Tanabata 七夕

Today is July 7, which is Tanabata, a star festival in Japan. At home people prepare a bamboo branch and tie colorful paper strips to it, on each strip each family member writes a wish. Unfortunately these days not many people follow this custom, still when I walk in residential areas I can often see these branches at the beginning of July.

Since it is rainy season now in Japan, today it is raining. But when you look in the sky in the evening on a fine day, you can see the two stars (Altair and Vega) that meet only on this day. The rest of the year they are separated by the Milky Way. So we compare these stars to two lovers; young people have a feeling that this is a kind of romantic day.

When I was a kid, it was one of my favorite customs, not as gorgeous as Christmas, but I remember this day with a bamboo branch which looked like a summer version of a Christmas tree to me. At the end of the day we went to the river near my house and threw the bamboo branch with all our wishes into the water; we believe it goes to the Milky Way and God will help us make our wish come true..

Children used to write very pure wishes, like “I hope I can be a cake chef” or “I hope I can find my lost dog.”

In front of my office, there is a Tanabata event today. People are buying lanterns, attaching a wish and throwing it into the Okawa River. Of course because of environmental reasons someone must be busy picking up the lanterns in the lower part of the river.

This year my wish is: I hope the economy will improve and I can get a lot of work.

この記事はYahoo知恵ノートβ版のために書いたものです。後ほどリンク予定です。

Get英会話スクール　（大阪市中央区天満橋）　大森真寿子

New Teacher/Dino

Hello! My name is Dino. I am one of the newest teachers here at Get English. I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself and hopefully I can get to know more of you in the future.

I am from Chicago and have been in Japan for 3 years now. I have only been in Osaka for five months and taught in Aichi and Chiba before then. I have also taught in the Czech Republic and in America. I speak Swedish and French but unfortunately my Japanese is still very bad. :(

At university I studied Theatre and I still enjoy doing work in the theater every chance I get. I did Special Effects for a play in Nagoya last July and hope to do some things in Osaka as well. I also have many other hobbies. I love to go fishing and one day I would love to catch a big namazu in Japan. I like country music and playing the guitar. And I really like working with my hands---fixing cars, gardening, woodworking, and doing electronics.

Do any of you have similar interests? Pull me aside next time at the school and let me know.

World Cup Idioms/ Steve

Recently I endured many sleepless nights watching the world cup soccer. Although my home country Australia didn’t have too much success, I have still been following the tournament closely. When watching the soccer in English, I noticed that the commentators use a lot of idioms to describe the action taking place. Please read the report below about the Uruguay vs Netherlands match and pay close attention to the text in bold. Can you understand these idioms?

This is copied from FIFA.com Original Article

The Netherlands will face either Spain or Germany in the Final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ after beating Uruguay by the odd goal in five in the first of the tournament’s semi-finals at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium.
Having gone into this match on a record 24-match unbeaten streak, the Dutch started as favourites, and it was a tag they would justify during an entertaining first half. Van Marwijk’s side certainly began in positive fashion, with Robben darting beyond his marker at the first opportunity inside four minutes. Sneijder profited from his former Real Madrid team-mate’s dynamism, curling in a right-foot cross that, following an unconvincing punch from Fernando Muslera, was hurriedly controlled and volleyed just over by the lively Dirk Kuyt.
It was an early moment of concern for La Celeste, but they recovered admirably and, with the pace of the game dropping, looked to be comfortably holding the Oranje at bay. With the Dutch threat minimal, the Uruguayan defenders would have been forgiven for not sensing any immediate danger when Van Bronckhorst picked up the ball over 30 yards from goal, close to the left touchline. Yet it was from this seemingly unthreatening position that the Dutch captain unleashed a stunning left-foot shot that Muslera, despite applying a despairing touch, could only divert into the top corner via the inside of the post.
It was a magnificent strike, a cast-iron contender for goal of the tournament, and it gave the Netherlands an advantage they continued to prove worthy of as the half progressed. However, the Dutch were not the only team capable of conjuring a goal out of nothing, with Forlan providing an equally unexpected equaliser four minutes before the break.
Uruguay started the second half with something to build on, therefore, and they looked the more threatening of the two sides early on, with Van Bronckhorst forced to head off the line from a Pereira effort and Stekelenburg parrying clear a goal-bound Forlan free-kick.
The Dutch were unruffled, however, and their patient probing at the other end almost paid dividends when Robin van Persie’s intelligent reverse pass teed up substitute Rafael van der Vaart for a shot from the left-hand edge of the box. With the strike accurate and firmly struck, Muslera could only parry clear, but Robben proved unable to gobble up the rebound, blazing over from an acute angle.
Denied on this occasion, the Dutch moved in front a couple of minutes later, as Sneijder scored his fifth goal of the tournament, again benefiting from a telling deflection, this time off the thigh of Pereira, that sent his 20-yard shot spinning past Muslera. Uruguay needed a response, and quickly, but with 17 minutes remaining their hopes were all but ended when Robben doubled the Netherlands’ advantage.
A terrific goal it was too, with the Dutch winger sneaking in unnoticed to bullet a textbook header in off the base of the left-hand post from a measured Kuyt cross. Pereira did score an equally excellent consolation, converting expertly with a curling left-foot shot from a quickly-taken free-kick, but this injury-time effort was to prove too little, too late for the last of the non-European representatives.

Explanation:

To face: We use this verb when we talk about two teams that are opposing each other.
Eg. Spain will face the Netherlands in the final.

To start as a favorite: In this context, the ‘favorite’ is the team that is most likely to win. The opposite word for the team that is less likely to win is the underdog.
Eg. Uruguay were the underdogs in the match against the Netherlands.

To hold at bay: Means to keep somebody away from you at a safe distance.
So when Uruguay held Holland at bay, it means that Uruguay stopped Holland from getting close to the goal.

Cast-Iron (noun): Means something that can be trusted completely. In this case, a ‘cast iron contender’, means a very strong contender’. In other words the Dutch captains is likely to win the goal of the tournament award.

Out of nothing: Means from nowhere, or very suddenly. Eg. Hollands goal came very suddenly, from a small opportunity.

To pay dividends: To produce a good result in the future. This idiom comes from finance, where it refers to the part of the profit a company pays to its shareholders

Too little, too late:　Is a proverb meaning, something not enough to save the situation and arriving too late.
Eg. Even though Uruguay kicked another goal, they still couldn't win the game (because the goal wasn’t kicked early enough).

Funny or Strange English/Kim

As I go about my daily life in Osaka I am continually haunted by funny or strange English. I have come to expect this in restaurants and retail stores. Often the duty of putting some English on the menu or putting up some "cutesy" English sign in a shop falls on the younger members of staff who have to do battle with the English language armed only with their high-school English or slept through university English. It is no wonder that the results are often bizarre, perplexing or giggle-worthy. However one of the pieces of strange English that plagues me most, because I see it most often, has been produced in a pseudo-professional format. I am referring to an official temporary sign I see in most Osaka subway stations. It is there to let me know I am being watched, but presumably not being watched by an English speaker. The sign reads as follows:
“Camera In Operating” Someone I think has confused two high-school bits a grammar and produced a mess. The possible correct choice for this sign is either "Camera Operating" or "Camera in Operation”. Look out for it next time you are in the subway.

Kim: Get English School Kitahamahigashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi

To whom it may concern…/Steve

Writing a formal e-mail, or even an e-mail to a friend can be a daunting task. Usually the problem doesn’t concern the content of the mail, but the important task of the opening and closing greeting. You should ask yourself: Is it a business or casual e-mail? do I know the recipient personally? What kind of impression to I want to give? Am I being too formal? too casual?

Here are some guidelines to get you started:

Addressing the e-mail

If you make a phone call, you don’t suddenly start talking right away, Of course it’s natural to start with a greeting. E-mail is no different, and your greeting sets the tone for the rest of the e-mail.

In the situation where you don’t know the name of the recipient, you should use: ‘Dear Sir,’ (for a man) or ‘Dear Madam,’ (for a woman). If you’re unsure of the gender, ‘Dear Sir/Madam,’ is fine. If you are not sure if you are writing to a single person, or a group of people, you might like to begin with ‘To whom it may concern,’

In a business e-mail, if you know the name of the person you should address them by their family name ‘Dear Mr. Smith,’.

In a more casual e-mail to somebody you know personally (ie. A work colleague) you might use their first name only ‘Dear John,’. E-mails to friends and family are really easy, just using the first name is ok ‘John,’ or even ‘Hi,’ ‘Hey,’ or ‘What’s up?’

Signing the e-mail:

The closing of an e-mail is just as important as the opening. You want to finish on a positive note.

‘Yours faithfully,’ or ‘Faithfully yours,’ and ‘Yours sincerely’ or ‘Sincerely yours’ are the standard ways of closing a formal e-mail. Yours faithfully is slightly more polite, and could be used in a situation where you don’t know the name of the recipient. ‘Yours Respectfully,’ or ‘Respectfully yours’ can also be used.

‘Thank you in advance’, is often used as a closing if you have made a request to the recipient in the body of the e-mail. In a casual situation this can be shortened to ‘thanks,’

Best Regards, Kind Regards is good to use for somebody you know personally, ‘Regards,’ is slightly more casual. And finally you could use ‘Take Care,’, ‘Best Wishes,’ or ‘Love,’ when mailing friends and family

Next time, I will show you some more opening and closing phrases specifically for business e-mails.

Steve: Get English School Kitahamahigashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi

Le Cup de Monde is Back! /Gregg

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　チョンマゲ頭のグレッグ先生

It’s time for football fever to take hold of the imagination as that special time every four years has rolled around once again. If you are anything like me, and most of my friends, the next month will be spent enthralled by the action of the beautiful game over in the greatest tourney in the world. In fact, this year I have the unique privilege to be able to attend the games in South Africa in person!

This World Cup will mark the Japanese team’s fourth in a row and luckily I will be able to attend all of their games. Although many football pundits and fans do rate their chances to advance to the next round, here’s to hoping that the Samurai Blue can put on a performance for the ages and surprise the soccer world!

So here’s a little quiz in honor of the Greatest Game on Earth. Try to match these classic English football terms on the left with their correct meaning on the right.

1)      to nutmeg someone                           

2)      a brace                                                   

3)      on the trot                                                

4)      a cracker!                                             

5)      off the woodwork 

------------------------                            

a) to score an exceptional goal

b) to put the ball through an opponent’s legs

c) when one player scores two goals

d) in a row

e) to hit the post

If you’re going to watch the matches I hope you enjoy them as much as I will and Gambatte Nihon!!!!

Gregg: Get English School Kitahamahigashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi

The Relationship between 'Relation' and 'Relationship'

Hi Everyone!

I was asked to explain the difference in usage of these two words... at first I thought it would be easy, but as I started writing this article I became confused myself! I can understand why non-native speakers would have trouble understanding the difference in usage of these two words.

Relationship (noun):

- "Being in a relationship" can be used to describe the situation of two people who have an intimate friendship (ie. are dating/married)
eg. We've been in a relationship for over six months

- A relationship can be also used to describe the correlation between two things.
eg. Doctors now know that there is a relationship between smoking and lung cancer
eg. There is a strong relationship between Interest rates and House prices.

[Warning: The sentence: Doctors now know that there is a relation between smoking and lung cancer is technically incorrect, but many people (including native speakers) commmonly misuse the word 'relation' in this context.]

Relation (noun):

- Your relations are members of your family. (You can also use the term Relatives). Somebody not in your family is 'no relation' to you,
eg. I invited all my friends and relations to the wedding.

Common Meaning：

Both Relationship and Relation can be used to describe the link between people/groups/countries and they way they behave towards each other. (Note: In this situation we usually use Relations as a plural).
eg. The relationship between Australia and Japan is very close
eg. Relations between Australia and Japan are very close
The meaning of the above sentences is exactly the same.
However in some specific contexts, we use 'Relations' instead of 'Relationships'.
eg. Diplomatic Relations, International Relations, Race Relations, etc (not relationships).

Lets try a quick quiz to test your understanding:

A) Relationship  B) Relation  C) Relations

1. Diplomatic _______________ between India and Pakistan are tense
2. There is a strong _____________ between Education and Crime
3. The sports star had a _____________ with the famous actress
4. He has the same family name as me, but he is no  ______________
5. We must work to improve the race _____________ between the Blacks and Whites

Will You Get Serious Already! part 2/Gegg

Often in spoken or everyday English we use a lot a shortcut words. By this I mean simple word that is used in several ways. It can be confusing to non-native speakers just what the word actually means in each situation. One of the most common words like this is “get”. In general, “get” is used three ways; 1) in a manner similar to “become”; 2) in a way similar to “acquire”; and 3) in the same way as “have”. Here are a few examples of everyday English using “get”, can you tell me what exactly it is supposed to mean in each case?

6) I warned you not to get involved with that crowd.

7) Get lost! You creep! (young women yelling at a chikan)

8) I just don’t get it…why won’t this computer work?

9) You need to get over it. Your girlfriend isn’t coming back.

10)  He hasn’t got a clue on how to use that machine.

Gregg: Get English School Kitahamahigashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi

新しく４月が始まりました。

スケジュール面などでどうしても合意できない事態となり、長年Getで働いて来られたウィリアム先生が４月よりGetから独立という形になりました。

これによってグループレッスンの方でクラスの移動にご同意頂いた方には大変感謝しております。ウィリアム先生のレッスンが好きで長年通って頂いているプライベートレッスン受講の方に「では他の先生で」というのも私の説得力の限界を感じたので、一応そのままGetの場所を使って頂き先生と直接レッスンを受けて頂くということになっています。私も今まで通りみなさんや先生とお会いできるのがうれしいです！こういったことも信頼関係があってできるのだと非常に感謝しています。

何かと変則的なこの移行がスムーズにいくかどうか不安もあったのですがお陰様でなんとか無事移行が終了いたしました。ウィリアム先生には長年一生懸命いいレッスンをして頂き感謝しており寂しい気持ちや惜しい気持ちはいっぱいです。

だけれども私自身の経験を言うと私は英語を勉強してくる過程で先生には全くこだわりませんでした。いろんな国出身のいろんな性格、いろんな考え方を持った先生と接するたびに新しいことを学んでいったように思います。元々90パーセントは自分で勉強しないとどうしようもなく気が済まない性格なので後の10パーセントのこだわりは全くありませんでした。

という私の偏った考えを押しつけるのも申し訳ない気もします。ここで長年やっていると「Ａ先生のレッスンでなければ」とおっしゃる生徒さんもいらっしゃれば「Ａ先生ではなくＢ先生でなければ」という生徒さんもいらっしゃることを知りそれが相性というものなのかなあということもわかってきつつあります。

Getのウィリアム先生の生徒さんは全体の20パーセント弱で後は他の先生のレッスンを受けて頂いています。私もこれを機会に気持ちを引き締めて新たにいいスクールを作っていきたいと思っています。それは生徒さんを増やすために勧誘に力を注ぐというのではなく私の一番の願いはそれぞれの方が自分で満足できる自分らしいゴールを持って楽しく続けていただければということに尽きます。

私、個人的には今翻訳の仕事も楽しいので、他に得意分野のない英語のプロフェッショナルの端くれとしてこの機会にエネルギーを注ぎフィールドを広げていきたいという思っています。（そちらのご用命もお待ちしています）

最後になりましたが私の未熟さ故にこの件でいろいろとご迷惑をおかけしたことをお詫び申し上げます。またバックアップ頂いた方心よりお礼申し上げます。

大森真寿子

Happy Easter! Steve

This year Easter will be celebrated in many countries around the world on April 4. Easter commemorates the resurrection (return to life) of Jesus Christ following his death by crucifixion. It is the most significant event of the Christian calendar. In Japan, the festival is still observed by Christians, but According to a 2000 survey there were less than two million Japanese Christians in Japan. Because very few people in Japan celebrate it, it often passes by unnoticed.

So let me explain to you about Easter.
Although many Australian people are not so religious, most people enjoy celebrating easter for fun. Easter in Australia is enjoyed as a four-day holiday weekend starting on Friday and ending on Monday. Easter is the busiest time for domestic air travel in Australia, and a very popular time for gatherings such as weddings and christenings.

On Friday many people eat 'Hot cross buns', which are sweet, spiced buns made with dried fruit and leavened with yeast. A cross, the symbol of Christ, is placed on top of the buns, either with pastry or a simple mixture of flour and water. Another Important part of Easter is the 'Easter Egg'. The egg, which symbolises new life, has been adopted by Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. An Old tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, but these days people use chocolate eggs. In legend, the 'Easter Bunny' brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter. The Easter Bunny is very similar to its Christmas holiday counterpart, Santa Claus, as they both bring gifts to good children on the night before their respective holiday. I have fond memories of waking up on Sunday morning and searching my house with my younger brother trying to find the chocolate eggs that the easter bunny had hidden, then eating too much cholocate and feeling sick!

To my surprise, Although Easter involves cute bunnies and chocolate candy, unlike other commercialized holidays (Valentine's day, Christmas and Halloween) it has not yet become a popular western holiday in Japan. Why do you think this is?

Steve: Get English School Kitahamahigashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi