July 31, 2018　=========

☆  solitary   単独の

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A solitary activity is an activity that you do on your own. You might find that solitary study works best for you – no interruptions, plenty of time to think, and you can set your own schedule. One thing to think about though is what we call, “mixing it up.” This is a term from fitness, and it means that if you usually enjoy solitary exercise then “mix it up” and take a group class, or join a group run. Or, if you usually exercise in a group, try a solitary run. This way, you can avoid burnout and keep your motivation high.

It’s the same forRead more about Today’s Word: solitary[…]

July 30, 2018　=========

☆  stimulating  刺激的な

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This month’s Q&A question is, “What kind of learning do you find stimulating?” This is such an important question to think about. If you don’t know what kind of learning you find stimulating, then you need to find out! If the learning is fun and interesting and stimulating, then you will find that your study will be much more effective.

For example, do you like to learn alone, is that stimulating enough for you? Or do you prefer to study with friends in a classroom situation? How about real-life experiences? For me, although I like learning in a classroom, I really find real-life experiences the most stimulating.Read more about Today’s Word: stimulating[…]

July 29, 2018　=========

☆  flow 順序

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Interesting! I was just to talk about “being in the flow” and finding it easy to study when you are in a relaxed state of “flow” … but then I decided to check the translation, and it’s a totally different “flow” isn’t it! Oops! In fact, there are quite a few different meanings for “flow” but today’s meaning is about the order or sequence of something.

So, for this flow, you can think about the flow of your sentence, or the flow of your story – is it in the right sequence or order, for example? Right now, my oldest son is learning about writing and flow,Read more about Today’s Word: flow[…]

July 28, 2018　=========

☆  big picture  全体像

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When we talk about the big picture in learning, we usually mean the most important facts about a situation or learning point. In general, adults learn best when best when they know the big picture of what they are going to learn, before going into detail of each small point that makes up the big picture. So, if you are going to learn a grammar point, before looking at the grammar bit by bit, look at the big picture first.

An example would be learning past tense – the big picture would be when and why you use the past tense. The small points that youRead more about Today’s Word: big picture[…]

July 27, 2018　=========

☆  pattern   模範

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A pattern is the repeated or regular way that something happens or is done. Patterns can help you with learning English because you know that if you follow a grammar pattern for example, then your sentence will be grammatically correct. Even with verbs, you can learn the patterns for how the verb changes depending on the tense you are using.

Even with irregular verbs, there is still a pattern that they “generally” follow – not always, but most of the time. So, learning the pattern is better than not learning it. Of course! Even with spelling, English has some weird spelling patterns, but there are also rulesRead more about Today’s Word: pattern[…]

July 26, 2018　=========

☆  feedback  フィードバック

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Feedback is so important for learning and improving. It might be hard to get feedback on your English if you don’t go to English classes. If you go to class or have an English-speaking friend, then you can ask them for feedback. If not, taking the Toeic or Toefl test can give you valuable feedback too. You don’t need to pay for the test teach time – just do the free samples online.

I’ve recently had some feedback, too! Regarding this daily email, one suggestion was that I do a voice recording too. What do you think of this idea? I’ve been thinking about it for aRead more about Today’s Word: feedback[…]

July 25, 2018　=========

☆  experience  経験

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One of my client’s teenage daughter is in Melbourne at the moment for a 3-week school visit. It’ll be a great experience for her I’m sure. When I was in high school I was lucky enough to visit Okayama for a 6-week exchange. It was actually a life-changing experience for me! After that trip to Japan, I became very interested in Japan and Japanese, even though I was studying French at the time! And, although I was only 16 years old at the time, I vowed to return to Japan in the near future.

Did you ever do a homestay or have the experience of living inRead more about Today’s Word: experience[…]

July 24, 2018　=========

☆  action  行動

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An action is something you do for some particular purpose. You might hear about some people being all talk, no action. This means that they say they will do X or Y or Z, but they never do. This month is all about learning like a baby, and I think that the biggest difference between babies and adults is that babies are always taking action.

Even when it looks like babies are just lying around doing not much at all, they are taking tiny actions – testing out how their legs work, or what their arms can do. Rolling over and lifting their necks up to buildRead more about Today’s Word: action[…]

July 23, 2018　=========

☆  insight  洞察力

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Insight is understanding, awareness, comprehension, observation and perception. If you have insight you are able to understand complex situations. If you “gain insight” into a situation or problem, you gain a deep understanding of it.

I think one of the best things you can do to improve your English is to gain insight into how you learn best. Do you like a classroom setting? Do you prefer to study alone? Do you like to study for a long period of time once a week? Or do you prefer a short burst of study each day?

Take some time to think about you and your English study habits andRead more about Today’s Word: insight[…]

July 22, 2018　=========

☆  memorize  暗記する

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This week’s useful phrase is “I’m trying to memorize these new words.” What do you think about memorizing things in order to learn English? As an English teacher, I think it’s important to memorize SOME things, but not everything. Memorizing basic grammar rules and vocabulary can help you, of course, but memorizing – also known as rote learning – everything is not that helpful.

Instead, I really think the best way to learn English is to think about what it is that you want say. There is no point at all in memorizing a list of words that you will never use. However, if you have anRead more about Today’s Word: memorize[…]

July 21, 2018　=========

☆  grasp   理解する

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If you say that grasp something that is complicated or difficult to understand, it means that you understand it. For example, you might say, “I’ve been studying English for a while now, and I think I’m finally beginning to grasp it.” Or you might not be that confident and instead want to say, “I’ve been studying English for a while now, but I still haven’t grasped it.”

However, I advise you not to use that second sentence, no need to send a negative message to your brain! Remember when I talked about Afformations earlier in the month, you could say something like this instead, “Why can IRead more about Today’s Word: grasp[…]

July 20, 2018　=========

☆  stump  悩ます

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If something stumps you, then you cannot of think of a solution or an answer to it. Have you heard of this word before? It’s usually used in casual conversation. Here are some examples, if you are studying English you could say:

I’ve read it and reread the paragraph, but the meaning of this word has me stumped.
My English teacher stumped me with an unexpected question!

And just generally, you can use it like this:

This new software update has me completely stumped! I just can’t work it out.
My kids showed me their new iPad game, apparently, it’s easy, but I’m stumped by it!!

Can you use stump in aRead more about Today’s Word: stump[…]

July 19, 2018　=========

☆  discover   発見する

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If you discover something that you did not know about before, you become aware of it. The thing that you discover doesn’t have to be some amazing, big thing like the secret of the universe! It can be something simple, that is new information for you.

For example, you might discover a great internet site that can help you learn English. Or you might discover a movie that you love enough to watch over and over and can therefore use it to learn English.

You might discover something about yourself, for example, “I discovered that I prefer learning English with other people rather than on my own atRead more about Today’s Word: discover[…]

July 18, 2018　=========

☆  release   解放する

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When you release feelings or abilities, you allow them to be expressed. When you are studying or speaking English, if you start to feel any frustration or anger that you are not doing as well as you want to, remember to release those feelings, and just relax and concentrate on enjoying yourself.

Another way to use today’s word is to think about releasing your inner-English-speaker! Remember a week or so ago, I talked about the fact that we are all born with the ability to speak any language. As we grow up, we learn the language that the people around us speak… so, inside you, there isRead more about Today’s Word: release[…]

July 17, 2018　=========

☆  incorporate  取り込む

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If one thing incorporates another thing, it includes the other thing. A good example of how to use this with regards to studying English, is this: make sure you incorporate different elements of English into your study. Also, incorporate different styles of English and different ways to study.

For example, don’t just focus on grammar elements, incorporate vocabulary work too. And don’t just focus on listening to movies for English study, incorporate radio, TV, and seminars, too. And, if you’re looking for something challenging, why not incorporate different accents into your study, too, not just American, but British, Australia, Indian, and even accents of people who speakRead more about Today’s Word: incorporate[…]

July 16, 2018　=========

☆  participate  参加する

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Happy marine day! 

A long, long time ago, I worked at Nova, and we had a thing called the Voice Room. If you have even been a Nova student, you’ll know what that is. It’s their “free talk” room, and you can go in whenever you want and talk about whatever you want. It was actually a really good idea, I think, especially for motivated students.

However, one thing I remember about the Voice Room was when students would come in but not participate. They would sit silently for the 40-minute “lesson” … even if there was no one else in the room! In other words, the teacherRead more about Today’s Word: participate[…]

July 15, 2018　=========

☆  challenging  やりがいのある

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A challenging task or job requires great effort and determination. I think one thing about learning is that if it is too easy and isn’t challenging, then you will give up soon – because you are bored. However, if it is too hard and too challenging then you will give up soon – because it is too frustrating.

So, the key to learning something is to find just the right level for you – not too challenging, but not too easy either. How do you feel about English right now? Is it the right level for you, or do you feel like it is too challenging orRead more about Today’s Word: challenging[…]

July 14, 2018　=========

☆  miserable  惨めな

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If you are miserable, you are unhappy. If you’re feeling miserable about your learning, then it’s going to be hard to learn effectively. I think that is another reason why I like the Afformations idea that I’ve been talking about. If you have had an affirmation, “I’m a relaxed and confident English speaker.” for a long time, but nothing has changed, that would make you feel pretty miserable, right?

So, instead the Afformation I suggested, “Why am I a relaxed and confident English speaker?” would make you start thinking about all the times you have spoken English – sometimes you were confident, sometimes you weren’t. But theRead more about Today’s Word: miserable[…]

July 13, 2018　=========

☆  relaxed  のんびりした

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The other day I mentioned the book I’d read, Afformations. In that book, the author says that affirmations are often not effective, because there is a gap in our belief between reality and the affirmation. For example, you might have the affirmation, “I am a relaxed and confident English speaker.” However, if you don’t really believe this, then you won’t take action to become the relaxed and confident English speaker you want to be.

The author suggests instead that we ask positive, empowering questions, starting with “Why.” This way, we can use the brain like Google, and search for answers to our question – and when weRead more about Today’s Word: relaxed[…]

July 12, 2018　=========

☆  natural   生まれつきの

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Someone with a natural ability or skill is born with that ability and didn’t have to learn it. For example, she has a natural ability with languages. Or he has a natural flair for business. Do you have a natural ability to understand English or is it hard work for you? It’s interesting, don’t you think, that when babies are born, they don’t actually have a language – they learn the language that they grow up hearing.

When my son was born, I was living in Japan. He went to childcare in Tokyo and so he grew up speaking mostly Japanese, and just a little bit ofRead more about Today’s Word: natural[…]

July 11, 2018　=========

☆  rapid  素早い

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Something that is rapid is fast and quick. Everyone wants their learning to be rapid and effective right? Have you ever tried the PhotoReading system? Or any other way of rapid learning? I love the PhotoReading system, and use it to read books, which means I can read a lot of books quickly.

One book that I recently read was Afformations by Noah St. John. It was really interesting. He said that we all want rapid results and rapid changes in our lives, and most success books recommend using affirmations for rapid change in your life. However, he said that if we don’t believe the affirmation, thenRead more about Today’s Word: rapid[…]

July 10, 2018   　=========

☆  adaptable   柔軟な

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If someone is adaptable they can change their ideas or behavior in order to deal with new situations. Being adaptable definitely helps you learn better, right? For example, if you really like your English teacher, and then they quit their job because they are returning to their home country, if you weren’t adaptable, you’d find it hard to settle in with a new teacher. However, being adaptable means that you’d be fine no matter who your teacher is.

Similarly, if your English teacher prefers to use movies to learn slang and idioms, but you prefer reading books, as it is easier than listening to fast English.Read more about Today’s Word: adaptable[…]

July 9, 2018   =========

☆  absorbed  夢中の

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If you are absorbed in something or someone, you are very interested in them and they take up all your energy. For example, my boys get so absorbed in their video games and TV, that they never hear me! I could say, “Time for dinner” or “You can have ice cream for dinner.” either way, they don’t hear me because they are so absorbed in what they are doing or watching.

And, watching babies is really interesting too, they get so absorbed in things. My little girl loves the mirror – she watches her face and tries to study everything around her and in the mirror.

WhatRead more about Today’s Word: absorbed[…]

July 8, 2018      =========

☆  gain  獲得する

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When you gain something, you get more of it, or you get some advantage or benefit from it. For example, “The students gained valuable experience on their home stay trip to Australia.” Or, the useful phrase this week, “What do you expect to gain from the experience?”

I think this is a good question to think about before you try learning or doing something new. Whenever I read a book, I use this kind of question, “What do I want to gain from reading this book?” This kind of question helps me focus better and get more from the book. You could do this whenever youRead more about Today’s Word: gain[…]

July 7, 2018 =========

☆  take in  吸収する

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There are many different ways to use “take in” but today’s meaning is that you pay attention to something and understand it when you hear it or read it. In other words, you absorb or internalize that information. Here are some example sentences:

I really enjoyed his lecture, I took in everything he said.
There’s so much to take in!
Babies are amazing, they just take in everything around them.
I wish I was better able to take in what my English teacher teaches me.

Can you use “take in” in a sentence?

Bye,

Chris

July 6, 2018　=========

☆  measure  測る

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This month we’re talking about learning like a baby, and thinking about learning and setting goals, we are always told that we need to be able to measure our success, or measure our progress, right? So, if we’re learning new words, we want to be able to know how many new words we’ve learnt. Or we want to be able to measure an improvement in our test scores.

Being able to measure the results of your goal makes it easier to see our progress and to stay motivated… however, I was thinking about babies and how they learn. I don’t think they are measuring anything! Do youRead more about Today’s Word: measure[…]

July 5, 2018　=========

☆  lighten up 元気づける

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This week’s useful phrase is “You need to lighten up!” When do you think you could use this phrase? The most common situation would be if someone is worried about a situation, and you want to tell them it will be OK. “You need to lighten up, it will all work out OK.”

Have you ever taken a TOEIC test or other examination and felt like you failed? And then when you got your results, you actually did OK… that would be the perfect situation to use “lighten up.” Once you have done the test, there is no point in worrying about the result, maybe youRead more about Today’s Word: lighten up[…]

July 4, 2018　=========

☆  home in  的を絞る

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When you home in on a particular aspect of something, you give all your attention to that aspect. With babies, this is very easy to see. They don’t try to walk and crawl and roll all at the same time. When they are very young, they home in on learning to roll. When they have mastered this, they home in on crawling. And when they have mastered this, they home in on learning to stand and walk. Of course, each of these aspects then work together to help the baby achieve all their milestones.

Adults learning English can do the same thing. Home in on oneRead more about Today’s Word: home in[…]

July 3, 2018     =========

☆  probe  探る

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Probing into something, means that you ask questions to try discover facts about it. So, continuing on from our discussion yesterday. When you are in the third person, observing yourself and how you are doing something, then you need to probe into the situation to reach a deeper understanding.

Probing deeply into how you do something, can give you insight into how you can do it better. Are you completely happy with the way that you study English? Is your study time effective, and does it give you the results you want? If so, then that’s great! However, if you’re not happy with your study methodsRead more about Today’s Word: probe[…]

July 2, 2018      =========

☆  observe  観察する

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If you observe something or someone, you watch them carefully, usually in order to learn something about that thing or person. When you’re learning English, I think observing yourself is a great thing to do. It might sound strange to observe yourself, but what I mean is to take a kind of “third-person” look at yourself when you are studying.

When you observe yourself from the third person position, you use words like he or she, instead of me or I. For example, she is listening to the English teacher, instead of I am listening to the English teacher. This technique of observing yourself from theRead more about Today’s Word: observe[…]

July 1, 2018　    =========

☆  process  過程

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This month, we are looking at the topic of “Learning like a baby.” This is very relevant to me right now!! Ha ha! And the useful phrase is, “Learning is an individual process.” This is so true, both for babies and for English. Right now, my little girl is 5 ½ months old, and suddenly, she can roll over and over and over, until she has made it from her playmat to the middle of the room! Yet my friend’s little girl who is already 6 ½ months hasn’t started rolling yet.

We all learn in different ways, and at different stages, and the process isRead more about Today’s Word: process[…]