Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English. Are you familiar with the expression "something holds water"? To hold water literally means to contain water without leaking. But it's also used figuratively as an idiom. Collins Dictionary explains, for example, if an argument or theory does not hold water, it does not seem to be reasonable. In other words, if something doesn't hold water, it's not convincing; it doesn't seem to be true, or it doesn't make sense. Let's say, you've got late and you tell me why. I don't buy it. I'm not convinced. In other words, your excuse doesn't hold water with me. Now, you might want to note that "hold water" is more likely used in a negative sentence than in a positive one. So, it may be more helpful to learn it as "not hold water" rather than "hold water". Now. Would you like to try a quiz? I'll give you three options. Please listen carefully and choose the one that is correct. Ready? If something doesn't hold water; 1. it makes no sense. 2. it's convincing. 3. it sounds true.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English. Last week, I talked about synonyms. Today, we're going to look at antonyms. Antonyms are the opposite of synonyms. If two words are antonyms, they have opposite meaning. For example, the opposite of HOT is COLD. The words "hot" and "cold" are antonyms. Likewise, "happy" and "sad" are antonyms. "Fantasy" and "reality" are antonyms. Now, you can often form antonyms by adding a prefix to a word, such as "un", "in", and "dis". For example, "agree" and "disagree", "connect" and "disconnect"; "formal" and "informal", "efficient" and "inefficient"; "able" and "unable", or "user-friendly" and "user-unfriendly". When you learn a word, learning its synonyms and antonyms together is a great way to improve your vocabulary. Now. Would you like to try a quiz? I'll give you three pairs of words. Please listen carefully and choose the correct pair of antonyms. Ready? 1. effective and uneffective 2. honest and dishonest 3. important and disimportant

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English. Last time, I talked about WHY and HOW COME. They mean the same thing. In other words, they are synonymous. If two words are synonyms, they have the same meaning or similar meanings. For example, the words "pretty" and "beautiful" have similar meanings. They are synonyms. The words "huge" and "enormous" have similar meanings. They are synonyms. Some synonyms are interchangeable. For example, it's hard to understand and it's difficult to understand. In this case, "hard" and "difficult" are completely interchangeable. There are some words, though, that are synonymous but different in the degree. For example, if you say you're "starving", you sound like you're "very hungry". If you say you're "exhausted", you sound like you're "very tired". Hungry and starving are synonymous but different in the degree, and so are tired and exhausted. Now. Would you like to try a quiz? I'll give you three pairs of words. Please listen carefully and choose the pair of synonyms. Ready? 1. exhausted and starving 2. enormous and exhausted 3. tired and exhausted

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English. Some people use "how come" to mean "why". "How come" is another way to say "why". In other words, when you want to know the reason for something, instead of saying "why", you can use "how come". Are there any differences? In terms of meaning they mean the same thing. It's just that "how come" is more informal. So, if you're writing, you may want to use "why". But if you're speaking, you can use both. That said, perhaps, you want to be careful when you make a sentence. Let's compare two questions, one using "why" and the other "how come". Why are you here? How come you are here? Why didn't you tell me? How come you didn't tell me? As you can see, how come is followed directly by a subject and a verb in that order. Now. Would you like to try a quiz? You'll be given three options. Please listen carefully and choose the one that is NOT true. Ready? 1. How come is another way to say "why". 2. How come is more formal than "why". 3. How come is followed by a subject and then a verb.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English. Last week, I used the word "symptom". I want to talk a little more about this word today. So, what is a symptom? A symptom is a sign that you have an illness. For example, if you sneeze a lot, your nose is runny, or your eyes are itchy, it's likely that you have hay fever. These are common symptoms of hay fever. Likewise, a cough is a symptom of a cold, and a toothache is a symptom of a cavity. Now, it's been a year since the pandemic first hit us, and now we know much more about COVID-19 than a year ago, including its symptoms. We know now that COVID-19 typically produces a range of flu-like symptoms, such as a cough and fatigue, but it can also cause a loss of taste or a reduced sense of smell. Now. Would you like to try a quiz? You'll be given three options. Please listen carefully and choose the one that is NOT true. Ready? 1. A cough is a symptom of a cold. 2. A toothache is a symptom of a cavity. 3. COVID-19 is a symptom of the flu.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English. Spring is coming, and so is the pollen. I'm already suffering from hay fever. Do you know what hay fever is? Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. Pollen is a fine power from trees and grasses. When you have hay fever, you typically have a runny nose or stuffy nose, or red eyes or itchy eyes. Other common symptoms include sneezing, sore throat, headache or fatigue. It can be difficult to tell the difference between a cold and hay fever. Personally, my nose gets itchy like crazy. I've got to fight the urge to stick my finger in my nose. I don't want to do that, especially in the presence of others. Anyhow, would you like to try a quiz? I'll give you three options, please listen carefully and choose the one that is TRUE. Ready? Hay fever is: 1. something that you'll have when you have a cold. 2. caused by an allergy to the pollen. 3. another name for a cold.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English. A recent post by Business Insider, which is one of my favorite business publications, talks about how Japan has been dealing with the pandemic. The title of the post says "Japan avoided a lockdown by telling everyone to steer clear of the 3 C's”. Instead of a complete shutdown, Japan has been taking a 3C's approach to tackling the COVID-19. Unlike in Paris, London, New York and many other cities around the world, in Japan, we were never forced to stay home, even when the state of emergency was declared. Instead, we've been asked to do so, and encouraged to avoid "confined” spaces with poor ventilation, "crowded” conditions, and "close” contact with people. Now, I'm sure you can imagine how these three words are translated into Japanese, as they are critically important to prevent coronavirus infection. Anyhow, I'll ask Kaori to share the link to the page on our website. So, take a look if you're interested. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-japan-tackled-coronavirus-without-a-lockdown-2020-5 In the meantime, why don't you try a quiz? Please listen carefully and choose the one that is TRUE. Ready? With the 3C's approach, you are encouraged: 1. to speak closely to each other. 2. to travel in a crowded train. 3. to avoid a crowded room with little ventilation.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English. Today, I'd like to talk about the word "stuck” because it's timely and relevant to all of us, for right now everyone is stuck at home because of the covid-19. When you're stuck, you're unable to move from where you are. And when you say you're stuck, the implication is that you are somewhere you don't want to be. Normally, you don't get stuck in a wonderful place. The nationwide state of emergency was first declared on April 7 and now extended until the end of May. You're expected to STAY HOME unless you're one of those essential workers. However, if you are staying home not by choice, then you feel like you're stuck at home. Now, would you like to practice together? Please repeat after me: We are stuck at home.