Darts: Yotsuya police station; Laurels: Laforet

This post is about darts and laurels.

laurels 月桂冠｛げっけいかん｝
discharge a shower of darts at
～に辛辣｛しんらつ｝な言葉｛ことば｝を浴びせる
(definitions from 英辞郎 on the web)

"Darts and laurels" means criticism and praise. As a side note, it's a bit strange to reverse the order.

× laurels and darts

So, the laurels go to Laforet. Johnny mentioned them yesterday. They had a clever advertisement with correct English. It can be hard to use English correctly, and they were clever on top of that. Nice job!

The darts, though, go to the Yotsuya police station.

× Neighbourhood Watch & Police Emergency Call 110 for cleanup of Shinjuku
○ The neighbourhood watch and police ask you to call 110 in an emergency to help clean up Shinjuku. <- I think this is what they mean, but I can't really be sure.

The reason it's not clear is that they have at least three nouns at the beginning of the sentence. "Call" is seen as a noun because "emergency", normally a noun, is interpreted as an adjective modifying "call". However, then it gets strange because they are using "call" like a verb with "110" as its object.

So we can conclude that police in Shinjuku haven't studied enough grammar.

And they made more mistakes!

× Task force for anti-crime campaign on hot spot
○ Anti-crime task force for crime hot spots <- it's still not clear how many hot spots there are

hot spot of crime

犯罪｛はんざい｝の多発地点｛たはつ ちてん｝(definition from 英辞郎 on the web)

They probably could have made it simpler, like this:

Task force for crime hot spots

So, congratulations again to Laforet; the police should be learning from the fashionable in this case.

subliminal advertising, サブリミナル広告、意識下広告、潜在意識広告

I was walking in Harajuku last Sunday and saw this clever eye-catching advertisement.

eye-catching-人目｛ひとめ｝を引く、目立つ

At the bottom of the ad it says:
"You have a good eye for fashion."

have a good eye--目が高い

If you have a good eye for something, it means you have a good judgment or have good taste.

Do you have a good eye for fashion?

Does your boss have a good eye for picking the right employees?

Do you have a good eye for choosing ripe, juicy cantaloupes?

Yesterday there was a difficult sentence, and some people had the confusion to match.

There was something tricky in an article we were talking about earlier this week. Some of you have read this article about blood types:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ek20090311a1.html

In the eighth paragraph, there's this line:

"Type O's, on the other hand, are acknowledged as generous, passionate lovers with hearts of gold and wallets to match."

Many students were puzzled about this line. There are two things happening here. The first is an idiom:

__(subject)__ has __(n)__ and the __(n)__ to match

It means that the second and third nouns are often found together, and the subject of the sentence has both. Here's an example:

The gray-haired college professor has the body of a college athlete and the energy to match. この白髪の大学教授には、大学の運動選手並みの肉体とそれに見合う活力があります。(definition from 英辞郎 on the web)

The students said that example wasn't so easy to understand, so here are two others.

He has red hair and the temper to match. <- It's a common belief that people with red hair have short tempers. This person, like the stereotype, has both red hair and a short temper.

• short temper 短気｛たんき｝、怒りっぽい性質

He has an Ivy League education and the attitude to match. <- It's a common belief that people who went to an Ivy League university can be stuck up. This person went to such a school and is also stuck up.

• stuck up《be ～》つんとする、威張っている、うぬぼれている、思い上がっている

The second thing going on in that example was a play on words.

• play on words 《a ～》言葉遊び｛ことばあそび｝、しゃれ、語呂合わせ｛ごろあわせ｝That joke has a funny play on words. : あのジョークには面白い語呂合わせが含まれている。(definition from 英辞郎 on the web)

"A heart of gold" means a kind character. "A wallet to match" sounds like "a wallet of gold", which means "a wallet full of gold." We can interpret that to mean "rich". You can see that "gold" in "a heart of gold" and "gold" in "a wallet of gold" have different meanings.

When we read the sentence from the article, we understand that type O people are often kind and rich.

Yesterday, the rain was terrible. I rode my bicycle from home to Tokyo Station first. Then I rode to Nihonbashi. After that, I went to Shiba Park, and then finally I went to Shinbashi. By the time I got home, my rain suit wasn't repelling the rain anymore, and I had soaked socks to match. Now I think I have to replace my rain suit. I had better do it soon, because rainy season is coming.

When you use a relative clause, make sure your sentence also has a subject and a verb.

Tonight we were talking about relative clauses.

• relative clause 関係詞節 (definition from 英辞郎 on the web)

Here's a common mistake which even native speakers make:

× That red cabinet, which I can put books in. <- there's no main verb
○ That cabinet, which I can put books in, is red. <- the subject is "cabinet", and "is" is the main verb

Be careful not to use two subjects:

× Tadao Ando, who is an architect, he designed the New Tokyo Tower. <- two subjects, "Tadao Ando" and "he"
○ Tadao Ando, who is an architect, designed the New Tokyo Tower.

× The weather forecast, which says it will be cooler tomorrow.
× The weather forecast, which says it will be cooler tomorrow, it also says it will rain.
○ The weather forecast, which says it will be cooler tomorrow, also says it will rain.

I'm not looking forward to riding my bicycle in the rain. Hopefully it will just be light rain. Take care!

I am hungry. I am very hungry. I am soooo hungry!!!

I am hungry.
I am very hungry.
I am so hungry I can eat a horse.

Which of the sentences above sound strongest? Depending on your intonation, so can be used as an intensifier.

I seldom hear students use so as an intensifier.
I usually hear sentences like these:
It was cold so I put on my jacket.
I was hungry so I went to 7-11 to get something to eat.

Use so to make your story more interesting, especially in casual conservation.
It was soooo (stretch the o) hot, I was sweating buckets.
The test was so difficult, Einstein wouldn't have passed.

How would you finish the following sentences?
Bill Gates is so wealthy he...
George Clooney is so handsome..
Dinner was so good...

I am so hungry I can't fini....

Kim Jong Il is a tyrant; if we don't watch out, he might eat paradise next!

North Korea has tested a nuclear device, and it's all over the news today. They did the test yesterday. I was watching the news just a moment ago while eating my dinner, and they had a lot to report about it. <- present perfect, present, past, past continuous, past...

Speaking of dinner, I took this photo in front of the elevator on my way to dinner on Saturday night. Isetan is calling their restaurant area "Eat Paradise." This is a funny one. We talked about imperative sentences the other day. If you don't state a subject and start directly with a verb, it's an imperative sentence:

• Open your book.
• Go over there.
• Please give that to me.

So Isetan is giving us an order. The order is to eat. What should we eat? "Paradise," they say. Imagine this conversation:

A: Don't eat paradise. If you eat it, where will we be able to relax?
B: You can't stop me! This paradise looks too delicious.
A: NO!!!!
(B eats all of paradise, paradise disappears into B's stomach)
A: Ah... paradise is gone, and with it, my hope.

What Isetan really wants to say is something like:

• dining paradise
• food paradise
• eat in paradise

Instead they are asking us to devour heaven. That's too bad for all the people who are living moral lives now. When they pass away, there may not be a heaven left to take them. At least there will still be some kimono spectacles. No one is going to eat them.

× kimono spectacles 着物用メガネ???
○ kimonos, glasses <- "spectacles" sounds like the late 19th century

• live a moral life 正しい生活｛せいかつ｝を送る (definition from 英辞郎 on the web)

Please check signage with a native speaker, but definitely don't eat paradise. I'm looking forward to going there someday.

チップは含まれていますか？

One of my students who is getting ready to go on her first homestay in the States was confused about how much tip to give. How much should I tip the waiter/waitress? Do I give a tip to the housekeeper directly? Do I have to tip my English teacher too?

There is no tip-giving custom in Japan. On the other hand, in America it is usual to tip in airports, restaurants, taxis, hotels and hair salons. It is hard to know how much to tip. Here are a few guidelines for tipping in the States:

Airport porters or hotel bellhops-- $1 or $2 for carrying each suitcase
Hairstylists-- 10%- 15% of the bill
Hotel maids-- $1 to $5 per night
Taxi drivers-- 10% - 15% of the total
Waiters and waitresses-- 10% - 20% of the bill (Of course you don't have to tip at a fast food restaurant)

When you are not sure about how much to tip, you should do what feels right. If you feel you received bad service, tip only a little. If you received very bad service, don't tip at all. If you got very good service, you can give a bigger tip.

Last but not least, pay attention to the pronunciation. It is tip not chip, "t" as in tiger, not "ch" as in chihuahua.

I hope you find my tip useful.

This is one reason that I cut my own hair.

This morning I gave myself a haircut with the pair of clippers I have.

• バリカン (n) barber's clippers; (from Edict)
  

Since I just shave my head, it's easy, and I save money and time. However, there's another reason. Look at the photo.

Here's another case of someone with good intentions but bad execution.

• genuinely good intentions 純粋な善意 (from 英辞郎 on the web)
• bad execution 不出来 (from 英辞郎 on the web)

We can guess they intend to get English-speaking customers, so they have written:

× spoken English

I understand what they mean. Probably they want to say something like this:

○ English is spoken here.
○ We speak English, too!
○ Don't speak Japanese? Don't worry! We speak English!

This isn't a big mistake, I suppose. Check out the difference between spoken English and written English:

• 口語英語 (n) spoken English; (from Edict)
• written English 書き言葉の英語、文語英語 (from 英辞郎 on the web)

Remember the sign about beer from the other day? I wouldn't worry so much if there's an article mistake when I'm trying to order beer. A communication error in this case won't be so serious.

However, if I want to keep it long on top, and the stylist takes a lot off the top, we're going to have a problem.

• keep it long on top = allow the hair on the top of one's head to remain long; 上の方の髪は長い方がいい。
• take a lot off the top = cut the hair on the top of one's head very short; 上の髪を短く切って下さい。

So, if I need to speak English with my barber, the barber's English really has to be OK. Maybe they really can speak English here, but they should have gotten one of their clients who is a native English speaker to check the text for their sign before they made it.

• 床屋 (n) barber; (P); (from Edict)
  

And as always, if you catch a mistake in any of the Japanese here (and I bet there are plenty of mistakes!), please let us know.

どんな映画が好きですか？

Ask 10 people the question above and you might get ten different answers. However some movie titles always seem to break the top 5. Here are some of my all-time favorite movies: (Drum roll please...)
5. The Fugitive
4. Good Fellas
3. Gladiator
2. Million Dollar Baby
1. Shawshank Redemption

Perhaps there is no better way to wind down a weekend than with a movie.
What are some of your favorite movies?

Many Japanese wind down from a hard day at work with a cup of sake.:
杯の酒で、職場でのきつい1日からの緊張をほぐす日本人は多い.

くつろぐ
If you want to wind down for the day, feel free to put your stuff away. :
一日ゆっくりしたいのなら、そんなことはほっといたらいいよ

Actually, watching a movie in English is killing two birds with one stone.
You get to relax and you are sure to pick up a few useful English phrases.

Killing two birds with one stone:
一石二鳥

Tell us some of your favorite movies.

Have you ever been to this restaurant?

I have decided to report about the restaurant from last night since it was good. It's called Chaya, and it's on the seventh floor of Isetan.

http://www.chayam.jp/restaurant/shinjuku.html

Actually, I've been there many times. I used to like going to movies, and there's a nice theater near there. While their brown rice is good, my suggestion is to get bread. It's really delicious, and you can eat as much as you want! It also comes with a nice peanut spread.

come with ～を搭載している［備えている・装備している］、〔主語には〕～が付いて［付属して・同梱されて］いる
・Does coffee come with it? : コーヒーはセットになっていますか？ (definition from 英辞郎 on the web)

For dessert, I had the nut tart. I have had other desserts there, but that one is my favorite.

So, you know I have been writing about present perfect tense. Here are the links to all of the posts I have written about it this week:

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/now-that-i-have-had-dinner-i-can-write.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/yesterday-i-started-series-of-posts-on.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-have-written-two-posts-on-present.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-havent-seen-one-of-my-friends-for.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-many-times-have-you-run-washing.html

For a review, you should be able to correct these real sentences from class:

× I have ever been to that museum.
× How long have you lived in Taipei? (I don't live there now)
× Pollen allergy from last week.
× Recently, there are some serious quality problems.

Here are the answers:

○ I have been to that museum. <- don't use "ever" in a positive sentence
○ How long did you live in Taipei? <- if you use present perfect, it sounds like I still live in Taipei
○ My pollen allergy has been giving me trouble since last week. <- use "since" not "from" with present perfect
○ Recently, there have been some serious quality problems. <- use present perfect with "recently"

I hope you have learned something about present perfect this week. Now there are other topics to talk about, so my series of present perfect posts has come to an end. If there is something that you haven't understood, please let me know!

How many times have you run the washing machine this week? Have you ever felt the laundry never ends?

In case you haven't read the posts about present perfect tense from earlier in the week, here they are. I have written about it four times this week. After you have reviewed them, come back and read this post.

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/now-that-i-have-had-dinner-i-can-write.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/yesterday-i-started-series-of-posts-on.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-have-written-two-posts-on-present.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-havent-seen-one-of-my-friends-for.html

Sometimes we use present perfect which is sort of a combination of the two ways I mentioned earlier this week.

• みたい (suf,adj-na) (col) -like; sort of; similar to; resembling; (P); (definition from Edict)
  

We can use present perfect to talk about something that is finished, but in the sentence we include a term that is unfinished.

• I have eaten blowfish before.
• How many times have you been to that restaurant (in your life)?
• Since I moved to Chuo-ku, I've taken the train far less than I did before.

However, many Japanese want to use "ever" to mean 今まで. That's not OK in a positive sentence.

• × I have ever...
• × I've ever been abroad more than five times.
• × I've ever eaten blowfish two times.
• × I've ever talked to a stranger because I got lost.

It's good to think about time when using English, but actually present perfect tense already contains this meaning. Because of that, you don't need to use "ever" in these cases.

• ○ I've been abroad more than five times.
• ○ I've eaten blowfish two times.
• ○ I've talked to a stranger. It was because I got lost.

However, don't forget to use present perfect tense with "never".

• × I never been to Beijing.
• ○ I have never been to Beijing.

Save "ever" for questions:

• Have you ever been to Beijing?

There are two restaurants that I have been to twice this week. I feel I've been eating out too much. It can't be good for my health, and it's certainly not good for my wallet either. How often have you felt like that? On top of that, I have done the laundry twice this week, but I haven't folded the clean clothes yet. This weekend, I hope. I also hope you all enjoy your weekend. See you in class!

business English advice

Ichiro Suzuki. Ayumi Hamasaki. Masayoshi Son. Do you know these people? I am sure you do. They are practically household names.

household name
どこの家庭｛かてい｝でも通じる名前｛なまえ｝、誰でもよく知っている名前｛なまえ｝、おなじみの名前｛なまえ｝、有名人｛ゆうめいじん｝

She immediately became a household name when she won the gold medal. :
あの人は金メダルを獲得して一躍有名人となった。

However when you meet a foreign business counterpart for the first time remember the following:
Most foreign business people are not used to hearing Japanese names, so speak a little (just a little) more slowly when you say your name. Secondly, it really helps to subtly repeat your name. For example,

Hello, nice to meet you.
My name is Satoshi Nakamura. (Remember to speak a little more slowly than usual)
Please call me Satoshi.

I hope you found my advice useful.

I haven't seen one of my friends for a long time.

We bought a banana rack a few weeks ago. It works pretty well. Still, I have been disappointed that the bananas don't stay green longer. I really love slightly green bananas! I suppose I should buy fewer bananas each time so that I can enjoy them before they start to develop black spots.

This week, I have written a few times about present perfect tense. If you want to review, here are the posts:

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/now-that-i-have-had-dinner-i-can-write.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/yesterday-i-started-series-of-posts-on.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-have-written-two-posts-on-present.html

So, remember that one reason to use present perfect is to talk about an action which began in the past and has continued up to the present. The action is NOT FINISHED, or JUST FINISHED.

• × How long here worked? <- a direct translation from Japanese?
• ○ How long have you worked here?

When you talk about "how long" using present perfect, use "since" or "for", but not "from".

• × I have worked here from last spring.
• ○ I have worked here since last spring.
• ○ I have worked here for about a year.
• ○ I worked for my previous employer from 2006 to 2007. (雇い主 employer; definition from Edict)

A: Where did you grow up?
B: Tokyo.
A: Oh, so you must know the city well.
B: Sure, I've lived here my whole life.

Present perfect tense has this meaning of continuing from the past up to now. However, I think native speakers are more likely to use present perfect continuous in this situation, unless the action has been continuing for a really long time.

• × I've listened to this mp3 nonstop lately. You should really download it.
• ○ I've been listening to this mp3 nonstop lately. You should really download it.

Another difference is that when using present perfect, the action is more likely finished. When using present perfect continuous, there's a greater chance that the action is still going on.

• × Why haven't you replied to the email I sent? I have waited since last week!
• ○ Why haven't you replied to the email I sent? I have been waiting since last week! <- and I am still waiting
• ○ I've been working on this report for days, and I'm still not finished. <- I'm still working on it.

I haven't seen one of my Taiwanese friends since January. She has been to Moscow recently, and I'm really looking forward to hearing about her trip. We are planning to have dinner on the weekend. If dinner is good, I'll recommend the restaurant to you.

I have already written part of tomorrow's post; it's more on present perfect tense. Look for that tomorrow. The press has announced that a case of swine flu has been found in Tokyo, so everyone take care!

Have you finished your laundry?

I have written two posts on present perfect this week. I wrote them on Monday and Tuesday. You might want to read them first.

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/now-that-i-have-had-dinner-i-can-write.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2009/05/yesterday-i-started-series-of-posts-on.html

Yesterday, I mentioned that one reason to use present perfect is to talk about something that happened before but is important now. On Monday night, I was in class at a company. This was part of our conversation:

A: Can you go home after class?
B: Yes, because I've already finished all of my work. In fact, I finished it before lunch.

It was a joke; she didn't really finish before lunch, but she had finished her work.

When the events aren't really important now, don't use present perfect tense.

• ○ (at an accident) Has anyone been injured? (the accident just happened, and you wonder if you need to call an ambulance) <- present perfect
• ○ (telling the story about the accident) I saw an accident today, but fortunately no one was injured. <- past

Sometimes the past events become important now because they directly relate to the current situation or conversation topic.

A: Can you really run from here to Yokohama?
B: Yes.
A: Really? Why?
B: Because I have run marathons several times.

Sometimes this is paired with a past event. The news is contrasted with a past event.

• × I have been injured, but I'm well now. <- the injury isn't important now; being well is important
• ○ I was injured, but I have recovered. I'm well now. <- use present perfect to point out the important news

I haven't done the laundry yet, so I should stop my post here. I don't want to stay up too late tonight. I haven't finished telling you everything I want to say about present perfect, though, so I will be writing about it again tomorrow.

チップは含まれていますか？

One of my students who is getting ready to go on her first homestay in the States was confused about how much tip to give. How much should I tip the waiter/waitress? Do I give a tip to the housekeeper directly? Do I have to tip my English teacher too?

There is no tip-giving custom in Japan. On the other hand, in America it is usual to tip in airports, restaurants, taxis, hotels and hair salons. It is hard to know how much to tip. Here are a few guidelines for tipping in the States:

Airport porters or hotel bellhops-- $1 or $2 for carrying each suitcase
Hairstylists-- 10%- 15% of the bill
Hotel maids-- $1 to $5 per night
Taxi drivers-- 10% - 15% of the total
Waiters and waitresses-- 10% - 20% of the bill (Of course you don't have to tip at a fast food restaurant)

When you are not sure about how much to tip, you should do what feels right. If you feel you received bad service, tip only a little. If you received very bad service, don't tip at all. If you got very good service, you can give a bigger tip.

Last but not least, pay attention to the pronunciation. It is tip not chip, "t" as in tiger, not "ch" as in chihuahua.

I hope you find my tip useful.

Have you gone to bed yet?

Yesterday, I started a series of posts on present perfect tense.

Last night in class, we were talking about two basic reasons to use present perfect tense:

1. happened before, but it's important now. The action is FINISHED. (for example, news and experience)
2. an action which began in the past and has continued up to the present. The action is NOT FINISHED, or JUST FINISHED.

As an example of number one:

• I have eaten dinner, so I'm not hungry now.

And as an example of number two:

• I have lived in Japan for more than three years.

Right away, you should be able to see one of the tricky things about present perfect; depending on the context, the action may or may not be finished. Still, the thing these two both have in common is that there is a strong connection between the past and now.

One of the most common mistakes in students' present perfect sentences is stating a past time in the sentence. We can't do that in present perfect sentences:

• × I have been to Hong Kong eight and a half years ago. <- "eight and a half years ago" is a past time
• ○ I have been to Hong Kong. I went there eight and a half years ago.

Most of the lights in the buildings around Tokyo Station have been turned off, so it's much darker now. It must mean most people have gone home. The two towers on either side of Tokyo Station turned off many of their lights at 10 pm. I suppose I should follow them. See you in class soon. Good night!

Now that I have had dinner, I can write tonight's post.

I have just finished dinner. What was on tonight's menu? I had buckwheat noodles with turnip and green onion, spinach stir-fried with garlic and ginger in vegetarian oyster sauce, fried bean curd topped with Thai chili sauce, and some kind of citrus fruit. I'm not sure what the fruit is called. At any rate, I'm full now.

• buckwheat noodles そば
• radish 大根
• green onion 葱
• spinach 法蓮草
  
• ginger 生姜
• garlic 蒜
• bean curd 豆腐

Look at the headline for today's post and the paragraph above. Do you see the present perfect tense?

• present perfect tense 現在完了時制

Why have I used present perfect tense? The reason in the first case was that finishing dinner happened in the past, but it is important now. The reason it is important is that I can now write this post. I can't write a post on an empty stomach.

In the first paragraph, I'm announcing news. Notice the pattern. The first sentence uses present perfect to announce the news. The second and third sentence use simple past to talk about the details. The final sentence uses simple present to talk about the results now. This is a really common pattern that you can find in the newspaper often.

It seems to be really hard for even advanced students to use present perfect correctly. Since I have seen so many students struggling with present perfect recently, I think I'm going to talk about present perfect for a few days. Keep reading. I hope that even if you have felt present perfect is difficult, you will become much better at it after the next few posts I write.

The best three things in life are???

In one of my classes this week, one of my students mentioned that he likes to go drinking with his friends in his free time. I then told him that I don't drink alcohol which sort of surprised him.

"You are missing out on one of the best three things in life!" he replied. 　His answer got me thinking. What are the best three things in life for me? One thing for sure is eating good food and sharing it with family and friends. The other two... well I' ll save that for another blog and keep it under the hat for now. Keeping something under the hat means that you are keeping a secret.

What are the best three things in life for you?

Even if you're serving beer, articles do matter!

This evening I went to Ebisu for dinner. I visited one of my favorite shops, and I also tried a kind of new restaurant specializing in vegetables. The vegetables were delicious, but the cooking wasn't so creative. In fact, it was kind of bland. What's more, it was overpriced.

• お負けに (おまけに) (conj,exp) to make matters worse; besides; what's more; in addition; on top of that;

Anyway, while I was walking to the restaurant, I spotted these signs in another restaurant. They are trying to advertise their friendliness to foreigners. I suppose most English speakers would read these signs and feel extra welcome, so maybe they have achieved their purpose.

However, they should ask at least one of their foreign customers to check the grammar of their signs, and probably their menu as well. The upper sign says:

• × We have a nice beer.
• ~ We have nice beer.
• ○ We have good/tasty/delicious/thirst-quenching beer.
• 渇を癒やす (exp) to quench one's thirst;
  

"A" always means "one". "Beer" is often uncountable, and counted by "can" or "bottle". However, native speakers sometimes count "beer" itself.

• Hey, could you grab a beer for me from the fridge?

If they have "a nice beer", then it means that if we are a group of thirsty foreigners, we will have to play "paper, scissor, stones" in order to see who can drink that one beer they have.

• じゃん拳 (じゃんけん) (n,vs) (uk) rock, paper, scissors game; paper, scissors, stones game;
  

I hope the next time you go to an izakaya they have more than "a beer", otherwise you may have to drink tea instead.

Don't laugh too hard if you see me on TV.

Today I met a friend who is visiting here from the US. She is on the cast of Xanadu, a musical which has recently come to Japan.

• on the cast 配役を列する <- this is my own bad Japanese... someone help me, please! I can't find it in a dictionary.
  

She and I had lunch in Ginza. After lunch, we got Japanese-style pastries from the basement of Matsuya department store. Since I was in a hurry to go to my Japanese lesson, we were eating the pastries on the way to the station.

• in a hurry 急いで、慌てて
• on the way 途中で

At just that moment, we were stopped by a film crew shooting video for some Sunday TV show.

• film crew 映画制作班
• shoot video ビデオを撮る

I can't recall which station they were shooting for. Anyway, I was busy eating a pie-crust pastry filled with red bean paste and a chestnut, and they were filming me and asking me about some photograph. The photo was of a statue of a man who didn't look Japanese on a horse. They wanted to know if we knew who the man was. I had no idea.

• have no idea 全く分からない I have no idea. : 全然［さっぱり］分かりません。／見当もつきません。／全く考え付きません。

With crumbs falling out of my mouth, I tried to be a smart aleck in bad Japanese.

• smart aleck 生意気｛なまいき｝な男、自信過剰｛じしん かじょう｝の［厚かましい・知ったかぶりをする］人、（実力｛じつりょく｝がないのに）自己顕示欲｛じこ けんじ よく｝の強いやつ◆Aleckはもともと男性名Alexanderの愛称だが、この表現は男性に限らず使われる。◆【参考】smart arse ; smart ass Mick is a smart aleck in class, but very quiet at home. : ミックは教室では生意気だが、家ではとてもおとなしい。

I don't think it worked out so well, though.

• work out 何とか解決｛かいけつ｝する、丸く収める、何とかなる、うまくいく、いい結果｛けっか｝が出る、良い結果｛けっか｝となる

I have no idea if they will use the footage or not. Being in a hurry, I forgot to ask about the details of the program.

So, if you see me foolishly eating a pastry and speaking bad Japanese on TV this Sunday, now you know the whole story.

• know the whole story 話［事情｛じじょう｝］はすべて知っている

(most definitions from 英辞郎 on the web)

Your English is getting better. I hope your relationships are, too. This is how to use "start", "become", "get", and "turn".

Recently, someone was complaining to me about her boyfriend. She told me:

• × I am becoming not to like him.
• ○ I'm starting not to like him.

That's a tough situation, don't you think? Not just the relationship, but the grammar, too! After "become", you need to use a noun or an adjective. In this case, she used an infinitive. For infinitives, use the verb "start".

• I'm starting to wear shorts because of the warm weather.
• It's starting to warm up.

We use "become" to talk about a change. You can use either an adjective or a noun:

• She's becoming irritated with her boyfriend.
  
• The weather is becoming warmer.
• I'm becoming a big fan of cycling.
  

Other words you can use to talk about a change include "get" and "turn". "Get" and "turn" can only take an adjective directly:

• It's getting warmer and warmer.
• I get hungry after riding my bicycle around.
• It will soon turn even warmer.
  

If you want to use a noun, you can use "turn", but not "get". You also need to use "to" or "into":

• The season will soon turn to summer. (more naturally, though, "it will soon be summer")
• If you leave dark chocolate in your bag in the heat, it will turn into a melted mess.

You are all turning into excellent English speakers. I'm becoming prouder of you all by the day. If you get confused, please ask me.

Don't you love the phone?

Here's a mistake I heard the other day:

• × She didn't accept my phone.
• ○ She didn't pick up the phone. She didn't answer the phone.
  

On Monday, someone told me that she hated it when the phone rang after 5 at her office. That meant that it was the overseas office calling, which further meant that she was going to have to speak English on the phone. I want to tell all of you:

DON'T BE AFRAID TO USE ENGLISH ON THE PHONE!

It's good practice for you! If you never try, you won't improve. Sure, it will be tough at first, but if you approach every call like...

Great! This is the chance I've been waiting for to try out my English skills for real!

...you will improve more quickly.

I was on the phone for an hour around lunchtime wishing my mom a happy Mother's Day since she didn't answer the phone when I called on Sunday. I hope you showed your appreciation for the mothers in your lives as well.

If I call you, I hope you will pick up the phone.

This really is the answer to your really tough question.

Actually, it's not such a tough question. I just wanted to use "really" in two ways, because that's what this question is about. A student is asking:

"According to my English text, it says the position of 'really' is a matter of emphasis. So I think there is a difference between 'it really is weird' and 'it is really weird'. However, I don't know the difference. Could you tell me the difference?"

変 - strange; odd; peculiar; weird; curious; queer; eccentric; funny; suspicious; fishy; (definition from Edict)

Yes, there is a difference between these two.

• It really is weird. = Truthfully, it is weird. <- "really" modifies "is"
• It is really weird. = It is very very weird. <- "really" modifies "weird"

Look at these example conversations:

A: It's hot outside.
B: You're crazy. It's the middle of winter.
A: No, I'm serious. It really is hot.

A: It's 45 degrees outside.
B: Wow! It's really hot!

The food in the photo really is something I cooked. That's stir-fried broccoli and carrots with vegetarian oyster sauce. The plate in the back is stir-fried fried tofu and bean sprouts with sesame sauce. It was really delicious, too.

I'm really glad that you are really paying attention to grammar! Everyone really should pay close attention like that.

All of the members of the staff are back at work.

This morning in Starbuck's we were noticing that all of the regular members of the staff at the Starbuck's we usually go to were back. Last week, several of them were on vacation. The temporary staff which was working during the holiday wasn't used to running that branch. They left the garbage bins in the entryway, blocking one of the entrances. That was funny.

Did you notice in the paragraph above that "staff" is treated as a singular noun? That's because it means "a group of employees". Look at these common but incorrect sentences:

• × One staff asked if he could help me.
  
• ○ One staff member asked if he could help me. Someone on staff asked if he could help me.
• × How many staffs are there?
  
• ○ How many staff members are there? How many people are on staff?

Also notice the idiom "on staff" in the sentences above:

• on the staff of 《be ～》～のスタッフ［メンバー・職員］である、入社｛にゅうしゃ｝している、～の幹部の一員である、～に奉職している、～に勤務している ・He is on the staff of our company. : 彼は我が社の社員です。(definition from 英辞郎 on the web)

Some other nouns that represent groups of people include: team, family, band, police. In American English, all of these except "police" should be used without adding "s" to the verb when the noun is singular.

• My team is a big one. It has 30 members.
• I have a big family. There's my three sisters, my dad, my mom, and me. Altogether, that's six family members.
• The police are looking for the criminal, who shot one of their fellow officers.

The grammar police are watching, so be careful. You wouldn't want the other people on staff at your company to find out you'd been ticketed for a "singular noun with plural verb" violation.

Do you like to trip?

In one of my classes today we talked about our Golden Week. One student said she tripped to Korea. That sounds dangerous doesn't it? Trip has a couple of meanings.

First, the noun form (名詞) of trip means going somewhere, usually for a short time, and come back again. When you use trip in a sentence, you will mostly likely need a verb set. For example,
I take a trip twice a year.
I went to space AlC and found this following sample sentence:
Have a great trip: 良い旅を

Another common usage of trip is the verb form (動詞) with the following meaning: to lose your balance after knocking your foot against something when you are walking or running, or to cause someone to do this. Here is a sample sentence:
I tripped over a stone and fell down: 私は石につまずいて転倒しました.
Note the noun form can also be used. She broke her leg when she had a nasty trip on the stairs.

So next time you travel somewhere be sure to say take a trip or go on a trip and don't trip over this grammar point.

We don't see a whole lot of rainbows in Tokyo.

The other day I was talking about "all", "every", and "whole". When we were discussing it in class, two idioms using "whole" came to mind (definitions from Edict).

• 胸に浮かぶ (むねにうかぶ) (exp,vi,v5b) to come to mind; to pop into one's head;
• 頭に浮かぶ (あたまにうかぶ) (exp,vi,v5b) to come to mind; to pop into one's head;
• 思い当る (おもいあたる) (v5r,vi) to come to mind; to recall; to think of;

Those two idioms are "a whole lot of __(n)__" and "the whole lot of __(n)__".

• a whole lot of __(n)__ = many __(n)__ <- stronger than "a lot of"
• the whole lot of __(n)__ = all of the __(n)__ <- a casual idiom

For example:

• Today, there were a whole lot of people at Nihonbashi because of a festival.
• Because of that, when I went into Family Mart to get a rice ball filled with sour plum, the whole lot of them were gone.

The difference between these two meanings shows us why you should be careful about articles like "a" and "the".

On Friday afternoon, when I came out of my Japanese lesson, I saw a whole lot of people on the corner. The whole lot of them were holding their cell phones up into the air. I didn't understand why until I looked at the sky. They were all taking pictures of a beautiful rainbow!

I'm looking forward to seeing the whole lot of you in class soon.

Do you always make this mistake?

Here's a quick note before I hit the sack.

• hit the sack 床に就く◆【直訳】綿の入った袋(sack)（＝マットレス）に自分の体をぶつける(hit)
• Last night, I hit the sack before midnight. : 昨夜は夜中の12時前に床に就いた。(definition from 英辞郎 on the web)
  

The word "mistake" should usually be used as a noun, not a verb. The verb you should use with "mistake" is "make".

• × I always mistake.
• ○ I always make that kind of mistake.

We use "mistake" as a verb like this:

• 見誤る (みあやまる) (v5r,vt) to mistake someone for someone else; to misread; (definition from Edict)
  

• I mistook you for someone I know.
• He mistook one corner for the next one, and that's how he got lost.
• It's easy to mistake one twin for the other one.
  

Kusanagi probably feels like he made a mistake. I've been writing a program all week, and it has taken a long time because I keep making a lot of mistakes. If I make a Japanese mistake, please let me know.

お客様

Here is a word I hear and see everyday, お客様. お客様 is used to address customers in a shop, a restaurant, or sometimes simply to address someone visiting you. So how about in English?

I suppose you want to say customer and you are right, customer is most commonly used to address someone buying something in your shop. However here are a few other words:
client, consumer, patron. What are the differences?

First, a customer is somebody who buys goods or services. For example, departments have a lot of customers on weekends. In the States, there is saying the customer is king. In Japan, the customer is God. ( お客様は神様です)

I went to dictionary.com and found the following definition for our next word, client. A client is someone who receives professional services from somebody else, for example a lawyer, an accountant, a consultant. Space alc has the following definition: 弁護士｛べんごし｝への）依頼人｛いらいにん｝、訴訟依頼人｛そしょう いらいにん｝ The main difference between a customer and a client is that a protective, ongoing business relationship is formed with a client, but not necessarily with a customer.

Our next word, consumer is similar to an end-user. For example, if I go into Chanel and buy a dress for my wife, I am the customer but not the consumer. My wife is the consumer (She is
going to wear the dress)

A patron is a formal word, describing a customer or client.

Last but not least, we can also use visitor or guest to describe a client/customer.
For example, On weekends Tokyo Disneyland receives a lot of visitors.
In Summer, hotels are usually packed with guests.

Here's the whole truth about all of these words: "all", "every", and "whole".

We were talking about "all", "every", and "whole" in class last night.

All of these sentences have the same meaning.
Every one of these sentences has the same meaning.
In this case, I feel using "whole" is strange.

All of the people in this group are going to Shinjuku. <- note that the verb is plural
Every person in this group is going to Shinjuku. <- note that the noun and verb are singular; emphasizes the members of the group
The whole group is going to Shinjuku. <- note that the verb and noun are also singular; emphasizes the group itself

"Whole" means 100 percent of one thing. We often use it to talk about food, like:

• I can't believe you ate the whole thing!

It talks about the entirety of something:

• We spent the whole time eating. <- here, "time" is a countable singular noun

"All" is the only one that can be used to talk about uncountable nouns:

• ○ All of the food in the refrigerator spoiled when the electricity went out. <- food is uncountable
• × The whole food in the refrigerator... × Every food in the refrigerator...
• but... ○ Every bit of food in the refrigerator spoiled... <- "bits" are countable

Don't use "every" with a plural noun:

• × Every bananas in the bunch were eaten.
• ○ Every banana in the bunch was eaten.

Here's one more set of examples:

• I ate all of the chocolates in this box.
• I ate every piece of chocolate in this box.
• I ate the whole box of chocolates.

Please tell me all of the questions you have. I'll try to answer every one of them so that you understand the whole thing.

There's a difference between "suggestive" and "suggestion".

Here's another post that I've been saving for a rainy day. Don't you wish the rain would stop?

This issue came up in class a few weeks ago. There was a story, and the readers should have learned something from the story. Someone said something like:

• × This story is suggestive.

What he meant to say was:

• ○ This story has a moral. <- This story suggests that we behave in a particular way.

I feel that "suggestive" is usually used with meanings three and four from dictionary.com:

3. evocative; presented partially rather than in detail.
4. evocative; that suggests or implies something improper or indecent; risqué: suggestive remarks.
Definition from Edict:
挑発的 (ちょうはつてき) (adj-na) provocative; suggestive; lascivious; (P);

That means that if you say a story is suggestive, it sounds like it's about something sexual.

• The novel was really suggestive, so I was a little hesitant to recommend it to my 12-year-old niece.

If we want to talk about the lesson we should learn from a story, use this:

• The moral of the story is...(imperative sentence/present simple sentence). その話の教訓 (definition from 英辞郎 on the web)

• Everyone knows the fable about the lion and the mouse. The moral of the story is what goes around comes around. (present simple)
  
• Kusanagi must be suffering now from his antics in the park. The moral of the story is if you're going to get drunk and naked, do it in the privacy of your own home. (imperative)

So the moral of this story is don't use "suggestive" when you mean a story gives us a suggestion.

I was saving this one for a rainy day... "wet" is usually an adjective.

I was saving this post for a rainy day, and now we have one. Hahaha! Please pardon my corny joke. It drizzled most of the afternoon, and it was raining steadily on my way home earlier.

• I'm going to put my bonus money in the bank and save it for a rainy day.
  ボーナスは銀行に入れて、将来何かあったときのためにためておこうと思っています。 (from 英辞郎 on the web)

• corny joke
  古臭いしゃれ、陳腐なしゃれ、聞き古したジョーク (from 英辞郎 on the web)

I bought some new brake shoes for my bicycle a couple of weeks ago. Since I ride my bike no matter the weather, I thought I should have pads that last longer when the weather is wet. At the shop, I found these brake pads.

Look carefully at the bottom of the card to which the pads are attached. It says:

• × High performance in wet.

The problem is that "wet" is usually an adjective. After a preposition, you should use a noun, not an adjective. It should say something like:

• ○ High performance in wet conditions.

The sad thing is that Shimano is an international company. People all over the world are using their products. Surely they could get one of the native speakers on their staff (being an international company, don't they have a native speaker on staff?) to check their labels.

If you are responsible for something worded in English at work which will be seen by hundreds or thousands of people, PLEASE ask a native speaker to look at it for you. Your image will be improved considerably by this small act.

Things couldn't be better. Is that good or bad?

I bumped into one of my students I used to teach on the street the other day. He asked how I was and I said that it couldn't be better. He looked confused and wasn't sure if things were good or bad.

If xxxx couldn't be better it means that things are going very well. So well in fact that it can't get any better. Let's look at some sample situations.
Waiter: How was the lobster ravioli?
customer: It couldn't be better. The lobster was scrumptious!

A: How was the Caribbean cruise you took last month?
B: It couldn't be better. My cabin was gorgeous and the seeing the sunset every evening from the deck is unforgettable.

Of course sometimes things don't meet our expectations or we weren't completely satisfied or happy with the results. In that case, things could've been better.
A: How was your stay at the Ritz?
B: The service was very good but the room could've been better. I had a mediocre view from the room and the pillows were too hard.

A: How was the (Los Angeles) Lakers game?
B: They won the game but they could've played better. They had a big lead but then they started playing poorly on offense.

Tell us about a very satisfying experience you had. Or tell us about a time when things could've been better.

I've been taking it easy today. Check out these idioms.

There are a lot of things that I should be doing, but instead I've been taking it easy.

• take it easy - 気楽にいこうぜ (きらくにいこうぜ) (exp) ; (from Edict); リラックスする、気楽｛きらく｝にする［やる］、のんびりする、ゆっくりする、休む、肩の力をぬく、無理｛むり｝しない、悠長｛ゆうちょう｝に構える、あせらない、のんきに構える、のんきにやる、落ち着く、怒らない (from 英辞郎 on the web)

This afternoon I went to the Ryoji Ikeda (池田亮司) exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (東京都現代美術館). It was an audio/visual exhibition of both his sound art and visual art. Part of the exhibit was an excerpt of his Datamatics piece, which I saw last year in Ebisu. While the work is not quite cut to the bone, it is very minimal, with lots of black and white; the sounds are electronic. Some might feel it's just beeps and noise.

• cut to the bone ぎりぎりまで値引きをする、ぎりぎりに切り詰める (from 英辞郎 on the web)

At any rate, I really enjoyed it. You might like to check it out.

• at any rate - 何せ (なんせ) (adv) (uk) ; anyhow; (from Edict)

Always think of you all, I was on the lookout for mistakes in the English signage, but I couldn't find any. Good job, Museum of Contemporary Art!

• being on the lookout - 看視 (かんし) (n,vs)

After the museum, I went to Kinshicho. Of course, there I couldn't avoid the mistakes even if I wanted to.

• I couldn't forget her even if I wanted to.
  彼女のことは、忘れたくても忘れられない。(from 英辞郎 on the web, lots more good examples here)

The one that takes the cake, though, was on the menu at It's Vegetable.

• take the cake ケーキを取る、一等賞｛いっとう しょう｝を取る、一番｛いちばん｝になる、一番素晴｛いちばん すば｝らしい、受賞｛じゅしょう｝する、優勝｛ゆうしょう｝する、優等賞｛ゆうとう しょう｝ものだ、際立っている◆【語源】黒人のcakewalkコンテストの賞品としてケーキが使われたところから。(from 英辞郎 on the web)

This is a really great Taiwanese vegetarian restaurant.

• 東京都墨田区錦糸４−１−９ TEL（０３）３６２５−１２４５

However, their menu really needs some help. I can't really make heads or tails of this one:

• ××× "As of Special Make Dish Cooked in Miso Lump of Vegetables and Tofu"
• can't make heads or tails of something - ～を理解｛りかい｝［把握｛はあく｝］する◆【用法】通例、否定形で用いられる。◆単数形のheadとtailが用いられることもある。◆【参考】(from 英辞郎 on the web)

OK, I'm making too much of it. I know they mean it's a special dish of tofu and vegetables cooked in miso. Still, like I've said before, if you're going to use English on public materials, please CHECK with a native speaker.

• make too much of ～を大げさに扱い過ぎる (from 英辞郎 on the web) <- I'm not sure if this is the meaning I want. It's similar to the next one.
• make too much fuss about ～にこだわり過ぎる

Dinner turned out like this.

I made baked pesto penne with cherry tomatoes and デコポン. Since penne is Italian, I wasn't sure how to pronounce it. In English, we stress the first syllable, "pen", like something you write with. The second syllable is just like ね in Japanese. So it's like this, PEN-nay.

I realized I have no idea how to say デコポン in English, other than a funny kind of orange.

• デコポン (n) Citrus reticulata Shiranui; type of citrus fruit (sweet orange with a lump at the top); (definition from Edict)

Wikipedia has a page on it, and guess what, the English is "dekopon", since it's a Japanese hybrid:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekopon

The pasta turned out great, and the fruit was super. I wish I could cook like this all of the time.

• うまく行く (うまくいく) (v5k-s) to go smoothly; to turn out well; to do the trick; to have peaceful relations; (P); (definition from Edict)

You can see, Japanese isn't the only language with loan words. English has plenty of them, too.

I hope you all are having a nice holiday.

Be careful -- some words have prepositions inside of them. (part 2)

In the post below, I talked about these words:

• abroad, aboard, there, here, inside, outside

They act like they have prepositions in them. That means that frequently (though not always) we don't use them with a preposition after a verb. However, that's tricky, and leads people to make this kind of mistake:

• × I'm going to there tomorrow.
• × Have you ever been to abroad?

The correct way to make these sentences is:

• ○ I'm going there tomorrow. <- I'm going to that place tomorrow.
• ○ Have you ever been abroad? <- Have you ever been to a place which is outside of this country?

I'm out of vegetables and other ingredients I need for tonight's dinner. I think I'll have to go to two different supermarkets to get everything I need. I didn't want to go outside while it was hot, so I'm going there in just a bit. Talk to you all later!

Be careful -- some words have prepositions inside of them.

Yesterday I was talking to someone about an association which he is managing. He's making a website, and he wanted to make a list of all of the members in the organization who are living outside of Japan. For the title of the list, he wanted something short and clear. The question then was:

• Which is correct: "abroad members" or "members abroad"?

My answer is that "members abroad" is correct. The reason is that the word "abroad" is one of the words in English that behaves like it has a preposition at the beginning. "Abroad" means "at a place which is outside of this country". When we use a prepositional phrase to modify a noun, we put it after the noun:

• a house in the country
• a trip to the beach
• a rest for my tired brain

Since "members" is a noun, we should put "abroad" after it. Technically, "abroad" is an adverb. If you think about it this way, the true meaning of "members abroad" is "members who are living abroad", and "who are living" has been omitted.

You can use the same pattern with these words: abroad, aboard, there, here, inside, outside.

• The people aboard the plane were examined for swine flu.
• I've been reading about Mexico in the news. The people there seem afraid of swine flu.
• The people here are also worried about it.
• The people inside might have more to fear, because the air circulation is bad.
• The people outside are the safest, maybe.