英会話スクール・英会話教室池袋西口校（東京都）のスクールブログ

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😄

本日はイギリス出身の講師Arranに趣味について話してもらいました🌟

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I used to have hobbies. I used to write songs on my guitar and I used to play bass. I used to play five-a-side football and I used to go to the gym a few times a week. That was before I had to work a full time job.
These days I have lost my hobbies and I would like to find both the time and the energy to engage in some new stuff. If I spent a lot less time staring at my laptop and if I spent a lot less money on junk food, perhaps I would have a bit more vitality with which to pursue some hobbies.
I have recently discovered that here in Japan we can participate in futsal individually. In England, we had to get a group of at least 5 friends together in order to play. It was sometimes difficult to arrange a time that was suitable for everyone. It was also difficult to find five friends. I hope to join an individual participation futsal session soon, probably in Ikebukuro. My only worry is that I am a bit heavier/fatter these days and I have a dodgy knee. I should probably lose some weight and strengthen my leg muscles before getting back on a pitch.
Living in an apartment here makes it difficult to write songs. I want to sing and play my guitar, but I don’t want to annoy my neighbors. I have tried karaoke rooms and rehearsal rooms, but they aren’t very relaxing. I find it hard to get in the zone. My plan is to move into a detached house outside of Tokyo and then it is my hope that I will be able to relax enough to enjoy some songwriting. I’d also like to buy an electronic drum kit.
If you have any ideas on where and how I can find the motivation/energy to do pull ups, press ups, go running and stretch etc. please let me know.

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Arran先生はたくさんの素敵な趣味を持っていたのに、最近はなかなか趣味に没頭する時間が取れていないようですね・・。

色々な要因もあるようですので、皆さんからぜひArran先生に良きアドバイスをしてあげてください！！

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Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😃

本日はイギリス出身の講師Joeに英語の発音練習にもなる英語の早口言葉を教えてもらいました💙

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English Tongue Twisters To Help Improve Your Pronunciation

Tongue twisters are a really fun way to practice certain syllable sounds you are having trouble with.
Most tongue twisters are short sentences that make use of rhetorical devices such as alliteration (repeating the same consonant sound in the first syllable of every word) and assonance (the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a series of words), and often require the speaker to produce different sounds that need a lot of tongue and mouth movement.
Each phrase is then repeated and spoken faster and faster and faster and faster until it becomes impossible to say.

They are popular all over the world. I use these well-known Japanese tongue twisters you may be familiar with to help with my Japanese pronunciation.
なまむぎ　なまごめ　なまたまご
この竹垣に 竹立て掛けたのは 竹立て掛けたかったから、竹立て掛けた
Even for native speakers, these can be quite challenging!
I’m from London, so I have a lot of trouble with any tongue twister that feature a lot of ‘th’ sounds, but I always have fun trying.
Have a go with some of these examples and see how well they help with some difficult English syllable sounds. Try to say them as fast as you can!

“she sells seashells by the seashore”
“red lorry, yellow lorry”
“red brick, blue brick”
“I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen”
“if Pikachu chews shoes, whose shoes does Pikachu chose?”
“he threw three free throws”
“eleven benevolent elephants”
“lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better”
“How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? He would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood.”
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”

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最後の方はもう何を言っているのか自分でもわからなくなってしまいますね😂皆さんはどれくらい速く言えましたか？

Joe先生にもっと発音のことなど質問してみたいという方は、ぜひNOVA池袋西口校にいらしてください🌟

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Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😃

本日は皆さんもたぶん疑問に思っていたはず！というお話をオーストラリア出身のHiroki先生に教えてもらいました。

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Cyclone/Hurricane/Typhoon/Tornado/Twister
What’s the difference?

Hello everyone! Recently the weather is slowly but surely cooling down as we enter Autumn. And as we all know, it is currently typhoon season in Japan.
We generally describe typhoons as a natural phenomenon where it’s a big storm with strong winds and rain.

However,did you know that there are other names for these storms?
That is: Cyclone, Hurricane, Typhoon, Tornado and Twister.
So how are they different?

1. Cyclone
Firstly, cyclones are essentially any type of circular wind storms. But recently it is commonly used to describe the strong tropical storms, such as off the coast of India.

2. Hurricane
Hurricanes are huge wind storms that form on water.This is also used to specifically describe the wind storms formed in the Atlantic Ocean. Common areas include the Caribbean Islands and East-Coast America.

3. Typhoon
Typhoons are the same as Hurricanes but are formed on the Pacific Ocean. Common areas include Japan, Philippines and China.

4. Tornado
Tornadoes on the other hand, are wind storms that form on land and are generally much smaller compared to Hurricanes/Typhoons. Often these are the ones where you can actually see the funnel-shaped clouds.

5. Twister
Maybe you’ve heard of twister if you have watched American TV. Twister is simply the casual term for tornado in the States.

So there you have it. 5 different words to describe a phenomenon that may seem like the same thing but actually have small differences.

Hope you found this interesting! Looking forward to seeing you in class soon and take care!

Hiroki

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発生した場所や大きさなどで呼び方に違いがあるのですね🤩

海外のニュースを観る機会のある方はぜひこのHiroki先生の話を思い出しながら聞いてみてください！！

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JR山手線、埼京線、湘南新宿ライン、東武鉄道、西武鉄道、東京メトロ
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Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😃

本日はカナダ出身の講師Jaysonにカナダのカルガリーの冬について教えてもらいました🌟

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In Tokyo, summer lasts until October.
But in Canada my family is starting to prepare for the first snow of the season. In 2019 it started snowing on September 30th.
The winter is long and difficult in Canada. Below are some facts that are surprising about my hometown and the wintertime.

・In April 2020 it snowed 22.4cm
・It has snowed in July in Calgary! In July 1999 roads were closed due to a surprise snowfall
・The largest snowfall Calgary has ever seen was 69.7cm of snow in 1 month
・The temperature in the winter can get to -49º

Calgary is very cold in the winter but it is also very beautiful!
If you ever get the chance please try to visit and enjoy!

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まだまだ暑い東京とは違い、カナダではもう冬支度が始まっているのですね！

東京にいると、雪がたくさん積もった景色を見たことがないという方も多いのではないでしょうか。

状況が落ち着いたら、冬のカルガリーに行って本場の冬を体感してみるのもいいかもしれません🤩

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JR山手線、埼京線、湘南新宿ライン、東武鉄道、西武鉄道、東京メトロ
池袋西口出てすぐ！
ご説明会・無料体験レッスンのお申込みは…
NOVA池袋西口校　☎03-3985-5677

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😊

本日は先日に続き、カナダ出身の講師Jaysonにカナダのオススメの場所を教えてもらいました！！

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The Most Beautiful Place in Canada Part 2

Canada is a beautiful country. Nature is everywhere that you look. But when it comes to breathtaking scenery some places stand above the rest. One of these locations is a place called Tofino.

Tofino has a nickname in Canada. It’s known as “surfers paradise” and I believe it’s true. Tofino is a day’s drive from Victoria. The drive takes you through many small towns on Vancouver Island and through one of the oldest forests in the world.

When you arrive in Tofino you should be prepared for long beach days. There are too many fantastic beaches to list. In the town of Tofino you can rent surfboards, wetsuits, paddle boards and so much more. If it’s your first time surfing there’s no need to worry, the waves are calm and forgiving to first timers.

After surfing all day you’ll probably be hungry. The best place to get food in Tofino is a very famous food truck called Tacofino. They serve many different delicious foods but their signature dish is their fish tacos.

As the evening begins the best thing to do is buy some firewood at the local convenience store and head to the beach. Locals have beach bonfires and watch the sunset. Tofino is an incredible town and a perfect place to relax.

If you’re thinking about visiting Vancouver, planning an extra few days to visit Tofino is a must.

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Tofinoぜひ行ってみたいですね😍ゆっくりのんびりできそうな場所ですね🌟

Tofinoについてもっと知りたいなと思われた方はぜひ、Jayson先生に会いに来てください！

★★池袋の英会話スクールはNOVA池袋西口校★★
JR山手線、埼京線、湘南新宿ライン、東武鉄道、西武鉄道、東京メトロ
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ご説明会・無料体験レッスンのお申込みは…
NOVA池袋西口校　☎03-3985-5677

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😃

本日はイギリス出身の講師Joeに英語のEuphemisms（婉曲法）について教えてもらいました！

Euphemisms（婉曲法）は私たちも日本語で会話する中で自然と使っているものです。

聞き手が感じる不快感や困惑を少なくする目的で、あるいは話し手がそのような不都合やタブーへの抵触を避ける目的で用いられるものです。

婉曲表現を使うべきところで、知らずに直接的な表現を使ってしまい、「不作法・幼稚」などのネガティブな印象をもたれないよう、皆さまもぜひ参考になさてください🌟

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Using Euphemisms

Something the Japanese and English languages have in common is how we maintain positive social relationships through the words we choose to use. One of the more creative and fun ways we do this is by using euphemisms.

The word euphemism comes from the Greek word “euphemia”, which means “words of a good omen” – or, to put it more simply: using good words. A euphemism is a word or phrase that can make a difficult, unpleasant or potentially offensive topic sound more positive, polite or considerate of other people’s feelings.
A common example used in both Japanese and English is saying “I have to wash my hands” when we need to use the bathroom.
There are more English euphemisms than I can count for this exact situation – my personal favorite is: “nature calls”.
Sometimes euphemisms use idiomatic language, so are a great way to really advance your fluency in English.

Here are some other amusing or interesting examples and their explanations. Use them wisely, have fun, and be nice to one another!

“my friend has just embarked upon a journey of self-discovery” = my friend has just become unemployed.

“he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed” = he is stupid.

“he doesn’t suffer fools gladly” = he can be quite rude or unkind.

“I have to see a man about a dog” = I have to do something, but I do not want to tell you what that thing is.

“the food left a lot to be desired” = the food was pretty bad or unsatisfying.

“his work wasn’t quite up to scratch” =  his work wasn’t good enough.

“beat around the bush” = avoid answering a question directly.

“vertically-challenged” = short.

“interesting…” = boring. (This one is tricky to catch. But the intonation, extended pronounciation of any of the vowel sounds can indicate sarcasm, communicating that the person isn’t actually interested at all in what the other person is talking about)

“my cat went to the big litter tray in the sky” = my cat passed away. (“passed away” is also a very common, and very important, euphemism)

“you look very… healthy” = you have put on weight. (again, hard to spot – it is usually implied through a pause between “very” and “healthy”)

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婉曲表現ってとても大切だということがわかりましたね😆

直接的な言い方を控えるのは日本語だけでなく、英語にもたくさんあるのですね！

Joeが教えてくれたいくつかの例を皆様もぜひ使ってみてくださいね💙

★★池袋の英会話スクールはNOVA池袋西口校★★
JR山手線、埼京線、湘南新宿ライン、東武鉄道、西武鉄道、東京メトロ
池袋西口出てすぐ！
ご説明会・無料体験レッスンのお申込みは…
NOVA池袋西口校　☎03-3985-5677

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😆

本日はカナダ出身の講師Jaysonにカナダのオススメの場所を教えてもらいました🌟

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The Most Beautiful Place in Canada Part 1

Canada is a beautiful country. Nature is everywhere that you look. But when it comes to breathtaking scenery some places stand above the rest. One of these locations is a place called Lake Louise.

Lake Louise is tucked away in the Rocky Mountains just a short drive from Calgary. The drive from the town to the lake always excites me. The road turns and curves through a thick forest of old pine trees. The smell through the forest is clean and calming.

The lake is at the foot of 2 grand mountains and surrounded by a massive forest. In the summer time the water is an emerald green and is a perfect place to take photos. Summer is the busiest time to visit Lake Louise and because of that many people try to arrive by sunrise.

However, my favorite season to visit Lake Louise is in the middle of winter. The forest transforms into an incredible storybook scene. The snow sits perfectly on the branches of the trees and the lake freezes over turning from emerald to sapphire. Although it is much colder, I believe winter is the best time to visit Lake Louise.

If you ever visit Canada please think about visiting Lake Louise. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.

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カナダに旅行するならば夏！という印象がありましたが、カナダ出身のJayson先生のオススメは冬でした🤩

木の枝に積もった雪と湖の何とも言えない色のコントラストがとても美しいのでしょう。。

自然の美しいカナダのことをもっと知りたいという方は、ぜひJayson先生に色々聞いてみてくださいね💛

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JR山手線、埼京線、湘南新宿ライン、東武鉄道、西武鉄道、東京メトロ
池袋西口出てすぐ！
ご説明会・無料体験レッスンのお申込みは…
NOVA池袋西口校　☎03-3985-5677

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😊

本日はランス先生の作ったお弁当🍱をご紹介いたします💛

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What do you do for lunch? Do you pick something up from the convenience store? Or do you bring a bento box with you to work?
Recently, I have been making bento boxes to bring with me to work. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment when I create my bento and have my lunch for the next day already prepared.
When I was working in America I would usually just take a sandwich and a bag of potato chips to work with me.
But here in Japan, I’ve been trying really hard to diversify my lunch meals. In the past month I’ve cooked and prepared some pesto pasta, Mapo eggplant, tamagoyaki, yakisoba, pork with tare barbecue sauce, and fried fish.
Here are some pictures: What do you think? Do you think my bentos look good?

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ランス先生のお弁当いかがでしたか？

ランチにお弁当を持っていく方はぜひランス先生に、『こんなおかずもいいかも！』などアドバイスをしてあげてくださいね。

また、お弁当を作る方も作らない方も、ランス先生のお弁当がどうだったかレッスンでぜひ感想を聞かせてください🌟

★★池袋の英会話スクールはNOVA池袋西口校★★
JR山手線、埼京線、湘南新宿ライン、東武鉄道、西武鉄道、東京メトロ
池袋西口出てすぐ！
ご説明会・無料体験レッスンのお申込みは…
NOVA池袋西口校　☎03-3985-5677

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です🤩

本日は旅行が大好きな講師Jasonにニューヨークでのオススメの過ごし方を教えてもらいました💛

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Traveling is one of my hobbies. One of the most wonderful cities that I’ve been able to visit is New York.

NYC is a big and crazy city with so many things to do. If you spent a whole month touring New York you’d still want more time. Below is a list of my top 3 things to do.

1. Visit the top of the Rockefeller.
The view of New York from the top of this building is incredible. If you get the chance visit during sunset for some incredible photo opportunities. If you’re not interested in the Rockefeller there are many rooftop bars around the city that offer just as incredible views.

2. Spend a Day in Central Park.
This park is massive. There is so so much to do and so much to see its difficult to list everything. Central Park has food carts everywhere so you don’t even have to leave to grab a bite to eat.

3. Watch a Show on Broadway.
There is nothing more New York than Broadway. Any show you choose will be guaranteed to be a fun and fantastic time. If you’re worried about following the story, watching an already famous musical is a good idea. For example: Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, or even Frozen!

New York is a wonderful city with so many things to discover.
Please let me know if you’ve ever been there and your recommendations!

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ニューヨークに行ったことのない方は、状況が落ち着きましたら、ぜひJason先生のオススメの場所を訪れてみてください🌟

ニューヨークに行ったことのある方は、Jason先生にこんなオススメもあるよ～とレッスンで教えてあげてください😍

★★池袋の英会話スクールはNOVA池袋西口校★★
JR山手線、埼京線、湘南新宿ライン、東武鉄道、西武鉄道、東京メトロ
池袋西口出てすぐ！
ご説明会・無料体験レッスンのお申込みは…
NOVA池袋西口校　☎03-3985-5677

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😊

9月に入ったというのに、まだまだ暑い日が続きますね💦

本日はアメリカ出身の講師Michaelに暑い🥵日の過ごし方についてきいてみました！

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Aloha!
To cool down over the summer break, I went to eat shaved ice. However, this was the first time I ate plum and ginger flavored shaved ice. It was both sweet ad sour at the same time, which made for a very interesting combination.

The Hawaiian word for “delicious” is “ono.” So the next time you eat something delicious, you can say “That was ono!”

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暑い日にはかき氷🍧が食べたくなりますよね😆

皆さまも次回ハワイに行って美味しいものに出会ったら、“That was ono!”と言ってみてください😍

★★池袋の英会話スクールはNOVA池袋西口校★★
JR山手線、埼京線、湘南新宿ライン、東武鉄道、西武鉄道、東京メトロ
池袋西口出てすぐ！
ご説明会・無料体験レッスンのお申込みは…
NOVA池袋西口校　☎03-3985-5677