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Common Mistakes

Let’s look at some common mistakes and how to better say what we want to say.

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Kaminarimon

Here is a picture of my wife and I in front of Kaminarimon in Asakusa.
To be honest, it wasn’t our first temple visit of the year. It was our second. 😂 (We had actually done hatsumode at a shrine in Narashino City in Chiba.)

Can I ask our Japanese readers a couple questions?

1. In Japanese, how do you use it in a sentence? “Do” hatsumode? In English, we say to our English-speaking friends, “I did hatsumode.”
2. Can you do hatsumode at both shrines and temples? When I looked it up in my Japanese dictionary, it says “first shrine visit.” So I’m curious…🤔
Kelly
新宿校

Trendy Thursdays

The picture that exploded online.

Over the last few days a photo of American politician Bernie Sanders has been all over the internet. It has been tweeted and retweeted over and over.

People photo shopped Bernie’s picture into many famous situations and settings.

The original photo is from President Biden’s inauguration ceremony.

Pretty funny stuff. Why do you think this photo became so popular?

 

Learn English From Movie Quotes!

『ストーリー・オブ・マイライフ/Little Women』(2019)
監督:グレタ・ガーウィグ/Greta Gerwig

 

 

本日は昨年日本で公開された、比較的新しい作品からご紹介します。邦題は『ストーリー・オブ・マイライフ』となってますが、英題は『Little Women』=『若草物語』ですね。この定番の古典作品を、『レディ・バード』のグレタ・ガーウィグとシアーシャ・ローナンのコンビが再びタッグを組み(あ、ティモシー・シャロメもですね)、映画化!描かれているのは女性と夢、結婚、お金の物語。監督は見事に、この何度となく映像化され、使い古されてきた物語をフレッシュに蘇らせてくれました。

台詞は主人公である次女のジョーが、母親に自分の思いをぶつけるシーンより。

 

 

I’m so sick of people saying love is just all a woman is fit for. 
(愛だけが女の人生だって言われるのはもううんざり)

 

まず文の構造を見てみよう
短い文ですが、主語と述語がたくさんあってちょっと分かりづらいので、分解して整理してみてみましょう。

S:主語、V:動詞、O:目的語、C:補語

①I(S)/ am(V)/ [so sick of (people saying {love is just all <a woman is fit for>}) (C)] 

この文の基本構造はSVC(S=C)の形ですが、Cの補語の部分に「意味上の主語」や「名詞節」などが隠れています。順番に見ていきましょう

②(people(S)/ saying(V)/ love is just all a woman is fit for(O))

③{love(S) / is(V) / all a woman is fit for(C)}

④<a woman(S)/ is(V) / fit for(C)>

 

be sick of ~
(~には)うんざり、飽き飽き

例:I’m sick of wearing a mask.
(マスクつけるのはもううんざり)

例:I’m so sick of people telling me what to do.
(あれしろこれしろって周りから言われるのはもううんざり)

 

 

Ayami

新宿校

Common Mistakes

Let’s look at some common mistakes and how to better say what we want to say.

Sunset at Inage Kaigan beach

 

On January 1st, I decided to take a walk down to Inage Kaigan beach to see the sunset. I’d heard that you could see mount Fuji and everyone on the beach was lucky enough to have an almost cloud free sunset. The picture is nice but Mount Fuji looked much bigger in person. If you have a chance, go to Inage Kaigan beach for a beautiful sunset.

Dave

Trendy Thursday

Last week we talked about how we saw Korean boy band BTS everywhere.

Over the last few years and more so recently, I see oogui eater (gluttony eater or food fighter) Gal Sone on TV. She’s always in a food challenge eating verses bigger people like athletes,  sumo wrestlers and baseball players.

It is CRAZY how much she can eat. She eats up to 5 kilos of food at one time.

Nowadays You Tube queen of eating Kinoshita Yuka gets all the attention. With over 5 million subscribers on You Tube she’s making a good living eating like a pig.

Take a look at her eating 200 pieces of sushi. Oh my…Are you into watching people eat large amounts of food?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_9Uy_iz_yk&ab_channel=YukaKinoshita%E6%9C%A8%E4%B8%8B%E3%82%86%E3%81%86%E3%81%8B

Textbook Tuesday

A) I stopped playing the piano when I was in my early twenties.= A: 20代前半でピアノを弾くのはやめた

B)I started collecting postcards when I was in my late forties.=B: 40代後半からハガキ収集を始めた

C) I stopped reading comics when I was in my mid thirties. =C: 30代半ばで漫画を読むのはやめた