Nuances: What’s the difference? Grade 3 +

Those of you studying to take Grade 3 and above may have wondered: what’s the difference between words like, flavor and taste? Among and between? Another and other?

Today we will talk about these 3 pairs.

Flavor & Taste

Most native English speakers would say that there is no difference between the two. There is a difference, but most general speakers either don’t know the difference or don’t care to know. That is why it is interchangeable in most casual conversation.

The word taste is in relation to the five taste senses which are sweet, bitter, salty, sour, etc. When you eat something it has a taste.

Flavor, on the other hand, is after you eat something. It means the taste and the aroma (smell) that stays in your mouth and nose.

Between & Among

These two words are not interchangeable.

Between is used only when talking about two things, people, or places (noun).

Among is used when talking about three or more things, people, or places (noun).

Another & Other

These words are not interchangeable.

Another means one more, an additional, an extra, or a different one; an alternative one.

Other means the same as another. But ALWAYS goes before plural (two or more) countable nouns, uncountable nouns or a pronoun.

Maybe this is easier to remember and understand:

another + singular (one) noun

another is…

other + plural (two or more) noun

other are…

Practice

1) She said there was garlic in the sauce, but I couldn’t really (taste / flavor) it.

2) He took a bite of food, enjoying its (taste / flavor) before he swallowed.

3) This tea has a very unusual (taste / flavor).

4) Let’s keep this conversation (between / among) you and me.

5) Umoja found her cellphone (between / among) several books on the floor.

6) I’d like (another / other) bowl of rice please.

7) Who’s the (another / other) girl in the picture?

8) The wolf was hiding (between / among) the trees.

9) Let’s (taste / flavor) the cake before we serve it to everyone.

10) The cat sat on the couch (between / among) the boy and the girl.

Answers:

1) She said there was garlic in the sauce, but I couldn’t really (taste / flavor) it.

2) He took a bite of food, enjoying its (taste / flavor) before he swallowed.

3) This tea has a very unusual (taste / flavor).

4) Let’s keep this conversation (between / among) you and me.

5) Umoja found her cellphone (between / among) several books on the floor.

6) I’d like (another / other) bowl of rice please.

7) Who’s the (another / other) girl in the picture?

8) The wolf was hiding (between / among) the trees.

9) Let’s (taste / flavor) the cake before we serve it to everyone.

10) The cat sat on the couch (between / among) the boy and the girl.

Long Time No See

Hello! We’re back!

こんにちは！久しぶりに戻りました！

Today let’s talk about everyone’s favorite: prepositions!

今日は皆さんのお気に入りの前置詞についてお話しましょう！(嫌味w)

There are many prepositions that you must know. This time we will focus on the following: at, in, on, and of.

英語の言語ではたくさんの覚えておくべき前置詞があります。その為、今回は下記の前置詞を中心にしたいと思います:at, in, on, とofです.

Let’s start with ‘at.’

まずは、atの使い方を覚えましょう。

At has 3 basic functions that you should remember.

atはほとんど3つの基本的な使い方があることを覚えるべきです。

1) specific time 決まった時間のこと

Ex: Shuri will meet M’baku at 7pm tomorrow.

例:シュリちゃんは19時にエムバクくんに会います。

2)a place 場所を示す

Ex: We saw a baseball game at the stadium.

例:私達はスタジアムで野球の試合を見ました。

3)an activity活動のこと

Ex: She laughed at my drawing.

例:彼女が私の書いた絵に笑われました。

Next is ‘in.’ In also has 3 basic functions.

次はinの使い方をご紹介します。atと同じく3つの基本的な使い方があります。

1)unspecific times during a day, month, season, year決まっていない時間のこと。例えば、日中のこと、月、季節や年のこと

Ex:The new semester will start in April.

例:新学期は4月に始まります。

2)nearly inside a place or location決まった場所あるいは位置や方向へのこと

Ex:My friend lives in Wakanda.

例:友達がワカンダに住んでいます。

3)a color, shape or size色、形、あるいはサイズのこと

Ex:This skirt only comes in beige and purple.

例:このスカートはベージュと紫色にしかありません。

On has 2 basic functions. There are other ways to use on, but today we will focus on the most basic functions that you need to know.

onはだいたい2つの基本的な使い方があります。他の使い方もありますが、今回は最も簡単や基礎的な使い方を覚えましょう。

1)days and date曜日と日付

Ex:My best friend’s birthday is on April 18th.

例:私の親友の誕生日は4月18日にあります。

2)placement of something物の置くことを説明すること

Ex:There are several books on the table.

例:テーブルの上にいくつかの本があります。

Lastly, let’s learn about the 3 basic functions that ‘of ‘ has.

最後にofの3つの基礎使い方を覚えましょう。

1)belonging to, relating to, or connected with所属・所有、関連あるいは部分

Ex:The first page of the book describes the author’s profile.
例:本の最初のページでは作家のプロフィールが書いてあります。

2)reference参考・性質

Ex:This is a picture of my family.

例:これは家族の写真です。

3)amount and number分量や数字

Ex:I drank three cups of milk yesterday.

例:昨日は牛乳の3本を飲みました。

That’s it for today. Stay tuned for more Eiken taking tips and English grammar!

それでは、今回のご説明が終わります。これからの英検の受験コツや英語の文法の説明などを楽しみにして下さいませ！

Happy New Year❢ My New Year’s Resolution

Hi everyone!
皆さん、こんにちは。

It’s 2018! Yay! Happy new year!

もう2018年(平成30年)です！わーい！新年明けましておめでとうございます！

How did you spend your holiday? Maybe some of you are still on vacation. 

皆さんは冬休みをどう過ごしましたか？多分、まだお休み中かしら？

Do you have any new year resolutions? My new year’s resolution is to save money and stop procrastinating. (laughs)

何か新年の抱負がありますか？私の新年の抱負はちゃんと貯金することや色々をぐずぐずと先延ばしにしないようにすることです。(笑)

Making new year’s resolutions are fun and exciting, but actually achieving them can be difficultーdifficult, but not impossible.

新年の抱負を決めるのが楽しいしわくわくする気持ちも湧いてきますが、新年の抱負を現実させるのはなかなか難しいではないかと思います。難しいだが、無理だと考えないで下さい。

Let’s add to your list that you will study English and mannerisms this year! 

さて、今年の抱負のリストに英語や英語圏の文化のお勉強も追加しましょう！

Let’s all do our best everyone, and stay tuned for more EIKEN test prep posts!

皆さん、お互い頑張ってこれからの英検予備などを楽しみにしてくださいね！

Christmas Trees

In December, it is custom in America to put up a Christmas tree and decorate it. 

This custom started in 16th century Germany.  

It is also custom now to put presents under the tree. 

custom:習慣、風習

put up (a Christmas tree):クリスマスツリーを立つ

Germany:ドイツ
decorate:飾り付け

16th century: 16世紀
presents: 贈り物、プレゼント
♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧

お疲れ様です。お久しぶりに客英検対象の英文練習を書きました。今回の英文は3級向けでした！

“Onomatopoeia” を YouTube で見る

In the Japanese language there are many ways to describe a sound and even a particular emotion or situation. 

English, however, has a limited way to describe sounds. English has onomatopoeias[on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh] that are used frequently in comic books, and other written material. They’re not used as frequently in conversational speech compared to Japanese. 

Supermoon

On December 3, 2017, there was a supermoon in Japan.

The moon was big and bright.

The supermoon lasted for a few days. It was beautiful.

Did you see the super moon a few days ago?

 

super moon:スーパームーン

bright: 明るい

lasted for:〔時間や時期の〕末、終わり、終末

beautiful: 美しい

a few days ago: 数日前

Advent Calendar

An advent calendar is a special type of calendar that counts down the days until Christmas.

アドベントカレンダーとは、クリスマスの日までの期間に日数を数えるために使用される特別なカレンダーである。

The origins of advent calendars started in Germany in the 19th (January 1, 1801 –  December 31, 1900) or 20th century (January 1, 1901 and ended on December 31, 2000).

アドベントカレンダーの起源は、１９世紀（西暦１８０１年１月１日～西暦１９００年１２月３１日まで）又は２０世紀（西暦１９０１年１月１日から西暦２０００年１２月３１日まで１００年間を指す世紀）よりドイツに始めたされる。

The word advent means the arrival of an important person or thing. In this case, advent is referred to as the observation until Christmasーthe celebration of the day (December 25th) Jesus Christ was born.

アドベントとは、重要な人物や事物の登場という意味です。この場合、アドベントとは、クリスマスまでの期間を待降節（１２月２５日はイエス・キリストの降誕）と呼ばれます。

Advent calendars range from various types of designs. Most calendars are designed like puzzle pieces, with chocolates and candies for children to enjoy.

アドベントカレンダーは様々なデザインや種類であって、パッズルのような窓を引いてチョコレートやお菓子が入って子供が喜ばせるために作られています。

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Would you like to have an advent calendar?

アドベントカレンダーを試してみませんか？

 

Hakama Loungewear

Do you like to wear hakama? 

I’ve never worn one before but I’d love to someday! I think they’re cute.

Recently, news about hakama loungewear has been the new hot topic!

I love the designs and colors. Which one do you like?

You can reserve one for next year at the website below!

https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/48019

loungewear: 部屋着

reserve:予約する

♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤

袴は可愛いですね！今日は3級向けでした。

Fall & Winter Top Dramas of 2017

Hello, how are you? The weather has finally expressed that winter has come. It’s time to wear heavy coats and put on those heat patches.

Today I would like to share my top favorite dramas (teen appropriate) of fall and winter of this year. There are some I like to watch, but they may not be children friendly unfortunately. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Ms. Kanna!

This drama is actually a summer drama that ended in fall, but I want to introduce it anyway because of the message it conveyed: Be strong and be confident in what you believe in. It’s a must-see!

I chose this drama due to the main characters being high school students. Although most of the characters are delinquentsーand I’m sure those of you reading this aren’t!ーbut perhaps some of their personalities you can relate to.  

I don’t think many people know about this drama. Although the cast is lined up with well-known celebrities such as Shota Matsuda, Taemin(K-pop group member of SHINee), Shigeyuki Totsugi, and Sho Aikawa. This is an interesting short drama with English lines!

May I Blackmail you?

This drama has my favorite actor, Dean Fujioka in it, so that’s why this is also a must-see! 😀
heat patches: カイロ

teen appropriate:10代の若者に相応しい

without further ado:さっさと本題に入りましょう

conveyed:伝えるの過去形

must-see: 必見

delinquents: 不良

English lines: 英語でのセリフ
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

今日の英文はかなり難しかったでしょうか。2級や準1級の学習者向けでした！

Have You Ever…?

It seems many people get this phrase confused. “Have you ever…? basically is asking if you have experienced something or not. 

多くの学習者は間違いやすいのはこのHave you ever…?フレーズです。このフレーズは単なる説明すると自分が経験したことあることに聞かれていることです。
Here are some phrases:

以下はよく使われるフレーズです:

①　Have you ever been to Hawaii?

② Have you ever ridden on an airplane?

③ Have you ever eaten yakisoba?

④ Have you ever tried these?

⑤ Have you ever sung this song? 

⑥ Have you ever seen this movie?