Upgrade English・アップグレード英会話スクール・あなたの英語をアップグレード・英会話教室・日本橋・三越前・神田・無料体験レッスン・個人レッスン・ビジネス英会話・マンツーマンレッスン

「どうやって○○」は英語で何？「how」の使い方

2012-02-15T21:50:00.003+09:00

Some people in class the other day were asking about how to use "how". Here's the advice I gave them. "How" has at least three meanings when used in a question.

How do I do it? "how" = "way", どうやって..., answer with a method, as in "Do it this way."
How does he feel? "how" = どのよう..., answer with an adjective, as in "It feels great!"
How cold was it? "how" = どのくらい...[how + adj/adv]... answer with an adverb, as in "It was very cold."

The money tree is doing really badly. It was so dense back in November, but not now. How do I prevent it from dying?

prevent ~ from 〔主語は〕～が…するのを防ぐ［邪魔｛じゃま｝する］、～に…させない、～が…できないようにする、～が…にならないように予防｛よぼう｝する、〔主語が原因｛げんいん｝で〕～は…できない (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

There were five trunks. Three of them died. There are two left, and those two don't look so good. How bad do you think it is?

trunk〔木の〕幹 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

I wonder how the money tree feels. Maybe it's just feeling too cold. We tried changing the pot, but that didn't seem to help. How long can it survive? I hope it can make it until spring. Maybe it will start growing better once the weather is warmer.

Natural Houseは英語の使い方に注意した方が良い。

2012-02-14T20:06:00.000+09:00

I was in Natural House on the weekend. While checking out, I noticed a sign they had over the area where they were selling fresh juice. It asks us:

× How is feeling today?
○ How are you feeling today? How do you feel today?

check out〔レジ係が〕合計｛ごうけい｝を計算｛けいさん｝する、精算｛せいさん｝をする (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The important grammar mistake here is the missing "you". In Japanese, it's often possible to omit the subject, but in English you can't do that in most cases.

The really funny thing is the top left corner. It says "autumn menu". We know that autumn was over a long time ago! I guess that probably they have updated the menu but simply overlooked the English in the corner.

overlook 見落｛みお｝とす(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

My advice to any company using English in their signage is that you need to pay attention to exactly what it is you are expressing!

signage【名】〔指示・警告の〕文字、記号｛きごう｝、信号｛しんごう｝、表記｛ひょうき｝、看板｛かんばん｝、標識｛ひょうしき｝(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

A grammar mistake, while embarrassing, might not interfere too much with the meaning.

interfere 【自動】邪魔｛じゃま｝をする、妨げる、遅らせる(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

On the other hand, wrong vocabulary can result in a completely wrong meaning, like in this case. That's when communication fails.

I hope that Natural House will join the rest of us. Spring will be here soon!

過去完了形の使い方

2012-02-08T22:08:00.002+09:00

In class the other day someone was asking about past perfect tense.

past perfect 《文法》過去完了（形）｛かこかんりょう（けい）｝(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

My summary of how to use past perfect was this:

two past events
A happens before B
A is important for B

You should use past perfect to describe A.

For example:

I was interested in ways to cook with Japanese mountain yam other than grinding it and putting it on soba. <- A (Japanese mountain yam 山芋 )
I experimented with stir-frying it. <- B, the reason for this was A
Since I had been interested in ways to cook Japanese mountain yam other than grinding it and putting it on soba, I experimented with stir-frying it.

The sauce was made with miso, soy sauce, and sesame oil. It turned out delicious!

For more about past perfect tense, check these posts:

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/06/when-do-i-use-them.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/06/when-do-i-use-them-part-2.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/06/when-do-i-use-them-part-3.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/06/when-do-i-use-them-part-4.html

If you have any tips for cooking Japanese mountain yam, I'd like to hear them. Send me a comment or mail!

風邪の話

2012-02-03T17:02:00.000+09:00

Sorry for the long silence on the blog since the last post. Last week was really busy, and I think I'll write about it in my next post. This week I had the worst cold I've had in a long time.

I started to come down with this cold on Sunday. The symptoms were typical. By Sunday night, I was suffering from chills and body aches.

come down with a cold 風邪｛かぜ｝で倒れる［ダウンする］(definition from Eijiro on the Web)
symptom 症状
chills 悪寒 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
body aches 体の痛み (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

When I woke up on Monday morning, I felt like death warmed up.

feel like death warmed up ひどく疲れている、ひどく具合が悪い (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Still, somehow by late Monday evening I had recovered a lot, I thought, so Tuesday I went ahead with teaching.

go ahead with 〔計画｛けいかく｝・仕事｛しごと｝などを〕進める、推進｛すいしん｝する、強行｛きょうこう｝する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

That might have been a mistake. I got a runny nose, and I couldn't stop sneezing. When I got home, I found out that I was running a fever. I started coughing. I really hope I didn't pass my cold to my student on Tuesday evening.

runny nose 鼻水の垂れている鼻
sneeze くしゃみをする
run a fever 熱を出す
cough 咳をする
(definitions from Eijiro on the Web)

Wednesday I finally went to the doctor to get some medicine, which seemed to help with my fever. I was still coughing, though, and the runny nose turned to a stuffed-up nose. The staff at the clinic told me they had seen many patients with colds. This is one trend that I don't want to take part in, though.

have a stuffed-up nose 鼻が詰まっている (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
take part in ～に参加｛さんか｝［出場｛しゅつじょう｝］する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Finally today I feel back to about 75% of my usual self, with a normal body temperature and no runny nose.

body temperature 体温 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

If you are one of those people suffering from a cold, I hope you get well soon!

Get well soon. 早く元気になってくださいね。／お大事に。◆【場面】見舞いなどで病人の早期回復を願う。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

「doubt」と「suspect」の違いパート2、「allege」の意味

2012-01-14T15:14:00.001+09:00

This question came up in class this week, particularly because we ran across the word "allege".

run across ～に偶然会う (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
allege【他動】〔～が事実だと〕断言｛だんげん｝する、主張｛しゅちょう｝する; 《法律》〔証拠がないか提示される前に～を〕申し立てる、陳述｛ちんじゅつ｝する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

For example, America and Israel allege Iran is making nuclear weapons.

So someone said:

× America doubts Iran is doing that. <- America thinks Iran is not making nuclear weapons.
○ America suspects Iran is doing that. <- America thinks Iran is making nuclear weapons.

We talked about this difference about one year ago:

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/doubtsuspect.html

After this difference was clear, the next question was "what's the difference between 'suspect' and 'allege'?"

"Suspect" means that you think something is true, but "allege" means that you say what you think. First America suspects Iran is making nuclear weapons, then they allege Iran is making nuclear weapons.

America alleges that, but Iran denies it. Either way, I hope that war will not break out.

deny 【他動】〔～が事実｛じじつ｝でないとして〕否定｛ひてい｝する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
If a war broke out, it would be like hell on earth. 戦争が起こったら、生き地獄を見ることになるだろう。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

There have to be better ways to solve these problems than fighting.

Last year's radish cakes (大根モチ) (the ones in the post above) didn't turn out great, but this year my skill has increased a lot. Look at this beautiful radish cake! I doubt that I could work in a real Chinese restaurant yet, but I suspect you would think this radish cake is delicious if you tried it. You might allege that I am boasting, though.

boast 自慢｛じまん｝する、誇る、鼻にかける、豪語｛ごうご｝する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Here's the recipe. You can try making it yourself:

http://www.renickbell.net/doku.php?id=luo_bo_gao_recipe

去年の人気ある検索キーワード

2012-01-10T19:20:00.001+09:00

People find our blog looking for all kinds of things.

For example, somebody found our blog while searching for "スキルアップ英語で". The answer is "improve one's skills", as in "my Japanese reading ability is still really weak. I need to improve my skill at Chinese characters."

Here's the top five English-related search terms that brought people to our blog.

5. because of 使い方
4. look look like 違い
3. パーカー英語
2. as to as for 違い
1. パプリカ英語

For "because of", we wrote this blog post: http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2010/08/becausebecause-of.html

The difference between "look" and "look like" was explained here: http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2010/05/looklook-like.html

Like I wrote the other day, the post explaining that パーカー in English is "hoodie" is here: http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post_20.html

Distinguishing between "as to" and "as for" was done in this post: http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/10/as-toas-for.html

Finally, I talked about peppers (パプリカ) in this post: http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/09/blog-post_12.html

The other day, some people commented about the photo I had posted of my self. They said that I looked like a strange gnome.

gnome【2名】〔大地｛だいち｝の精の〕ノーム◆地中に住むとされる伝説上の小人で、伝統的に色鮮やかな、先のとがった丸い帽子をかぶり、ひげを生やした老人の姿で描かれる。ゴブリン（goblin）と異なり、おとなしくまた自然を慈しむとされる。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Since they thought I looked strange, they suggested that I put a better picture of myself. Because of that, one student took this picture of me in my hoodie. After taking the picture, she said "you look normal". Maybe you think I still look strange to be wearing the hood indoors!

Did you notice those popular key word searches above? As for peppers, I haven't cooked with them recently. However, because of this post, I have now realized it has been a while since I've eaten green peppers. I think I'll cook such a dish soon.

去年の人気があるポスト

2012-01-06T15:24:00.000+09:00

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a pleasant break. I didn't finish reporting about the popular posts from last year before the break, so I want to finish up that before talking about new things.

Among the posts from last year, this one was the third-most viewed: 「久しぶり」は英語で何？

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com//2011/07/blog-post.html

Coming in second place was the post titled "忍耐は美徳である。Patience is a virtue."

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com//2011/02/patience-is-virtue.html

come in __ place = ＿位［番］になる◆＿には序数が入る。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The most popular post was about "the week before last".

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com//2011/05/blog-post.html

Next time, I'll write about what people were searching for in 2011 when they found our posts.

今年の人気があるポスト

2011-12-28T19:03:00.000+09:00

At the end of the year, lots of media outlets give retrospectives.

media outlet 報道発信地［源］、メディアの支局 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
retrospective【名】回顧展 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Let's do the same thing here!

First, we can talk about which of our blog posts were the most popular this year. All of these posts were from 2010, but it seems that they were relevant for people this year.

relevant 【形】〔検討中の課題などと〕関係のある、関連（性）のある (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The third most popular post was about the difference between "because" and "because of".

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com//2010/08/becausebecause-of.html

The second most popular post was about how to use "depend on".

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com//2010/08/depend-on.html

The most popular post was the one about my hoodie, which Japanese call パーカー.

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com//2010/01/blog-post_20.html

Next time, I'll tell which of this year's blog posts were the most popular. In the meantime, I'm putting up the hood on my hoodie. It's cold!

「yule」とは

2011-12-27T19:49:00.001+09:00

You might have heard in an English song or movie something about "Yule" when they are talking about Christmas. If you check Eijiro on the Web, you'll find:

yule【名】キリスト降誕祭、クリスマスの季節 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Maybe a lot of people think they are synonymous, but it's not really true.

synonymous【形】同意語の、同義の、同義語の、同義的な、類義語の (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

If you check Wikipedia, you'll find out that it's actually a pagan holiday!

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A6%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB

Christmas was two days ago, but Yule runs until January 6, I think. Traditionally, it was celebrated for 12 days. If you've got a Christmas tree, then you are celebrating Yule!

I suppose most Japanese associate Christmas with romantic dates and cake, but from the point of view of nature, now the days are getting longer.

associate ~ with ～と…を結び付ける、…で～を連想する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The meaning of Yule is related to the winter solstice and the days starting to get longer. I wish the longer days would bring about warm weather sooner. It's pretty cold outside today! Until the warm weather shows up, I think I may just sit here underneath the heater.

underneath【名】下部、底 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

英語の間違いについてどう考えたらいいですか？

2011-12-22T01:14:00.001+09:00

I've been thinking about this for weeks now. I think a lot of people have the wrong idea about making mistakes.

You know I have a series of posts called ○○さんは英語の使い方に注意した方が良い. Some people might have the misunderstanding that I am trying to bully someone or denigrate someone.

denigrate【他動】〔人の性格や評判を〕傷つける、中傷する、侮辱する、悪くいう; 〔人や物の価値を〕過小評価する、見くびる (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

That couldn't be farther from the truth.

That couldn't be farther from the truth. これほど事実から程遠いものはありません。 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The reality is that mistakes are learning opportunities. I don't think any mistake I've posted on my blog has any real consequence for anyone beyond making someone blush (maybe the author, if I am lucky enough for them to read my post).

blush with embarrassment 恥ずかしさのあまり赤面する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

I post these mistakes so that you all can learn from them. These aren't private mistakes, either, but things which appear in public. If someone doesn't mind putting this English in public, it's fair game.

fair game for discussion 議論の格好の話題 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

What's more, in truth I admire these people. They are using English to communicate, even if there are mistakes. Learning a language and using it helps to bring people together.

admire【他動】～を称賛［敬服］する(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

It's true that sometimes mistakes have serious consequences. For example, if safety instructions are written wrongly and someone gets injured, that's serious.

There appears to be a case where a health supplement dealer faced a possible death sentence for a mistranslation of "hemp oil" for "hash oil" (hemp oil is a nutritional supplement, while hash oil is a strong drug which is illegal in most parts of the world).

hemp 【名】麻、麻布、麻の繊維
hash = hashish【名】〈俗〉ハシシ、ハシーシュ◆大麻に含まれる樹脂（幻覚物質）を乾燥させた作った麻薬
(definitions from Eijiro on the Web)

However, the mistakes that I have posted are nothing like this. Everyone should think of them as learning opportunities rather than be afraid of them because they are zero-risk.

Especially in an English class, there is zero risk. That means you should never be afraid to make mistakes, but think of them as lucky chances to learn something.

It's like these fried noodles that I cooked tonight. One of the ingredients was green onions. I chopped the onions into four centimeter pieces. I had intended to slice them further into strips, but I was hungry and forgot. Fortunately, the noodles still tasted delicious.

That's a perfect example of a zero-risk mistake. The lesson for me is to pay more attention when cooking, or maybe to eat a snack before cooking so that I won't be in such a hurry.

Please don't fear your mistakes, and take advantage of all of the learning opportunities you can.

Yaechikaは英語使い方に注意した方が良い + 「partly」の使い方

2011-12-13T21:22:00.002+09:00

Yaechika is a goldmine of English mistakes!

absolute goldmine 《an ～》〈話〉〔店・事業などが〕ドル箱 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

This time I found this sign:

× Information of the Business
○ Business Information

Many times you can use a noun as an adjective, like in this case.

× Partly, there is a shop where business hours are different.
○ There are some shops with different business hours.

Don't use "partly" when you are talking about a countable quantity of something, like "shops" in the sentence above. "Partly" is usually used before a verb, like this:

I've partly corrected this sign, but there are still some mistakes remaining.

You can also use it to modify an adjective:

I have a cap which is partly damaged, but I haven't thrown it out yet.

It has been too long since I last posted to the blog. That is partly because I've had a busy class schedule. It's partly because there were a lot of other things to do. You might be partly satisfied with these excuses, but I bet you aren't completely satisfied. Don't worry! I haven't forgotten about you loyal blog readers! I'm still thinking of your English education, and I'll be back soon with another blog post.

「within walking distance」といろいろな単語の説明

2011-11-22T17:49:00.001+09:00

I wanted to see if Otemachi is within walking distance of our classroom. Our classroom is really close to Kanda Station, Shin-nihonbashi, and Mitsukoshi-mae Stations, but looking at the map, Otemachi looked really close, too.

within walking distance of ～から歩いて行ける距離［範囲］で (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
It's within walking distance. 歩いて行ける距離です。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

I thought it probably was close enough to walk from, so I took a walk to confirm my hypothesis.

confirm the hypothesis that 〔that以下〕という仮説｛かせつ｝を裏付ける｛うらづける｝(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

After checking the map, I hit the door and started down the street towards Otemachi Station. A lot of people were just getting off work and heading towards various stations.

hit the door 出発する (casual)
head towards ～の方へ向かう (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

When I got to Otemachi, I snapped this shot of exit A5, the one closest to our classroom. An office worker was going down into the station, and a member of the station staff was coming up the stairs.

snap a shot of ～の写真を撮る (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

I started my stopwatch and turned around towards our classroom. I took a reasonable pace. I passed some construction workers carrying their equipment back to their van. One older man in down jacket seemed to be in a hurry and passed me.

in a hurry 急いで、慌てて (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The sidewalks were full of commuters, but after eight minutes and 10 seconds, I arrived in front of our building.

commuter【名】通勤者｛つうきんしゃ｝、通学者｛つうがくしゃ｝ (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

What do you think? Is eight minutes within walking distance? Regardless, there are three other closer stations nearby, within three to five minutes. I hope you will walk over and say hello.

「wear」の使い方

2011-11-18T19:16:00.001+09:00

The weather has been getting cooler, so I've started wearing my hoodies.

You all might have felt with the cooler weather that it was time for shopping for clothing.

clothing = clothes = 服

I was out shopping somewhere (I can't remember where) and I saw this sign. It says:

× goods, wear

○ goods, clothes/clothing/apparel

"Wear" is a verb or a suffix, usually. It's most common as a verb, like "make sure you wear enough when you go out, since it's cold."

As a suffix, we use it in words like "underwear" and "formalwear".

underwear【名】肌着類｛はだぎるい｝、下着｛したぎ｝、肌着｛はだぎ｝、パンツ (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
formalwear【名】正装｛せいそう｝(definition from Eijiro on the Web)
suffix 接尾辞 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Sometimes we use it with an adjective as an independent word, like:

I guess you have already put away all of your summer wear.

However, I prefer this:

I guess you have already put away all of your summer clothing.

If you've been making this mistake, don't worry! Just wear a smile and try to avoid making it in the future.

wear a smile 笑みをたたえる (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

「1兆」は英語で何と言う？

2011-11-16T20:17:00.001+09:00

$1,000,000,000,000

How do you say this number in English? Most students have trouble reading big numbers in class. One major reason is because numbers are read/written very differently in Japanese.

For example,
一千円 (1,000) is one thousand yen. (No problem)
九千九百九十九円　(9,999) is nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine yen. (No problem there either)

however 一万円　 (10,000) is... ten thousand. (Here is where things get tricky)
十万円　(100,000) is one hundred thousand.
百万円　(1,000,000) is one million.
一千万円　(10,000,000) is ten million.
Japanese numbers move in four digits but many Western languages move in three.
So what can you do?
Simple, just look for the first comma on the left. That will tell you how to read the number.
1,000 (ONE thousand)Secondly, how many digits are there after the first comma.
1,000 (there are three digits after the first comma so it is thousand)

If there are 6 digits after the first comma, it is million (1,000,000)
If there are 9 digits after the first comma, it is billion (1,000,000,000)
If there are 12 digits after the first comma, it is trillion (1,000,000,000,000)
If there are 15 digits after the first comma, (you most likely will not need to know this number unless you are a hardcore scrabble player.)

Do you know how to read the numbers below?
The earth's population recently reached 7,000,000,000.
The population in Japan is around 125,000,000.
The U.S. public debt is $14,993,980,920,226.
The price tag of my dream car, a Mercedes AMG SLS is at least $185,750.
The average household income in Japan (in 2009) was ¥5,475,000.

「money tree」とは？

2011-11-15T18:39:00.001+09:00

This is our money tree. That's what we call this tree in English.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachira_aquatica

money tree パキラ属、金のなる木、金づる (definition on Eijiro on the Web)
cash-cow, money tree 金の成る木

People keep telling me that our money tree is too dense. They say I should trim some of the inner leaves. I'm worried about doing that, though, because it seems healthy enough. If I cut a bunch off, I'm afraid I might kill it.

What do you think I should do?

I would hire a specialist, but money doesn't grow on trees. So instead, I'm turning to you all for advice. Do you have good suggestions on how to trim the tree?

Money doesn't grow on trees.《諺》金のなる木はない。／お金を楽に得る方法はない。(definition on Eijiro on the Web)

By they way, has anybody started trimming their Christmas tree? I think I'd rather do some kind of pagan winter solstice celebration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

trim a tree to make it look better 見栄えがするように木を剪定｛せんてい｝する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
trim a Christmas tree クリスマスツリーに飾りを付ける、クリスマスツリーの飾り付けをする(definition from Eijiro on the Web)
winter solstice 《the ～》《天文》冬至点｛とうじてん｝(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

It's about five weeks away. Some people might feel it's early, but I am sure Starbucks is already playing Christmas music. I am avoiding it for that reason. I wonder if their seasonal drinks are a money tree?

「AXE」は英語の使い方に注意した方が良い。＋リストの作り方

2011-11-02T19:29:00.004+09:00

I wonder if you saw this ad on the train. It's by AXE, encouraging men to smell good in order to attract women. They have given us a checklist to help us find love. It says:

× Attention -> ○ Notice, Pay attention
Spray
Go direct
× Happy -> ○ Be happy

The reason "happy" is wrong is because of the way we make lists. When you make a list, all of the items need to be of the same grammatical type (part of speech).

part of speech《文法》品詞｛ひんし｝(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

In the list, "attention" is a noun, and "happy" is an adjective. The other two are verbs, so let's assume they meant to use verbs. To fix it, we change those two items to verbs.

Your lists can use nouns:

I've got to buy tofu, green onions, and noodles at the supermarket.

You can also use verbs:

Today I went to the bank, ran by the electronics store, and wrote this blog post.

Even adjectives are OK:

The weather today was clear, comfortable, and cool.

What you can't do is mix types, like AXE did in their list. When you are making lists, make sure to keep the part of speech of each item the same.

INAXは英語の使い方に注意した方が良い。

2011-10-15T16:57:00.000+09:00

I was in the restroom at Haneda Airport last week when this sign caught my eye:

× Equipment to cleansing the buttocks with warm water.
○ A device to clean the buttocks with warm water.

buttock【名】尻、臀部｛でんぶ｝◆通例buttocks (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The main mistake here is "to cleansing". Unless "to" is a preposition, don't use a v+ing after it.

○ I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
× I hope to seeing you soon.
○ I hope to see you soon.

The other thing I suggest changing is "equipment" to "a device". The first difference between these two is that "equipment" is uncountable, while "device" is countable. "Equipment" often feels like a set of tools, and it is also often large things. The toilet seat is not so big, and we don't think of it as a set. That's why I think "device" is better.

There is no device to clean up all of the English mistakes I see everywhere. The only thing that can be done is for people to study English more. I hope to help those people in class. Contact us if you want to avoid making mistakes like Inax has.

「much」の使い方

2011-10-07T07:30:00.000+09:00

OK, who keeps letting people put up nonsense English in Yaechika? I found this one:

× Much the Autumn
○ ???

This one is hard to guess. I wonder what they meant?

Bountiful Autumn
bountiful【形】〔物が〕豊富｛ほうふ｝な; 〔人が〕気前｛きまえ｝の良い; 〔人が〕慈悲深い、恩寵｛おんちょう｝の豊かな (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
It's very much autumn now!
It's much like autumn.
Will you buy much this autumn?

Maybe they are making a pronunciation mistake!

Match the Autumn 秋に会う <- is this Japanese OK?

Don't say this though:

× I bought much at Yaechiku.
○ I bought a lot at Yaechiku.

Only use "much" for negative sentences and questions. In a positive sentence, you should use "lots" or "a lot".

I keep finding mistakes at Yaechika. I'm going to search at Kanda Station more. I feel like I might find a lot of mistakes there, too. Do you think I will have much success finding them there? I think it's going to be a bountiful autumn. Wish me luck!

Tully'sは英語の使い方に注意した方が良い

2011-10-05T19:38:00.000+09:00

I hadn't been to Yaechika in a while. I can always find English mistakes, there, and this time was no exception.

no exception《be ～》例外｛れいがい｝でない (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Just when you come down the stairs on the Yaesu Avenue northeast entrance, there's a new Tully's. They have a gorgeous new sign, which says:

× Non-Smorking 71 Seats; Smorking 28 Seats
○ 71 non-smoking seats, 28 smoking seats

What do you suppose "smorking" is? I looked it up, and the Urban Dictionary had this funny definition:

smork - someone who is so smitten, they are acting like a absolute dork. Slightly embarrassing, usually someone who is not an obviously smitten person, hence the lame name Smork. "You are acting like such a smork, you're definitely smorko over him" <- my note: "smork" is not common English. Don't expect many to know this.
smitten【形】〈英俗〉ぞっこんほれ込んだ (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
dork【名】〈俗〉ばか、あほ、とんま、愚か者、のろま (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

So I suppose it's nice of Tully's to provide special seats for those who have fallen head over heels for someone.

ぞっこんほれ込みなさい。 Fall head over heels. (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The sign also says:

× To Go Counter
○ to-go counter

When you use a phrase as an adjective, you should connect the words with a hyphen.

Because of that, I would also say:

× Meeting Space 6 seats
○ 6-seat meeting space

Good luck everybody, smorks included. Even I can be a mistake-making dork sometimes.

too と very の違いは何です?

2011-10-01T17:08:00.001+09:00

Here is one that often confuses Japanese students. What is the difference between too and very? This is one is very easy.

When the temperature outside is 34 degrees, it is very hot.

(You can still go out. I see many office workers dressed in suits. Be sure to carry a bottle of water.)

When the thermometer reaches 50 degrees, it is too hot.
(It has passed a limit. It might be dangerous to go out.)

Here is another example.
A 3LDK house in Hamadayama costs 80,000,000 yen. That is very expensive (But if you work hard, save a large part of your earnings and invest prudently in the stock market, you have a good chance of owning one.)

Some houses in the Pacific Heights area in San Francisco are in the neighborhood of 1,000,000,000 Yen. That is too expensive. (It is impossible for an average office worker to buy such a house. It's over the limit for 99.7% of buyers.)

For emphasis, intonate too. For example, that is tooooooooo expensive.

Useful vocabulary
Be in the neighborhood of--

～の近くに、～の近所に、～の周りに、～の付近に

およそ、～くらいの、約～◆【同】about
・My fee for this service would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $__. : 当サービスの料金は約＿ドルとなります。

Over the limit-- 限度を超えて、法定許容アルコール量を超える

「put up」の使い方

2011-09-28T17:33:00.000+09:00

One of the reasons I was busy recently is that we put up a new sign on our building. I hope it will make it easy for you all to find our building.

put up a sign サイン［掲示板｛けいじばん｝・標示｛ひょうじ｝］を立てる［掲げる・掛ける］(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Another thing that kept me from posting on the blog as much as I would like has been the heat. I'll admit that I have less energy when it is hot. Fortunately, we have put up with the hot weather long enough, and cool weather has arrived. It feels great, right?

put up with【句動】～に耐える、〔じっと〕～に我慢する◆【語源】put up（しまう、隠す）から。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Still, I told you all that I was going to write more blog posts, but it has been a while since my last one. Maybe you were thinking, "come on, Nick, either put up or shut up!"

Put up or shut up! 行動で示すか、それができないんなら黙ってろ！(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

I'll try to put up more blog posts soon!

put up 4. 掲揚｛けいよう｝する、揚げる、つる、掲示｛けいじ｝する、示す、発表｛はっぴょう｝する、上演｛じょうえん｝する、提出｛ていしゅつ｝する、提案｛ていあん｝する、提供｛ていきょう｝する、寄付｛きふ｝する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

We really want to help you with your English. If you will put up the necessary effort, we will guide you as far as we can to speaking English better.

put up an effort ~ make an effort 努力｛どりょく｝する (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

You should take a look at all of the other meanings for "put up" at Eijiro on the Web:

http://eow.alc.co.jp/put+up/UTF-8/

Put up your hands if you have any questions. = Raise your hands...

Raise your hand if you have any questions. 何か質問のある人は手を挙げて。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

I'm not a cop, though, so I won't tell you to "put your hands up!"

Put your hands up! 手を上げろ！(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

「lately」と「late」の違い

2011-09-24T12:44:00.001+09:00

One of my students was a little late for class earlier this week and as soon as she came into the room she said "I am sorry to have kept you waiting." (this part is OK.)

She then said "I woke up lately."

What she should have said is "I am sorry to have kept you waiting. I woke up late."

Lately means not long ago or recently. E.g. Have you studied English lately? See you in class.

台風接近に伴う休講のお知らせ

2011-09-21T14:38:00.003+09:00

台風１５号の接近により、9/21の授業は休講といたします。

Due to the typhoon, we are calling off classes tonight. Be careful out there!

call off (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
【句動】

    ～に声をかけて攻撃｛こうげき｝をやめさせる
    〔計画｛けいかく｝・予定｛よてい｝など〕中止｛ちゅうし｝する［させる］、取りやめる、取り消す、中止｛ちゅうし｝を宣言｛せんげん｝する、白紙撤回｛はくしてっかい｝する、打ち切る
    ・Company A and company B called off their proposed $__ merger. : 企業Aと企業Bは＿ドルの合併案を取りやめた。
    ・The Security Council voted to call off the hunt for General Bob Smith. : 国連安全保障理事会は、ボブ・スミス将軍の追跡を打ち切ることを可決しました。
    〔取引｛とりひき｝など〕断る、手を引く、解消｛かいしょう｝する
    ・Let's call the whole thing off. : もう交渉［議論・言い争い・けんか］はやめましょう。／私たちは意見が合わないということをお互いに認めましょう。◆【同】Let's agree that we disagree ［don't agree］.◆お互い話がかみ合わなくなったとき、あるいはどちらも譲らなくなったときの締めの文句。
    ～を呼んで立ち去らせる、遠ざける、呼び戻す、〔注意｛ちゅうい｝を〕そらす
    ～を読み上げる

「for」と「since」の使い方とスッポン店

2011-09-17T17:32:00.000+09:00

What makes a business successful? There must be a demand for starters. The product or service must be of good quality. Moreover, having a good location is key.

Just outside of Yurakucho station, on the first floor of the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan, there is an interesting shop tucked in a small corner. It is a shop that sells soft shell turtle (スッポン) food products, e.g. soup, stew, etc. A very interesting shop indeed. .

I remember seeing this shop the first time I passed by (in 2003) and lo and behold, that shop has been in business for 8 years (at least). It must have been there since 2003 (at least).

We use for and since to say how long something has been happening. Let’s look at the examples below.

We use for + a period of time

　　　　　　　　　 (Now)

=======|=========|

( two years)

l I have lived in Tokyo for two years.

We use since + the start of a period

(2011)

=======X=========|

(2009)

l I have lived in Tokyo since 2009.

I wonder what スッポンsoup taste like? Anyone brave souls out there?

Useful Vocabulary

Key~ 重要な、主要な、キーポイントになる

Indeed~ 実に、本当に、確かに、いかにも、実際に［は］、全く

Lo and behold~ 驚いたことに、驚くなかれ、何ということか、そしてなんと◆会話で相手の注意を引くために使われる

「blog」と「post」の使い方

2011-09-16T13:22:00.000+09:00

This has been a really busy week. I'll show you one of the reasons in my next post. Because I've been too busy, I haven't written so many posts lately. Someone recently asked why Johnny and I write this blog.

× The blog posts about our experiences.
○ The blog contains posts our experiences.
○ We post articles about our experiences on this blog.

"Blog" can be a noun or a verb. In the case of the noun, it means a website that is something like a diary.
As a verb, it means to write things on a blog.

diary 【名】〔個人｛こじん｝の〕日記（帳）｛にっき（ちょう）｝◆【同】journal (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

"Post" can be a noun or verb, too. The noun means an article written on a blog.

article【名】〔雑誌｛ざっし｝や新聞｛しんぶん｝の〕記事｛きじ｝、論説｛ろんせつ｝、論文｛ろんぶん｝◆小説などのフィクションを含まない。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

When we are talking about blogs, the verb "post" means to place an article on a blog. So when describing our blog, I can say:

I also post about English grammar and vocabulary.
I also blog about English grammar and vocabulary.
I also write posts about English grammar and vocabulary.

How many of you are writing blogs? If you have one, what kind of posts are you writing? Do you blog about your hobbies or current events? Do you post often? Send me the links to your blogs so I can check them out!

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