April 30, 2019　=========

☆  impress  感銘を与える

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If something impresses you, you feel great admiration for it. So, for example, the Q&A for this month is, How do you celebrate someone’s success? And the sample answer is “I let them know how impressed I am with them.

Another way to use this word is to impress something on someone, which means that you make them understand its importance. For example:
I had always impressed upon my children that if they worked hard, they would succeed.
I have impressed upon my staff the need for more professionalism on the telephone.
I tried to impress upon him what a huge honor he was being offered.

These two words are aRead more about April 30 – impress[…]

April 29, 2019　=========

☆  celebrate  祝う

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Oh my goodness, you have a 10-day holiday starting today, right? Let’s celebrate! The good news for me, is that I have a 10-day holiday too! Kind of… all my English coaching clients are in Japan, and on vacation, so technically, I’m on vacation too! Unfortunately, my kids are still at school, and so there’s no way we can really celebrate by going on holiday or anything.

So, what are you doing with all this time off? How are you celebrating? Will you travel somewhere? Or do a “staycation” in your own city? When I lived in Tokyo, I would always do a staycation during this GoldenRead more about April 29 – celebrate[…]

April 28, 2019　=========

☆  heartfelt  心からの

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Heartfelt is used to describe a deep or sincere feeling or wish. It is usually used to express sympathy, for example, when someone dies, you could say, “Please accept my heartfelt sympathy.” Or “My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the people affected by this tragedy.”

The good news is that you can also use it in a positive way! For example, at a wedding, “I offer my heartfelt congratulations to you both on your wedding day.” Or a new baby, “Let me extend my heartfelt congratulations on the birth of you son.” And a new job, “Give her my heartfelt congratulations on getting the job.” AndRead more about April 28 – heartfelt[…]

April 27, 2019　=========

☆  triumphant 勝利を収めた

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If you are feeling triumphant, you are feeling happy because you have succeeded in something. My oldest son is currently playing in his soccer club’s “development team.” This means that they are playing against kids who are one year older than them. When they lose, of course they are disappointed, but it’s all good experience for next year, when they play in the real state league for their age group.

This year, though, when they win, wow! They feel so triumphant!! They get so excited at having beat a team that is a year older, a year more experienced than them. When they give a cheer atRead more about April 27 – triumphant[…]

April 26, 2019　=========

☆  deserving  値する

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This week’s useful phrase is, “I don’t know anyone more deserving than you.” When do you think you would use this kind of phrase? The perfect time would be when someone at work gets a promotion, and you agree that they are the best person for the job. In other words, they are very deserving of the promotion.

Interestingly, you could also use this phrase to express disappointment if someone else got the promotion instead. So, if you believe that Mr. B is deserving of the promotion, but Mr. J got the promotion, you could express disbelief by using this same expression. “I don’t know why Mr.Read more about April 26 – deserving[…]

April 25, 2019　=========

☆  life-changing 人生が変わるほどの

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Something that is life-changing alters your life in a substantial way. I have had many life-changing experiences, some of which have been within my control, some of which haven’t. For example, when my family immigrated to Australia, from the UK, I was only 3 years old. It was life-changing, but beyond my control. I love being Australian, but I do sometimes wonder what would have been different if I had grown up in Wales instead!

Other life-changing events, were going on a homestay to Japan when I was 16… I was hoping to go to Paris, because I was studying French. However, the trip to Japan wasRead more about April 25 – life-changing[…]

April 24, 2019　=========

☆  honorable  立派な

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If you describe someone or their actions as honorable, you mean that they are good and deserve to be respected and admired. An honorable person is honest and fair. They believe in the truth and doing the right thing. They try to live up to their high principles.

You can create more happiness in your life by taking honorable actions. For example, if a shop assistant makes a mistake and doesn’t charge you the correct amount, you could say nothing and just feel happy for your extra money. Or you could tell them about their mistake, and pay the correct amount. The honorable thing to do wouldRead more about April 24 – honorable[…]

April 23, 2019　=========

☆  touching  感動的な

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If something is touching, it is moving, and causes feelings of sadness or sympathy. Although a touching story or event, may cause feelings of sadness, this often results in positive feelings or in feelings of motivation. In fact, stories are often told in exactly this way – making them especially poignant or touching – so that we can learn life lessons from them.

A classic example, is the starfish story, which is the short story adapted from the original essay, The Star Thrower. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star_Thrower
In the story, the boy is throwing starfish back into the sea, to help them survive. An old man walking past said it wouldRead more about April 23 – touching[…]

April 22, 2019　=========

☆  gutsy  根性のある

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Someone who is gutsy shows courage and determination. Last month, there was the tragedy in New Zealand, with the mass-shooting at a mosque. The NZ prime minister took a gutsy approach, and refused to use the terrorist’s name. She called him a criminal and a terrorist, but said she would never call him by his name. She gave a gutsy and emotional speech that day, and even the people that voted against her agreed the speech was powerful.

I think New Zealand is lucky to have such a tough, gutsy prime minister. I’m not sure I could use the word gutsy to describe Australia’s prime minister!! WouldRead more about April 22 – gutsy[…]

April 21, 2019　=========

☆  compel  強要する

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There are two ways to use “compel.” If someone or something compels you to do something, they force you to do it. For example, the new legislation compels cyclists to wear a bicycle helmet. Or, “When she lost her job, she was compelled to move back home and live with her parents.”

The second way to use compel is when you feel compelled to do something, because it is the right thing to do. You feel you must do it. For example, if you see someone attacking another person, you would feel compelled to stop them. If someone dropped their bag as they stepped of the train,Read more about April 21 – compel[…]

April 20, 2019　=========

☆  encourage  励ます

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You encourage someone, and give them confidence, by letting them know that what they are doing is good, and telling them they should continue to do it. So… do you want to hear how last night went? Good news, we had time for a storybook before bed, and everyone was happy!

Last night, as soon as we had eaten dinner, I encouraged my son to do all his chores and get ready for his bath. I reminded him about the time, and told him what time he needed to be ready by if he wanted me to read him a bedtime story… and we did it! IRead more about April 20 – encourage[…]

April 19, 2019　=========

☆  comfort 慰める

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If you comfort someone, you make them feel less worried, unhappy or upset, by saying or doing something kind to them. For example, last night, when my son was so upset about not having time for a story before bedtime, I tried to comfort him by putting my arms around him and giving him a hug.

Unfortunately, he felt it was my fault (not his own) that there was no time for a book, so he didn’t want me to comfort him! Oh well!

Luckily this morning, he came straight to me and said he was sorry, so we hugged and comforted each other, and agreed to tryRead more about April 19 – comfort[…]

April 18, 2019　=========

☆  reassure  自信を与える

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If you reassure someone, you say or do things to make them stop worrying about something. This week’s useful phrase is, “Thanks for reassuring me.” I had to use this phrase just last week!

It was bedtime, and my son wanted me to read a book, but it was too late, as he had been watching silly YouTube videos instead of getting ready for bed. So, I didn’t read a book to him, and he screamed and cried, and screamed some more! Oh boy was he noisy!

I actually sent a message to my neighbors saying sorry for the noise! Luckily, they replied that they couldn’t hear himRead more about April 18 – reassure[…]

April 17, 2019　=========

☆  miss 恋しい

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If you miss someone who is no longer with you or has died, you feel sad and wish that they were still with you. Last week when my son went on his camp, we did miss him! At the same time, though, it was nice to spend some one on one time with his younger siblings.

If you miss something, you feel sad because you no longer have it or are no longer doing it or experiencing it. There are a lot of things I miss about Japan! I miss the great food and restaurants. The cherry blossoms! Especially at this time of year! All of myRead more about April 17 – miss[…]

April 16, 2019　=========

☆  dedicate  ささげる

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To dedicate yourself to something, means that you give it a lot of time and effort because you think it is important. For example, nurses and doctors dedicate their lives to caring for sick people. My friend from high school has dedicated himself to politics and would like to be prime minister one day!

Last year was a big (and tough) year for my family, we welcomed a new baby, but also said goodbye to my mum. Both of these events meant that our house got filled with a lot more things! Baby things, and things from my mum’s house that I wanted, or that we neededRead more about April 16 – dedicate[…]

April 15, 2019　=========

☆  congratulate 祝う

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Just like thanking someone for their support, there are many different ways you can congratulate someone. There are of course many simple ways to congratulate someone, just saying, “Well done!” or “congratulations” is fine! Or like the useful phrase, “Allow me to congratulate you!”

However, if you can, being specific about why you are congratulating them, is a great idea. For example:

You’ve worked so hard for this. Well done on your promotion!
Congratulations on your new place! Please accept this small housewarming gift from us.
Well done on your examinations! I am so happy to hear that you got into the university you wanted.

Is it usual to be specificRead more about April 15 – congratulate[…]

April 14, 2019　=========

☆  support  支援

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“Thank you for your support.” is one of the useful phrases this week. This is a simple way of expressing your gratitude when someone has helped you. There are many, many ways to thank someone for their help and support – I’m sure there are many different ways to say it in Japanese, too! Here are some that you could try using:

Thank you for your support, I really appreciate your help.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me.
I cannot thank you enough for helping me.
Teachers / Bosses / Friends like you are hard to find.
Thank you so much for your guidance and support.
Your support is greatlyRead more about April 14 – support[…]

April 13, 2019　=========

☆  criticism 批判

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Yesterday was the last day of school for term one, our school year has four terms. So, we are already 25% of the way through the school year! Ha ha, that doesn’t seem like much, but the next three terms will probably go so quickly that it’ll be a new year before I know it!

Currently in Australia, most of our schools have a 7-5 system. Seven years of elementary (primary) school, and five years of secondary (high) school. Recently, there has been a lot of criticism about this, and some have suggested changing to 6-3-3 style like in Japan. The criticism of changing to this systemRead more about April 13 – criticism[…]

April 12, 2019　=========

☆  sentiment 感情

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A sentiment is an idea or feeling that someone expresses into words. If search for “lovely sentiment” on Google, it will come up with various things, including some lovely sayings like these:

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” (Anon)
“To plant a garden, is to believe in tomorrow.” Audrey Hepburn
“Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So, today is my new favorite day.” (Winnie the Pooh)
“Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.” Albert Einstein.

What do you think about these sentiments? Do theyRead more about April 12 – sentiment[…]

April 11, 2019　=========

☆  meaning  目的

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If an activity or action has meaning, it has purpose and is worthwhile. I think if you can find meaning in your work, then it is a lot easier to feel excitement and passion when you wake up and have to go to work each morning.

In English, we have the word, “paper-pusher” which describes the person doing a job which basically involves just pushing paper (reports, letters, memos etc) from one place to another. For example, from the desk to the drawer, or to someone else’s desk. This kind of paper-pusher job, it can feel dull and without meaning, right? So, it’s important to find waysRead more about April 11 – meaning[…]

April 10, 2019   　=========

☆  passion 情熱

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Perhaps if you have passion, then like I talked about yesterday, a qualification might not be necessary? Your passion to succeed in your chosen area, might be enough. Obviously, passion alone won’t be enough if you want to be a doctor or lawyer, then you’ll definitely need qualifications!

But really, when I look around at my friends who are running their own businesses, none of them have qualifications in business, like you might expect. Instead, they all have a passion for what they do and a desire to succeed.

Are you working in a field that uses your passion? Is passion important for success?

Bye,

Chris

April 9, 2019   =========

☆  qualification  素質

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What do you think about qualifications? It seems like some of the most successful people skipped the study, and went straight to work in their chosen field, and learned by trial and error, and this enabled them to be a success. Richard Branson for example, dropped out of school at 16, so did Leonardo DiCaprio, and Simon Cowell.

And these days, it seems even easier to be a success without qualifications… every day there seems to be a new YouTube star, with millions of followers, and a glamorous lifestyle, all without having finished school or university.

What do you think? Are qualifications becoming less important or doRead more about April 9 – qualification[…]

April 8, 2019      =========

☆  excitement 興奮

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Today my oldest son is heading off on a school camp for three days! He is filled with so much excitement! It’s only a short distance away, maybe one hour by bus, so a little bit different from the school camps in Japan, right? However, I think the level of excitement is probably the same – all kids love going on camp, right?

When was the last time you felt the thrill of excitement? What was it about? Why were you feeling that way? For me, it was probably this morning, dropping my son at school! He’ll be away for three days, the longest he’s everRead more about April 8 – excitement[…]

April 7, 2019 =========

☆  special 特別な

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Someone or something that is special is better or more important than other people or things. For example, I told you that last month my niece got married, and part of her vows to her new husband was the sentence, “You’re very special to me.”

At work, you could use it in this way, “The new recruits attended a special welcome meeting last Monday.”

Or, when saying goodbye to someone, “It’s been really special having you here. Have a safe trip back to England.”

Can you use special in a sentence?

Bye,

Chris

April 6, 2019　=========

☆  satisfying  満足を与える

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Something that is satisfying makes you feel happy, especially because you feel you have achieved something. What kinds of things feel satisfying to you? I think if you have been studying English for a while, and then take a TOEIC test or some other test, and have improved, that would be very satisfying.

I recently found my Japanese Proficiency test certificate when I was clearing out my filing cabinet.  I took the test way back when I was first in Japan. I successfully passed Level 2, the top is Level 1. I was pretty happy with that! I had done a lot of Kanji study, so itRead more about April 6 – satisfying[…]

April 5, 2019　=========

☆  aspiring  高みを目指した

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You can use aspiring to describe someone who is aiming to be successful in their field or career. Other words you could use are hopeful, ambitious, eager, longing, and an informal word that is often used, wannabe. One thing to remember if you plan to use ‘wannabe’ though, is that it can actually have a negative nuance.

For example:

He is an aspiring musician.
He is a wannabe musician.

She is an aspiring artist.
She is a wannabe artist.

In these situations, aspiring has the positive nuance of meaning the person will put in the effort to become a success. However, wannabe has the nuance that believe they just want to beRead more about April 5 -aspiring[…]

April 4, 2019　=========

☆  proud  自慢の

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The second useful phrase this week is, “You should be really proud.” You probably usually use this word to say things like, “I’m proud of you.” However, it’s fine to use it in this way, too: to suggest that someone should be proud of themselves.

Unfortunately, it’s seen as immodest or rude to be proud of yourself, and that is why we usually say things like, “I’m proud of you.” or “Your dad must be proud of you.” But if we’ve done a good job, or gotten a promotion, or passed our examinations or done something like that, it’s perfectly fine to feel proud, I think!

In fact,Read more about April 4 – proud[…]

April 3, 2019    =========

☆  phenomenal  驚異的な

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Something that is phenomenal is so great or good that it is very unusual. Sometimes in the media, they talk about a famous person’s phenomenal success. They might even say something like, “She has become a phenomenal success overnight.” However, success rarely happens overnight, right?

Success, and in particular, phenomenal success, is almost always a result of a lot of hard work in the background. And it’s usually a result of trying one more time instead of giving up. Just like the quote for this week:

“The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas Edison

Thank goodness Edison tried one moreRead more about April 3 – phenomenal[…]

April 2, 2019      =========

☆  massive  大きな

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“What a massive achievement!” is one of the useful phrases for this week. What sort of situation might you use this in?

For me, last month, my niece got married and the ceremony and dinner reception were lovely. She and her husband planned it all, and got it all paid for in cash by themselves, which I think these days in Australia, is a massive achievement. Most new couples pay for their wedding with credit cards! Or their parents pay. I think the fact that they saved for many months, in order to pay cash, really shows their commitment.

And, her older brother, my nephew, was atRead more about April 2 – massive[…]

April 1, 2019　    =========

☆  amazing 素晴らしい

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This month, we’re looking at the topic of Congratulations and Encouragements – A New Chapter in Your Life. This is actually quite interesting for me, now that I living back in Australia, because April is a bit of a “nothing” month!

February and March are amazing months! Full of festivals and events, so many there’s no way you could possibly attend them all. And then there is April… it’s the middle of term one for the school year. There aren’t any new recruits starting work at their first job after university.

In fact, I think the only thing that is amazing about April is the fact thatRead more about April 1 – Amazing[…]