English spelling can be difficult when there are many ways to write the vowel sounds.
There are many websites that convert text to speech so you can listen and read at the same time. Practice makes perfect!

The Social Evolutionary

How many ways to spell the long "a" sound, /eɪ/???!!!

最近日本で話題のニュース「米」についての歌をAIで作りました。
日本では米が少なくて、日本政府は古いお米を売ることを決めました。
一年前の米を「古米（こまい）」、二年前は「古古米（ここまい）」、三年前は「古古古米（こここまい）」と言われています。面白い呼び方ですね。
そんなニュースについて、歌で勉強してみませんか？

▽歌詞
炊飯器の横でスマホが光る
「備蓄米、いよいよ流通へ」
“今さら？”とつぶやいたけど
冷凍ピラフは棚に戻した

全国の店舗で扱うらしい
お菓子の棚の一角あたり
パッケージは意外とおしゃれ
中身は三年、静かな時間

🎵 古米、古古米、古古古米
値段はいつもよりやや控えめ
古米、古古米、古古古米
選ぶというより、そういう流れ

週末の売り場に人が並ぶ
ふだんは空いてる通路なのに
「どうせだから」と手に取って
湯気の未来を想像してた

申し込みには不備が多くて
締切は早めに終わってた
誰でも手に入るっていうけど
入口の高さはいつも通り

🎵 古米、古古米、古古古米
安全とは言われているけれど
古米、古古米、古古古米
賞味と意味はちがうらしい

選んでるようで選ばれている
ニュースと生活がかみ合わない
古米、古古米、古古古米
とりあえず今日は炊いてみる



日本語聞いてみよう！

【a song about Japanese news】日本のニュースの歌

A summary of the news reported by the Guardian newspaper. 

News in Slow English

23rd May 2025 (First Episode)

Learning works both ways- by sharing your knowledge not only to yourself but to other learners. 

💃🏻111 Tips for Learning a Language 

Tip 21 - Help yourself to fish by helping others fish

In this episode, Karen and Baiwei chatted about their experiences with living in an RV, anxiety about buying a house, and how they find a sense of belonging in a place.

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

你愿意住房车吗? Are you willing to live in an RV?

Short, memorable, niche. Instantly tells tech listeners it's about professionalism and communication.

Tech English Daily

Tech Talk, Done Right

Explains the alternate ways to use pronouns in their possessive form in English.

The English Toolbox

Possessive Pronouns

Have you ever heard the phrase, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"?

It means you should follow the customs of the place you're visiting or the people you're with. So in Japan, for example, you should take off your shoes before entering someone's home, because it's the custom.

However, people often shorten this phrase to just, "When in Rome."

Phrases like this, where part of the sentence is not spoken but the meaning is still clear, are called "anapodotons" ("an-uh-PAW-duh-tuns"). People don't say the second part of the phrase, but everyone knows what they mean.

But why do people leave phrases unfinished?

According to Instagram linguist Adam Aleksic, it's because we like to save time and effort when talking. By saying less, we can still share the full idea, as long as others know the rest of the phrase.

Anapodotons are very common in English. Let's look at some more now!

"Speak of the devil" is something people say when someone appears just as you were talking about them. The full phrase is, "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." But it doesn't mean you think the person who appeared is a bad person!

"It takes a village" is another example. The full phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child," means raising children is easier with help from others. It can also be used to talk about teamwork or group tasks.

"If you can't stand the heat" comes from, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." This means if something is difficult or stressful, you should either deal with it or stop complaining and leave!

Anapodotons may be short, but they have a lot of meaning!

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Saying Less, Meaning More: The Power of Anapodotons

In this American English language podcast I talk about the problem of school shootings in the U.S. How do you think we can end this problem? https://italki.com/teacher/1947582 
Thanks for listening! Visit my website for more of my podcasts (Streetwisenglishdotcom)