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.
e.g.) He shows no respect for others whatsoever.
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'.
e.g.) They don't anticipate any troubles in this project but in my opinion it's very unlikely.
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?
e.g.) The kitchen is always in a mess after you use it.
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.
e.g.) You might be able to cope with the issue, but it will be a bit tricky.
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.
e.g.) I can't manage all this work on my own.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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