Let’s start today’s article with some good news! For most of us, we’re looking forward to the long vacation in winter. The pandemic wouldn’t be over by that time, so the government is currently considering extending the winter holidays by a week. This would help people observe social distancing, given that tourist spots and temples would be crowded in the last weeks of the year. Are you for or against this?
ー初めにー
Today’s Fill-In-The-Blanks Quiz:
Here’s a brief explanation of the last rebus:
As I’ve mentioned last week, don’t pay attention what the numbers specifically are. Instead, simply categorize them as “numbers”. Then, as you can see in the middle, there’s the word “safety”. So, the phrase is, “safety in numbers”, which is a thought that being in a group would make every one in that group feel safe and secure.
Were you able to figure out the answer?
As promised, we have a new activity from this time onward.
Here’s how it would go:
I will add here a link to this week’s song, and you would have to guess what the words are in the blanks. I know that it’s easy to look up / search the lyrics online, but try to take it as a challenge!
Here’s this week video:
(Fast forward to 0:48)
So, it’s gonna be _____ or it’s gonna go down in _______
You can tell me when it’s over, hmm, or if the _____ was worth the pain
Got a long list of ___-lovers, they’ll tell you I’m ____
Cause you know I love the players and you love the ____
It’s going to be short for this week, but it will be increasingly longer next time!
ー続いてー
Today’s Idiom:
“to take a rain check”
This is used in both formal and casual conversations, which means “to refuse an invitation/offer”.
It is a polite way of saying no, as sometimes, saying the word “no” can be a little too direct.
Here’s a sample conversation:
A: Hey! I’m going for some drinks with our team later. Do you want to join us?
B: Sorry, I might have to work overtime tonight, so I’ll have to take a rain check. I’ll be available next week, though!
Gap recently released information that it could potentially close all of its stores in the UK because of their losses due to the current pandemic. They are not the only company that’s suffering, but they are taking this as an opportunity to restructure their business and opt for an online shop. In Japan, one of their biggest shops, which was located in Harajuku, closed down, following the closure of Forever 21 in Shinjuku. What’s your opinion about this?
Following the Go-To Campaign that started months ago, there is an increasing number of travel agencies that are planning to add more to accommodate the rise in demand. I heard from a friend that even in central Tokyo, people choose to book hotels and restaurants to have a sort of “staycation”, where people stay in hotels as a vacation. I think as long as people observe proper hygiene and social distancing, there wouldn’t be any issues, however, what’s your opinion about this?
ー初めにー
Today’s Rebus:
Here’s a brief explanation of the hint:
Well, the letters go from H to O, and the word “to” can be pronounced as “two”, as well, which means it could be written as “H2O”. In chemistry, that would be “water”!
Were you able to figure out the answer?
Here’s for this week’s rebus:
540SAFETY319
HINT: This is a little trickier than the last one. As you can see, there are numbers on both sides of the word “safety”. Don’t think too much about what the numbers could mean, instead, focus on how they are positioned and where they are.
This will be the last rebus and from next week, we’ll have a new activity!
Also, I’ll reveal the answer next week!
ー続いてー
Today’s ESL Recommendation:
https://www.instagram.com/
For the past few months, I have given a lot of recommendations on how to study English on your free time, even if it’s just a 5-minute break time or a commute from home to work. The last one would be, as what you may have seen above, Instagram! I recently discovered that this social media platform offers a lot of accounts and videos about learning English that are explained in Japanese. Most of them are casual phrases, but I think learning how to speak in those situations would be a good foundation before heading to speaking formally. Simply type “英語” in the search box and you’ll see a lot of learning resources!
From next week, we’ll start a new segment here!
I hope this helps!
Perfect for when you’re commuting or driving, here’s my weekly playlist recommendation:
Following my last recommendation, namely Instagram, the social platform is now enforcing influencers to clearly state if they got paid for the products they are advertising. The article was a bit vague regarding the reason, however, in my opinion, it is for the sake of being transparent and honest with consumers. This way, consumers would be more wary and cautious when it comes to what they spend their money on.
