specific time(noon, midnight, 1PM, etc.), in this case it is a time of year. It has a similar meaning to during the Christmas season.

People tend to tip more at Christmas.

I love it when it's snowy at Christmas.

At Christmas time, I always try & drink Christmas beer or eggnog!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Phil

A few vs few What's the difference?

Way back in 2009 I did a lesson about countable & uncountable nouns today we're gonna look into the difference between a few & few. Both of these are used with countable nouns. HOWEVER, they have a different emphasis.

a few

This is POSITIVE you are stressing that you don't have a lot but you're happy you have a small amount of something.

I'm happy I have a few good friends like you guys.

Do you have a few minutes? I'd like to ask you a question.

On Thanksgiving, when I went to the supermarkets they had a few cans of cranberries left! I got lucky!

Pick up a few beers on your way home.

few

This is NEGATIVE, you're stressing that you're unhappy with how little you have of something.

I have few friends in Kyoto, it sucks.

Few people came to my birthday party, it was a real disappointment.

I got few presents last Christmas.

It's important to note that this usage sounds a bit old fashioned. Nowadays, people are more like to just use a negative sentence.

I don't have many friends in Kyoto, it sucks.

Not many people came to my birthday party, it was really disappointing.

I didn't get many presents last Christmas.

Now if you want to make similar sentences for UNCOUNTABLE nouns use a little and little.

a little

Yeah, I have a little time right now so we can talk if you like.

I had a little extra money left over at the end of the month so I was happy.

Can I have a little water?

little

Hurry up! There's little time left before the dealine.

After finishing our Christmas shopping we had little money left.

A beach with little sand isn't so nice.

Again just like few, little also sounds old fashioned. Any questions?

Phil

On TV vs On a TV

Here's a quick lesson on the importance of properly using a.

If you say:

I was on TV.

This means that you appeared on TV. You were on a TV show.

http://www.goodenoughmother.com/2013/08/good-enough-mother-tv-alert-rene-on-today-and-the-bill-cunningham-show/

My mother is on TV all the time, she works for a news show.


I am on A TV.

This means that you are standing on top of a TV~! Of course now that we have flatscreen TVs it is harder to do...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brennapercyphotos/4176678287/

Hey get down~! Standing on a TV is dangerous!

Of course, usually we talk about the TV set in our own homes so in that case we usually use THE TV. Because we are talking about one specific TV.

The cat is sleeping on top of the TV again.

Don't put heaving things on the TV.

Grant: Where's the remote?

Ned: I think it's next to the TV.

Any questions?

Phil

familiar to vs. familiar with

For the first lesson this month, I am going to look at the difference between familiar to and familiar with. These two expressions have almost identical meanings only what you are emphasizing is different. They are both saying that someone has knowledge about something, they know about it.

familiar to -------->

This means that the person after familiar to knows about something.

topic + familiar to + person

I'm sorry you're name isn't familiar to me, have we met?

Magic: The Gathering is really familiar to me, I used to play it in high school.

<-----familiar b="" with="">

This means that the person BEFORE familiar with knows about what comes AFTER.

person + familiar with + topic

Are you familiar with computers?

I'm familiar with the Korean writing system, I used to live in Seoul.

She's familiar with unarmed combat, she's done judo since she was 5.

Have a good week,

Phil

Other than vs except

Hey everyone, for my last lesson of the month I'd like to talk about something that non-native english speakers often mix up: other than and except.

These have really similar meanings but t heir usage is slightly different.

Other than

This is the same as in Japanese, ほかに, it is used at the start of the sentence to exclude the next thing you mention.

Other than chocolate, what sweets do you like?
(What other sweets do you like(not including chocolate)?)

I know you've been to Seoul so... other than Seoul where have you been in Korea?

Other than that, how was your trip?

Except

This is used at the middle of end of sentences, it is usually used with LISTS.

I like all kinds of chocolate except white chocolate, I hate it.

He loves playing sports, except he doesn't play winter sports. He dislikes the cold.

I am usually free on weeknights except on Thursdays...

You can choose anything on the menu except the lobster.

Have a good week,

Phil

sometime vs. sometimes

Hey guys, do you know the difference between the two?

Sometime in Japanese would be いつか meaning someday or at some unknown point in the future.

Give me a call sometime.

I want to check out that new bar sometime.

If you're in the neighborhood sometime, drop by.

It is usually used to talk about the relatively near future. If you want to talk about something that is a dream of yours you'd like to do at some point but probably can't use someday. It has a bit of a wishful feeling to it, you aren't sure if it will happen but you'd like it to.

Someday, I wanna visit Antarctica.

We will meet again someday.

I'll be back in Peru someday.

I'll marry that woman someday, I just know it!

Sometimes in Japanese would be 時々（ときどき）it means every once in awhile, occasionally, etc.

I like to shop online sometimes.

Sometimes, I have a drink on the way home from work.

Jim: Do you & Gary often hang out?

Darryl: Yeah, sometimes.

He sometimes takes lessons on Sundays, but usually he goes to the Friday class.

Any questions?

Phil

Tips on using THE

Many Japanese English speakers struggle with using THE correctly. It is used to specify a specific thing, person or place.

I am going to the post office.

In this case, both the speaker & the listener know which post office the speaker's talking about. It is the one he always goes to. In the past, small towns only had one post office, bank, store, etc. So people just used THE+place and this continues today.

Of course, this causes confusion to people knew in town. Someone says "Party at the beach" and all the local people know that they are talking about the popular beach everyone goes to but someone from outside that group has no idea which beach they're talking about!

Here are a few more tips for using THE:

It is ALWAYS THE + musical instruments. 

I play the drums.

He plays the violin.

My niece can play the flute.

When I was young I wanted to play the guitar but I gave up.

When talking about musical instruments, you are specifying which one you play so we use the!  

BUT when talking about games we don't use the. It is unnecessary. Games don't need the!

I play basketball.

He likes to play baseball.

Do you play soccer?

Al: What sports can your daughter play?

Helen: She can play volleyball. 

If you are talking about a SPECIFIC match you should use the:

I played in the soccer game last weekend. Did you see me score the winning goal?

I have to go to the stadium to see my son play in the tennis match.

Any questions?

Have a nice weekend!

Phil    

Do you have a phone? vs. Do you have your phone?

Hey everyone, so today I was out with my wife and she asked me:

Do you have a phone?

What she meant to say was:

Do you have your phone?

Let's take a quick look at the difference between the two.

Do you have A phone?

Means simply if somewhere in the world there is a phone that belongs to you. In Japanese it would be something like:

携帯電話を持っていますか？

Whereas "Do you have your phone?" means "Did you bring your phone with you?". In Japanese it might be something like:

携帯電話を持ってきますか？

This just goes to show that using A can truly change the meaning of a sentence!

I ate some watermelon.

Meaning I ate a few pieces of watermelon.

I ate A watermelon.

Means that you ate a WHOLE watermelon by yourself!

Have a nice weekend,

Phil

I'm glad you like it!

Ok, Christmas is right around the corner (coming soon) and so it is a time to give and receive gifts~!

Often a gift- giving conversation might go like this:

Alice: Here, this is for you.

Betty: Oh, you shouldn't have!

(opens the gift)

Betty: Wow! The purse I wanted! It's great!

Alice: I'm glad you like it.

Betty: Thanks a lot.

I'm glad you like it is a set phrase people use when giving gifts.

Tom: Do you like it?

Bill: Of course!

Tom: Good, I'm glad (you like it can be dropped).

Be careful, when talking about EXPERIENCES or PERISHABLES (things you can use up) you must use the phrase in the PAST TENSE.

Tom: Did you enjoy the movie?

Bill: Yeah, it was great! Thanks for treating me.

Tom: I'm glad you liked it. I thought you would.

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

Heather: Those cookies were fantastic! Did you make them yourself?

Helen: Yeah. I'm glad you liked them.

Have  a  Merry Christmas everyone!

Phil

P.S. glad you is pronounced gladju

I'm lost versus I lost.

Do you guys understand the difference in meaning between the two sentences? 

The other day one of my students said "I'm lost" during our lesson. This means "I don't know where I am" (迷っている)　needless to say, I was kind of surprised!

What she meant to say was "I lost" this means you didn't win a game, you failed to win. (負けた)

Now you can see how a very small difference can lead to a big difference in meaning!

For example:

go out for a drink

This means lets go out for 1 or 2 drinks. We use this when we want to go out for a short time.

go out for drinkS

This means go out for MORE than 2 drinks. We use this when we want to go out for a long amount of time.

Helen: Would you like to go out for a drink after work?

Samantha: Sure, that sounds like fun. Let's go to happy hour at Popeye's.

Helen. Great idea!

Samantha: But I have to leave at 7pm.

Helen: No problem.

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

Ben: Wanna go out for drinks tonight?

Dan: Sorry man, I gotta get home early.

Ben: Alright, how about going out for a drink?

Dan: Sure, I can grab a quick drink on my way home.

Have a good week,

Phil

Have you had enough?

OK, I posted about this topic way back in 2009! you can see the original entry here. Today, I will keep it very simple.

When using the word enough it comes BEFORE nouns but AFTER adjectives.

I was glad I brought enough money shopping. I almost ran out (of money).

I didn't eat enough food this morning.

She is pretty enough but kind of boring to talk to.

I am not tall enough so the coach said I can't be on the basketball team.

I can't get enough of this delicious steak! It's addictive!

A: Have you had enough pizza? Would you like some more?

B: No thanks, I'm fine.

Enough means that you are satisfied and don't need anymore. Of course in NEGATIVE sentences it means you aren't satisfied and want more~! To run out of something means to have none left.

Have a nice weekend,

Phil

Some more free iPhone Apps...

Hey everyone, here are some free apps for the iPhone I came across. I downloaded them and they look pretty good so why don't you give them a try?

Grammar App by Tap To Learn

This app has plenty of different quiz and games to help you practice your grammar. You can find it in the apple store here:

http://itunes.apple.com/app/grammar-app-by-tap-to-learn/id377188655?mt=8

Flashcard App by Tap to Learn

This app will teach you new words everyday and then you can quiz yourself on them. It is a good way to build up your vocabulary and also consolidate it by linking words with other words with similar meanings. You can check it out here:

http://itunes.apple.com/app/flashcards-app/id398984517?mt=8

Have a nice day,

Phil

To? too? Two?

Hi Everyone, here's a quick lesson about the differences between these three linking words.

to

This indicates movement and direction. A --------> B

From Osaka to Tokyo.

This gift is from Jack to Jill.

This letter is addressed to Paul.

It can also indicate purpose, WHY you are doing something.

I exercise to stay in shape.

She's on a diet to lose weight.

too

This means ALSO.

He got a new car too.

I want ice cream too!

A: I like traveling.

B: Really? Me too!

two

This one is easy it is the number 2.

C: I bought two chocolates, one is for you.

D: Wow, thanks~!

It's two o'clock.

I live in room two-O-one (201).

These are difficult even for many native speakers so when writing in English please be careful not to get them mixed up~!

I go to Tokyo two times a year to see my friends and go shopping too.

So here we see direction, number, purpose and also all in one sentence~!

Have a nice Wednesday,

Phil

I'm getting (a) cold.

Hey everyone, just a quick lesson for the weekend.

What is the difference between these two sentences?

1- I'm getting cold.

2- I'm getting a cold.

Do you know the difference? Number 2 has an A and that makes a BIG DIFFERENCE~!

In sentence Number 1, cold is an adjective and the person is saying that they are starting to FEEL COLD.

In sentence Number 2, cold is a noun meaning sick(in Japanese 風邪 - かぜ) so the person is saying they are starting to FEEL SICK.

Sometimes very small differences can have HUGE differences in meaning. Have fun speaking English BUT be careful~!

^_-

Phil

Many, much and a lot of

OK so here's my last lesson on this topic. Last time we looked at using many/much in questions, today we will look at using them in sentences.

MANY

It is usually used in NEGATIVE sentences (-)

It is used with COUNTABLE NOUNS.

I don't have many friends.

They don't have many rooms in this hotel.

You don't like to read do you? You don't seem to have many books on your shelves...

It is sometimes used in positive sentences (+) BUT it sounds formal and old fashioned, so while it is good grammar it isn't natural sounding English.

My son is very intelligent, he has received many job offers. (formal)

I am delighted that all my many friends could join me for my birthday party. (formal/old fashioned)

He has many girlfriends. (good grammar, BUT it sounds odd)

MUCH

It is used in NEGATIVE SENTENCES (-).

It is used with UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS.

I don't have much money... because payday is next week.

Can you hurry up? I don't have much time.

I don't have much use for a car. I live downtown.

Now if you want to make a POSITIVE SENTENCE you should use A LOT OF!


A LOT OF

It is used in POSITIVE SENTENCES (+) OR NEGATIVE SENTENCES.

It is used by COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS.

It sounds casual and natural.

I have a lot of friends.

I have a lot of money.

This hotel is HUGE, it has a lot of rooms.

He has a lot of girlfriends.(sounds much more natural)

I don't have a lot of time today, I'm really busy.

She doesn't have a lot of clothes.

In casual English, a lot of is pronounced ALODDA.


So if you aren't sure what to use, please use a lot of - it's the most flexible!!


Have a good week~!


Phil

How many/much...?

Hey everyone, today I am going to teach a similar topic as the anywhere/everywhere lesson from last week. To start off we will look at the questions:

How many...?

How much...?

Do you when to use these? Well if you continue this lesson you will~! hahaha

Anyways, it is pretty simple:

How much + uncountable nouns

and

How many + countable nouns

So for example:

A: How much money do you have?

B: On me? (meaning with me) Um, 10 bucks.

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

A: How many cars does your family have?

B: We have none. = We don't have any.

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

A: How much time is left?

B: Before the movie ends? About 10 minutes.

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

A: How many countries have you been to?

B: About 35 I guess...

Well that's it for today, there'll be another lesson in this series this week.

Stay tuned!

Phil

Anywhere vs. everywhere

OK, the first lesson of the month is a quick grammar lesson explaining the difference between anywhere and everywhere. Anywhere means any place even one(or in a negative sentence-NOT even one place), everywhere means all places(usually it's an exaggeration). So, they have a similar meaning but their USAGE is very different.

Anywhere is used in negative sentences and questions.

A: Did you go anywhere?

B: Nah, I didn't go anywhere. I just stayed home.

I've never been anywhere in Shikoku.

Everywhere is used in positive sentences.

I've been everywhere in Kyoto! There are no more new places for me to visit.

Where's my jacket? I've looked everywhere!

Hope you enjoyed this quick lesson have a nice week,

Phil

Look vs. Look like...

Do you guys know the difference in when to use these two expressions?

It's actually pretty simple:

look like + noun

This cookie looks like a hamburger~!


That dog looks like a cat, weird.


He looks like an idiot.



look + adjective


You look hungry.

That cake looks delicious.

He looks stupid.


There are a few things you need to be careful about. Some nouns are ALSO adjectives so both structures are grammatically correct.

That looks like fun.

That looks fun.

Fun is both a noun AND an adjective so you can often hear it used with look or look like. The other thing is that the meaning of these two is a bit different, in my mind look is like ~sou (oishisou-look delicious, ureshisou-looks happy) but look like is like ~mitai (kodomomitai-looks like a child, bakamitai-looks like an idiot).

I hope that helps, have a good weekend!

Phil

I've been meaning to...

Have you ever heard this before? This comes from the verb:

to mean to do

which means to intend to do. So it means to PLAN ON doing something. Because of this it is most often used in the PAST TENSE when you planned to do something but then didn't.

Teacher, I meant to do my homework but I forgot.

meaning

I planned on doing my homework, I intended to do it but I forgot.

Now when we use it with the present perfect progressive you get a structure you can use to talk about something you are planning to do but haven't had the time to do yet. Maybe you've been too busy, you forgot, or you have to do it but don't want to do it---basically, it is on your to do list BUT it's not crossed off(done) yet.

A: Ouch~!

B: Oops, sorry. I've been meaning to fix that.

A: You should!!! It's freaking dangerous, I almost broke my neck!!

B: Ok, ok I get it. I'll fix it tomorrow.

In this example, B is PROCRASTINATING. That means he is putting off doing something. Someone who always says they will do it later is a procrastinator~! In Japanese it would be 延び延び (のびのび) or 先延ばしにする (さきのばしにする).

So this structure "I've been meaning to ___________" is really useful.

I've been meaning to post on my blog more often but I don't have enough time.

Have a good week,

Phil