Grammar and English tips for kids, beginners and intermediate students. 

Learn English with William

My story began in London 3 decades ago, but my travels into the teaching world would not take long to begin...

Stories from UK to China

Stories and Questions to help you practice listening and writing skills. 

English Stories & Questions

For intermediate level learners of Japanese
「せっかく」について勉強しましょう！

「せっかく」は良く使うことばです。聞いたことがありますか。
勉強しましょう！

N２文法「（きもちのことば）＋ことに」や「もったいない」も一緒に使ってみます。


〈意味〉
頑張(がんば)って／時間(じかん)・お金(かね)をかけて（使(つか)って）／苦労(くろう)して／無理(むり)して／わざわざ

【せっかく】〈副詞〉
こんな風(ふう)に使(つか)います･･･
「せっかく～から」、「せっかく～けど」、「せっかく～のに」など



今日は・・・
１　〈会話〉と「こんなときどうしますか？」［4:36］　

〈ことば〉
１）引(ひ)き返(かえ)す〈動詞〉　今(いま)来(き)た道(みち)のスタートに向(む)かって戻(もど)る。
２）日没(にちぼつ) 　　〈名詞〉　太陽(たいよう)が沈(しず)むこと。太陽(たいよう)が沈(しず)む時間。
３）目的地(もくてきち)　〈名詞〉 目的(もくてき)の場所(ばしょ)。これから行(い)くつもりの場所(ばしょ)。
４）命(いのち)がけ〈名詞・な形〉　死(し)んでもいいと思(おも)ってすること。例）戦地(せんち)で命(いのち)がけで取材(しゅざい)しているジャーナリストたち。
５）奈良(なら)時代(じだい)　　　奈良(なら)に都(みやこ)があった時代(じだい)。710年から784年までの時代(じだい)。



「こんなとき、どうしますか？」
★ディズニーシーに行った。遠(とお)くから新幹線(しんかんせん)や飛行機(ひこうき)に乗って行った。チケットは８０００円以上(いじょう)する。９時～２１時まで遊べる。

①いちばん楽しみにしていたアトラクション「トイ・ストーリー・マニア」が２時間待ち。
②その辺(へん)を歩いているミッキーと写真をとりたいけど、ミッキーが見つからない。



＜説明＆ことば＞
ブログを見ながら聞くのがオススメです☆彡

ブログのフォローも大歓迎です✨
Your following of our blog is also welcome!


第２４課 せっかく
１［4:36］　〈会話〉と「こんなとき、どうしますか？」
２［7:21］　会話の中の「せっかく」・練習・おともだちのことば「もったいない」・〈会話〉

🎙声：音読さん、吉田（よしだ、Japanese teacher）、八角（はっかく）さん
📖scenario：吉田（よしだ、Japanese teacher）


役に立つ日本語のことばを私たちと一緒に勉強しましょう！ 
Come study useful Japanese words with us！

第２４課 せっかく
第２３課 むだ
第２２課 せめて
第２１課 ねほりはほり
第２０課 やっぱり
第１９課 けっこう・なかなか
第１８課 わざわざ
第１７課 気がしない（１）（２）
第１６課 頭の慣用句
第１５課 たまたま
第１４課 なんか
第１３課 （１）思わず（２）つい・うっかり
第１２課 喉元過ぎれば熱さ忘れる
第１１課 とにかく
第１０課 てしまう（１）（２）
第　９課 しっかり
第　８課 開いた口がふさがらない
第　７課 いちいち
第　６課 てくる
第　５課 ネコをかぶる
第　４課 ずいぶん
第　３課 てたまらない
第　２課 顔から火が出る
第　１課 あまり

毎月１０日２０日３０日更新！　
Updated on the 10th, 20th and 30th of every month!　

NEW PRACTICAL JAPANESE WORDS -intermediate podcast lessons!!

第２４課　せっかく 1/2

This episode introduces listeners to Walt Whitman, "America's World Poet." Listen to Whitman's poem, "Beginning My Studies," along with a short description of his life and a discussion of the language he uses.

Beginning my studies, the first step pleas’d me so much, 
The mere fact, consciousness — these forms — the power of motion,
 The least insect or animal — the senses — eyesight — love;
 The first step, I say, aw’d me and pleas’d me so much,
 I have hardly gone, and hardly wish'd to go, any farther,
 But stop and loiter all the time, to sing it in ecstatic songs.

Enchanted English

Episode 1: Beginning My Studies

Improving your IELTS Speaking score from a band 5 to a band 7 requires targeted practice in several key areas: fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Here’s a breakdown of steps to take in each.

1, Enhance Fluency and Coherence: 

Band 5 speakers often struggle to speak fluidly and with clear connections between ideas. To improve, practice speaking on various topics for 1-2 minutes without pauses. Use transition words like "however," "on the other hand," or "in addition" to link ideas smoothly. Regular practice on platforms like language exchange apps can help.

2. Expand Vocabulary: 

Limited vocabulary often holds back Band 5 speakers. Aim to learn 5-10 new words daily, focusing on synonyms and expressions you can apply to multiple topics, such as work, travel, or family. Create mind maps on topics that frequently come up in IELTS, like "environment" or "technology," and practice speaking on each one.

3. Improve Pronunciation: 

Pronunciation errors are common at Band 5. Focus on getting each sound right, as well as on stress and intonation, to sound more natural. Listen to native speakers through podcasts or videos, and practice mimicking their tone and rhythm. Recording and replaying your responses is also helpful.

4. Master Grammar: 

A Band 7 requires control over complex sentence structures. Practice combining ideas into longer sentences using connectors like “although,” “since,” and “despite.” Working with a tutor or using grammar apps can help you understand and apply complex grammar structures correctly.

IELTS Speaking Practice

4 tips to help get your IELTS speaking band score from 5 to 7

こんにちは、あかりです。今日(きょう)はスウェーデンの建築(けんちく)ついて話(はな)します。

Usage of Slow Japanese:
STEP 1. Listen to the episode without seeing the scripts.
STEP 2. Go to ⁠⁠mochifika.com/podcast/⁠⁠ and check "Key vocabularies of this episode", and listen again to the episode while seeing the list.
STEP 3. Check the whole script, it'll fill the gap in your understanding.

👉 Support the Mochifika project, and see full scripts + access to the additional materials!⁠⁠⁠
⁠https://www.patreon.com/mochifika⁠⁠
Buy me a coffee:⁠⁠⁠
⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mochifika⁠⁠

Slow Japanese

Episode #68 - Swedish geography and architecture

Numbers 13-22, buy a ticket for public transport, ask politely & verb conjugations singular: (ich) komme, wohne, arbeite.
Paul is in a hurry to get to work on time. He needs to buy a ticket for the subway. But the ticket seller takes a lot of time ... The subway train is already coming. Will Paul still get it?

Here's how to get YOUR NAME on the next German Stories episode:
1) If not, launch the Apple Podcast app on your iPhone / iPad and tap the search icon (on top)
2) Search for “German Stories | Learn German with Stories”, and tap on our podcast
3) Once you're there, scroll down to "Ratings & Reviews", and tap "Write a Review" (or log in first)
4) Write us something nice and give us 5 stars :-)

German Stories | Learn German with Stories

5: Eine Fahrkarte bitte | A ticket please

In this episode of The Streetwise English Podcast I talk about the changing forms of media storage for music, from records to modern streaming services. My teacher profile: https://italki.com/teacher/1947582

Streetwise English

SWE #120 The Evolution of Music Media

What do you think is the most expensive place in the world to live? New York? London? Maybe Tokyo?

While Japan has long had a reputation as an expensive place to live, its cities have been getting cheaper in recent years — with some big changes coming just in the last 12 months.

American consulting company Mercer recently released its 2024 Cost of Living City Ranking, which compares the costs of over 200 items in 226 cities around the world. The results are based on a March 2024 survey, and include things like housing and transportation, as well as food, clothing and entertainment.

All five of the world's most expensive cities are unchanged from last year, with Hong Kong and Singapore again in first and second place. These two Asian cities are followed by three Swiss cities: Zurich, Geneva and Basel.

Bern, another Swiss city, has risen from seventh to sixth place, while New York City has fallen one place to seventh.

However, Tokyo has dropped 30 places to 49th — putting it right after San Juan in Puerto Rico. And Osaka has dropped 53 places to 146th — just ahead of Wuhan in China.

However, the biggest drop since last year was for Lagos in Nigeria, which fell 178 places to 225th. And the least expensive city is now Abuja, Nigeria's capital, at 226th.

Mercer wrote that many big drops were caused by changes in exchange rates. Japan's yen dropped to a 34-year low against the US dollar in March — and hit a 38-year low in early July.

The ranking was also affected by inflation — especially in housing prices — as well as increasing political uncertainty around the world.

Mercer says it's important for companies to look at its cost of living ranking when thinking about sending staff to live abroad.


