Don't Say, "Let's Get Started."

This is a common thing I hear from Japanese students online. Before they begin to read their speech, they often say, Ok, Let's get started." This always sounds odd to me. It sounds too casual and the wrong situation. If you are the leader of a group of people and your're about to start building something or making something, you might use this phrase. 

After the leader explains the tasks to each member, He or she might say;

"Ok, does everyone know what to do? Ok, Let's get started.

In a business situation or meeting or before giving a speech that you wrote, you can simply say,  

"Let's begin."or "Let me begin." Use this next time in the lesson to sound more natural.

How To Pronounce -CALLY ending words; Basically, Typically, Physically, Medically, etc. 「CALLY」の発音の仕方

This is a very common mistake I hear Japanese students make all the time. They will pronounce the word basically as "bay suh ka lee" with 4 sounds or syllables. This is wrong! ❌❌❌

The "a" in the "cally" suffix is silent. Students look at the letters and pronounce all of them. Make the sound shorter. The correct sound is "klee"

The correct pronunciation of basically is "bay suh klee" with 3 syllables. This is generally true for nearly all "cally" ending words. At least in American English

Typically is "ti puh klee". 

Physically is "fi zu klee". 

Medically is "meh duh klee"

Technically is"tek nuh klee". Online, I sometimes see it as "tek nuh kuh lee", but I find this strange.

There are some rare exceptions like vocally, "vow kuh lee" and locally, "low kuh lee", but these are rather short words with only 7 letters. Most "cally" words are much longer.

There are literally thousands of words ending in "cally" and many of them are scientific or medical words. Here is a list of a few of the more common ones, let's practice:

basically, chemically, magically, technically, physically, typically, ethnically, grammatically, logically, musically, medically, scientifically, ironically, vertically, critically, statistically, politically, biologically, ecologically, electronically, specifically

English spelling is strange and often doesn't match the pronunciation. Next time in class pronounce "cally" as "klee" and you will sound a lot more natural. Good luck.

Jason

Use Polite Forms of Bad English Words 丁寧な形の悪い英単語

 In a previous post I explained why English students shouldn't use the phrase, "Oh, my God!". Many students are interested in bad words in English, also known as dirty words, swear words, or vulgar words. You hear them all the time in movies and music and your native speaker friends use them all the time.

However, I always advise students not to use them. It can sound strange or offensive to native speakers. In daily conversation, these words are very strong, and native speakers often hesitate to use them in public or around children. But there are more polite versions of these words that sound softer and native speakers often use them. These are safe for students, too.

Do not say                             Safe in public                            Example

God                                         goodness/gosh                           "Oh, my goodness/gosh"

shit                                           shoot                                         "Oh, shoot!"

damn                                        darn/dang                                  "Darn it/Dang it!"

fuck                                           fudge/freak                                "Oh, fudge!"

Keep in mind, these forms are softer, but still a little strong. If you are not sure, don't use them at all.

Good luck.

Jason

Don't Say, "Oh, My God!" オーマイガーとか オーマイゴッドとか言わないでください

In recent years, using the phrase, "Oh, my God!" or the Japanese equivelent, オーマイガー or オーマイゴッド has become popular, even trendy in Japan, even among little kids. This phrase is often heard in English movies and media and is often used by native speakers. 

These days, Japanese comedians or celebrities often use it on TV. Japanese people may think it makes them sound cool. However, I always advise my Japanese students not to use it.

This is because the word "God" is actually quite strong and may offend some people. In America, many people are Christians and devout Christians believe it wrong or bad to use this word outside a religious context. 

In the bible, there is a list of ten rules or The Ten Commandments that Christians try to follow. Number 3 is "You shall not take the name of the Lord, our God in vain." Even so, many people, even Christians might use it in a casual way.

Saying "God" is considered a bad word, swear word, vulgar word if used casually. People (mostly men) might say it to themselves. If I drop a plate or stub my toe, I might say, "God damn it!" to myself. Men also often use it with other men or close friends. However, even native speakers would hesitate to use it in public with strangers or if children are nearby.

In general, I always advise my students not to use bad English words or slang. If English students use them, it can sound strange or even offensive to native speakers. You will give the wrong impression and sound rude or uneducated. 

Instead of "Oh, my God!", use a more polite alternative like:

"Oh, my gosh."

"Oh, my goodness." or simply,

"Oh, my!" to express surprise. Using these might actually make you sound more natural. 

Good luck!

Jason

Grammar Focus: How Do I Use "a/an and the"? 【英文法】「a」「an」および「the」はどのように使用すればよいですか?

 Many students ask me "How do I use a, an, and the?". These are called "articles" in English grammar. Unfortunately, there are many rules about using articles and it can become complicated because there are many exceptions to the rules. However, there are some basic rules to follow that cover most cases.

"a" and "an"

"a" is used before a single thing or person, a singular noun. The image of "a" is general, any one of the same thing. 

Can I borrow a pencil? (I don't care which pencil, any pencil will do)

compare:               "Can I use the red pencil?" ( I only want the red one)

She is a student.

I have a car.

I'm taking a trip this weekend.

"an" is used the same as "a", but it comes before words that start with a vowel sound.

an apple

an elephant

an insect

an octopus

an umbrella

But Remember "an" comes before a vowel sound, not necessarily the letter.

an hour ("h" is silent)

a university (starts with a "y" sound)

"the"

"the" comes before a noun. The image of "the" is specific, there is only one choice.

Can I use the red pencil? (I only want the red one)

Can you pass me the dictionary.(There is only one dictionary on the table)

Please open the blue door.(There is only one blue door)

In a story, use a/an to show something for the first time, when it is unknow, but after the thing is know we use the. For example:

"One day a girl was walking down the street.(The first time. We don't know which girl.)

"The girl was wearing red shoes."( The second time. Now we know which specific girl.)

When not to use "the"

We do not use "the" before proper nouns. We do not say:

The Tokyo

The New York

The China

The France

The Jason

The Rachel

But there are exceptions: We do say:

The U.S.A.

The Netherlands

The Philippines

The U.K.

Why!? We use "The" here when referring to a country or whole made up of many parts.

The U.S.A. is one country made up of many different states.

The U.K. is one country made up of many different regions.

We use this for countries made up of groups of many different islands:

The Philippines

The Cook Islands

The Seychelles

"The" Pronunciation

Sometimes the pronunciation changes from "thu" to "thEE" before a vowel sound or for emphasis, but not always. You don't have to.

The(ThEE) Indian Ocean

the(thEE) airport

A: I saw Brad Pitt at the airport.

B:You mean The(thEE) Brad Pitt?

A: No, my cousin Brad Pitt from Chicago.

These are just a basic introduction to articles. I hope this helped. Good luck in your study and maybe see you in class.

Jason