EIKEN Writing Tips

Hello everyone. Long time, no write.

皆さん、こんにちは。大分久しぶりになりましたね。

Today I would like to discuss a few tips on writing for the EIKEN.

今日は英検のライティグのノウハウをご紹介したいと思っています。

If you have been learning at AIC for some time then these rules should be etched in your head by now.

AIC校に長い間に通っている人はこの５つのルールはもう良く知って頭の中に響いてるほどなんですね。

The first thing you want to do is pay close attention to the type of question you’re being asked. (.e.g. Which do you like better, studying at a cafe or studying at home?, What do you think about gun control in the U.S.?, Where would you like to go for summer vacation? )

最初には疑問分は何を聞かれているのかを把握するのは重要です。（例：カフェで勉強するのか家で勉強するのか、どちらの方が好きですか？、アメリカ合衆国の銃規制に関してはどう思いますか？、夏休みには何処へ行きたいと思いますか？

When you understand what the question is asking, the rest is simple!

疑問をはっきり分かっていたら、その後の全てが楽勝です！

After you understand the question, the next thing to do is the following:

Sentence 1: Repeat the question with your answer.

Sentence 2: I have two reasons. 

Sentence 3: First, (repeat the question in a sentence) + reason 1.

Sentence 4: Second, (repeat the question in a sentence) + reason 2.

Sentence 5: That is why, repeat sentence 1.

Then you have successuly created a paragraph! Simple, isn’t it?

疑問文を理解した上で、下記のルールを従ってください：

文章１：文章の形で疑問文を復唱する。

文章２：私は２つの理由があります。

文章３：先ずは、（文章の形で疑問文を復唱して）　＋　理由１

文章４：二つ目は、（文章の形で疑問文を復唱して）＋理由２

文章５：だから、文章１を繰り返す。

それでは綺麗な５個文章を作成しました！本当に簡単ですよね！

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Nutrition

There are many interesting facts that we may not know or even heard of before. It’s always fun to gain knowledge about something new, so you can tell your parents and friends.

 Today let’s read 10 facts about nutrition. Here we go!

1. Drying fruit depletes it of 30-80% of its vitamin and antioxidant content.

2. A 2010 study found that 48% of soda fountain contained fecal bacteria, and 11% contained E. Coli.

3. Nine out of ten Americans are deficient in Potassium. 

4. Blueberries will not ripen until they are picked. 

5. About 150 people per year are killed by coconuts.

6. Ketchup was used as a medicine back in the 1930’s.

7. Honey never spoils.

8. About half of all Americans are on a diet on any given day.

9. A hardboiled egg will spin, but a soft-boiled egg will not.

10. Avocados are poisonous to birds. 

What did you think? Have you heard of these before? Do you think they’re true? 😂

For more fun facts, check out the link below. ↓↓

SourceーNutrition Facts

❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉

お疲れ様でした。今回は1級学習者向けでした！今日も楽しく勉強しましょう！

Do You Know “IKA NO OSUSHI?”

There has been a rise of child kidnappings and murders in Japan. In order to counter this, Japan has created a slogan for the new generation of children to remember to protect themselves.

It’s called, “IKA NO OSUSHI,” which literally translates to squid sushiーmmm, yummy. No? 

There are five steps for kids to successfully avoid kidnappings and other dangers.

1. Don’t talk to strangers (IKA)

2. Don’t get in a stranger’s car (NO)

3. Scream or alert help with a loud noise (O)

4. Run away immediately (SU)

5. Tell an adult (SHI)

This is the abbreviation explained in Japanese:

「イカのおすし」には・・・

知らない人についてイカない

知らない人の車にのらない

おおごえを出す

すぐに逃げる

大人にしらせる

Did you know these rules?

kidnappings: 誘拐

murders: 殺害

slogan: スローガン

protect: 守る

literally translates to: 直訳に言いますと

avoid: 避ける

strangers: 知らない人
❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉❉

お疲れ様でした。今回の文章は3級者向けでしたが、話題が皆さん全員知ってほしいです。知らない方は是非こちらにご覧ください。

Do You Know How to Carry an Umbrella?

Who would’ve thought something like this would need to be illustrated. But, here we are: “How to Carry an Umbrella.”

まさかこんなことがイラストが必要なんて誰も思わなかったですね。そうだと思わなかったけれでも、ありますよ：「傘の持ち方」のイラストなんです。

Have you seen people that carry their umbrella like this?

こんな風に傘を持ちしてるの人を見たことがありませんか？

There are many dangerous incorrect ways to hold an umbrella! Be sure you’re not holding your umbrella like this!

危険で不適切な傘の持ち方がたくさんありますよ！自分も閉じた傘をこんな風に持ってないように要注意して下さいね！

 

Typhoon Season in October!?

Last weekend Typhoon #21, LAN, came a bit unexpectedly and did some pretty heavy damage to certain areas in Japan. For example, Ikeda City in Osaka received about 2 flood warnings. I was near the area at the time it hit, the wind was pretty strong and scary that day.

先週末台風２１号、ラン、が突然に上陸してて日本全国の特定の地域にかなり酷い被害でした。例えば、大阪の池田市が洪水警報が２回通知されました。台風が池田市に酷くになっていた日に、私はあの時に池田市の付近にいまして風が強くなっていたので本当に怖いでした。

This weekend another typhoon is coming!! Two times in a row!

今週末にまた台風が上陸するらしいです！！２連発！

unexpectedly:突然に

damage:被害

flood warnings:洪水警報

 

---

今週末には、また台風が日本列島へ来そうなので、台風への備えはしっかりして下さい。

The Anglerfish

The anglerfish is a very interesting creature, and probably one of the most unattractive sea creatures in existence.

The females are larger in size than the males.

Females are the main source of food.

Males use all of their energy to search for a mate and attatch themselves onto the female forever.

Female anglerfish have a long large atenna called an esca that helps them find and lure prey.

What do you think about anglerfish?

For more fun facts about anglerfish, you can watch the National Geographic video below:

 

 

anglerfish:アンコウ

unattractive: 醜い、ブサイク

existence: 存在

antenna: アンテナ

mate:交尾する相手

esca: エスカ

lure: 誘惑する

prey: 餌食

---

今日の読み練習は準２級者向けでした。頑張って勉強しましょう！では、また今度！

K-pop Member’s Dog Causes Woman’s Death!?

The internet has been flooding with articles about a woman dying from a dog bite whose owner happened to be Choi Siwon, a member of the well-known K-pop group Super Junior.

The 53-year old woman was a resident of the same apartment complex as Siwon. The details of where and how the incident had happened may have been misconstrued, but allegedy the woman was bitten on the leg in an elevator of the complex. Like Siwon, she also held a high paying position—she ran a famous restaraunt. After she was bitten by the dog she was allegedly admitted to the hospital and a few days later pronounced dead from blood poisoning.

People were outraged at Siwon posting pictures of him with his dog and his belated apology upon the woman’s death—since his beloved French bull dog, Buxy, could’ve been the cause of her passing.

flooding with + noun (articles, stories, items,etc.): phrasal verb to express a large amount of something.

dog bite: collocation for a wound caused by a dog.

apartment complex: apartment building.

incident: accident

misconstrued: interpreted wrongly; misunderstand.

allegedly: a statement said without actual proof; claimed to be.

a high paying position: an elite job; a job with a high salary.

admitted to the hospital: collocation for a person who was told by a doctor that they need to stay at the hospital.

pronounced dead: phrasal verb to state a person was legally claimed to be dead by a medical professional.

blood poisoning: a severe infection caused by viral bacteria in the bloodstream.

outraged: angry

belated: late; e.g”Happy belated birthday!” = I’m late with wishing you a happy birthday.

---

皆さん、ごきげんよう。昨日は台風が上陸しまして大変でしたか？被害された方が多かったみたいで本当にお気の毒にです。

今日の読み練習は準１級学習者を対象にしていましたが、全級者に勉強になるだと思いますので、辞書を使いながら読んでみてください。

Sailor Moon & GU!

Do you like Sailor Moon? 

If you’re a fan like me, you will be excited to know that you can buy Sailor Moon themed clothes and items at GU!
You can buy knitt sweaters.

Hoodies and more sweaters!

 

There are also boots and bags with cute key chains.

You can also buy pants too! 😀😀😀

I’m really excited about this! I can’t wait to go to GU to buy all of these cute items! 

I’m sad they don’t have the other Sailor Scouts though. My favorite is Sailor Pluto. 😭😭

Oh well, I’ll just buy Sailor Mercury or Sailor Moon stuff instead. 

Who’s your favorite Sailor Scout?🙂

Collocations

Today’s topic will be about Advanced English vocabulary: collocations. Collocations are two or more words used together. Sometimes the combinations of words may seem meaningless and odd, but used together they form one meaning. You may have heard of phrasal verbs and compound nouns before. These are certain types of collocations.

The word “(to) collocate (with)” means “to place or arrange together.”

Examples of commonly used collocations you may know are words such as: blond hair, heavy rain, hangout with friends, come up with a suggestion, empty promises, carry on a conversation, etc.

As an ESL learner it can be difficult to hear or read words as such and to immediately grasp the meanings. Even native speakers do not know all collocations, and when heard for the first time must confirm the meaning.

It’s important to know collocations because not only will it increase your vocabulary bank, but it will help you sound like a native speaker and write in a more natural manner.

Once you learn the creative and fun combinations of play on words as an Advanced English learner you will soon begin to have more of an appreciation of collocations and the English language.

 

phrasal verbs: a phrase that uses the formula: verb + preposition,  verb + adverb or verb + preposition + adverb and functions as a verb (e.g. run up, come up with)

compound noun: two words that go together (e.g. cat food, playground)

grasp the meaning: to understand

vocabulary bank: the amount of words you know

natural manner:  a natural way

blond hair: golden, yellow or blond colored hair

heavy rain: when it rains a lot

hangout with friends: to meet and do activities with friends

come up with a suggetion: the process or act of having an idea and sharing it with someone

empty promises: to make promises knowing someone will not do them; make a promise and break it

carry on a conversation: the act of having a conversation

play on words: a humorous way of using a word or words that have more than one meaning or sounds like another meaning.

---

今日は２級・準１級でした。雨の日はもう三日目で憂鬱な気分が沸いてきますね。そのだらだら気分を解消する方法はお勉強ですね！温度がガクッと下がる時期に入ってきましたので、温かい服装を着ていきましょう！

Sports/Field Day

Field Day, or Sports Day, is an event not only in Japan but in America too! Most American kids usually do similar activities in Japan!

Like the beanbag race

3-legged race

egg in spoon

tug-of-war

and many more!

Each school is different in choosing field day activities. Some do different games but the four mentioned above may be considered traditional sports day activities in America.

The only difference in field day activities in Japan is the coordinated gymnastics or human pyramid. Most Americans have never done this activity at their school.

Sports Day/ Field Day: 運動会

similar: 似てる

mentioned above: 上に述べた通り

considered: よく考えられている

coordinated gymnastics/ human pyramid: 組み立て体操

---

今日は３級学習者向けでした。皆さんはもう運動会をしましたか？楽しかったよね！

 

お待たせしました。昨日の英検の回答を以下に書いてあります。

1)② go  2)② go   3)② go  4)② goes  5)② goes  6)④ mine

 

いかがでしたか？Goとgoes答えばっかりでしたね。goとgoesの違いが覚えてますか？GoはI,they, weの代名詞の後に付いています。Goesの代名詞はHe,She, 人の名前の後に来ます。Mineという言葉はIの所有代名詞で使っています。