February 28, 2017　=========

☆  way  道筋

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There are so many different ways to use the word “way”… oh! I just showed you one way to use it, by accident, just then! However, today’s meaning is more like this: path, route, journey, approach. For example, we set a goal, and then decide the path or way that we will that goal.

Sometimes, we talk about people going their “different ways” in this case, we mean that their lives are developing differently, and they have less contact with each other. For example, high school friends, if one decides to travel and one decides to get a corporate job, it’s likely that they’ll lose contact andRead more about Today’s Word: way[…]

February 27, 2017　=========

☆  suggestion  提案

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If you make a suggestion, you put forward an idea or plan for someone to think about. For example, if you wanted to offer advice to someone you could say, “Can I make a suggestion?” Or if you are at a meeting and you want to put forward your ideas, you could say, “I have lots of suggestions for the company’s future.”

If you took someone’s advice, then you could thank them, or let them know by saying something like this, “I followed your suggestion and started going for a walk at lunchtime.” Or when relating back information or advice you have received, you could say, “TheRead more about Today’s Word: suggestion[…]

February 26, 2017　=========

☆  vulnerable  傷つきやすい

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When you say that someone is vulnerable, it means that you think they are weak and without protection, so they can be easily hurt physically or emotionally. We often talk about the fact that children and the elderly are the most vulnerable members. For example, for the elderly, in Australia, even though it gets hot in summer, many elderly people don’t want to spend money on air conditioning, so they are vulnerable to heatstroke.

Of course, it’s easy to see how children are more vulnerable emotionally and physically than adults, because of their size and emotional development, but I also found this interesting fact: WHO (World HealthRead more about Today’s Word: vulnerable[…]

February 25, 2017　=========

☆  lonely  寂しい

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I’m sure you’ve heard of the word lonely before, but what about “lonesome”? If you like music, you may know the song, “Are you lonesome tonight?” sung by a few different artists, but for me the most famous one is Elvis Presley. I was wondering if there was a difference between “lonely” and “lonesome”. What do you think?

Interestingly, my dictionary says purely that “lonely” is used more in British English, and “lonesome” is used mostly in American English. However, online grammar pages say that someone who is “lonesome” has hope that they will find company, however, a “lonely” person does not have this hope because theyRead more about Today’s Word: lonely[…]

February 24, 2017　=========

☆  assertive  独断的な

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Often when we call someone assertive there is a negative nuance (especially if the person we are talking about is a woman.) However, I think that being assertive is actually a good trait. All it really means is that you state your needs and opinions clearly, so that people take notice. That seems like a sensible thing to do, don’t you think?

Being assertive, however, is seen as being a negative trait: people think you are being too confident, too pushy, too aggressive, most people try not to be assertive, which probably leads to misunderstandings and feeling bad about a situation because you didn’t say what youRead more about Today’s Word: assertive[…]

February 23, 2017　=========

☆  easy-going  のんきな

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A good way to remember a new word is to create some kind connection or funny idea that connects the two words. As soon as I saw this word, I thought of a “donkey” … the word sounds the same as the Japanese, and donkeys are quite easy-going creatures – although apparently, they are more easy-going and relaxed if you have two donkeys instead of one.

So, that is how I would remember this word if I were learning the Japanese word, for example, “a nonki donkey.” An easy-going donkey… You could use this to help you remember the English word, I guess, but it doesn’t mentionRead more about Today’s Word: easy-going[…]

February 22, 2017　=========

☆  cynical   皮肉な

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If you describe someone as cynical, it means that you think they believe that people always act selfishly. It is common to hear someone describe another person as having a cynical view of the world, for example. I think feeling cynical is quite a common feeling in Western culture. People feel cynical about things like:

University or college education – they cost a lot of money, and these days there is no guarantee of a job after graduation.
Elections – it seems like the person that should win the election never does.
Religion – most people feel like religion is actually just a tool for violence

Those are the mainRead more about Today’s Word: cynical[…]

February 21, 2017　=========

☆  emotional  感情的な

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Last weekend I watched a Netflix documentary, “Finding Traction.” It was about a female American long distance runner who wanted to beat the male time record on the Vermont Long Trail, which is 273 miles long!!! The male record is 4 days 12 hours!! Of running! With only a little sleep! Crazy! As you can imagine anyone attempting that would be a little emotional! Nikki Kimball ended up completing the 273 miles in 5 days and 7 hours. A new record for women. 

In the documentary, there is a short scene where Nikki Kimball comes in to meet her crew helping her with the run, and sheRead more about Today’s Word: emotional[…]

February 20, 2017　=========

☆  productive  生産的な

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Someone or something that is productive produces a lot or does a lot for the amount of resources (time, money, labor, materials etc.) that it used. At work, OJT (on-the-job-training) can make people more productive. Computers and Smartphones are supposed to make us more productive, I guess, but do they?! What do you think?

One of my favorites apps to be more productive is the Pomodoro Technique. It is basically a timer that is set to time 25 minutes of work, followed by a 5-minute break. Repeat this four times, and then take a longer break. Have you ever heard of or tried this technique?

Do you haveRead more about Today’s Word: productive[…]

February 19, 2017　=========

☆  agonize  苦しむ

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If you agonize over something, you feel very anxious about it and spend a long time thinking about it. Other words with similar meanings are: suffer, be distressed, struggle, or worry. You could use any of those words instead, however, usually when you agonize about a situation, there is a choice that needs to be decided. For example:

Shiho is worried about what high school to go to.
Shiho is agonizing over whether she should go to High School A or High School B.

He was worrying about whether to do the training course (or not).
He was agonizing over whether to do the training course or not.

Are you agonizingRead more about Today’s Word: agonize[…]

February 18, 2017　=========

☆  complain  グチをこぼす

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Earlier in the month, I told you about my youngest son complaining about brushing his teeth every day. Well, today is Saturday, and he has even more things to complain about! Since I’d love my kids to be able to speak Japanese I send them to Japanese school on Saturday mornings for three hours…

Oh my goodness! He sure does complain every Saturday morning!!! “Why do I have to go to school Every. Single. Day??” he asks me. And so of course, I say, you don’t have to go Every. Single. Day! On Sunday, you play soccer… ha ha! Of course, he doesn’t like my joke!

Do youRead more about Today’s Word: complain[…]

February 17, 2017　=========

☆  indulge  甘やかす

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When you indulge someone, you let them have what they want, even if it is not good for them. You’ll hear this word used a lot to describe parents (or grandparents) indulging their kids. Basically, it means they are spoiling them. Either they are buying them things they want without thinking about whether they actually need it. Or they are doing things for them that they should be doing for themselves.

For example, a teenager that lives at home should be doing their own washing. Or a child starting school should be tying their own shoelaces. Or if a child always gets the latest video game orRead more about Today’s Word: indulge[…]

February 16, 2017　=========

☆  barter  手放す

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Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time? Or that you are doing things that you don’t enjoy doing, and wish you had enough time to do the things you really want to do? A life coach in the US called Martha Beck, has a great solution for this. She calls it the “Three B’s” which stands for Bag It, Barter It, or Better it.

Bag It – This means that you just stop doing that thing you don’t want to do. In other words, toss it in the “garbage bag”.

Barter It – What if you have to do it, and can’t bag it? WellRead more about Today’s Word: barter[…]

February 15, 2017　=========

☆  ignore  見て見ぬ振りをする

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If you ignore someone or something, you pay no attention to that person or thing. In most cases, it means that you have noticed the thing, but chosen to disregard it. Another way to say this is to say that you “turn a blind eye to” it, in other words, we pretend that we didn’t see or know about something or someone. Here are some examples:

She felt like her husband always ignored her.
He ignored the doctor’s advice and continued smoking.
The teacher ignored the bullying.

For the last one, if you wanted the nuance that you were annoyed with the teacher, then you could use the verb phraseRead more about Today’s Word: ignore[…]

February 14, 2017　=========

☆  panic  慌てる

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

When I first lived in Japan, the Valentine’s Day “giri-choco” obligation to buy chocolates for coworkers was so strange to me. However, after a few years living in Tokyo and seeing my female coworkers buy chocolates for male coworkers that they were not dating, I got used to the idea.

And then after a few more years, I would actually panic on Valentine’s Day because I had forgotten to buy my chocolates for workmates! Of course, whenever anyone asked me where my chocolates were, I relaxed, didn’t panic, and just replied, “I’m not Japanese, so I don’t have to buy giri-choco!” 🙂

Do you like theRead more about Today’s Word: panic[…]

February 13, 2017　=========

☆  alleviate  和らげる

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Today’s word is a formal word, meaning that you alleviate pain or suffering, by doing something to make it less intense or severe. For example:

These days, there are many ways to alleviate back pain.
The government is discussing the problem of alleviating poverty.
My sunglasses are not helping to alleviate the glare from the sun today!
She rang her family every day to alleviate her guilty conscience.

If you’re not sure that you want to use “alleviate” you can also use any of these words: ease, lessen, lighten, reduce, or relieve.

Bye,

Chris

February 12, 2017　=========

☆  resilience  回復力

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Resilience is noun referring to the ability to be strong and recover easily and quickly from unpleasant or damaging events. So, obviously, resilience is going to be a key word for me in 2017!!

The quote for this week is quite important in regards to resilience. It is by Hans Selye, an Austrian scientist who was one of the first to discover that there was good and bad stress. He says, “It is not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” I agree, and think that people who show a lot of resilience are people who are able to control their reactions to stressRead more about Today’s Word: resilience[…]

February 11, 2017　=========

☆  misery  悲惨さ

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Misery means “great unhappiness” … which is a little strange, as “great” seems like a positive word, right? J However, in this case of course, it means “big” or “huge”… A lot of people said that 2016 was filled with misery for them – so many famous musicians and actors died, and of course, then was all the misery from wars, refugees and the political situations around the world.

So, I entered 2017 thinking the worst was over, and the misery was done with and finished in 2016… well, it seems I was wrong! Since the beginning of this year, my mother has been in hospital. MyRead more about Today’s Word: misery[…]

February 10, 2017   　=========

☆  shame  恥ずかしさ

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When I was teaching in Japan, often students would get confused between “shame” and “ashamed”. Firstly, shame is a noun (and the verb, too) and ashamed is an adjective. However, both of words are used to talk about guilt or humiliation due to doing something wrong or embarrassing.

And, of course, you can guess when most students wanted to use this word, right? Yes, that’s right, when they were talking about their English ability! They’d say things like, “I feel shame because of my poor English.” Or “I’m ashamed of my bad English.”

And, of course, I always say back, don’t feel shame about your English! NobodyRead more about Today’s Word: shame[…]

February 9, 2017   =========

☆  opinion  意見

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Recently, with all the world political news going on, a lot of people get confused about the difference between an opinion and a fact. An opinion is a belief or view, or thought about something. Whereas a fact is anything that is done or happens and can be proved. Here are some examples to show the difference:

Today is Thursday. (Fact)
Today is Thursday, and Mark always sleeps in on Thursdays, so that is why he is late for work. (Opinion about why Mark is late to work today.)

My son had a temperature of 39 degrees this morning. (Fact)
My son had a temperature of 39 degrees thisRead more about Today’s Word: opinion[…]

February 8, 2017      =========

☆  conduct  行い

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Someone’s conduct is the way they behave in a particular situation. Other words that have a similar meaning: behavior, attitude, demeanor, and manner.

We often judge people by their conduct, especially if they are acting differently to what we consider normal. I am reading an interesting book right now, “A gift to my children” by Jim Rogers (the Japanese version is also available on Amazon) and in it he talks briefly about stereotypes. A lot of the time, a stereotype comes from seeing the conduct of a group of people, but what Jim Rogers says is that is a big “difference between knowing a type andRead more about Today’s Word: conduct[…]

February 7, 2017 =========

☆  temper  気分

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Your “temper” is your mood, or your state of mind. If you are in a good temper, you feel cheerful. If you are in a bad temper, you feel angry and impatient. Interestingly, most of the time you will hear people use “temper” when they are talking about a negative mood, and “mood” when they are talking about a good or positive mood. Here are some examples:

He was in a really bad temper last night!
You’re in a good mood today. (Or You’re in a good temper today.)
My mum was in such a bad temper she burned the dinner.
My son was in a good temper/mood afterRead more about Today’s Word: temper[…]

February 6, 2017　=========

☆  reaction  反応

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Your reaction to something is what you say, feel, or do because of that thing. It is your response to the thing that happened. For example, this week’s useful phrase is “What was her reaction?” This question could be used when someone has told someone some big news and you want to know what happened. In the example below, “X” could be something like a new job, new girlfriend, getting married, moving to another city, etc.

You: What was her reaction (when you told her about X)?
B: Actually, she handled it pretty well. (She didn’t get angry or upset.)
or
B: Badly! She was really angry about it.
or
B: Great!Read more about Today’s Word: reaction[…]

February 5, 2017　=========

☆  replenish  鼓舞する

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Replenish is a formal word, meaning to make something full or complete again. If you are not sure whether you should use this formal word, other words you can use instead are: refill, fill, reload, replace, restore, top up.

For example, although you could say, “He replenished his glass with water” it is more common to say, “He refilled his glass with water.” However, if you are talking about your energy level, replenish is a common word to use, “I need a good night sleep to replenish my energy!”

Bye,

Chris

February 4, 2017　=========

☆  insist  主張する

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If you insist that something that something should be done, you say it should be done firmly and refuse to give in, even if people are against what you are saying. Here are some example sentences:

My family insisted that I should not quit my job.
She insisted on coming with me to the meeting.
I didn’t want to go to the party, but my friends insisted.

My youngest son hates it when I insist that he brush his teeth twice a day. It is a battle every morning and night, but I keep on insisting that he do it! Hopefully one day, he’ll accept that he needs to doRead more about Today’s Word: insist[…]

February 3, 2017        =========

☆   recuperate  立ち直る

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When you recuperate, you recover your health or strength after you have been ill or injured. Although it is generally used when talking about an illness or injury, you can also take time off to recuperate if you have been really busy. I think Japan is a great place to recuperate – onsens and short trips to a ryokan is the perfect way to recuperate!

What do you do when you need to recuperate? If I were in Japan, I’d go to an onsen for the day or overnight if possible. Now that I’m living in Australia, I usually go for a walk on the beachRead more about Today’s Word: recuperate[…]

February 2, 2017      =========

☆   justify  正当化する

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When you justify your decision or action, it means that you try to show or prove that it was a reasonable or necessary decision or action. This week’s useful phrase is “You don’t need to justify yourself.” You would say this to someone who was trying to explain why they did something that they think you might disagree with.

My kids try to justify themselves all the time. For example, if the older brother hits his younger brother, he will always justify it by saying, “But he hit me first!!” I always try to say that you cannot justify violence, you should walk away, or useRead more about Today’s Word: justify[…]

February 1, 2017　    =========

☆   cope  対処する

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Hello! Welcome to February!

Last month, I read a book that was filled with ways for kids to cope with stress. There were ideas for coping by doing something physical – such as going for a walk, or doing pushups, or squeezing a stress ball. There were ideas for coping by distracting yourself, for example, writing a story or doing something creative such as painting, or even watching funny videos on YouTube. And finally, there were ideas for coping by actually processing the feelings you have; by writing in a journal, writing a letter, or drawing a manga about the situation.

The book also suggested making aRead more about Today’s Word: cope[…]