Good day!

At this point, anything could happen. The government could decide to enforce a lockdown.

I suggest you stock up on food and water in case that happens.

ー初めにー

Today’s Riddle:

From this month onwards, I’m changing “Today’s Quote” to “Today’s Riddle”.

The goal of this is to help you think of words and phrases in English, that would hopefully encourage you to think in English, instead of thinking in Japanese first, then translating it to English.

“I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?”

*Hint

Odd numbers are “1 3 5 7 9 …”, while even numbers are “2 4 6 8 10 …”

The answer will be revealed next Thursday. Until then, good luck!

ー続いてー

Today’s Conversational Point:

We’ll also be changing this to something you can use more when you have conversations in English. For today, we’ll focus on ending conversations. It’s usually difficult to know when to end conversations, even for me. Here are a few phrases to keep in mind when you’re in those situations:

A) When you’re about to get off the train/bus:

“This is my stop. Have a great day/evening”

B) When you have to go back to your desk at work:

“I have to get back to work. It was nice catching up with you!*

C) When you have something urgent/important to do:

“I’m sorry, I really have to go. See you later/Good luck!”

D) When you don’t know when you’ll see each other again:

“It was nice getting to know you. I hope to see you again soon.”

ー最後にー

Today’s Column:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/03/25/national/science-health/tokyo-logs-40-coronavirus-cases/#.XnxSJNMzZ24

Aside from the Coronavirus, Japan is also facing the rise of hay fever. Every year, people have to prepare for the coming of the said allergies, and the article above are some tips and products to buy to prevent its worsening.

I’ve also attached a video that takes on  a funny way of how hay fever is in Japan:

Remember to take care of yourself!

Ryo

こんにちは！Shotaです。

今日のブログのテーマは「Be動詞と一般動詞の違いを理解する」です。
そんなの分かっているよと思っていても、話すときに意外とゴッチャになったりするものです。

まず、Be動詞の否定文、疑問文の作り方について説明します。

【Be動詞の否定文、疑問文の作り方】
例文（肯定文）
She is beautiful.　彼女は美しい。
(S) (V) 　(C)
He is (on the plane).　彼は飛行機内にいます
(S) (V)

☆否定文⇒(V)の後ろにnotをくっつける
She is not beautiful.　彼女は美しくない。
(S) (V) 　　　(C)
He is not (on the plane).　彼は飛行機内にいません
(S) (V)

☆疑問文⇒(S)と(V)を交換し、？を文末に付ける
Is she beautiful?　彼女は美しいですか？
(V) (S) 　(C)
Is he (on the plane)?　彼は飛行機内にいますか？
(V)(S)

【There is/are構文の否定文・疑問文】
There is/are構文の場合は以下のようにします。

例文（肯定文）
There is a boy (at the park).　少年が公園にいます
•          (V)  (S)

☆否定文⇒(V)の後ろにnotをくっつける
There is not any boy (at the park).　少年は公園にいません
•          (V)　　　(S)

☆疑問文⇒Thereと(V)を交換する
Is there any boy (at the park)?　少年が公園にいますか？
(V) 　　(S)

【一般動詞の文の肯定文・否定文・疑問文（復習）】
ここで一般動詞の文も、肯定文、否定文、疑問文についても復習しましょう。

例文（肯定文）
I play baseball.　私は野球をする。
(S) (V) 　(O)

☆否定文⇒(V)の後ろにdo not(don’t)をくっつける
I don’t play baseball.　私は野球をしない。
(S)　　 (V) 　(O)

☆疑問文⇒文頭にDoを置き、(S)を尋ねる対象の人に代え、？を文末に付ける
Do you play baseball?　あなたは野球をしますか？
•      (S)　 (V) 　(O)

【Be動詞と一般動詞】
さて、本題です。「一般動詞とBe動詞は違うものであることをしっかりと認識する」
今回の項はこれが主題です。

まず、一番大事な英文のルールをお伝えします。
一つの文に動詞は一つ！
これは大原則です。一つの文にBe動詞と一般動詞が両方入っていてはいけません。
以下によくある間違いの例を紹介しますので、このような間違いをしないよう気を付けてください。

Are you play soccer?
これは間違いです。正しくは
Do you play soccer?
です。上の文ではBe動詞areと一般動詞playが両方入ってしまっています。

Do you are John?
これも間違いです。正しくは
Are you John?　あなたはジョンですか？
です。上の文では一般動詞疑問文のDoとBe動詞areが混ざって入ってしまっています。

Are you are student?
これもよくある間違いです。正しくは
Are you a student?
ですね。上の文ではBe動詞areが2つ入ってしまっています。

こういった間違いをしなくなれば、英文法の一番基礎の部分は大丈夫です！
できるようになるまで何度も音読を繰り返しましょう！

英語をお教えする時に気をつけている３つのこと

特に、生徒さんの状況を色々見た上で（英語だけではなく）、今現時点でのBESTではなく、SECOND BESTを提案することの重要性について話してみました。

人はベストの時は、大抵何やってもうまく行きますが、同じくらい、ワーストやイマイチな時があるものです。

本日は、Leonがお送りしました！

Good day!

The government just announced that it’s highly advised to stay indoors this weekend.

What are your plans when you stay at home for the next three days?

ー初めにー

Today’s Quote:

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

ーDr. Seuss

= Dr. Seuss is an American author who has made a lot of children’s books. More often that not, they have very peculiar stories and towards the end, you would realize the moral lesson of the story. This quote is saying that everything comes to an end. And when it does, be happy because of all the experiences and memories you made, not because of the current situation. In relation to this, I recommend a song by Ken Hirai, “Smile”.

ー続いてー

Today’s Grammatical Point:

“Cancelled vs. Canceled”

This part was tricky/confusing for me when I was younger. I didn’t know exactly which one is correct. However, both words are actually correct! You can use them interchangeably, but I would suggest to change them depending on who you are talking to. In American English, “cancelled” is more preferred, and for British English, it would be “canceled”.

Here are more words that have different spellings, but have the same meaning:

ー最後にー

Today’s Column:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/03/25/national/science-health/tokyo-logs-40-coronavirus-cases/#.XnxSJNMzZ24

This is a brief article about what the governor has said regarding this weekend. Most likely, you have already read an article about it already, but here’s one in English, to further practice your English skills.

Also, here’s a video about the proposal to postpone the Olympics:

Remember to take care of yourself and stock up on daily necessities!

Ryo