Hello there, I hope you are doing well.

Last week of 2020 and the new year is here.

Any plans for your winter vacation?

https://japantoday.com/category/national/Japan-to-suspend-new-entry-of-all-nonresident-foreign-nationals-from-abroad

After the recent news about a new variant (変種) of the Coronavirus, Japan has decided to suspend entries from a number of countries. This will be effective from December 28 to late January, and in addition, Japan will also implement stricter rules with testing for COVID-19 for people entering the country. However, foreigners holding a resident VISA and people from Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and Taiwan are exempted from this ban.

ー初めにー

Today’s Fill-In-The-Blanks Quiz: 

Here’s last week’s song:

(Fast forward to 1:44)

But hearts are breaking, the wars are raging on

And I have taken my glasses off

You got me nervous, and you’re turning it into a joke

A half empty girl; Don’t make me laugh, I’ll….

Here’s this week’s song:

(From one of my favorite movies!)

(Fast forward to 0:09)

A little _____ encounter, Could be the one you’ve ______ for

Just ________ a bit more

_______ we’re on a mission, tonight’s the _______ call

If this is the real ________, oh, God, help us all

ー続いてー

Today’s Youtube Recommendation:

From this week onwards, I’ll be introducing a new segment in my blog posts. It’s undeniable that Youtube is a big and major part of language learning nowadays and their services are getting better, as some channels and videos on that platform are now offering translations. So, every week, I’ll be recommending Youtube channels that offer different topics. 

For this week, it’s a channel called “Cinema Summary”. I am a fan of movies and this channel discusses and explains different horror movies. I hate bloody scenes and horror movies, in general, so by watching this channel instead, it helps me find out what a specific movie is about and why it’s good.

This is what I most recently saw:

Good luck!

ー最後にー

Today’s Column:

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/25/950265385/photos-christmas-around-the-world

For today’s international news, I decided to show this lighthearted article simply because Christmas happened just a few days ago. Christmas is widely celebrated all over the world and this article shows photos of how people celebrated. It’s interesting to see that people still try to see things positively, despite what’s happening in the world.

Remember to take care of yourself and stay safe.

Ryo

・
こんにちは！

前回は、仮定法の基本について解説しました。

本日は仮定法の倒置と、were to / shouldをif節に用いた仮定法について解説します。

【ifの省略（倒置）】

以下のように仮定法の文は、if節と帰結節の組み合わせが基本でした。

[例文1]
If I were president, I couldn’t stand up to its heavy responsibility.

「もし私が大統領だったら、その責任の重さに耐えられないだろう」

上記のような仮定法の文は、Ifを抜いて主語と動詞を倒置することがあります。
特に書き言葉でよくみられます。

[例文1]
Were I president, I couldn’t stand up to its heavy responsibility.

「もし私が大統領だったら、その責任の重さに耐えられないだろう」

[例文2]
Had I stayed at home on that day, I would have been crushed under the collapsed house.
(=If I had stayed at home on that day, ~)

「その日家にいたら、倒壊した家に押しつぶされていただろう。」

ルールとして、語順を倒置可能なのはif節の動詞が”were””had””should”のみなので気をつけましょう。

※shouldの倒置例については次の次の項参照

【if節に”were to”】

if節が“If S were to V”となると、特別なニュアンスが付加されます。
まず一つ目は、可能性が限りなく低いことを仮想して、”それが起こったらこうなる”というニュアンスです。

[were to 1 /　可能性が限りなく低い]

＊例文
If all the human were to disappear suddenly, what would the world change?

「もしすべての人間が突然姿を消したとしたら、世界はどう変わるでしょうか？」

二つ目は、“If you were to V”の形で、丁寧なお願いのニュアンスになります。

これは1の可能性が限りなく低いニュアンスを考えてみるとわかると思いますが、相手が「お願いをきいてくれる」ことを当たり位前と考えておらず、「もしも（万が一）やってくれるのであれば」というニュアンスになり、丁寧になります。

[were to 2 / 丁寧なお願い]

＊例1
If you were to come to see my son, he would be very happy.

「もしあなたが私の息子に会いに来てくれたら、息子は大喜びでしょう」

＊例2
We would be very helpful if you were donate some money.

「幾らかお金を寄付してくだされば、とても助かります」

【if節に”should”】

if節にshouldが入った形は、「万一〜ならば」という推量のニュアンスが加わります。

なお、shouldはshallの過去形ですので、「If S should V（原形）」で仮定法過去として機能します。

[例1]
if you should change your mind, you could contact us anytime.

「もし（万が一）気が変わったら、いつでもご連絡ください」

[例2]
If you should die, I couldn’t bear with the sorrow.

「（万が一）あなたが死んだら、悲しくて耐えられないでしょう」

[should 倒置の例]
Your family would be compensated by the insurance should anything happen to you.

「（万が一）あなたに何かがあった場合、ご家族は保険によって補償を受けられます」

【shouldとwere toのニュアンスの違い】

共に可能性の低いニュアンスを与える”were to”と”should”のニュアンスの違いについて説明します。

一言で言うと、”should”より”were to”の方が限りなく可能性が低いです。

たとえば、「もし太陽がある日消滅したら」や先ほどの例の「全ての人間が消えたら」は起こる可能性は限りなく低いです。ほぼあり得ないですよね。このような場合はwere toを使います。

shouldの場合は、例を見てもわかるとおり、まだ「ありうる」範囲での「万が一」なのがわかると思います。たとえば「あなたが死んだら」や「気が変わったら」は、可能性は低くても現実の生活の中で起こりうることですよね。

本日は倒置と”were to” “should”について説明しました。

それではまた！

Hello there, I hope you are doing well.

A new update regarding the Go To Campaign has been released.

Read what’s below to find out more!

https://japantoday.com/category/national/Japan-to-suspend-Go-To-Travel-campaign-for-whole-country-from-Dec-28-Jan-11

Following the latest news regarding the exclusion (排除) of Sapporo and Osaka from the Go To Campaign, the government now plans on suspending the whole campaign entirely from the 28th of December to the 11th of January. As the country is facing its third wave, local government officials have encouraged establishments to close earlier than usual, as well. Traveling within the country isn’t banned, but highly discouraged.

ー初めにー

Today’s Fill-In-The-Blanks Quiz:

Here’s last week’s song:

(Fast forward to 1:24)

One thousand tired people all scattered like rats

And there’s a drunk man sleeping in a pile of trash

He hears the sounds of karaoke and a Mercedes Benz

He wakes up and checks his reflection in a broken glass

Here’s this week’s song:

(Fast forward to 1:44)

But _____ are breaking, the ____ are raging on

And I have_____ my glasses off

You got me ________, and you’re turning it into a ____

A half empty ____; Don’t make me laugh, I’ll….

ー続いてー

Today’s Idiom:

“rose-colored glasses”

This is not a common metaphor (隠喩), but it’s quite interesting! This phrase means “to look at something optimistically”. Something that would be great for all of us to do, especially during the situation we’re facing. For me, this song helps me see the world through rose-colored glasses:

Just be careful with how you use it or how others use it because it could also be meant negatively or sarcastically (冷笑的)

Here’s a sample dialogue:

A: Looking at the break-up through rose-colored glasses, I can finally do what I love again. Like playing tennis and baking…

B: Yeah, I agree! You can also start playing video games again!

A: Oh, no.. we used to play video games together! I miss her now!

I hope this helps!

ー最後にー

Today’s Column:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20201216-how-tiktok-changed-the-world-in-2020

No one can disregard the fact that the phone application, “TikTok” has significantly played  a huge role in 2020. Perhaps the Coronavirus has helped it become more popular. It has made a lot of people turn into content creators, and businesses advertise their products. It has also become famous because of its feud against the US and how it’s against their online privacy rules. Do you agree or disagree with this?

Remember to take care of yourself and stay safe.

Ryo