English Lesson: Talking About the Parts of the Day

I always walk Happy in the morning. She loves to get up early and go for a walk. She is pretty active during the day, but I think she sometimes takes a nap in the afternoons. When I get home in the evening she always greets me at the door with her tail wagging! Pretty cute. She is quiet at night, and usually goes to bed around 9 or 10pm. Sometimes she stays up until midnight, but she is usually asleep in the middle of the night. Me too!

Today let’s have a look at the vocabulary and expressions we use to talk about the different parts of the day. Do you know these words?  Have a look at the paragraph above and then check today’s lesson:

I like to think that day is the period from when the sun comes up until the sun goes down. Night is from sunset to sunrise.  Of course, in the winter time the days are shorter and the nights are longer.

When we talk about the parts of a day, we do it this way. Notice the prepositions! For the morning, the afternoon, and the evening we use in. For night, we use at:

  • I always walk Happy in the morning.
  • She sometimes takes a nap in the afternoons
  • When I get home in the evening she always greets me at the door
  • She is quiet at night

In English, midnight is exactly 12:00am (0:00), just as noon is exactly 12:00pm. The period of time between about 12:00am and 3:00am is called “in the middle of the night,” like this:

  • Jack always takes his lunch break at noon.
  • Sometimes she stays up until midnight.
  • I woke up because I heard a noise in the middle of the night.

What time do you usually wake up? Do you stay up past midnight sometimes?

English Vocabulary Lesson: Job, Work, & Business

A friend of mine is looking for a job. He used to work for a bank, but he lost his job when a new company bought the bank and downsized the office. Working in the finance industry seems like interesting work, but I heard it is hard to find a secure job. There are a lot of entry level jobs in the banking business, but not many people seem to work for the same company for a very long time. I guess that’s how business is these days.

These three words, job, work, and business are similar, but we use them differently. Do you know how to use them?  Have a look at the paragraph above and then check today’s lesson:  

Job is a countable noun and there are a few ways you can use job:

  • A job is a task that one does:
    • You did a nice job on the ABC project.
    • I have several important jobs to do this week in the office.
  • A job is also paid position for doing regular work:
    • Jack has a job in a bank.
    • Tommy has an interesting job in international marketing.
  • Here are some typical questions we ask using job:
    • How’s your new job?
    • Do you think Tom did a good job on his presentation?

If you want to know someone’s job, you can ask, “What do you do?”

Work is a verb, but it is also a non-countable noun. Here are a few ways you can use work:

  • Work is an activity requiring mental or physical activity
    • You did nice work on the ABC project.
    • I have a lot of work to do this week in the office.

    · Work is also the place or industry where one is employed

    • I have to go to work early tomorrow.
    • International marketing is interesting work that involves a lot of travel.
  • Here are some typical questions we ask using work:
    • What kind of work do you do?
    • You put a lot of work into that presentation, didn’t you?

Business is a noun and can have a countable or non-countable use:

  • As a countable noun, business means the industry where one is employed
    • Ted has worked in the insurance business all his life.
    • The real estate business took a nosedive a few years ago.
  • When we talk about the commerce in general, business is a non-countable collective noun:
    • Business is not so good these days because of the economy.
    • This new marketing campaign should help us drum up business
  • Typical questions using business
    • What line of business are you in?
    • Do you think Tom enjoys the education business?
    • How’s business?

 So what do you do? Do you like your job? Is it hard work? Is it an interesting business to be in?

 

English Lesson: Two Coffees, Please!

I was in a diner the other day with my friend Ken. After lunch the waiter asked if we wanted anything else, and we had the following conversation:

Waiter: Can I get you something else?
Michael: Yeah, can we have two coffees please?
Waiter: Sure thing.
Ken: Oh, and can we have two waters as well?
Waiter: Yes, of course

As you know, English has two kinds of nouns, countable and non-countable. Countable nouns are things we can count, such as pens, dogs, iPads, etc. Countable nouns have a plural form → 1 pen, 2 pens. 1 dog, 5 dogs. 　

Non-countable nouns are things we cannot count. Some examples are liquids, like water and coffee, furniture, and luggage. Remember, non-countable nouns do not have a plural form.

There is an exception to this rule. Have a look at the conversation above once more and then check the rest of the lesson:

Normally, coffee and water are not countable. When we want to count liquids, we count based on the container:

  • Can I have two cups of coffee.
  • I drank five bottles of water today.

There is once exception to this rule. When you are in a restaurant, coffee shop, etc., you can order drinks without the container as in the conversation above:

  • Can we have two coffees please? “Two coffees” means two cups of coffee.
  • Can we have two waters as well? “Two waters” means two glasses of water.

This way of speaking is used when you are ordering and talking to the waiter, waitress, or staff at a café, etc. The next time you are out to eat, why not try using these sentences. Thanks for studying with me today.

English Lesson: Taste Vs Flavor

I love to try different kinds of food. One of the more interesting things I like is Thai green curry. Have you ever had that? It tastes so delicious! It has a unique flavor, which is a combination of coconut milk and curry spices. It is flavored with a number of spices and seasonings. I like the taste of the coconut milk too. This curry has both a spicy and a mild flavor at the same time. It is a very flavorful dish. If you like the taste of spicy food, you’ll like Thai green curry.

Today we are going to look at two words that are often confused – taste and flavor. Do you know how to use these words? Have a look at the paragraph above and then check today’s lesson:

We use the noun form of taste to talk about food, and usually we use taste when we talk about one type of food, as opposed to a dish.

  • Too much salt will ruin the taste of that steak.
  • I like the taste of that ice cream.
  • Koji likes hot dogs, both the taste and the texture.

We also use the noun for of taste in a similar way. But flavor refers to your reaction to the ingredients in prepared food. For this reason, it is more common to use flavor than taste when we talk about a dishes or other prepared food.

  • This curry has a unique flavor.
  • I don’t like the flavor of that hot dog. It is too spicy.
  • The flavor of this pizza is just amazing.

Taste and flavor also have a verb form. The verb form relates to the sense of taste we have in our mouth

  • Thai curry tastes delicious.
  • Chocolate and potato chips taste great together.
  • Does this soup taste ok to you? I think it may need more salt.

Flavor also a verb form. The verb form of flavor means “to season.” For example:

  • The chef flavors the soup with salt and bay leaves.
  • My mom flavors her pasta sauce with garlic.

Flavor is also used when we talk about the different kinds of the same kind of food. For example:

  • Which ice cream flavor do you like, chocolate of vanilla?
  • Fanta comes in several flavors, including cherry, orange, and grape.

Well, now I’m hungry! I hope you are too. Thanks for studying today!