Words
whatsoever | 1st Feb 2005 |
One of the important things to make yourself understood exactly as you
are is to make sure the level of your feeling which means if you are a
bit angry or really angry and so on. When you are really angry, you do
not necessarily shout or yell but you have to emphasise your feeling by
adding some phrases. This word can be used in the same way as 'not at all'
i.e. emphasis of a negative sentence. |
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e.g.) He shows no respect for others whatsoever. | |
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anticipate | 19th Jan 2005 |
I've shown some basic and useful words so far. In a daily conversation,
people don't use so many words as Japanese are compelled to study in secondary
school. However, a bit more formal talk like a discussion in a company's
meeting requires higher level in terms of vocabulary. You don't have to
use them but understand them. 'Anticipate' is a such word, means almost
the same as 'expect'. |
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e.g.) They don't anticipate any troubles in this project but in my opinion it's very unlikely. | |
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mess | 7th Jan 2005 |
My desk is always in a mess... It describes the untidy condition. Rather
informal but people often use it. The adjective is 'messy'. Basically it
indicates a negative sense and could be offensive if you use this word
for others. It's not very bad for non-native speakers to make use of such
kind of informal words, but we have to be careful as it may sound too strong.
You're suprised if a foreigner swears in your language, aren't you? |
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e.g.) The kitchen is always in a mess after you use it. | |
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tricky | 14th Dec 2004 |
This is a well-known word in Japanese as unusual but effective way to do
something. It is not really wrong, but it also has another meaning that
is almost same as difficult. Especially, if you need extraordinary skill
to deal with a problem, it is tricky. |
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e.g.) You might be able to cope with the issue, but it will be a bit tricky. | |
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manage | 11th Nov 2004 |
In Japanese, we seem to say the same word for 'can', 'able to', 'manage'.
The differences are basically can - possibility, able to - ability, manage - success Mind you, it is possible 'can' express ability but 'able to' is not likely to be 'possibility'. Then, we know well about 'can' and 'able to' but 'manage'. It may sound a bit formal but people seem to say 'manage' so often especially when they finish a sort of missions or tasks successfully. In a example below, it may be better not to use 'able to' becuase it could deny your ability. |
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e.g.) I can't manage all this work on my own. | |
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rather | 25th Oct 2004 |
This is a very common word, but can you use it well? The difficulty is 'rather' has a couple of senses; for instance, it can be 'a little', but possibly 'very' so you have to be careful about the context before and after the word. It's also possible to express 'more exactly' and a phrase 'would rather' is often used to show your preference. | |
e.g.) The man was bald and rather thin. | |
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casual | 21st Oct 2004 |
I'd known just one meaning of 'casual' before I came across this word in a certainly odd context. This is a common English word in Japanese as 'informal'. However, there're another meanings; temporary, not serious, not caring, or so. Its adverb, 'casually' is also useful word to express 'not main' stuff. You also have to understand a confusing word 'casualty' which means a injured person and an emergency room in hospital. | |
e.g.) We have to consider about casual labors under the circumstances. | |
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across | 12th Oct 2004 |
'I walked across the road.' I think this is everything about 'across' for Japanese. You may not know another meaning of 'across' which is almost the same as 'all over'. If you want to express some whole area, you can use this. | |
e.g.) The infectious disease spread rapidly across the country. | |
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another | 6th Oct 2004 |
People often ask me, 'How long here for?' I'm confused if they're asking the period I have been or that in the future. Anyway, I always answer both of them, 'Two months so far, and six months more'. However, I realised 'Another six months' was probably better expression. I think 'another' is one of the difficult words for Japanese to use well because 'other' in 'another' mixes us up. Although there's a meaning as 'additional', we tend to consider the meaning 'different' too much. | |
e.g.) You can take another one shirt if you buy one. | |
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absolutely | 5th Oct 2004 |
This is a good example that most of the Japanese may not know how common this adverb is as long as they're in classroom. British people quite often use this word when they emphasize their feelings or so. You can't use 'very' for strong adjective, such as 'wonderful', 'amazing, anyway. | |
e.g.) I went to the restaurant and the foods were absolutely superb. |
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