2011/04/26

「cherry blossom」の使い方


The cherry blossoms were really nice while they lasted. The season is over now, but there is one phrase that I hear every year that people should be careful about.

× The cherry blossom trees were really nice this year.
◯ The blossoms on the cherry trees were really nice this year.

It always happens that someone tells me: "but, there is no fruit with the cherry blossoms!"

Checking Wikipedia, we can find that flowering cherry trees are called Prunus serrulata. The fruit comes from a type called Prunus avium.

● flowering【名】開花{かいか}、開花期{かいかき}、花の形をしたもの、花飾りをつけること、花飾り (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

2011/04/19

この店とカシオも英語の使い方に注意した方が良い。「color」の使い方について


As I passed by this shop, the English on the sign caught my eye.

● catch someone's eye 〔思いがけない物などが〕(人)の目に留まる[触れる]、(人)の目を引く[捕らえる・奪う]、(人)の注意{ちゅうい}を引く◆複数形eyesが用いられることもある。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

It says:

× G-Shock in white colour
◯ G-Shock in white

Usually, when we talk about the color of something, we don't use the word "color" after the name of the color. For instance,

× I have a black color bag.
◯ I have a black bag.

We use the word "color" in the question, though.

What color is your bag?

Retail shops use English mostly because it looks cool, I've been told. Just the presence of the Roman alphabet makes something look cool, so whether it is correct or not is not important. That's the excuse I've heard.

Roman alphabet ローマ字 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Maybe it's just because I teach English, but I think the coolest thing would be correct English. That is especially true when it comes to an international company like Casio.

2011/04/12

ブリヂストン美術館は英語の使い方に注意した方が良い。


I often pass by the Bridgestone Museum of Art. It's near our school at Nihonbashi Station. Their current exhibition is called:

△ Why is it masterwork?
◯ Why is it a masterpiece?

●  masterpiece 【名】名作、最高傑作、絶品、名人芸  (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The problem is a common one for students.

× I had a lot of works today.
◯ I had a lot of work today.

"Work" as we usually think about it, meaning going to the office and so on, is an uncountable noun. "Work" does have a countable version which is usually used for artistic creations like paintings.

Since the exhibition is talking about art, I think the countable version is more correct, though it's hard for me to say it's wrong. I can say, though, that "masterpiece" is much more common than "masterwork". That's the word I would suggest that you remember.

I studied painting in university, but I never produced a masterpiece. Doing so must be a lot of work. Now I need to get to work on something else, so until next time...

get to work on (~に)着手する、(~を)始める、(~に)取り掛かる (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

2011/04/05

税務署は英語の使いかたに注意した方が良い。

Last month the deadline for filing tax returns came. 

file a tax return〔税務署に〕申告書{しんこくしょ}を提出{ていしゅつ}する、確定{かくてい}[納税{のうぜい}]申告{しんこく}をする (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

When it was time for me to pay the taxes I owed, I went to a particular counter on the first floor of the tax office.

● tax office 税務署

I had paid, and then I needed to wait for them to give me a receipt. While I was waiting, I saw this poster on the wall. It says:

× PC good pay! Mobile good pay! ATM good pay!
◯ Paying by PC? OK! Cell phone? OK! ATM? OK!
◯ Paying by PC? Easy! Cell phone? Easy! ATM? Easy!

I'm not sure what to say about their mistake. Maybe the first point is that "pay" is a verb, while "good" is an adjective.

The second point is that they are a large organization, so they definitely have the budget to check this kind of thing with a professional editor. Someone is making a management mistake.

The third mistake might be marketing. Does this drawing of a foreign guy make you excited about paying your taxes?

I didn't pay with any of those methods, but for me paying at the counter was easy enough.

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