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Learning English can be easier than you think
​--just use your imagination!​

Happy Mother's Day!

5/10/2020

 
​To all the mothers out there, "Happy Mother's Day!"  I hope you get lots of love and appreciation from your families today!
​

I live very far away from my own mother, literally on the other side of the world!  So, tomorrow morning I will give her a call on Skype.  If I call her now, it will be way too early!  But when I call her on my Monday morning, it will be Sunday evening for her, and still Mother's Day.  Time zones make family holidays and birthdays a little complicated!
This is my speaking diary of daily life.  It's in easy English so you can enjoy some listening & reading practice and learn some useful daily conversation.  Enjoy your day!

↓  Students & teachers,
https://www.imagineigo.com/english-diary-resources.html
↑  you can freely download a printable copy of the text here!

Year of the Mouse

1/25/2020

 
​The Year of the Mouse has officially begun.  One of my students made me a card.  I think it's so cute!  Thank you!  Happy Lunar New Year everyone!
This is my speaking diary of daily life.  It's in easy English so you can enjoy some listening & reading practice and learn some useful daily conversation.  Enjoy!
​

↓  Students & teachers,
https://www.imagineigo.com/english-diary-resources.html
↑  you can freely download a printable copy of the text here!

Happy New Year!

1/1/2020

 
And...  it's here!  Happy New Year!

May you all have a more peaceful and successful decade with a lot more togetherness.
​
As an ESL English teacher, I'm doing my best to bring us all together through better communication.

Everyone can find some small ways their own daily work moves us all towards harmony--
so let's all do more of that!
​
Looking forward to a wonderful 2020 with you all!
Jeffrey
This is my speaking diary of daily life.  It's in easy English so you can enjoy some listening & reading practice and learn some useful daily conversation.  Enjoy!
​

↓  Students & teachers,
https://www.imagineigo.com/english-diary-resources.html
↑  you can freely download a printable copy of the text here!

Happy Holidays!

12/31/2019

 
It's the last night of 2019...  just an hour to go before the new year!
Thank you to everyone who made it a great year of English learning and great conversations.
​
I'm looking forward to a wonderful 2020 with you too!
Enjoy your holidays!
This is my speaking diary of daily life.  It's in easy English so you can enjoy some listening & reading practice and learn some useful daily conversation.  Enjoy!
​

↓  Students & teachers,
https://www.imagineigo.com/english-diary-resources.html
↑  you can freely download a printable copy of the text here!

Thursday ENGLISH Learning Tip "very touching"

12/26/2019

 
On Christmas Eve, I got a very nice Christmas card from my family.  I said "it was very touching."  So what does that mean?  Touching what?!

Well, my heart of course!  The kind feeling of this card reached right out and "touched" my heart.

Maybe you have learned the common phrases, "it was very moving" or "I was very moved".  We use these phrases when something makes us experience a strong emotion, such as a dramatic movie or an inspiring speech.  This means that our heart "moved" because of the strong emotion.

But we can also use "touching" or "touched" to mean something similar.  Usually, this is for lighter situations such as receiving a small but special gift, or watching a heartwarming romantic comedy movie.  This means that the feelings or emotions connected with our hearts.
​
So, if you suddenly receive a special gift, you could try this response:  "Oh, thank you, I'm touched."
​
And I hope you experience many of these "touching" moments this holiday season!
This learning tip is part of my short daily diary.  It's in easy English so you can enjoy some listening & reading practice and learn some useful daily conversation.  Enjoy!
​

↓ Watch the original video mentioned in today's tip!
https://youtu.be/txVXXPmzKX0

Happy New Year!

1/1/2019

 
Photo (osechi)
Today in Japan we welcomed the new year 2019 with a traditional feast called 'osechi'.  It comes in a huge 3-tiered wooden 'bento' box.  It is filled with many symbolic foods for beginning a happy new year.

Inside this wonderful box there are:
  • shrimp for longevity
  • lotus root for success
  • candied chestnuts for wealth
  • candied black beans for vitality

I hope your 2019 is filled with all of these things--

By the way, in the USA we don't really have such a special feast for the new year.  We do the big feasting with our families on Christmas.  (And we eat a lot!)  Our new year festivities are focused on midnight of New Year's Eve.  We throw huge public parties with friends and family to welcome the new year in with a BANG!  (Often with lots of champagne!)  Then we use the holiday of New Year's Day to recover by sleeping in late and watching parades on TV...

Wherever you are now, I hope you have a fun start to a happy and successful new year--

☆ Merry Christmas! ☆

12/25/2018

 
Photo (GTF Christmas Tree)
​Why do people in the USA always say "MERRY Christmas"?

We say "Happy New Year",  and people in the UK often say "Happy Christmas"...  Why the difference?

​Well, first is simply history.  In 1843 Charles Dickens used it in his very famous novel, A Christmas Carol.  And in that same year, the very first printed Christmas card said, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you".  So, it became very popular and started being used in Christmas songs and greetings all over the English speaking world.

But later, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain preferred to say "Happy Christmas" instead. She used it all the time in her Christmas greetings, so it eventually became the most popular in the UK.

So why did the Queen prefer "Happy Christmas"?

I'm not exactly sure, but it is probably because 'happy' and 'merry' have slightly different meanings.  'Happy' is a good feeling in your heart.  But 'merry' has more of a light, fun, party feeling.  I think people in the difficult Victorian Era hoped to enjoy a little lightness and fun during these cold, dark winter holidays, so they wished each other a "Merry Christmas".  On the other hand, maybe the word 'happy' is a better fit for the important role of the Queen, and her people of the UK followed her
example--

Finally, I do think it is a little dull to say "HAPPY Christmas and HAPPY New Year" as a set phrase.  So following the example of that very first Christmas card, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

    Author

    Jeffrey じぇふりい
    ​
    An experienced trainer and teacher using techniques from Special Education and psychology to make learning effective and enjoyable for everyone.

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  • English
  • YouTube
  • いまじん英語
    • お問合わせ
    • 概要
  • About
    • Jeffrey じぇふりい
  • Blog
  • Consulting
    • English Diary Resources
  • Contact