The danger of false friends
By James, January 31 2021
False friends are words from different languages that seem similar but are, in fact, not. The French president Emmanuel Macron made a famous mistake in 2017.
Japanese English
Native speakers don't say recommend YOU to
By Jeremy, October 03 2020
Do you say, "I recommend you to..."? If you do, then you should read this simple guide to using recommend.
What's the difference between"IN an hour" and "an hour LATER"?
By Jeremy, September 19 2020
A lot of people misuse in and later. Are you one of them?
"Okay" and "It’s okay" are opposite
By Jeremy, February 29 2020
Okay usually means yes, sure. But when you say, "It's okay", the meaning changes significantly.
Do you misuse the word GLOBAL? Probably!
By Matthew, February 15 2020
In Japan, "global" is a buzz word that people like to use. Students want to be more "global". They want to work on the "global stage" for a "global company". In English, maybe you should choose a different word.
Two reasons English speakers don't ask 'What is your hobby?'
By Jeremy, February 08 2020
A lot of people learning English have been taught to ask, "What is your hobby?" But native English speakers almost never ask this. Why? There are two reasons.
The secret to pronouncing words that end in -ATE
By Yumi, October 04 2017
Sometimes the reason we say words wrong is because we don't know the right rules. Take, for example, these words:
Why saying YOU HAD BETTER can sound scary
By Jeremy, July 12 2017
I've often heard non-native English speakers say something like, "You had better do it." But to a native English speaker, this sounds like a threat!
If better is a positive word, why does the pattern you had better + verb seem scary?
Saying “could enjoy” is almost never correct
By Jeremy, May 08 2017
Have you ever said something like this?
A: How was your weekend?
B: It was fine. I could enjoy a relaxing time.
How to use the words MENU and SCHEDULE
By Matthew, May 15 2016
Do you think you might say something like this: "My favourite menu is miso ramen." What about when you are busy. Would you say something like this? "I have a schedule at 2 p.m."