Greetings,
Kumi is trying to learn more English for her business and asking me a lot of questions about it.  So we decided to stream the answers on YouTube to help anyone else studying business English.  We will talk about business vocabulary words and special grammar points, especially connected to financial and tax accounting and law.

Come join us in the virtual office!

​Last week we learned about English rhythms, rhyme, and accent.  We used the song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen.  It was so fun and interesting!

​We had a lot of fun exploring the three rhythms of English songs: beat, accent, rhyme.  It was a lot of fun, so maybe call me sometime...

​Last week, I went to the dentist and they pulled out my last two wisdom teeth.

The word 'wisdom' means a deep knowledge and understanding that helps you make good decisions.  Of course, we get lots of knowledge from our studies at school when we are young.  But we usually get wisdom from experience as we get a little older.

Also, when we are young children, we get most of our adult teeth.  But those big ones in the very back...  they usually come in when we are a little older.  Just like wisdom...  So, we call those teeth "wisdom teeth".

But honestly, I'm not so sure if that is really the best name for them...

I think wisdom is something that helps people a lot in their lives.  But wisdom teeth seem to cause most people a lot of trouble!  And now, all my wisdom teeth are gone!  Did I lose all my wisdom too?  Hmm...  Maybe...

I'm curious what these troublesome teeth are called in other languages.  Is there something interesting about the name for them in your language?  Please let me know!

--because I think I need to find some new wisdom!

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 videos mentioned in today's tip!
1/28  https://youtu.be/YxEEkeZXCfc
2/6    https://youtu.be/G2SOAoNIkBg

Last week my electric razor broke and hurt my face a little.  Ouch!  So I said, "I guess I'll have to go shopping for a new one soon."  Of course I needed to buy a new razor!  So why did I say "guess"?

We usually use the word 'guess' when we give an answer to a question but we are not sure about it.  Or sometimes, someone has a surprise and asks you what you think it might be... "Guess what!"

So basically, 'guess' usually means "I'm not sure."  So why did I say it when I was sure that I had to buy a new razor?

Well, to be honest, I didn't really want to go out and spend my time and money getting a new razor.  I just wanted a convenient shave with my old razor.  But that was now impossible.  So I had to give up and make a plan in my busy day to go shopping...

In these cases when we must do something that we don't really want to do, we often use the word 'guess' to make it feel softer for us.  So the phrase "I guess I will..." basically means "OK.  I give up.  I'll do it."

We actually use this a lot in our conversations with friends and some family.  Just please don't use this for business.  If you do, your boss or customers will know that you don't really want to do something, and they won't be happy about that!  It will definitely not give a good impression...

Well, I think you get the idea...  So I guess I will finish this tip here.

↓ Watch the original video mentioned in today's tip!
https://youtu.be/cvObc2dAt5w

​Last week in my daily English diary, I said that I was "pretty busy".  And before that, I once said that I am "pretty skinny".  If you learned that the word 'pretty' means beautiful, then you might be confused.  Or maybe you think I am very proud and arrogant...

Well...  actually, you're right!  The word 'pretty' does mean beautiful or attractive.  That's its basic definition in the dictionary.  But we also use it to mean 'very' or 'quite'.
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So, when I said "pretty busy" and "pretty skinny", I was saying that I was "very busy" and that I am actually "quite skinny" (or thin).  If I was so proud and arrogant, I might say that I'm "pretty pretty".  But I think that would be a little too much...

​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 videos mentioned in today's tip!
"pretty busy"  https://youtu.be/pAI1kIkoD70
"pretty skinny"  https://youtu.be/7LjA3FWsrNc

​I want to start this year with a fun tip from my Daily English Diary last Sunday.  I held a karaoke party all day long.  We sang all our favorite songs from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm!  Around 8 hours!  Wow!

If you are studying English in Japan, you might be surprised by the way I just said "karaoke".  And if you are in other countries, you might wonder why the spelling of this word looks a little unusual for English.

Well, that's because it's not actually English.  The first karaoke machines were invented in Japan.  So they got a Japanese name: "kah-rah-oh-keh".  The 'kara' means 'empty', and the 'oke' is short for 'orchestra'.  It's like having an orchestra in an empty room--  and you're the star!

When it became popular in the USA, people used the Japanese name for it.  But the original sound of the Japanese "kah-rah-oh-keh" doesn't fit so easily with the natural rhythms of English.  So it got changed a little.  Well, maybe a lot...

Anyway, this happens in every language.  People "borrow" technology, foods, ideas, and the words for those things from other cultures and languages.  Then they change them to fit locally.

For example, modern Japanese has taken many words from English and changed them into Japanese pronunciation.  It is sometimes called "Katakana-English".

But we shouldn't forget that English is actually quite full of words "borrowed" from other languages.  It has been doing this regularly for more than 1,000 years.  In fact, English might be the most mixed language in the world.
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So see if you can find some words rearranged from your own language in English, and enjoy those connections--

​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/-SoBlyJ6bJY

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.
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So, if you suddenly receive a special gift, you could try this response:  "Oh, thank you, I'm touched."
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And I hope you experience many of these "touching" moments this holiday season!

This week in my daily English diary, I said that everyone at the local immigration office was "very kind" to me.  But a few weeks ago, I said that the sunny autumn weather was "kind of hot" that day.  It seems like the word 'kind' has two different meanings, right?!

Well, actually, it has MORE than two different meanings!  But today, let me quickly tell you about these two that I just mentioned.

In the first case, the word 'kind' means being nice, helpful, friendly, or caring.  The people at the immigration office helped me renew my ID card with a smile.  They were very kind.  This is the usual definition of 'kind' in the dictionary.

In the second case, about the hot weather, please notice that the word 'kind' is attached to the word 'of'.  This is important.  Here, the phrase 'kind of' means 'a little bit'.  The weather that day wasn't super hot...  it was just a little bit hot.  Maybe a little more than usual for the season.  This meaning of 'kind of' is very common in speaking, but it's a little casual.  So you won't see it often in writing.
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Please be aware that both 'kind' and 'kind of' do have other meanings.  But I think this tip is already getting kind of long, so I will be kind and tell you all about that in a future tip...

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 videos mentioned in today's tip!
"Everyone was very kind."  https://youtu.be/3alW7uio-Rk
"It was kind of hot."  ​https://youtu.be/meFmchHxC14

One day last week I had a donut for breakfast.  It wasn't so healthy, but it sure was a yummy treat!  Well, for today's tip I want to talk about the word "donut".  Sometimes you might see it written like this: "D-O-N-U-T".  And other times you might see it like this: "D-O-U-G-H-N-U-T".  Well, which one is the right spelling?

This might surprise you, but actually BOTH are correct!  Yes, that's right, there are two ways to write the word for these round, delicious treats.

The old, original spelling was actually the longer "doughnut" because they are made from dough, like bread.  But the shorter version "donut" is also pretty old, and became very popular in the names of donut shops, like Dunkin' Donuts or Mister Donut.

"Doughnut" still seems more common outside the USA and when written in books or articles.  "Donut" seems more popular in pop culture and on the internet.  But both are really OK.

So what should YOU do?  I recommend that you pick the one that appeals to you.  The one that you personally like best.  Then mostly use that one!  If you are writing something very formal (or maybe on some strict English test), you might want to use the longer spelling "doughnut".  But in most cases, it doesn't really matter which one you choose.

Personally, I have decided to use the shorter version "donut", mostly because I think it suits the casual feeling of donuts.  And the "O" is more clear and round, like the treat itself...
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By the way, this is not the only word that has more than one spelling.  And in most cases, my advice is the same.  Think about your writing style and the kind of people who will be reading it.  Then choose your favorite and go for it!

Recently, I used the two phrases "keep my eyes open" and "keep my fingers crossed".  Phrases like this are called 'idioms', and they're often difficult to understand for non-native speakers.  So I'll explain...

"Keeping your eyes open" in this case means looking out for some thing or event.  Not like searching for something, just being aware and ready for it...

"Keeping your fingers crossed" is a thing we do with our fingers to hope for some good luck or to make a wish.

And by the way, I did get my wish to see a deer that day, so I guess it worked!

↓ Watch the original video mentioned in today's tip!
https://youtu.be/2w6g4pIZYvY