March 31, 2018　=========

☆  annoyed  悩んで

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If you are annoyed, you are fairly angry about something. Last Thursday my son was sick in the evening, and so he stayed home from school on Friday. By lunchtime, he felt better, his fever was gone, and he was happy again. Over the weekend, he was fine, and he went to his soccer carnival, and his team won both games. He played in the backyard and was totally fine all weekend.

Then Monday morning came around… he felt a little tired. He went to school as usual, but at 9:15am the school called me to say he was feeling sick and could I come and collect him…Read more about Today’s Word: annoyed[…]

March 30, 2018　=========

☆  irritating  イライラして

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This months’ question is “What do you do when you are feeling anxious?” and one answer is to write down a list of everything that is irritating you at the moment. Usually it is suggested that you write down all of the things that you are grateful for, and of course, this is important to do to. However, for me, I find it helps to get all of the irritating things out of my head, and onto paper.

When I make a list of the irritating things in my life at that time, I feel a sense of relief because usually there are not as many asRead more about Today’s Word: irritating[…]

March 29, 2018　=========

☆  anxious  不安な

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If you are anxious, you are worried about something. You might also say that you are feeling uneasy, apprehensive, concerned, or tense. Feeling anxious includes a physical feeling, too, and can often be a very intense emotional and physical feeling.

Feeling anxious is a little different from feeling nervous. If you are feeling nervous about something, you are feeling a little frightened, but there is usually a good reason for feeling nervous, and it is a temporary feeling. When we feel anxious it can be difficult to really know what is making us feel that way, and we often feel anxious for a longer period of time,Read more about Today’s Word: anxious[…]

March 28, 2018　=========

☆  flexible  柔軟な

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Similar to yesterday’s word, a person who is flexible is someone who is able to change easily and adapt to different conditions and circumstances as they occur. Being flexible can really help when there are changes in our world that we can’t control, such as our company decides to restructure or a family member is sick and needs our help.

What other skills do you think are important for when there are changes happening in your life that you cannot control? Being flexible is one, what else? How about dealing with stress? Or being able to take action even when you feel worried about what might happen?Read more about Today’s Word: flexible[…]

March 27, 2018　=========

☆  versatile  多才な

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You can use versatile to describe people or a thing, such as a machine or tool. If a tool is versatile, it means that it can be used for many different purposes. I suppose a smartphone could be considered versatile – a phone, a camera, a reading device, a game device and much, much more!

If a person is versatile, it means they have many different skills. So, an athlete who is versatile is good at more than one sport. Within a company, versatile employees are valued because they can be placed in many different positions and still do the work effectively.

Would you consider yourself to beRead more about Today’s Word: versatile[…]

March 26, 2018　=========

☆  somber  陰気な

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So, when I checked my dictionary for this word, I couldn’t find it! Ha ha! Then I remembered that my dictionary is British English, and therefore the word is spelled sombre. It’s not such a serious or somber problem I guess, but it is amusing that even countries that use the same English language have different spellings!

I guess the good news about having different ways to spell the same word is that if you get the spelling wrong, you can always say, “Oh, I thought that was the American spelling…” Ha ha! Do you know any other words that are spelled differently in American English comparedRead more about Today’s Word: somber[…]

March 25, 2018　=========

☆  vex  困らせる

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If someone or something vexes you, they make you feel annoyed, puzzled, and frustrated. Does learning new English words vex you? If so, try writing sentences using the word, and of course check your dictionary for words that have a similar meaning, too.

So, for vex, other words that have a similar meaning are annoy, bother, distress, exasperate, plague, trouble, upset, and worry.

And some sentence examples:

Everything about the situation vexes me!
I think she did it just to vex him…
Don’t vex me, I’m in a bad mood already!

Bye,

Chris

March 24, 2018　=========

☆  reflect  内省する

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When I told my running friend about my broken ankle, she said it was the universe telling me it was time to reflect on my running goals and to make sure that they are in alignment with being a new mum… it’s true I guess, but to be honest, I’d rather be running than reflecting on the topic of not running! Ha ha!

Jokes aside, reflecting on changes and events that are happening in your life is a good way to get a deeper understanding of what is happening and how you feel about it. For me, reflecting on not running is showing me that running isRead more about Today’s Word: reflect[…]

March 23, 2018　=========

☆  subside  落ち付く

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When something, such as your feelings or emotions, subsides, they become less strong or less intense. The useful phrase this week is: Don’t make a decision until your feelings subside. In other words, if you have a tough decision to make, you are probably feeling lots of strong emotions. If you make a decision while you are feeling all these strong emotions, it’s easier to make the wrong decision, so it’s best to wait until those strong feelings subside before making your decision.

What do you think of this advice? Are you the sort of person who makes their best decisions while you are feeling emotional, orRead more about Today’s Word: subside[…]

March 22, 2018　=========

☆  recuperate  回復する

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I can’t remember how long you are supposed to recuperate after giving birth in Japan, is there a set time? In Australia, it is quite strict, and you must recuperate for six weeks after having your baby – during this time, it’s OK to walk, but you’re not supposed to do any other exercise until you have fully recuperated.

So, I was doing the right thing, only walking sometimes, no running or anything, and then a couple of weeks ago, when I was walking with Sofie in her stroller, I tripped over and actually broke my ankle!! It was five weeks and four days after she wasRead more about Today’s Word: recuperate[…]

March 21, 2018　=========

☆  believe  信じる

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If you believe a person it means that you accept that what they say is true. If you believe that a situation is the case, then you believe that situation is true. When dealing with change, what you believe can make a big difference to how you cope, wouldn’t you agree?

For example, if you believe that the change is happening because you did something wrong, you are more likely to feel stress. However, if you believe that the change is happening for positive reasons, then you are more likely to feel happy and cope with the changes well.

For me, I like to believe that anything isRead more about Today’s Word: believe[…]

March 20, 2018　=========

☆  make headway  前進する

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If you make headway, then you progress towards achieving something. This verb is often used when the thing the person is doing is tough or difficult, or likely to take a long time. So, this week’s useful phrase is: Are you making any headway?

You could use this phrase in many different situations. For example, if someone is working on a difficult project you could ask, “How is it going?” or you could use this question, “Are you making any headway?” Or maybe they are writing a report, or your child is doing their homework.

Bye,

Chris

March 19, 2018　=========

☆  counter  反対する

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If you do something to counter an action or process, you do something which makes it less effective. I was looking online for some example sentences, but all I could find were sentences about kitchen counters and bar counters! Ha ha, a good adjective to describe that would be that my actions were “counterproductive.” In other words, it achieved the opposite result from the one I wanted, so as you can see, it’s similar to our verb, “counter.”

So here are some better sentence examples using the word counter as a verb:

The government needs to do something to counter the effects of rising prices.
We might be ableRead more about Today’s Word: counter[…]

March 18, 2018　=========

☆  potential   可能性

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Potential can be used in two main ways, the first way is talking about someone’s potential, or their capability of becoming something in the future. The second way – and today’s meaning – is about the potential for something to happen.

For example, if you are attending a job interview, you might want to ask about the potential for travel, or the potential for using English in the position. Or if you’re brave you might even ask about potential pay rises once you have shown you have a good ability for the job. And, if you’re looking at the job for career advancement, then of course youRead more about Today’s Word: potential[…]

March 17, 2018　=========

☆  momentum  機運

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Today is St. Patrick’s Day, is this day celebrated in any way in Japan? In Australia, it is celebrated, but it isn’t a public holiday. It is mostly a chance for people to celebrate their connection to Ireland (if they have one) and of course, it’s a great way for pubs and restaurants to get customers, because they have a “green” event of some kind – people might dress up in green for example.

It’s interesting to see these kinds of events and celebrations gain momentum over the years. Halloween is another one, in Australia when I was growing up, it was never celebrated. And when IRead more about Today’s Word: momentum[…]

March 16, 2018　=========

☆  foresight  洞察力

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Foresight is your ability to see what is likely to happen in the future and to take appropriate action. Oh, can you imagine if you’d had the foresight to invest in companies like Apple and Amazon many years ago?! Wow! Ha ha…

Anyway! Back on topic, the opposite of foresight is hindsight, which is the understanding of a situation or event only AFTER the event has happened. In other words, foresight can help you predict changes that might be coming, and hindsight can help you make sense of the changes if you didn’t see them coming!

I’d rather have great foresight than hindsight! How about you?

Bye,

Chris

March 15, 2018　=========

☆  precipice   危機

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A precipice is a very steep cliff on a mountain, however, when we talk about someone being on the edge of a precipice (in other words, on the edge of the steep cliff where they could easily fall) we mean that they are in a dangerous situation and are close to disaster or failure. For example, “He finally admitted to himself that his marriage was heading toward the edge of a precipice.”

When you are on the edge of a precipice, you probably need to make some big changes to avoid disaster! Have you ever been on the brink of a precipice? What did you do toRead more about Today’s Word: precipice[…]

March 14, 2018　=========

☆  fear 恐れ

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Have you heard of or read the book, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers? It was first published in 1987, 31 years ago and it is still a best seller! It’s interesting that this book is still so popular. I wonder why people have a lot of fear about doing certain things. 

Susan Jeffers says that our fear is mostly from conditioning, for example, our parents always say, “Be careful!” rather than, “Take risks!” Ha ha, that’s true for me, I’m always saying be careful to my kids… I don’t know what would happen if I stopped saying this! I think they mightRead more about Today’s Word: fear[…]

March 13, 2018　=========

☆  situation 状況

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You use the word “situation” to talk about what is happening at that time, or what is happening to you. For example, “he is in terrible situation.” Or, “If you want to improve your situation, you need a positive mental attitude!”

Or, the useful phrase this week, “We have to make the most of the situation.”

This was my situation yesterday! For me, it was a regular work day, but my kids had a school closure day, so they were at home, which of course means I can’t work. How did I make the most of the “bad” situation? Well, firstly, I had to change my mind –Read more about Today’s Word: situation[…]

March 12, 2018　=========

☆  change  変化

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If there is a change in something, it becomes different. This month, we’re talking about change, and coping with change. Do you think you are good at coping with change? I generally think I am good at coping with change, but in fact, I don’t like small changes, I like big dramatic changes!

Let me give you some examples, I was a lawyer, but I decided I wanted a change, so I quit, then studied to become an English teacher, and then moved to Japan! It was a very big change! But it was exhilarating and fun!

As for the small changes, things like changes to my kids’Read more about Today’s Word: change[…]

March 11, 2018　=========

☆  persistent 持続する

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You can describe things as persistent, but it often has a negative nuance. For example, a persistent cough or the persistent rain. However, if you are a persistent person, it is generally a good thing. If you describe yourself as persistent it means that you continue trying to do something, even though it is difficult or other people are against it.

For example, you might be persistent in your English studies, even though it’s difficult, or you might feel like you are not improving, you are persistent and keep going. Good work! Or talking about change, you might be going through a tough time, but by beingRead more about Today’s Word: persistent[…]

March 10, 2018   　=========

☆  meticulous  几帳面な

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If you are meticulous it means that you do things very carefully and with great attention to detail. Would you describe yourself as being meticulous? I would say that I am meticulous in some areas of my life, but not all…

Do you think it is a positive character trait or not? I was wondering about this, and I actually think I can be meticulous in some situations where it is not helpful! For example, I like my desk and work area to be clean and I am meticulous about everything in my office. The problem is though, that when the area is not clean, IRead more about Today’s Word: meticulous[…]

March 9, 2018   =========

☆  exhilarating 気分の上がる

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When you describe something as exhilarating, you mean that it makes you feel very happy and excited. So, on this month’s topic of coping with change, if you were able to find change exhilarating, then it would be much easier to cope with it, right?

In fact, there is an interesting quote by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a Harvard Business School professor and she says, “Change is disturbing when it is done to us, exhilarating when it is done by us.”

This is so true, don’t you think? If you got fired from your job, that change would be disturbing and difficult to cope with. However, if youRead more about Today’s Word: exhilarating[…]

March 8, 2018      =========

☆  defiant  挑戦的な

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If someone is defiant, then they are showing aggression or independence by refusing to obey someone… hmm.. that sounds like my kids! Ha ha! Funnily enough though, I’m not the only one that feels that way – if you search for the word “defiant” in Google images, 90% of the images are children in defiant poses!

So, in western culture, the adjective defiant is most commonly used to describe children, but mostly they are just learning about the world and boundaries, and what they can and cannot do. How about in Japan, is defiant a word often used when describing children?

Bye,

Chris

March 7, 2018 =========

☆  apprehensive 恐れて

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If you are feeling apprehensive, it means that you are fearful about the future. I was recently talking with a client, and he said that he was surprised to learn that most Americans could not survive for more than two to three months if they lost their jobs… in other words they have almost no savings to use in case of emergency. And yet, they are mostly happy and not apprehensive about the future.

On the other hand, he said that most Japanese people have enough in savings to not have to worry about losing their job. And yet, he said that most Japanese people areRead more about Today’s Word: apprehensive[…]

March 6, 2018　=========

☆  uncomfortable 気まずい

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The two most common ways to use “uncomfortable” are to describe an emotional feeling and a physical feeling (when something makes you feel a slight pain or physical discomfort.) Today we are talking about the emotional feeling, it means that you are worried or embarrassed and not relaxed and confident. Here are some example sentences:

I’m feeling uncomfortable about the whole thing. (from the Useful Phrases)
I need money, but I’m uncomfortable asking my parents for help.
I wanted to help my coworker, but I felt uncomfortable lying to my boss about the situation.

Can you use uncomfortable in a sentence?

Bye,

Chris

March 5, 2018　=========

☆  quickly 素早く

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When you do something quickly, you do it swiftly, briskly, fast, hurriedly, rapidly, soon, or speedily. When you learn new adverbs, a mind map or even just a list of similar words is a great way to increase your vocabulary – quickly!  🙂

So, since we’re talking about change this month, if you have never tried a vocabulary mind map, you could make that kind of change to your study methods, and try to make a mind map of words related to quickly. You can include similar words, and also words that have the opposite meaning. One good thing about a mind map is that it letsRead more about Today’s Word: quickly[…]

March 4, 2018　=========

☆  choose 選択する

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When you choose someone or something, you decide which person or thing it is that you want to have. And, when you choose, just like our useful phrase says this week, “Remember to choose wisely!”

Imagine that you could choose your perfect life, what would you choose? Would you choose something different to what you have right now? For me, I would choose a different house… why? I love where we live, but the actual house is your typical Australian house – old and cold!! We are heading into autumn and winter now, and this house is soooooo cold!! Nothing helps! So, if I could change anythingRead more about Today’s Word: choose[…]

March 3, 2018 =========

☆  question 疑う

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I’m sure you know the noun, “question” meaning something that you ask, but how about “question” as a verb? Have you heard the word used in this way? The useful phrase this week gives a good example:

“Recently, I’ve been questioning my decision.”

In other words, the speaker is having doubts about whether they made the right decision or not. When you question something, it means that you have doubts about whether that thing is true, reasonable, or worthwhile. As an English learner, you might question whether it is worth taking lessons, or continuing to study. My answer would be that of course it is! Not necessarilyRead more about Today’s Word: question[…]

March 2, 2018      =========

☆  imagine 想像する

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If you imagine something, you think about it, and in your mind, you form a picture or an idea of it. When we have to cope with change, imagining the worst scenario can be helpful. Of course, you want to imagine the best possible outcome too, but imagining the worst that could happen can help us cope because we can think about what we would do if the worst happens.

As I said yesterday, I chose “Change” as my word of the year, to keep me focused on my goals, and one of the things I want to change is where we live as my kidsRead more about Today’s Word:[…]

March 1, 2018　    =========

☆  cope  対処する

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This month, our new topic is “Coping with Change” and if you cope with a problem or task, or change, then you deal with it successfully. Some people love change though, and they don’t need to “cope” with it, instead they thrive. Which type are you, the sort that copes with change, or the type that thrives on change?

At the beginning of the year, I chose my “Word of the Year” and it was actually, “Change” I wanted it to represent the many changes that will happen this year, firstly a new baby in January! I want to be the sort of person who thrivesRead more about Today’s Word: cope[…]