Otto's blog

Yuta Cafe, Ichinomiya

6月

30日

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This cafe is next to a big, old textile-weaving factory, which you can walk into* and look around. There are lots of interesting things in there to look at. If you`re into** antiques, local history, etc, I recommend it.

http://www.yutacafe.jp/

Vocabulary:
* walk/go/jump/drive into... = 入る
** be into... = 好き、興味がある

You`re Growing Up!

6月

22日

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I posted about this banana plant before:
https://en.bloguru.com/otto/402309/plant-plan

It`s* now been 2 months since I potted it, & it`s* doubled in size, so now it`s** time to repot it. I hope it likes its*** new home.

Vocabulary:
* it`s = it has
** it`s = it is
*** its = これの, それの, あれの

Toyota Sprinter Trueno + Ford Mustang

6月

12日

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I sometimes see cool cars here & there (所々で) in Japan. On this occasion I found a pair side by side. Lucky! The car on the left is a (1972?) Toyota Sprinter Trueno. The white one with a red stripe on the side is a 1965 Ford Mustang.

Vocabulary:
side by side = 並んで
on the left/right = 左/右に
on the side = 外側に付いている

Postcard Display Frame

6月

11日

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Because of Covid-19*, we haven`t received postcards for a while. However, I made a display frame for the ones we already have. I made it because** I want students to feel motivated to study English, in preparation for the time when we can all travel abroad again. I hope it`s soon.

Because** they are hanging, you can turn them easily to read the messages on the back. Please check them out!

Grammar:
* 'Because of ' + 名詞,
** 'Because' + 文章

Potatoes for Sale

6月

10日

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My father-in-law recently harvested a lot of potatoes, so I`m selling some for 200 yen a bag. At the moment, I`m selling about a bag a day, so please hurry or you`ll miss out!

Grammar:
- 'per' is often replaced with 'a/an' in spoken English e.g. "60 kilometres per hour / an hour" or "rental is $400 per week / a week"

Earth Versus The Flying Saucers

4月

27日

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I watched this 1958 UFO movie with my kids. It was pretty funny, especially the dated (古風な /その時代を物語る) special effects & costumes.

Pronunciation:
- In English, UFO is pronounced 'ユーエフオー’　(not ユーフオー)

Plant Plan

4月

21日

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I ordered this plant* from Okinawa. It came in a special tall box, which was interesting. For now (とりあえず), I`ve put it in a pot, and then when it grows bigger, I`ll plant** it in the garden somewhere.

Do you know what kind of plant it is...? The answer is in comments.

Vocabulary
*plant (名詞)= 植物 **plant (動詞)= 植える

Tape Dispenser Tester Centre

4月

20日

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Last Saturday`s business class was about market research. By chance, one of our students was asked by his friend to do some market research for a new type of tape dispenser, so we used them in our role-plays. It was an nice win-win.

By the way, the special feature of the tape-dispenser is a small, moving blade which cuts the tape. Can you see it? Clever. And kind of fun.

Vocabulary:
- 'research' can be a noun (名詞) or verb (動詞), but noun is more common.

Mini Cooper with Roof Rack

4月

15日

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I like old Mini Coopers, especially ones with roof racks. I`d like to buy one someday, but actually I have long legs, so I think it would be uncomfortable for me to drive. Anyway, I saw this one outside Shin-Kisogawa Station. The colour of the roof is interesting - dark blue.

- this/my/the red one (単数)
- these/my/the red ones = (複数)

Hideki Matsuyama - Great Golf Player (or Great Golfer?)

4月

13日

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On the weekend, Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese golf player to win the U.S. Masters golf tournament. Congratulations!

Have you ever played golf? I guess a lot of Japanese will be inspired to play golf after hearing this news.

Vocabulary:
- 'golf' is a noun (名詞), but recently some people started using it as a verb (動詞) e.g. 'go golfing' & 'we golfed yesterday'. Personally, I think it sounds strange. Also, 'golfer' sounds like 'gopher' (ホリネズミ).