disposable <-----> reusable

I haven't done an opposites lesson in a long time so I thought I'd make a mini opposites lesson. During a class today, we were talking about pollution and many students mentioned the word disposable. This means something can be thrown away after you use it. 

Paper napkins are disposable.

I don't like disposable chopsticks, I've heard they contribute to deforestation in Indonesia.

You can often hear this word used to talk about people in crime dramas or mafia movies. In that case it can mean that you can kill them or abandon them...

That guys disposable after the jobs done, get rid of him.

Women like her are disposable, they're a dime a dozen in this town.

A dime a dozen is an idiom which means something is abundant, cheap and common.

The opposite of disposable is reusable. This is made of the prefix RE meaning again, the word USE and the suffix ABLE meaning can be done. So the meaning is something that can be used again.

I always bring reusable chopsticks with me. I think you call them "my hashi" in Japanese.

To help the environment, you should use a reusable shopping bag but be sure to wash it often.

I don't like disposable things, I prefer to invest in quality products that are reusable.

Have a great weekend,

Phil

yummy vs yucky

Hey everyone, I haven't posted an opposites lesson in awhile and I thought of a good pair people should know.

YUMMY vs YUCKY

Both of these are KID's English. Children use them when talking about food, when adult's use them it sounds kind of cute so men tend not to use these words so much (unless they are talking to kids).

Yummy means delicious, the food or drink tastes great. In Japanese, you'd say おいしい.

This cake is delicious~!

This cake is yummy!

このケーキはおいしいよ！

These sentences all have the same meaning but yummy sounds cuter more childish.

Yucky means something tastes bad or is digusting/gross. It is usually used to talk about food/drinks but can also be used to talk about things. It's almost never used by adults... In Japanese, when talking about food you'd say まずい. Adults might use the interjection "Yuck!" which is where yucky comes from (add y to make a noun an adjective).

A: Try this milk...

B: YUCK! Why did you ask me to drink that? It's gone bad!

A: I just wanted to double check.

B: I could have smelled it! I didn't have to drink it. Gross.

A: Sorry.

Here's an example using yucky:

Mother: Eat your natto.

Kid: Natto's yucky! No!

Mother: It's healthy, just try some...

Kid: Yuck~! No more it's yucky >_<

Have a good week,

Phil

Sunrise? Sunset? Dawn? Dusk?

Do you know the difference between these terms?


Sunrise is similar to dawn. Dawn is the time in the morning when daylight first starts to show up. Sunrise is  an event, it is the time when the sun rises over the eastern horizon in the morning.  So dawn usually begins BEFORE sunrise, the sky grows light and you can see a little better and then finally you begin to see the sun rising over the horizon. Dawn can also mean beginning; at the dawn(beginning) of time.


Sunset is similar to dusk. Dusk is when the sky starts to grow dark in the evening. Sunset is when the sun begins to disappear over the western horizon.


They are pairs of opposites:

sunrise <----------> sunset

dawn <--------> dusk

You watch sunrises/sunsets.

I saw an amazing sunset once in Uruguay, the sky looked like it was on fire.

Dawn is a peaceful time of day when everyone is asleep.

I eat dinner at dusk every evening.

I hate getting up at dawn before the sun rises!

I want to see the sunrise from the top of Mt.Fuji someday.

Dawn & dusk are a bit older words but they are still used, especially in horror movies and stories.


Sunrise and sunset are much more commonly used words.


Have a nice week,


Phil

What Japanese foods do you like? Which ones don't you like?

Hey guys, how's it going?

Everyone learns pretty early how to ask if someone likes something:

What's your favorite drink?

Or you can say:

What's your most favorite drink?

Where most is used for emphasis, but this sounds like something a kid would say... ...because the most isn't necessary. In a really natural way you could also ask:

What drinks do you like?

Many students have trouble asking about something you DON'T like. So today, I will go over a few structures you can use.

The opposite of favorite is least favorite.

What's your least favorite drink?

Which sounds a bit formal.

What drinks do you not like?

This sounds pretty awkward and unnatural, I would probably say:

What drinks dontchu (don't you) like?

If you want to say it formally, you can use the opposite of like ---> dislike.

What drinks do you dislike?

Any questions?

Phil

forgetful vs. forgettable

Hey everyone, I hope you had a good weekend but now it's time for us all to get back to work before our summer vacation arrives~!

Today, I will be talking about the difference between:

forgetful

and

forgettable

Have you heard these words before?

Forgetful means you forget things easily, it is usually used to describe a person. In Japanese you would say: 忘れん坊 (わすれんぼう)

My father is getting old, he's been quite forgetful recently.

Forgettable means that something is easy to forget.

Movie characters' names are really forgettable. I never remember them~!

That TV show is easily forgettable, there's nothing special about it.

Actually, forgettable isn't used very often but its opposite is! The opposite word is:

unforgettable

which means it is impossible to forget!

My day yesterday was unforgettable, it was amazing!

There's even a song called Unforgettable, here's a clip from youtube:





Have a good week,

Phil

A blast from the past...!

Hey everyone, today I am going to publish a lesson from my archives ^_- It's a blast from the past that I wrote way on September 15th, 2008! The reason I chose to publish this blog again is that I last month I thought I should teach about the opposites:

clean<------> dirty
neat <------>messy

Neat means tidy, things are organized and put away. According to the online dictionary it is like, 清楚 (せいそ) in Japanese.

But I felt like I had already talked about them before and when I checked my archives there it was! So I hope you enjoy this old lesson and I will add a few more examples today ^_^ Here we go:

-----------Sept, 15th, 2008-------------------------

Well, it's time to talk about learning some English ^_- today, I am going to go over some useful vocabulary and phrasal verbs that have to do with cleaning.

messy

This is an adjective meaning disorderly, untidy, etc. To me, it is not really dirty, more it is clean but things are all over the place, nothing is put away...

Look at this mess! How did you make our hotel room so messy? We've only been here 2 hours!?!?!

Wow, two hours after straightening up my room and it's already messy~!

dirty

This adjectives means the opposite of clean, there is dirt present... so to me, it is stronger than messy.

Billy was playing in the park, he got his clothes really dirty!

Kids' hands are almost always dirty...

clean up

This phrasal verb is telling you, make something or somewhere clean. You put things away and also get rid of any dirt.

Sorry guys, I can't go out tonight I have to clean up my room.

If I clean up my room once a week I get my allowance ^_^

tidy up

This phrasal verb goes with messy; "you have to tidy up your messy room". It means, to put away things, to organize them. Like Katadzukeru(片付ける,かたづける) in Japanese. It does not really mean getting out the mop and cleaning in a serious way... it is a more casual kind of cleaning.

Oh! My girlfriend just called, she's coming over. Hurry, help me tidy up!

Just give me 2 minutes to tidy up before you come in.

straighten up

This phrasal verb is very similar to tidy up, the main difference is that it is more formal and a bit of a higher level expression.

Smith, straighten up your office! Our clients will be here any minute!!!

I have to straighten up my room, this sucks!

Alright, I think that is it for now. If you have any questions, thoughts, comments or ideas for a lesson let me know!

Phil

Opposites, the prefix in~

Hey everyone, today is the last lesson of the month and I decided to do a quick opposites lesson featuring the prefix in~. A prefix is a sound added to the BEGINNING of a word to change it's meaning.

The prefix in~ means not or the opposite off. That's why it is really useful for people learning English to build up their vocabulary. It is like the Japanese prefix FU, 不.

Depending on the sound that follows in~ might become il~, ir~ or im~. Check out this website for a more detailed explanation: http://www.spelling.hemscott.net/prefix3.html

Now let's look at some examples~!

expensive, 高い <------> inexpensive, 安い

You could also say cheap as an opposite of expensive but inexpensive sounds more polite and less direct. Also cheap can be kind of negative. I guess 高くない is closer to inexpensive in terms of connotations.

admissible, meaning CAN be admitted <------> inadmissible, meaning CAN'T be admitted

The evidence was properly collected and so is admissible.

I'm sorry you're too late your book is inadmissible for the contest.

possible ,可能 (かのう) <-------> impossible, 不可能 (ふかのう)

In Japanese, the prefix FU~ is acting in the exact same was as IM~!

It's possible that someday people will walk on Mars.

It's impossible to eat 5000 donuts at one time~!

reparable , meaning CAN be fixed <------> irreparable, meaning CAN'T be fixed

Is my car reparable or do I need a new one?

I'm sorry but the damage to your heart is irreparable...

legal, 適法行為 (てきほうこうい) <------> illegal, 不法行為 (ふほうこうい)

Smoking marijuana in Amsterdam is legal.

It's illegal to smoke cigarettes in a bar in most of Canada.

I hope that helped~! Expect more lessons next month,

Phil

Opposites...

Looking at last month's list of posts I noticed that I forgot to write a blog in my opposites series, so I decided to write one today before January is over~! We are now in the middle of the cold and flu season so the opposites I will introduce today have to do with illnesses and health.

a runny nose水洟 (みずばな) < ----- > a stuffy nose鼻が詰まる (はながつまる)

This is really simple to use, when you're nose is running you can say "I have a runny nose" and when your nose is blocked you say "I have a stuffy nose". Often when your nose is runny you have to blow your nose. In Japan, many people think it is rude to blow your nose in public so they sniffle(ぐすん) a lot--western people find people sniffling non-stop REALLY annoying! We think you should just blow your nose~! ^_-

constipated (adj) 便秘 (べんぴ)< ---- > diarrhea (n)下痢が移った (げりがうつった)

Be careful we say "I'm constipated" BUT "I have diarrhea" because constipated is an adjective and diarrhea is a noun.

clean きれい< -------- > dirty きたない

To stay healthy you should try to keep your hands clean. It is important to clean your dirty clothes and handkerchiefs to get rid of any bacteria or viruses that might be on them.

hygienic 衛生的 (えいせいてき)< --- > unhygienic不衛生 (ふえいせい)

Eating food you dropped on the floor is unhygienic (un-hi-je-nic).

Washing your hands often is very hygienic (hi-je-nic).

Hmm, ok that is all for today, stay healthy~!

Phil

Opposites...

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't updated my blog so often this month but I had a fever recently and so have been resting for the last week. I am feeling better now so I decided to post this months list of opposites before the month ended~! Today, we will look at a list of words you can use to describe people...

fat 太い (ふとい) < ------- > thin 細い (ほそい)

Now both of these adjectives are NEGATIVE and not very nice. If you want to be more gentle and less direct you should use:

chubby < -------- > slim

Chubby sounds very cute and we usually say something like "He's a little chubby", whereas slim sounds healthy with no excess fat like a swimmer, thin sounds like you weigh TOO little.
Or you could use:

heavy < ------ > slender

These words sound even more formal and polite, I rarely hear people use them in casual conversations between friends. You are more likely to hear them used between people who don't know each other well. Now onto some words to describe someones personality~!

shy 恥ずかしい (はずかしい) < ------ > outgoing 外向的 (がいこうてき)

Now these are pretty casual adjectives, if you want to use something of a higher level try these:

introverted < ------- > extroverted

Introverted means that your mind focuses inward and so you are a bit shy, extroverted means your mind focuses outward and so you are outgoing. These are psychological terms that entered the general language in the 1970s or 1980s. Remember, these are adjectives so:

He's introverted so he has a hard time making friends.

She's really extroverted so she always joins activities at school.

You don't need to use an! If you want to use a noun try:

introvert < ------- > extrovert

He's an introvert.

She's an extrovert.

Ok that is all for this month, time to rest and I hope to post something again soon~!

Phil

Opposites...

It's time for another installment in my vocabulary series about opposites~!

big <-----> little or small

I wanted to start with something easy big is 大きい and little/small is 小さい.

male <------> female

This is the scientific term used when talking about men and women.

The male lion has a large mane while the female does not.

In Japanese, male is 雄; 牡 ( おす) and female is 雌 (めす).

man <-------> woman WO -man (singular)
men <----------> women wi-min (plural)

You will often find men/women written on the doors of toilets in English speaking countries.

Excuse me where is the men's room?

gentleman <-----------> lady (singular)
gentlemen <------------> ladies (plural)

In Japanese, gentlemen/gentleman is 紳士 (しんし) and lady/ladies is 嬢さん (じょうさん).

Now be careful, for some reason you NEVER hear women ask "Where's the women's room?" instead they use the more polite "Where's the ladies room?". Whereas men will NEVER say "Where's the gentlemen's room?".

Have a nice week,

Phil

Opposites

Ok everyone, today is the second part in my new series about opposites. This week I will talk about simple adjective pairs.

big おおきい <------> small ちいさい

I wanna buy a big house.

I'd like to order a small pizza.

fast はやい <-------> slow おそい

You're too slow~! Hurry up!!!

I love fast cars and fast women ^_-

strong つよい <--------> weak よわい

My friend is really strong.

You shouldn't ask Tim to help you move, he's pretty weak.

tiny ちっちゃい <-------> huge でかい

Tiny means very very small.

Man you live in a tiny apartment~!

Huge means very very big.

Oh my god, this hamburger's HUGE!!!

soft やわらかい <------> hard かたい

This bread is so soft and delicious.

Ouch! This bread is stale, it's too hard to eat!

Hmmm, I guess that is all for now. I hope you enjoyed this mini-lesson and I will introduce more opposites next month!

Phil

Opposites

Hey everyone, I decided to start a new monthly series about opposites! Opposites are two words with mirrored meanings. One is completely different from the other and they are seen as two sides of the same coin.

This will be a short lesson that you can use to help build up your vocabulary and organize words you already know in your mind. Each lesson I will present 5 sets of opposites. I hope you enjoy it!

Today I will look at noun pairs:

heads <-----> tails

The two opposite sides of a coin.

A: Call it, heads or tails?
(flips the coin)

B: Heads
(coin lands on tails)

A: Tails, you lose.

black <-------> white

Two colors, in English we always say black & white but in Japanese you say the opposite "白黒".

right <---------> left

These are the two sides of your body, the right "右" and the left "左".

right <-------> wrong

This is right meaning correct and good, in Japanese "正しい " and wrong meaning incorrect and bad, in Japanese "違う".

Do you know the difference between right and wrong?

cat <--------> dog

Now in western countries we see cats & dogs as opposites, always fighting and never getting along. In Japan, people see dogs and MONKEYS as opposites~! I find that really interesting and a funny cultural difference. Here's an idiom talking about this opposite pair:

They get along like cats and dogs.

This means they fight A LOT! They don't get along at all...

Hmmm, that is it for now, have a good weekend,

Phil