Do you know the English expression “to be famished“? Read the conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?
Eri: I’m famished! I haven’t eaten since 6am this morning.
Fiona: Same here. Let’s take a break and get something to eat.
Does it mean:
a) to be full
b) to be tired
c) to feel dizzy
d) to be very hungry
The answer is below! ↓
Answer: d) to be very hungry
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This morning I went out for coffee with a friend. At the beginning of the year, I decided that I needed to make more time to see friends. Most of my close friends are like me – they work for themselves (have their own companies), so it is difficult for us to schedule time together.
When I first came to Japan, I worked in a language school. When work finished, I often went out with my colleagues for dinner or drinks. Everyone started and finished work at the same time, so it was easy to see friends and go out.
Now, everyone is older. My friends are busy running their businesses, or they have children. I haven’t seen some of my friends for a year or more. The friend I met today is a friend I meet regularly. We usually meet once a week, but I have been busy lately, so we met for the first time in a month. We had a lot to talk about!
Most of my friends work in the afternoon or evening, so meeting in the morning is best for us. My schedule is quite flexible, although I prefer to work in the mornings, because I am more productive in the morning than at any other time of the day. However, chatting with my friend over coffee in the morning gives me energy. I should do it more often.
Do you know the verb “to abandon“? Read the conversation below. What does Gerald mean?
Emily: I heard you were driving when the hurricane struck.
Gerald. Yes. It was so bad that we had to abandon the car and take shelter in a building.
Does he mean:
a) stop the car
b) leave the car
c) take the car to a building
d) stay in the car
The answer is below!↓
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Answer: b) leave the car
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I enjoy writing stories. I started writing stories when I was a child. At school, in English class, we had to do creative writing. We had to write poetry, newspaper articles, and short fictional stories. This was my favourite class. I read many books when I was a child, so I enjoyed writing stories.
Now, I write graded readers. Sometimes, they are easy to write, and other times, they are difficult to write. I can usually get an idea quite quickly, but sometimes, turning the idea into a full story is difficult for me. So, I talk to other writers about my idea, and they often give me helpful suggestions. Then, I plan the story out from beginning to end, and sit at my computer and write the story.
If I have planned the story well, it is usually easy for me to write the story. If I haven’t planned the story well, it takes me a long time to write the story. Somtimes, I have to change my plan and change the story.
Some people don’t plan when they write. They just get an idea and start writing. The story “appears” to them as they write. I tried writing like that, but I couldn’t finish the story. I got stuck in the middle. So, I am the type of writer who needs a plan.
I have just finished writing a new graded reader. Now, it needs editing. I hope I can publish it this year. I am already thinking about the next graded reader. I have an idea for it, but the idea is vague (vague = not clear). Maybe I need to think about it for a while longer.
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I love green tea (matcha). When I first came to Japan, I didn’t like it. But over the years, I have grown to love it. I have a matcha bowl and a tea whisk in my house, so I can make my own tea. Of course, the tea I make tastes completely different from the tea we can drink at tea ceremonies. The area of Japan where I live is famous for green tea and Japanese sweets, so I have taken part (taken part = participated) in tea ceremonies many times.
I remember when I first came to Japan, and I saw an ice cream vending machine. At that time, I couldn’t read Japanese, and I wanted a mint ice cream. So I selected the green-coloured one. It was green tea! I was so disappointed and I threw it away! But now, I love green tea ice cream. If I have a choice between green tea and other flavours, I usually choose green tea.
When I don’t have time to prepare matcha, I use teabags. My favourite is Oi Ocha. There is a haiku poem on every teabag packet. I enjoy reading the haiku while I’m waiting for the kettle to boil.
Writing about green tea makes me want to drink it! I’m going to make myself a cup now. 🙂
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I have my annual health check in a few days. I go to the same hospital every year, and see the same doctors and nurses. Every year, my weight fluctuates (fluctuate = go up and down). The nurse who checks my weight says “You have put on weight, haven’t you? Why is that?” Or “You have lost weight, haven’t you? Why is that?” I say, “I don’t know.” This year, I’m sure she will say I’ve put on weight. And I know the reason this year. It’s because I’ve eaten too much chocolate and not exercised enough. I put on weight over the summer because it was so hot. I didn’t feel like exercising. And chocolate ice cream was so delicious…
My health check starts around 10:30. Because I will have a blood test, I can’t eat anything before the health check. So I will be very hungry that day. The check will finish around 12:30, so I’ll have brunch.
I usually have to wait around four or five weeks to get the test results. This seems like a long time. My friends who go to different hospitals get their results in around two weeks. I don’t like waiting for my results. If there is something wrong, I want to know immediately. But at least I can have a check whenever I want. For that, I’m grateful.
It is starting to get dark earlier and earlier. I love cold, dark nights! Many people like summer nights when the sun sets later. I prefer autumn and winter nights. I like running in the dark (no one can see my sweaty face!) and I like being at home on cold, dark nights. I like sitting in the living room on the sofa with the fire on, reading a book. It’s cozy.
The sun sets quite late in summer in the UK. When I was a child, I didn’t like this. I had to go to bed when it was still light outside. This felt strange to me. I always looked forward to autumn, when it would get darker earlier. So maybe my love of long autumn and winter nights comes from my childhood.
It is not cold enough to put the fire on yet, but I have started wearing long-sleeved shirts in my house. It already feels cozier. Now all I need is a warm cup of cocoa and a good book, and I’m ready for autumn!
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I love music. I studied it at university. So I am always listening to music. I listen to all kinds – pop, classical, jazz, traditional folk…almost anything, except heavy metal. I was wondering the other day, “When was the last time I bought a CD?” I can’t remember. I started downloading music years ago. Since then, I haven’t bought any CDs, or been in a CD shop.
When I was a child, I bought cassettes. I used to love going to music shops and browsing. I kept the cassettes in special cassettet cases. Then, I started to buy CDs. I have so many. When I came to Japan, I couldn’t bring them all with me, so many of them are still in the UK.
I have a big box full of CDs here in Japan. I don’t listen to all of them (I don’t have time!), but they remind me of people and things, so I don’t want to throw them away. There are no recently released CDs in my collection. All my recent purchases are on my computer. I guess my CD collection won’t grow anymore. Maybe this is a good thing. They take up a lot of space.
I still like to use CDs for language learning though. If I have the choice between downloading the audio or buying a CD for a language textbook, I will buy the CD. I find it easier and I like sitting down with a textbook and a CD when I study. Maybe I am old!
Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press
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I spend most of my time sitting in front of my computer. This is not good for my health. So I am trying to be more active. I go running, but not as often as I would like. I need over an hour to have a good run. Most days, I start work at 7am and finish late at night. I would like to go running in the middle of the day, but this is a busy time for me.
So, I am trying to be active while I sit at my desk. I have a set of weights next to my desk, which I use when I take a short break from writing. I also stretch a few times during the day. I feel more relaxed when I do this, and it helps me to work better.
Still, I think I need to make more time to exercise. I could get up 30 minutes earlier and exercise before I start work. I have an exercise bike which I could use. I should stop making excuses and just do it!
by Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press
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The other day, I judged an English speech contest. The contestants were school students. I judge the contest every year. This year was my 11th time. There were about 30 students in the contest. As usual, I was very impressed with the standard of the speeches.
In speech contests, while pronunciation is important, it is also important to think about non-verbal communication and the impact your speech has on the audience. Factors such as eye-contact and gestures are important. Some students used too many gestures, which was unnatural. Others used them well – adding expression to their speech.
When practicing the speech, it is important to ask yourself “what impact do I want to have?” “How do I want the listeners to feel?” The students who scored highly in the contest gave moving speeches. They successfully communicated their feelings, not only their words, to the listeners.
I was impressed with all the contestants though. It must be very difficult for a teenager to stand up in front of everyone and give a speech in a foreign language. I’m sure I couldn’t have done it when I was their age!
Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press
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