Friends at A Smokey Izakaya

From Twitter

Clerk: I __ go. I __ get up early; I’m __ to meet my boss early–and, I __ stop drinking, eating so much pork.

Clerk’s Foreign Friend (a vegetarian wearing a gas mask who sipped one beer all night): Cool.

① must
② have to
③ supposed to
④ should

Answers And Explanation:
I have to go. (Answer 2) Have to shows obligation.
I should get up early; (Answer 4) Should shows obligations we want to resist
I’m supposed to meet my boss early (Answer 3) Supposed to precedes obligations others are expecting.
–and, I must stop drinking, eating so much pork. (Answer 1) Must introduces intentions or obligations with moral- or beneficial- imperatives.

Mind Your Own Business

From Twitter

Police Officer: What are you doing in Japan?
American: Mind your own business.*
PO: Ya know my job?
A: Crossing guard?
PO: Nope. Try again.
A: Meter Maid?
PO: No!
A: Tax man!
PO: Wrong.
A: Security guard?
PO (Looks at sky): “…”

*Means:
a. Go to work
b. Care for your concerns

Answer And Explanation:
The answer is b., Care for your concerns. We say this ( “Mind your own business”) when it seems someone is looking into and minding (watching over/involving him or herself in) our affairs unsolicited (unwanted, not asked for). For better and more thorough explanations than this, come to class at Shinjuku English Institute. Social media cannot replace a good teacher in the flesh!

You’re not? No, I’m not.

From Twitter:

From Twitter
Look:
A: You’re not going?
B: No; I’m not. I have to wash my hair.

C: Is it Thursday?
D: No, it’s Friday.

E: Are you hungry?
F: No.
E: Really? You’re not?
F: No. I’m not.

Try:
G: Are you happy, now?
H: No.
G: You’re not happy?
H: __, I’m not; the food is terrible.

*Yes
*No

Answer and Explanation:
The answer is ‘No,’ because we do not confirm a negative (for example, I don’t, it isn’t, we won’t, it doesn’t) with a positive (like affirmative, yes, uh huh).

Fashion?

From Twitter:
A. (1.)_ your style?
B. Style? Look!
A. That?
B. Do ya (2.) _ western men? If we’re not rappers, gangsters or
A. Wha?
B. Gay (sorry; nothing’s wrong with (3.) _)–we don’t _ up–or for our girlfriends.
A. Why?
B. It’s silly, a waste, girly–not (4.) _.

*confident
*dress
*LGBT
*confidence
*get
*That’s (Added after the tweet was posted–in a comment)
*What’s (Added after the tweet was posted–in a comment)

Answers And Explanation:
1. What’s
2. get (meaning understand)
3. LGBT (meaning Lesbian, Gary, Bi-sexual, Transgender)
4. confident (Here, confidence would work, but confident is better, because we are using adjectives in the other cases in the sentence–describing the dressers.)

Note: No one should get the idea from this post that the male speaker (B.) is anti-gay or homophobic; although there is a trend in the West and on social media for the neo-liberal-left to criticize, vilify, misrepresent and “cancel” people who make nuanced comments, essays, posts on social media or jokes about or related to vulnerable or sensitive groups (such as religions, cults, age groups, ethnicities, sexual persuasions and nationalities), the truth is that this onslaught on free speech has nothing to do with fairness and is a kind of repression of opinions more than a protection of groups. This trend is a huge cultural, social and political phenomenon detested and resisted by many courageous scientists, philosophers, politicians, pundits and people of all walks of life and is recognized as political correctness, which opponents of it say is ruining communication, language, freedom, institutions and person’s lives. Some even feel it is because of this disingenuous and repressive behavior that a backlash to it played a significant part in achieving the election of Donald Trump. So, think twice before blaming someone before you understand what he or she means.


To Clean House

From Twitter:

We (1.)__ all furniture, counters, walls and surfaces (2.)__ dust and (3.)__. We (4.)__ and (5.)__ floors and (6.)__ carpets and rugs and (7.)__ (8.)__ tiles in (9.)_kitchen and bathrooms, and we (10.)__ wood decks and the patio outside.

Pick:
*sweep
*the
*to
*germs
*at
*mop
*vacuum
*scrub
*shampoo

Answers And Explanation
1. wipe (Wiping is what we do with a rag, tissue, pad or paper towel to clean.)
2. for (Used before the object and meaning, in this case, ‘for the removal of…’)
3. germs (bacteria and pathogens from people, food and animals)
4. vacuum (A vacuum cleaner is the device, but vacuuming is the thing we do with a vacuum.)
5. mop (A mop is the tool, but mopping is the action we perform with a mop.)
6. shampoo (Yes, we shampoo rugs and carpets; it means wash with soap)
7. scrub (Vigorous rubbing with a pad or brush or rag with water and soap)
8. the (used before all known, special and/or mentioned countable nouns)
9. the (See number 8.)
10. sweep (This is what we do with a broom or dust brush.)

Welcome to New York

A: Great movie! Like it?
1. B: Don’t know. __ bite ‘n talk about it?
2. A: __ to?
B: The all-night diner on 11th?
A: Empire?
B: Mm.
.
A: It was good food for 2 AM!
B: Yup! A: When’s the subway close?
3. B: __? It doesn’t.
A: Oh!
B: Welcome to NYC

*Close
*Where
*Really
*Grab a

Answers:
1. Grab a (bite)
2. Where (to)
3. Close(?) (The subway)

What’s Today?『Date』と『Day』の使い分け？

From Twitter

1. Anne: What’s __?
Carl: It’s the 7th.
2. Anne: And __?
Carl: Huh, Anne–?
3. Anne: __?
Carl: It’s Friday. You’d better get some rest.
Anne: I know; I’m just tired.
Carl: Yeah, I just kind of said that. Take a nap.

*What day is it
*what’s the day
*the date

Answers And Explanation

1. the date is how we ask the day number on the calendar.
2. what’s the day is how we ask the day of the week after asking the date.
3. What day is it? Is how we can ask the day the first time–or in this case–after “what’s the day,” how we clarify.

When’s Your Birthday『Date』vs『Day』の違い？

From Twitter:

A. What’s your birth date?
B. Why do you say it that way?
A. Huh?
B. You talk like a government clerk.
A. How should I say it?
B. Good. Say: ”when’s your birthday?”
A. OK, but I thought…
B. Forget what you thought; just say: _

* When’s your birthday
* What’s your birth date

The Answer is as it was instructed by speaker B: When’s your birthday?
The Explanation is: There is no reason for it except that we speak the way we do. To invent a reason (for people who think language is all rules), let’s pretend one is the casual way and one is the formal way (but the real reason is, we just talk that way).

Advice: If you want to learn a language
and use the language naturally,
you have to take a break from the grammar
and use the language, see the language (read!)
and watch native, live productions of the language
(or meet and talk to NATIVE SPEAKERS sincerely, first (because you actually have something in common and want to be friends–not because you need English lessons),
and stop saying ”I’m shy”;
shyness helps no one and is not honorable or helpful–it’s just a social dysfunction);

Use the real language in real situations
in real life with real people.

That is how you properly learn how real people use
the real language
in real places.

Taking Pictures　加算名詞と不可算名詞の使い方

From Twitter
Taking Pictures: Much or Many & Lots/Usually or Usual
“Fill in” the spaces with the right words:

I take _ pictures whenever I travel; it’s a _ thing for me.

Choose:
*many
*almost
*usual
*much
*once a while

Answers & Explanation
The answers are underlined:
I take many pictures whenever I travel; it’s a usual thing for me.

Many is used with countable things and persons and other animals.
Usual is used with things, too (usually is used with actions.)

Come to class at Shinjuku English Institute for more examples and a barrel of fun.

Whale of A Timeって何？

From Twitter:
1. A. _ animal do ya think is _ smartest?
2. B. _ Blue whale.
3. A. _ whale?
B. It’s been here millions of years.
A. ?
4. B. It’s the largest mammal, with _ brain _ size of _ car.
A. That makes it smartest?
B. Its behavior, brain size…. It’s likely; we just can’t talk.

*the
*a
*what

Information: Blue whales are actually the largest known beings to have lived on the planet. A Blue Whale can grow to 90 feet long and is larger than the largest dinosaurs. Pink whales cannot. In fact, Blue whales do not allow pin whales to join in any Blue whale games. No, that’s not true; I’m just kidding. They do. I mean there is no such thing as a pink whale (unless of course a blue whale goes to a costume party or something. No. I’m joking. There are no costume parties for whales. They keep a strict dress code. A Blue can weigh as much as 130 tons. Imagine maintaining that diet!

Answers And Explanation:
1. what; self-explanatory: ‘what’ is the question word for things in question.
2. the
3. the
4. the, the, the
The is article is necessary to use in discussions of an object or abstract thing in general terms.