Talk Avenue Blog

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON: VOCABULARY

 ACHE                                                                               

               1. (verb) to have or give dull, steady pain

               2. (noun) a dull, continuous pain               

* Note: There are some other meanings, but they are much less common.

Usually, when something is painful, we say it hurts or it is a pain.  But in some situations, native English speakers will almost always use ache.

Here are some very common "ache nouns":

headache        toothache        earache       

stomach ache        back ache        neck ache

So for example, instead of saying

"I have a painful ear"  or   "My tooth is hurting" 

most native speakers would say

"I have an earache"   or   "I have a toothache"

We also usually use ache to talk about "muscle pain"

For example;

• I went to the gym yesterday, so now I'm aching.
• After the marathon, I had aching legs.
• I did so much writing in school today that my wrist aches.
• Following the Judo match, I started to feel an ache in my shoulder.

So, ache is a very useful word.  English speakers never use the expression "muscle pain", so we must use ache.

Contributed by Joseph Smith

ONE POINT LESSON: VOCABULARY

GET

The word get can be used in many different ways among native English speakers.

Sometimes get means to receive.  As in:

• Bruce will get a promotion next month if he reaches his sales target.
• Every day, Sally gets a lot of junk mail in her mailbox.

Sometimes get means to become.  As in:

• It will be cold tomorrow morning, but will get very hot as the day progresses.
• If Tim does not turn in his report by 5pm, his boss gets very angry.

Sometimes get means to go, or to arrive.  As in:

• You can get to the stadium via the number nine bus.
• We should get to Osaka by nine o'clock.

Sometimes get means to buy, or to take into your possession.

• Tony went to the grocery store to get some milk.
• I have to go to the embassy and get a new visa.

And sometimes get means to have someone do something for you.  As in:

• I got my hair cut yesterday. (Someone else cut it, after I asked them to.)
• Today I will go to get my suit cleaned. (Someone else will clean it, after I ask them to.)

So remember, get is a very versatile and useful word that can have many different meanings.

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫.

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON:  PRONUNCIATION

AMOUNTS OF MONEY

Sometimes people make mistakes when reading sums of money out loud...

For example, how do you pronounce the following amounts?

• $1,000
• $5 million

Or how about this phrase?

• It is a $6 million-a-year industry.

There is one simple rule to remember in these situations, the money name always comes imediately after the number.  Although the money symbol is written before the number, we must pronounce it afterwards.

So, the above phrases are pronounced like this...

• one thousand dollars
• five million dollars
• It is a six million dollars-a-year industry.

And of course, the rule is the same for whichever money we are talking about, Yen, Pounds, Dollars, Euros etc.

The money name always comes after the number.

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫.

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON:Vocabulary

CATCH

"Catch" is a relatively simple word in the english language.  But students can often make mistakes when using it.

The word actually has two uses, as a noun, and as a verb.

The noun, "a catch" is a casual English word which means "a hidden drawback/disadvantage".

For example,

"I was really happy when I got a promotion in my job,  but then I realized there is a catch, I have to be at my office an hour earlier each day!"

However, "catch" is more commonly used as a verb.  The verb "to catch" has many meanings, but the most basic meanings are:

• to capture; to take and hold something/one when it doesn't want to be held, or after a chase.
• the stop the motion of a moving object, and hold it.
• to take, i.e. To take a train.
• to become sick with a cold/virus.

Here are some example sentences:

• After a long car chase, the police eventually manged to catch the criminal.
• That player is very good at catching the baseball.
• I'm going to Kyoto tomorrow.  I plan on catching the Bullet Train at 9.30am.
• My best friend has Influenza.  I hope I don't catch it!

However, some people can make mistakes when using "catch". 

Remember, we cannot use this word to mean "get".  For example, we cannot say...

• I want to catch a new boyfriend.

or,

• I was able to catch a lovely new apartment.

These sentences are not correct, so be careful when using "catch"!

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫.

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON:Vocabulary

HARD and HARDLY

'Hard' is quite a basic English vocabulary word.  Most people know how to use it as an ADJECTIVE.

 As an ADJECTIVE, it's main meanings are...

i)  resistant to pressure, can not easily be dented or squashed

ii)  showing, or done with, a lot of strength

iii)  difficult

For example,

• Tennis balls are soft, but baseballs are very hard.
• He gave the soccer ball a hard kick.
• Studying Chinese is very hard.

 But what about when we want to change it to an ADVERB?

 Of course, 'hardly' is an ADVERB, but it does not have a similar meaning to the ADJECTIVE 'hard'.

The main meaning of 'hardly' is only just / barely, or almost not.

 So for example,

• There were hardly any people at the party.
• The writing was so small that I could hardly read it.
• When I finished shopping, I hardly had any money.

When we want an ADVERB which has a similar meaning to i), ii), or iii) above, we can use 'hard'. 

The word 'hard' can be used as both an ADJECTIVE or an ADVERB.

 For example,

• The fighter punched his opponent hard.
• I work hard at my job.
• I threw the baseball too hard, and accidentally smashed a window.

 So remember, 'hard' and 'hardly' have very different meanings!

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫.

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON:

 My hometown is / I'm from...

Some people get a little confused when using these two phrases.  But the meanings and uses are actually quite simple.

Hometown

Your hometown usually means the town or city where you were born, or the town or city where you lived for most of your life.

So, a good example would be;

• My hometown is Sapporo.
• My hometown is Sapporo, in Hokkaido.

or

• My hometown is in Hokkaido.

We cannot say;

• My hometown is Hokkaido.

or

• My hometown is Japan.

I'm from...

When we say "I'm from" we have a few options.  We can say the city/town where we were born, the city/town where we lived most of our life, or even the country.

So...

• I'm from Sapporo.
• I'm from Hokkaido.

and

• I'm from Japan.

are all OK

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫.

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON: GRAMMAR

UNTIL vs. BY

These two words can be very confusing, and many people make mistakes with them.  So we need to be careful.

UNTIL:

We use until when we are discussing the amount of time before somthing stops.  Basically until means the same as up to the time of.

For example,

• I will exercise until 5 o'clock.
• It's OK, I can wait until you finish work.
• I have until next week to write my report.

BY:

We use by when we are talking about deadlines.  Basically, we can use by to mean not later than.

For example,

• I must run 2km by 5 o'clock.
• I should finish this project by next month.
• I will try to have lunch prepared by the time you come home.
• I will send him an email by next week.

SO REMEMER:

until = up to the time of 

by = no later than

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫

Contributed by Bruce McCutcheon

ONE POINT LESSON: Talking about time

Using For, Since and Ago.

We use for and since to answer How long...? questions. For example:

• "How long have you been studying English?"
• "For about five years."    or    "Since high school."

For is always followed by a 'period of time'. For example:

• For a few days   
• For a couple of years 
• For six months

Since is always followed by a 'start time'. For example:

• Since last week   
• Since January   
• Since 1996

We use ago to answer When...? questions. For example:

• "When did you start studying English?"
• "About ten years ago."

Note that ago is always used at the end of the sentence.

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON:VOCABULARY　

ALMOST vs. MOST

People very often make mistakes when using almost.  Almost basically means the same as nearly or not quite.

 Imagine this situation; my younger brother's age is 8 years and 10 months.

 We could say...

• My younger brother is not quite 9 years old.
• My younger brother is nearly 9 years old.　

or...

• My younger brother is ALMOST 9 years old.

These sentences mean "He is close to 9 years old, but he is NOT 9 years old."

A mistake people often make is to say something like...

• I almost eat Japanese food.

This means "I am close to eating Japanese food, but I do not eat it.

Of course this is wrong, we should say either...

• I MOSTLY eat Japanese food. 

or...

• I ALMOST ALWAYS eat Japanese food.

SO REMEMBER:

ALMOST = NEARLY / NOT QUITE

_____________________________________________________________

MOST / MOSTLY                    = Maybe 60%~95%

ALMOST ALL, ALMOST ALWAYS, ALMOST EVERYONE, ALMOST EVERYWHERE etc.               = Maybe 90%~99%

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON: VOCABULARY

EMBARRASSMENT vs. SHAME

Many people think these words are the same. but actually they are very different.

Embarrassment = Feeling foolish/self-conscious/shy. 　　　　　　　　　　　　                       　(Usually after making a mistake, having an accident or doing something ｆunny)

Shame = A very negative feeling or losing the respect of others, after doing something very bad/dishonorable.

For example:

・ The man was embarrassed when he started to give a speech, but forgot what to say.                                                                                                                                ・ The man felt great shame after being arrested for drink-driving.

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫

Contributed by Bruce McCutcheon

ONE POINT LESSON: Vocabulary

Favorite & Best

Many students get a bit confused when using these words. Although their meanings are similar, they are not the same.

For example, consider these two questions:

1. Who is your favorite actor?

2. Who is the best actor?

A good answer might be:

"My favorite actor is Jim Carey - he's so funny! But the best actor is Jonny Depp - he can play so many different roles."

Your favorite actor is the one who you like the most.

The best actor is the one who many people think has the best skills.

Another example:

"I'm from Osaka so my favorite baseball team is the Tigers. But this year, I think the Giants have the best team."

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫

Contributed by Bruce McCutcheon

ONE POINT LESSON: Improving Conversation Skills

One of the best ways to sound more like a native English speaker is to expand your answers and make longer sentences.

For example, if someone asks you: "Have you ever been to America?"

Remember:

• A nswer   (the question)
• A dd   (some extra information)
• A sk   (a question in return)

For example:

     Yes,

• I went to California on vacation last year. It was fantastic!
• How about you, have you ever been there?

Or:

     No,

• But I have a friend who lives in New York.
• Are you from America?

By using the "Answer, Add, Ask" technique, your conversations will sound much more natural.

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON: GRAMMAR

GO vs. GO TO

Many people make mistakes when using the verb "go"...

When we are talking about "ing" verbs, we only use the word "go".  For example:

• Tomorrow I will go shopping.
• I like to go skiing in winter.
• John and I sometimes go driving in the countryside.

The only time we use "go to" is when we are using a place noun.  For example:

• Tomorrow I will go to Hakone.
• I like to go to a different country every year.
• John and I sometimes go to the movie theater.

So remember...

I go Shinjuku.  WRONG

I go to Shinjuku. CORRECT

I go to shopping. WRONG

I go shopping.  CORRECT

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫.

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON: PRONUNCIATION

"The Magic E"

How does the pronunciation differ between 'tap' and 'tape'?  How about 'tub' and 'tube'?

The pronunciation is different because of 'The Magic E'.  Words which end with a vowel (a, e, i, o, or u) followed by a consonant (eg. t, d, p, s, n...)have a flat, normal sound.

For example: 

'tap'   is pronounced      t - a - p  ------>  tap 

'cop'                            c - o - p --------> cop

However, when the word ends with a vowel, consonant, then the letter E, the sound of the word changes.  The vowel now has a CAPITAL sound.

For example:

 'tape'   is pronounced      t - A - p - e ------>  tApe 

'cope'                            c - O - p - e ------> cOpe

There are many more examples of this in the English language, here are just a few...

hat/hate    cap/cape    her/here    scrap/scrape    shin/shine   

bit/bite    hop/hope    tub/tube    cut/cute 

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫

Contributed by Bruce McCutcheon

ONE POINT LESSON:  'Katakana' words in English

Have you ever used a 'katakana' word when speaking English to a foreigner and been surprised that they didn't understand you? There are three reasons for this:

1.   Not all 'katakana' words come from English.

For example アルバイト meaning 'part-time job' comes from the word 'Arbeit' which means 'work' in German. Most native English speakers have never studied German and so probably won't understand you!

2.   Some 'katakana' words have a different meaning in English.

For example in English, a 'mansion' is a really big, expensive house in the countryside, not an apartment!

3.   The pronunciation is different.

For example ケイキ should be pronounced 'cake' and サラダ should be pronounced 'salad'. In other words, the final 'i' or 'a' sound of most 'katakana' words should be dropped when speaking English to help people understand you better.  

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫

Contributed by Daniel Evans

ONE POINT LESSON: PRONUNCIATION

Pronunciation of Plurals

Pronouncing most plurals is very easy, we just need to finish with a SS sound.  For example:

one cat --------------- two cats

  one book --------------- three books

one painter -------------- four painters

These words sound exactly the same for singular (one) and plural (more than one), except with the plural we pronounce a short SS sound at the end.

But what happens if the singular word already has a SS sound at the end?

Eg.  boss, box, wash, house

In this situation, we need to add a SIZ sound.

bosses    sounds like   BOSSIZ

boxes      ----------------   BOKSIZ

washes  ------------------  WASHIZ

houses  -------------------  HOUSIZ

IMPORTANT: Many people make a mistake with TH words. Eg. clothes, months, baths.

Words with ...ths or ...thes NEVER have the ...SIZ pronunciation.  We ALWAYS finish these words with a normal SS sound.

So the word 'clothes' is pronounced CLOWTHS, not CLOWTHSIZ.

MONTHS not MONTHSIZ

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫

Contributed by Bruce McCutcheon

ONE POINT LESSON: Negative Questions

Responding to negative questions often causes some confusion. Unlike positive questions, we actually have to say "no" when the question is correct.

For example:

Question:  "You're not from Tokyo, are you?" 

Response:  "No, I'm not. I'm from Osaka."

If the question is incorrect, we have to say "yes".

For example:

Question:  "You don't really like baseball, do you?"

Response:  "Yes I do. I support the Giants."

お問い合わせはお気軽にどうぞ≫

トーク･アベニュー公式サイトTOPに戻る≫