English Lesson: ~ Reminds Me Of ~ / ~ Takes Me Back To~

Today’s trip to the old neighborhood takes him back to his youth!

Do you feel nostalgic sometimes? Do people or things sometimes make you think about think about the past? Have you met someone who looks like or acts like another person you know? Here are two was you can express these situations in English:

Reminds Me Of

When something makes you think of something else, or a person makes you think of another person you know, you can use this pattern: [someone/something] reminds me of [someone/something]

  • This pasta reminds me of the pasta my grandmother used to make.
  • That song reminds me of my high school days.
  • The new salesman in my company reminds me of my cousin Joe.
  • Seeing the ocean from the hotel window reminds me of how much I love the sea.

Takes Me Back To

When something makes you think of a past time in your life, or gives you nostalgic feelings, you can use this pattern: [someone/something] takes me back to [point in time]

  • This pasta takes me back to my grandmother’s house when I was a child.
  • That song takes me back to the time I was in high school.
  • Jack said seeing that movie takes him back to when he first got married.
  • Seeing the ocean from the hotel window takes me back to my childhood. I used to always go to the beach with my grandfather.

What takes you back to your childhood? Why not leave a comment here and share your story!

How about studying English with Michael or Jackie? We are available for private English lessons in New York, and online via Skype. Also, check out Michael’s newest book & audio podcasts, 109 Phrasal Verbs

English Lesson: How to Use “The First Time”

She went there for the first time…and loved it!

When you want to talk about your first experience to do something, there are a few ways in English you can do that. The easiest and clearest way is to use “for the first time” at the end of your sentence. This pattern works for the present, past, and future, and you don’t need to change the pattern when the tense changes:

  • Present tense: Jack is working here in the USA for the first time.
  • Past tense: I ate pizza in New York today for the first time.
  • Future tense: I am going to Peru next month for the first time.

You can also use the following pattern: [subject] + be + the first time + sentence. Usually the [subject] is a time word, like today or now, or a pronoun like this or that. This pattern also works for the present, past, and future, but you do need to change the pattern when the tense changes, so be careful!:

  • Present tense: This is the first time Jack is working here in the USA.
  • Past tense: Today was the first time I ate pizza in New York
  • Future tense: Next month is going to be the first time I am going to Peru.

When was the first time you found Happy English? Feel free to leave a comment below!

How about studying English with Michael or Jackie? We are available for private English lessons in New York, and online via Skype. Also, check out Michael’s newest book & audio podcasts, 109 Phrasal Verbs

English Lesson: Talking about your job & work

What do you do? I'm a sales manager for an insurance company.

Let’s talk about work today. Here is a conversation I have had quite often:

Michael: Hi. I’m Michael. Nice to meet you.

Thom: Hi Michael. I’m Thom. It’s nice to meet you too.

Michael: So Thom, what do you do?

Thom: I’m an office worker.

Michael: I see, but what do you do?

Thom: I’m a businessman.

Michael: Right, but what do you do?

Thom: I’m a company employee.

Michael: ???????

When you are having an English conversation, and someone asks you about your job, you should tell them exactly what your job is. Usually, this is your job title:

  • What do you do? → I’m an English teacher
  • What do you do? → I’m a salesman
  • What do you do? → I’m a secretary
  • What do you do? → I’m an accountant.

We do not give general answers, like Thom did in the opening conversation. So answers like these are strange in English because they don’t tell us about you. These answers are not unique:

  • I’m a businessman → Lots of people are businessmen and businesswomen.
  • I’m an office worker → Look around your city. Many people are office workers.
  • I’m a company worker → Unless you own your own business, you work for a company

By the way, the words “salaryman” and “office lady” are not used in English.

You can also answer by describing your job, if you job doesn’t have a clear title:

  • What do you do?  → I work for a real estate company in the accounting office
  • What do you do?  → I work for a graphic design company, in the marketing office.

Let’s have a look at an improved version of the opening conversation:

Michael: Hi. I’m Michael. Nice to meet you.

Thom: Hi Michael. I’m Thom. It’s nice to meet you too.

Michael: So Thom, what do you do?

Thom: I’m a sales manager for an advertising firm in Chicago.

Here, Thom’s reply is perfect. We know exactly what he does. What do you do? Leave a comment below and let us know!

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English Lesson: If Conditionals & Superstitions

Today is Friday the 13th. There is a superstition that says Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. This is because the number 13 is considered to be an unlucky number in Western culture, and Friday is said to be an unlucky day. So if Friday and 13 happen together, it will be bad luck. Do you think so? There are a lot of other superstitions. For example, if you break a mirror, you will have seven years of bad luck. Do you think so? Let’s look at some of these superstitions today!

We use if in a conditional sentence to talk about things that always happen. Do you know how to use this grammar? Take a look at the paragraph above and then check today’s lesson.

In this sentence there are two clauses. The clause with if contains a present verb, and the second clause contains will plus a present verb.

  • If the temperature falls below 0°C, water will freeze.

So the structure is:  If + present verb, will + present verb.

Some grammar books call this the first conditional. We use this grammar to talk about general truths about the future. A superstition is a general truth or belief that is based on fear or misunderstanding, rather than facts or knowledge. Thus, many superstations can be written and said using this grammar: 

  • If you break a mirror, you will have seven years of bad luck.
  • If you make a wish when you see a shooting star, it will come true.
  • If you put salt on the doorstep of a house, it will keep evil away.
  • If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of fall,  you will not catch a cold all winter.
  • If you blow out the all of the candles on your birthday cake in one breath, your wish will come true.
  • If you carry a rabbit’s foot in your pocket, it will bring luck and protect you from bad spirits.
  • If you open an umbrella in the house, you’ll have bad luck

You can also put the if clause at the end of the sentence:

  • You will have bad luck if you walk under a ladder.
  • You will stay healthy if you eat an apple every day. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
  • When we wish for something good, you will get it if you knock on wood.
  • You will have bad luck if you kill a ladybug.
  • You will have good luck if you find a four-leafed clover.
  • You will have bad luck if a black cat crosses your path.

Do you have similar superstitions in your country? If so what are they? If not, what do you think of these?