On Saturday, we had a welcome party for new teacher Jade, & two new full-time staff, Misaki & Takako. Lots of students came & we had a lot of fun. We played bingo, ate sushi & pizza, drank beer, and chatted a lot. Please join us next time!
Vocabulary, Grammar:
- a lot of + 名詞 = lots of + 名詞
- talk/eat/drink/動詞 a lot. OK
- talk/eat/drink/動詞 a lot of. WRONG
Can you tell* what`s interesting in this photo?
Shall I tell** you?
Well, if you look carefully, you`ll notice that the shed is actually a converted train carriage. I can`t tell* what it`s used for now, but it has windows & curtains, so maybe someone uses it as a bedroom. Cool! (Actually, it`s made of metal, so in summer it probably gets pretty hot.)
Vocabulary:
- *tell... = notice, know, understand
- **tell (+誰かに)... = say, teach
I went to see F.C.Gifu on Sunday. If they`d won, they would`ve gone to #14 in the J2 League table. But they lost. They lost badly. They missed a PK. And one Gifu player got a red card. Now their league position is #21.
Oh, and it rained.
I should`ve stayed home.
Pronunciation:
- "Would`ve" と "should`ve" の発音は "would of" と "should of" と似ている。 書く時に、ネイティブもたまに間違える事があります!
I enjoy visiting this shop in Yanagase in Gifu City. They mostly sell used wooden furniture, but they also have interesting antique & retro items such as lampshades, bottles, picture frames, postcards, etc. The shop is called "mokku mokku." What does mokku mokku mean? It translates as 'wood wood' - an interesting name for an interesting shop!
Grammar:
- What does ___ mean? OK
- What means ___? WRONG
- What does mean _____? WRONG
Have you been to see cherry blossoms yet? You`d better hurry - soon they`ll be gone! I took this photo in front of Iwato Shrine in Imaise, Ichinomiya. A festival is held there every spring. Have you ever been to it? This year it`s on the 21st of April. Please go! I`m going.
Grammar:
- "...been..." = 行って来ました
- "...gone..." = 行った (今はもうない)
- "Have you (ever) been...?" は "Have you gone...?" より普通です
One of my hobbies is to take care of the local park where my kids play. I cut the grass, pull out weeds (雑草), pick up trash etc. I like to keep it looking good.
Anyway, the other day an old lady (really old - she had a walking stick in BOTH hands) in a nearby garden called me over to thank me & give me a gift of five cans of Mitsuya Cider. How nice! Thanks, very old lady near the park.
Japanese English:
- In Japan, cider (サイダー) is a non-alcoholic drink, similar to lemonade, but in western countries, cider is an ALCOHOLIC drink made from apples - don`t buy it for your kids!
Do you like fleamarkets? Some people don`t like them, but I find* them interesting. You can see things that you don`t normally see in shopping centres. Also, if you`re lucky, you can find** a bargain (買い得).
These are my finds*** from a fleamarket in Gifu last weekend: a toy car (¥100), 2 children`s books (¥50 each), a silk necktie (¥50), & a towel with a picture of a sumo wrestler (¥800). The car is for my collection, I gave the books to my kids & I will give the towel to a family member as a present.
Vocabulary:
- *find (動詞)= 思う, 分かる
- **find (動詞) = 見つける
- ***find (名詞) = 見つけた物, 拾い物, 発見、戦利品
On Saturday there was some kind of festival at Kogane Shrine in Gifu, near our school. As you can see, participants were carrying a 'mikoshi' - a kind of portable shrine, and they were wearing 'happi', a kind of traditional decorative coat. Have you ever worn a happi? I haven`t, but I hope to have the chance one day - I think they look kind of cool.
Grammar:
- a kind of 名詞 = 名詞の種類
- some kind of 名詞 = 名詞の種類 (何の種類か分からない感じ)
- kind of 形容詞 = けっこう、ちょっと形容詞
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