Please remember that there will be no classes at E-Style from the day after tomorrow (明後日) (August 10th) to next Sunday (the 16th). Lessons will resume (再び始まる) on Monday, August 17th.
Jack and I wish you a safe and pleasant Bon holiday.
P.S. Please don't hesitate (遠慮なく) to contact me should you have any questions about make-up lessons (振替授業) or starting English conversation classes after the break.
P.P.S. Another way to say "Please don't hesitate" is "Feel free."
Hi eel eaters and conger eel lovers,
This afternoon, my family and I ate delicious eel dishes at a local restaurant. As it is Midsummer Ox Day (土用の丑の日), we enjoyed grilled freshwater eel marinated in sweet soy sauce and served over a bed of rice in a lacquered box (重箱). This Kabayaki-prepared dish is rich in vitamins A and E as well as omega-3 fatty acids, and is said to give us enough stamina to beat the summer heat (夏の暑さを乗り切る・しのぐ).
Of course, another way to beat the heat is to stay indoors and watch TV in the A.C. (エアコン). This evening, we kept cool while enjoying an episode of Sazae-san which featured an appearance by my favorite character on the show, Mr. Conger Eel. Perhaps (おそらく) you know him by his Japanese name, Anago-san.
Anyway (とにかく), please be sure to take care this summer and stay cool.
Deciding on rock, paper, or scissors, I remain
Anago-san's biggest fan,
Alan
⚀ ⚁ ⚂ ⚃ ⚄ ⚅
Hello advisors,
For the past several weeks (ここ数週間), my beginner class students have been studying about how to ask for and give advice. We rolled a die (サイコロを投げて) to decide which of the following questions to discuss:
⚀ What's your advice for health (健康)? How do you stay healthy?
⚁ What's your advice for stress (ストレス [発散])? How do you reduce (減らす) stress?
⚂ What's your advice for saving money (お金を貯めること・節約)? How do you save money?
⚃ What's your advice for staying in shape (体型を維持すること)? What do you do to stay in shape?
⚄ What's your advice for friendship (友情)? What do you do to keep/maintain a friendship?
⚅ What's your advice for romance (ロマンス)? What do you do to keep/maintain a romance?
Our answers included what we do (すること), what we don't do (しないこと), and what we used to do (以前していたけど今現在しないこと).
Here are some of my examples for the most popular topic, romance:
❤️ I listen to her and sometimes give her flowers.
❤️ I don't ignore (無視する) or belittle (見くびる・馬鹿にする) her.
And for those who don't currently have a partner (現在パートナーがいない人達), answers included the following:
💔 I used to send him/her text messages.
💔 I used to eat out (外食する) and go to the movies (映画見に行く) with him/her.
What advice do you have for romance or any of the other topics above? Feel free to leave a comment or let me know at E-Style.
With no time to die, I remain
Your croupier,
Alan
P.S. "Dice" is the plural form (複数形) for 「サイコロ」. The singular form (単数形) of the word is "die," which has the same spelling and pronunciation as the word meaning 「死ぬ」in Japanese.
Hi everybody,
This is just a quick blog post (ブログ記事・投稿) to inform you of our Golden Week break. There will be no lessons at E-Style from tomorrow (April 30th) to next Wednesday (May 6th). Classes will resume (再び始まる) on Thursday, May 7th.
If you want some English to study during the break, then how about trying to memorize (暗記する) all of the holidays that make up Golden Week? Here is the list:
Take care, have a great Golden Week, and good luck with your studies.
See you at E-Style,
Alan
P.S. Next Wednesday, May 6th, is a substitute holiday (振替休日) for Constitution Memorial Day, which falls on a Sunday (日曜日に当たる) this year.
Hi everyone,
Spring has sprung! (春がやって来た！) For tonight at exactly 11:46 (just a few minutes ago), the tilt of the Earth's axis (地球の自転軸の傾き) was neither toward (～に向かって) nor away from (～から離れて) the sun. The result is an equal amount of both daylight and darkness, known as the Vernal (or Spring) Equinox. The word "vernal" is an adjective (形容詞) for spring (春) while "equinox" comes from Latin (ラテン語), with "equi" meaning "equal" and "nox" meaning "night."
So, even though it is still a little chilly (肌寒い) outside, astrologically speaking (占星術的に言えば), spring is here!
See you at E-Style,Happy New Year!
Hi everybody,
A happy and healthy New Year to all of you! I hope that all of your dreams come true (夢が叶う) in 2026: The Year of the Horse. Jack and I are looking forward to seeing (and teaching) you at E-Style when classes resume (再び始まる) on Monday, January 5th. Until then (それまで), take care, enjoy the break, and good luck with your New Year's resolutions (新年の抱負).
All the best in Reiwa 8,
Alan
Just a quick entry (一筆啓上) to let you know (あなた方にお知らせするため) that there will be no lessons at E-Style for the next two weeks. Classes will resume (再び始まる) on Monday, January 5, 2026.
As the year comes to a close (終わりに近づくにつれ), Jack先生 and I would like to thank all of you for studying English conversation with us in 2025. We look forward to continuing to teach you throughout "The Year of the Horse," 2026.
Take care and have a happy and healthy New Year.
Sincerely,
Alan
Hi everyone,
I hope that this entry finds you well.
In November of 2019, I wrote a blog entitled "I have the flu." At the time, I was perfectly healthy. Unfortunately, that is not the case now. Despite having gotten my shot (予防接種) last week, I came down with the flu (インフルエンザにかかった) yesterday morning. As a result (結果として), last night's lessons as well as tomorrow's classes at E-Style have been canceled. As for this evening, Jack先生 will teach both his beginner and intermediate lessons as scheduled (予定どおりに).
Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience and please don't worry about my health, as my symptoms (症状) are not too bad.
Feeling blue with the flu,
Alan
Exactly one year ago today (ちょうど1年前の今日), I introduced (紹介した) you to a YouTube channel called "60sサイケ中学生."
Well, the junior high school student has been uploading videos nearly every week for a full year (丸1年間) now and shows no signs of slowing down (少しも緩める様子を見せない). His channel includes full-length videos, shorts, playlists, and posts.
If you have a chance, click HERE to check out one of his latest entries showing how to solo in the style of Eric Clapton (エリック・クラプトン流).
Tuning in and turning on,
Alan
P.S. The "one year on" in the title of this blog entry means 「1年後の現在」.
Hi everybody,
There will be no lessons at E-Style from tomorrow, August 11th to next Sunday, August 17th. Classes will resume (再び始まる) on Monday, the 18th. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions about make-up lessons (振替授業) or starting English conversation classes after the break.
Hi everyone,
As a new fiscal year (新年度) has already (既に) started and a new school year (新学年) is scheduled to begin next week, a new term (新クール) at E-Style is set to start, as well. It will be a ten-lesson term (with one week off for Golden Week) running from this coming Monday, April 7th to Saturday, June 21st. Please be sure to check out the LESSONS/FEES page of this website for a detailed explanation (詳しい説明) of our classes and prices if you are interested in studying English conversation with us this fiscal/school year.
Jack and I hope to see you at E-Style next week!
Sincerely,
Alan
Hi students,
Please remember that E-Style will be closed for the next two weeks. Lessons will resume (再び始まる) on Monday, January 6, 2025.
As we wrap up (終わりにする・締めくくる) 2024, Jack and I want to thank all of you for studying English by taking classes at E-Style and/or by reading this blog. We are looking forward to seeing (and teaching) you in 2025, also known as (～としても知られている) Reiwa 7 or "The Year of the Snake." 🐍
Wishing you all the best for the New Year, I remain
Your devoted teacher,
Alan
🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍
I would like to introduce (紹介する) you to a brand new (真新しい) YouTube channel called "60sサイケ中学生."
As the name implies (示すように), the site is run by a junior high school student who loves psychedelic rock and roll. He plays a mean guitar (ギターを上手に弾く) and even introduces the songs.
If you have a chance, click on the following link to check out one of his first videos: "If Jimi Hendrix had played Jumpin' Jack Flash."
In tune,
Alan
P.S. Can you guess what the connection is between "60s Psychedelic Junior High School Student" and E-Style?
Hi again fellow linguists,
In May, I told you about how the students in my beginner (入門) classes learned to pronounce (発音する) "Where did you go?" like a native speaker. Actually, along with "Where 十五？" I have also written the following on the whiteboard at E-Style from time to time (時々): "和十 do?"
Just like with "Where 十五？", after a little practice (練習) my students have been able to pronounce "What did you do?" (あなたは何をしましたか) like someone born and raised (生まれ育ち) in the U.S.A. We have also practiced the same pattern using other verbs. Here are some examples:
Of course, everyone's answer to the last question is always "English communication!" (Ha-ha). Anyway (とにかく), once again, mixing kanji with English has enabled my students to improve (上達する) their skills in a fun way.
蛾打五、
Alan
P.S. I have got to go. → I've gotta go. → Gotta go. → 蛾打五
P.P.S. Generally speaking (一般と言えば), Americans pronounce the letter "t" like "d." That's why I translated (翻訳した) "Gotta go" as 「蛾打五」and not 「蛾多五」.
Hi students,
There are several expressions (表現) used to describe autumn/fall (秋) here in Japan. For example, we say 食欲の秋, 収穫の秋, 芸術の秋, スポーツの秋, and, of course, 読書の秋. But because of cultural differences, these expressions can be a little difficult to translate/interpret (少し翻訳・通訳し難い) into English. Perhaps the easiest way is to use the sentence pattern "Autumn/Fall is the season for 〜." Here are some examples:Hi fellow linguists,
The other day (この間) in one of my beginner classes, I wrote the following on the whiteboard: "Where 十五？" At first, the students looked at my mixture of English and Japanese and didn't know what to make of it (それをどう考えたら良いか分からなかった). However, after reading it aloud (それを音読したら) at native speed and then very slowly, everyone could understand that "Where 十五？" was actually "Where did you go?"
Native speakers often use contractions (短縮形) in their conversations. An example in Japanese is「そりゃ」for「それは」. Some common English examples are "gonna" (going to) and "wanna" (want a / want to). "Where 十五？" is a little different because there is no way to write it out exactly (正確に) as it sounds. "Where'd you go?" (contracting "where" and "did") is probably the closest, but it is still not perfect.
This is a rare case in which Japanese fluency can help one's English. Because by reading the kanji for "fifteen" after the English word "Where," my students were able to sound just like native speakers from the U.S.A. And by practicing it over and over, they were also able to understand the question even when I asked it at "native speed." In no time (すぐに), not only had my students improved their communication skills, but they had also had a little fun in class while doing it.
Time to 五,
Alan
Hi leap-year lovers,
Happy New Year!
Hello students of English,
I hope that you have been enjoying 2024 so far (今までのところ).
Classes at E-Style resumed this past Monday, January 8th. All this week, I have been asking my students what their New Year's resolutions (新年の抱負[誓い・決意]) are for this year. I am happy to report that several people answered "I resolve to improve my English." In this sentence, the word "resolve" is the verb form (動詞の形態) of "resolution." In Japanese, "resolve to 〜" is 「〜を決心する」while "improve〜" means 「〜を上達する」.
As I have resolved to continue to help you improve your English, here is a list of some of the most popular resolutions in the United States:
Resolutely yours,
Alan
