Answer these questions and let's discuss your answers in class.

Christmas and New Year's Holidays 2006/2007


1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?


2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?


3. Colored lights on the tree/house or white ones?


4. Do you hang mistletoe?


5. When do you put your decorations up?


6. What is your favorite holiday dish?


7. Favorite holiday memory as a child:


8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?


9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?


10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?


11. Snow! Love it or dread it?


12. Can you ice skate?


13. Do you remember your favorite gift?


14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?


15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?


16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?


17. What tops your tree?


18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?


19. What is your favorite Christmas song?



20. Candy canes! Yuck or Yum?

---

Sample answers here:

A Work in Progress

http://danitorres.typepad.com/workinprogress/2006/12/christmas_meme.html

Pages Turned

http://pagesturned.blogspot.com/2006/12/christmas-meme.html

Dance of the Dragonfly

http://dragonflylight.blogspot.com/

Spell It Out

Spell out numbers one through nine.

I have five brothers and three sisters.
I bought two pizzas.
Only nine people came to the meeting.

Use numerals for numbers 10 and above.

I have 10 cousins.
I bought a package of 30 paper cups.
More than 30,000 people went to the concert.

Spell out numbers that start a sentence.

Nineteen niney-nine was a good year.
Two students were caught shoplifting.
Ten thousand people were hurt in the earthquake.

• (I'll add more to this list as time goes on.)

References:

• US
• The Chicago Manual of Style by University of Chicago Press Staff
  

• Japan
• The Chicago Manual of Style by University of Chicago Press Staff
  

• United States Government Printing Office Style Manual 2000, Chapter 12. Numberals, Section 12.4.
• USGPO Style Manual
  

Audience -vs- Spectator

What is the difference between "audience" and "spectator"? Well, what do some dictionaries say?

• The spectators or listeners assembled at a performance, for example, or attracted by a radio or television program.
• Group of people assembled in a studio, theater, or auditorium to witness a presentation or performance.
• The body of persons who admire a public personality, especially an entertainer.

Now, let's take a look at spectator.

• An observer of an event.
• Someone who observes.
• A person who watches without taking part.

Basically, an audience is a group of spectators. So how do professional writers use the words in the real world? How are the words used differently? In what situations would a writer use the word audience or the word spectator? Let's take a quick look at some news sites.

• The finalist of the Great India Laughter Challenge Pratap Singh Faujdar kept the audience laughing with his humour and satire. (Hindustan Times)
• "She knows exactly what she wants and what her target audience is expecting from her . . ." (Reuters/Billboard)
• The movie is aimed at the 18-to-34-year-old audience that McDonald's treasures. (NewsBusters)

• The spectator fleet was larger than usual at Hahn Premium Race Week today with eight humpback whales enjoying the racing...(Sail World, Australia)
• A San Diego man was ordered Thursday to stand trial on charges that he murdered a fellow cockfight spectator in Good Hope last April. (CBS 2, CA)
• Tiger Woods closed in on his second straight victory Saturday with a fan's assist when his tee shot on 18 richoteted off the spectator's hand into the fairway. (Chicago Tribune, United States)

Based on this very small sample, it seems that an audience typically is seen at a theater, stage, studio, concert, etc. It seems that spectators are more typically found at sports events or other competitive events. So, what do you think? Japanese/English dictionaries are not so helpful in this situation because Japanese use basically the same word (and you don't have to worry about singular/plural nouns either).

Regardless, here are some samples from some Japanese dictionaries. I have also made some short dialogs showing usage. Any comments or ideas to share? Let me know in class!

Audience (at a theatre, a cinema, watching TV, etc.): 観衆, 観客, お客さん, 聴衆, 読者, 視聴者

A: How was the movie?
B: Well, the movie was fine. But some moron in the audience kept talking on his cell phone and ruined it for the rest of the audience.

• ruined it: 破壊する、ぶち壊す、?に壊滅的なダメージを与える、破産させる、台無しにする
• moron: ばか者、あほ、間抜け

Spectator (at a concert, soccer match, boxing match, etc.): 観客、見物人、傍聴人、支持者、サポーター

A: Did you watch the fight last night?
B: Yeah! It was great! Yoshida got a knockout in the third round!
A: Really? That must have been exciting.
B: Yes. He jumped out of the ring into the crowd and the spectators carried him around on their shoulders. It was really cool!

Bibliography:

• audience. Answers.com. The American Heritage? Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://www.answers.com/topic/audience, accessed September 02, 2006.
• audience. Answers.com. Dictionary of Marketing Terms, Barron's Educational Series, Inc, 2000. http://www.answers.com/topic/audience, accessed September 02, 2006.
• audience. Answers.com. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. http://www.answers.com/topic/audience, accessed September 02, 2006.
• spectator. Answers.com. The American Heritage? Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://www.answers.com/topic/spectator, accessed September 02, 2006.
• spectator. Answers.com. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. http://www.answers.com/topic/spectator, accessed September 02, 2006.
• spectator. Answers.com. eSpindle Learning, eSpindle, 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/spectator, accessed September 02, 2006.

----------------
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What do Most People do on ...

Here are some topics that came up in today's classes.

---

A: What do most people eat on Thanksgiving Day?
B: Most people eat turkey (on Thanksgiving Day).

• Thanksgiving Day: 感謝祭、サンクス・ギヴィング・デー◆多くの店が休業する米国の祝日。11月の第4木曜日。この日前後からクリスマス明けの新年早々まで、米国はお祭ムードに包まれ、さまざまな催しやバーゲンなどが開催される。1年のうちで、もっとも太りやすい期間とも言われている。

---

A: What do most Japanese eat on New Year's Day?
B: Most Japanese eat special traditional Japanese New Year's cuisine, which consists of sea bream, herring roe, and sea tangle rolls.

• おせち料理: foods prepared for New Year's; special dishes served for the first three days of the New Year; traditional Japanese New Year's cuisine; sea bream (鯛), herring roe (数の子), sea tangle roll (昆布巻き)

---

A: What do most people do on Christmas Day?
B: Most people spend time with thier loved ones sharing Christmas gifts and enjoying a nice dinner with each other.

• loved ones: 最愛の人、恋人、(お葬式の場合：故人、亡くなった家族の者)

---

Can you think of other situations where you can use "What do most people do on..."?

See you in class!

Bibliography:

---

アンミ英会話教室
tel 045-841-4218
fax 045-841-4288
cell 070-5084-9592/080-1261-5332
support@anmi-eikaiwa.com
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〒234-0053神奈川県横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3パークサイド日野102号室

How Do You Know?

We made some examples of how to ask "How do you know?" in Y.T.'s class today. I hope this will be helpfu to some of our other students as well.

A: How old is Amanda?
B: She is five years old.
A: How do you know? (どうして知っているの?)
B: There are five birthday candles on her birthday cake.

A: Where is David from?
B: He's from Ireland.
A: Really? How do you know?　(どうして知っているの?)
B: I heard from his wife.

A: Do you know Mrs. Jones?
B: Yes, I do. She works for an NPO.
A: Oh, I didn't know that. How do you know?　(どうして知っているの?)
B: She told me herself.

Can you think of some other examples? Tell me in class!

---------------------
アンミ英会話教室
tel 045-841-4218
fax 045-841-4288
cell 070-5084-9592/080-1261-5332
support@anmi-eikaiwa.com
Ｐ.Ｃ.サイト： http://www.anmi-eikaiwa.com/
 〒234-0053神奈川県横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3パークサイド日野102号室

Look, See, and Watch

A common question among anmi-eikaiwa students these days is, "What is the difference between the words: look, see, and watch?

First, lets read what the American Heritage dictionary says:

Look: To employ one's sight, especially in a given direction or on a given object: looking out the window; looked at the floor. American Heritage Dictionary

See: To perceive with the eye. American Heritage Dictionary

Watch: To look at steadily; observe carefully or continuously: watch a parade. American Heritage Dictionary

How about some Japanese definitions?

Look:　見る。例：look at a picture 絵を見る 《英辞郎 第二版》

See: 見る。例:　see text on-screen 画面上でテキストを見る　《ビジネス技術 実用英語大辞典 英和・和英/用例・文例 第4版 》

Watch: じっと[注意深く]見ている。例：watch TV [music videos] テレビ[音楽ビデオ]を観る　《ビジネス技術 実用英語大辞典 英和・和英/用例・文例 第4版 》

If we look at the Japanese definitions, both "see" and "look" appear to be the same. I think watch is a little bit easier to understand for English students.

More details:

Look: The word "look" is used when you intended to look at something. (見ようとする・目を向ける)
Here are some more examples:
- What are you looking at? 何を見ているのですか？
- I looked outside but saw nobody. 外を見たが誰もいなかった。
- Look at the picture on the wall. 壁に掛かっている絵を御覧なさい。

See: The word "see" is used when you didn't intend to see something, but you saw it. (見る･見える)
Here are some more examples:
- I saw a certain politician go into that store. 私はある政治家がその店に入るのを見た。
- You can see Mt. Fuji from here. ここから富士山が見えますよ。

Watch: The word "watch" is used when intended to watch something and kept watching (usually because it is moving). (見る･じっと見る)
Here are some more examples:
- I watch television every evening. 毎晩テレビを見ます。
- Watch how I do it.　私のやり方を見ていなさい。
- I don't play soccer, but I like to watch.　私はサッカーはしませんが、見るのは好きです。

Can you visualize the differences in these sentences?

1. I looked at a bird that was hopping in my backyard.
-- (I was surprised to see the bird. I wondered what kind it was. I looked at the bird for a short time--maybe 3 or 4 seconds. I was happy to see it.)

2. I saw a bird that was hopping in my backyard.
--(I saw something hopping. I looked and saw a bird. I didn't care what kind it was. I looked at the bird for 1 second. I forgot about the bird later that day. I didn't care about the bird.)


3. I watched a bird that was hopping in my backyard.
-- (I saw something moving. I looked and saw a bird. I was happy to see such a beautiful bird. I wanted to know what kind of bird it was. I watched it hopping, eating, and singing to the other birds. I wanted to take a picture of the bird. I tried to feed the bird. I really love birds and want to see the bird again.)

---

Unfortunately, using "look" and "watch" can be confusing for English students. For example:

I saw a movie.
I watched a movie.

If you say, "I saw a movie," then I imagine you went to a theater and watched the movie and went home.

If you say, "I watched a movie," then I imagine you bought your ticket, some popcorn and a Coke, sat down in the theater, enjoyed watching the movie while enjoying your snacks. I imagine you laughed, were surprised, and maybe cried.

Can you understand this dialog?

A: How was your weekend?
B: It was great! I saw The Davinci Code.
A: Did you watch it by yourself?
B: No, I didn't. I watched it with my boyfriend. We loved the suspense and mystery of the movie! You should see it if you get a chance.
A: Really? OK. Maybe I'll rent the DVD and watch it at home with my wife.

---

Think of your own examples as ask me about then in class!  

NHK TV New Sensation Keyword English Converstation

I saw this program on NHK the other night. I thought that this program might be good for a lot of my students. If you are a beginner or intermediate level student, I think you will find this program helpful.

Here is some information from the NHK Web site.

ＮＨＫテレビ新感覚☆キーワードで英会話

英語表現に欠かせない基本単語を１日1語?２語とりあげ、「コア理論」というメソッドで単語の使い方を徹底攻略する革命的講座番組！

番組では「コアイメージ」というＣＧビジュアルで単語の意味を視覚で捉える。辞書にある様々な用例を覚えなくてもコアイメージで捉えるだけでその単語を使い切る力を身につけることが出来る。＜同じ「見る」でもlookとseeはどう違うのか。なぜof courseは「もちろん」という意味になるのか＞、といった身近な英語のナゾもこの講座を通じて解決できる。

動詞、形容詞、前置詞、名詞など、半年間でとりあげる単語は１５０語あまり。コアイメージでこれらの単語を捉えることで、あなたの英語がネイティブ感覚に近づく！ 

Podcasts at iTunes

I have updated our Links page at the www.anmi-eikaiwa.com Web site. I found a few podcasts that I think would be useful to anmi-eikaiwa students. If you have some questions about using iTunes, please ask me in class and I can help you out.

Before you click on the links to the podcasts, make sure you have iTunes on your computer. If you are still using Windows 98 and Windows ME (that means you Y-san, A-san, and M-san), then you will need to upgrade to Windows 2000 or XP (I suggest you buy a new computer with XP already installed).

Here is the link to Apple so that you can download iTunes:

http://www.apple.com/jp/itunes/download/

After you download and get iTunes up and running, visit our Links page to select some of these podcasts:

http://www.anmiweb.com/anmi-eikaiwa/links.html

See you in class!

Chip 

Different Than or Different From

CopyrightAdam Jones

I recently posted an answer to the following question at Purdue OWL News:

• My teacher marked off some of my grade because I wrote "Hip-hop is different than rap." He said it was supposed to be "different from," not "different than," but I still don't understand why. Is there really any difference? Or is he just being picky? --Anonymous

My response to this student was that his teacher was right. Let's look as some sentences to understand why.

1. Winter is colder than summer.
2. Japanese apples are more expensive than American apples.
3. John is faster than David.
4. Giving is better than taking.

In each of the above sentences we are comparing two things. Each sentence also includes a "comparitive adjective or adverb" (比較級=comparative degree)

- A is colder than B (cold + er = colder)
- A is/are more expensive than B (expensive + more = more expensive)
- A is faster than B (fast + er = faster)
- A is better than B (good → better → best)

So how about this sentence?

1. Hip-hop is different than rap.

The word different is an adjective, but it is NOT being used in the comparative degree. So, this sentence is wrong. We cannot say: "Hip-hop is different than rap."

For example, we cannot say the following:

1. Winter is cold than summer.
2. Japanese apples are expensive than American apples.
3. John is fast than David.
4. Giving is good than taking.

Regarding the student's question, he/she could have said this:

- Hip-hop is more different than rap.
- Hip-hop is less different than rap.

Unfortunately, the meaning changes in these examples. The student's teacher was right. The student must say:

- Hip-hop is different from rap.

The American Heritage Dictionary has the following to say:

n.

USAGE NOTE Different from and different than are both common in British and American English. The construction different to is chiefly British. Since the 18th century, language critics have singled out different than as incorrect, though it is well attested in the works of reputable writers. According to traditional guidelines, from is used when the comparison is between two persons or things: My book is different from (not than) yours. Different than is more acceptably used, particularly in American usage, where the object of comparison is expressed by a full clause: The campus is different than it was 20 years ago. Different from may be used with a clause if the clause starts with a conjunction and so functions as a noun: The campus is different from how it was 20 years ago. ? Sometimes people interpret a simple noun phrase following different than as elliptical for a clause, which allows for a subtle distinction in meaning between the two constructions. How different this seems from Paris suggests that the object of comparison is the city of Paris itself, whereas How different this seems than Paris suggests that the object of comparison is something like “the way things were in Paris” or “what happened in Paris.”

different. Answers.com. The American Heritage? Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://www.answers.com/topic/different, accessed June 26, 2006. 

The Code from the Town of Vinci

Who was Leonoardo da Vinci? As you may already know, he was a man with many talents:

• architect,
• musician,
• anatomist,
• inventor,
• engineer,
• sculptor,
• geometer,
• and painter.

Personally, I don't know much about Leonardo but one thing I have known for many years was that we call him Leonardo da Vinci, which means "Leonardo from the town of Vinci."

So, I was surprised when Dan Brown published his book titled "The Da Vinci Code," which actually means "The Code from the Town of Vinci." Huh? I wonder if most readers of his book even knew that nobody knows the last name (surname) of Leonardo. Well, for most Americans, if Mr. Brown had titled the book "The Leonardo Code," maybe many people would have ignored the book--Leonardo is a commom first name!

My concern is that anmi-eikaiwa students will see the movie and book title and assume that "da Vinci" is the correct English to use when discussing topics related to Leonardo.

So, if you are having a conversation with someone in English, should you use "da Vinci" or Leonardo? Well, if the other speaker uses "da Vinci," you might want to just play along and not say anything about the correct name. They may become offended or think your English is wrong (when in fact you are absolutely correct). If you use Leonardo there should be no problem since the conversation is about Leonardo da Vinci.

If you happen to be outside of the States, or are visiting with someone who is well educated or has a background in art (although Dan Brown studied art himself), you might want to avoid using "da Vinci" when referring to Leonardo.

Since we are on the topics of names, note the following English tips regarding names.

1. Use a first name with friends, family, and coworkers who prefer to go by their first name:

• Chip; David; Mary; Hanako; Howard; Leonardo

2. Use "Mr." and a last name with male superiors, teachers, father-in-laws, customers, officials, etc. Be sure to only use "Mr." with the last name or with a combination of the first name and the last name:

• Mr. Sorensen; Mr. Chip Sorensen; Mr. Grazzi; Mr. Leonardo Grazzi; Mr. Tanaka; Mr. Hiro Tanaka

Use "Ms." and a last name with female superiors, teachers, mother-in-laws, customers, officials, etc. Be sure to only use "Ms." with the last name or with a combination of the first name and the last name:

• Ms. Sorensen; Ms. Francis Sorensen; Ms. Davidson; Ms. Mary Davidson; Ms. Suzuki; Ms. Hanako Suzuki

Use "Mrs." only in cases where the woman has introduced herself as "Mrs. Something" as opposed to "Ms. Something." Some older women may also insist on the older and more formal usage of "Mrs." and the name of her husband.

• Mrs. George Bush; Mrs. Leonardo Grazzi; Mrs. Takeshi Koizumi

If you want to learn more about the secrets of names and proper usage, please visit your local bookstore and buy a copy of my latest book, "Da America Code." Oops! I mean "The Chip da America Code." 

Enter vs Start or Enter

Don Paulson (c) Webshots

Spring is right around the corner!

今日の問題です：

Many Japanese want to say "I entered junior high school," or "I entered that company."

Depending on the context, most non-Japanese may understand what is meant. For example:

1. When I entered junior high school, I joined the tennis club.
2. I will enter that company in April.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, enter is defined as:

1. To gain admission to (a school, for example).
2. To become a participant, member, or part of; join: too old to enter the army; entered the discussion at a crucial moment.

So, both of the sentences given above are correct. However, the word enter has other meanings as well. Most Japanese only think of the word as 入る as in 入学 or 入社.

The word enter in the context above could also mean when you physically entered the building (at school/work). When I first heard the phrases "entered school" or "enter that company," it was not immediatley clear to me that the speaker meant 入学 or 入社. After a split-second, I realized what the speaker actually meant.

I would probably only use the word enter to mean 加入する instead of just 入る. I would suggest to most Japanese speakers to say the above phrases as follows:

1. When I entered junior high school, I joined the tennis club.
→ When I started junior high school, I joined the tennis club.
→ I joined the tennis club in junior high school.
→ When I was in the 7th grade, I joined the tennis club.
→ I was a tennis club member from the 7th grade.

2. I will enter that company in April.
→ I will start work at that company in April.
→ I will start working there from April.
→ Starting in Apil, I will be a new employee at that company.
→ I will start working for that company in April.

As you can see from the examples above, using words like join or start convey only the meaning of when you started your career as an employee/student at a specific organization. There is no confusion whatsoever about when you entered the organization's building.

アンミ英会話教室
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神奈川県横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3パークサイド日野102号
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Cherry Blossoms are Blooming

今日の問題です：

• Cherry blossoms are blooming here and there, breeze is nicely blowing.

Good Points:

• ...here and there...
• あちこちに[で], あちらこちらに, そこかしこに, ここかしこに, そちこちに
• breeze
• そよ風
• 朝飯前[楽勝]にできること, ちょろいこと
• すいすいと進む, 楽々と手早くやってしまう 〈through〉

Check Points:

• "Subject" is/are "doing something" + "where", "new subject" is/are "doing something"

We cannot say:

• "Chip is running in the field, Sarah is studying."

You can say:

• "Chip is running in the field, and Sarah is studying."

So, today's sentence should read like this:

• Cherry blossoms are blooming here and there, and a breeze is nicely blowing.

But what about "breeze is nicely blowing"? Well this might be OK. For example, we can say "The clouds are slowly moving." But in the second example, we can visualize how slow the clouds are moving across the sky. But what about "nicely blowing"?

I probably wouldn't use "nicely" as an adverb--to modify an active verb like "blowing."
The word nicely is more commonly used to express these meanings:

• うまく, よく, 立派に, 見事に：
• The report was nicely done.
  
• 親切に, 気持ち良く：
• I got along nicely with my new boss!
  
• 正確に, 精密に, 厳重に, きちんと：
• All the parts of the model fit nicely together.

My suggestion to the writer is as follows:

• Cherry blossoms are blooming here and there, and a nice breeze is blowing.

Here, "a nice breeze is blowing" creates a very nice and good feeling. A nice breeze could be slightly cool or slightly warm depending on where you are or how warm or cold the day is. The point is that the breeze is nice--not how it is blowing.


アンミ英会話教室
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tel 045-841-4218
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Hyphenate

Can you tell where to put the hyphens in these sentences?

1. I have a so so memory these days. (まあまあの記憶力)
   
2. She was more determined to live her life than he was. (彼より真剣に生きていくつもり)
   
3. I tried to make a delicious sweet and sour pork dish. ( 酢豚)
   
4. I had a quite trying day.

Suggested answers:

Select with your mouse to see the answer.
Start here →　｜

1. _I have a so-so memory these days.
   
2. _OK (determined/more determined/most determined)
3. _I tried to make a delicious sweet-and-sour pork dish.
   
4. _OK (I had a very tough day)

Stop here →　｜

アンミ英会話教室
〒234-0053神奈川県横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3
パークサイド日野102号室

tel 045-841-4218
fax 045-841-4288
cell 070-5084-9592
http://www.anmi-eikaiwa.com/

Prepositions Related to Time

IN
Use in for nonspecific times during a day, a month, a season, or a year.

• Times of the day:　in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening (but, we say at night)
• I like to go jogging in the morning.
• I like to take a nap in the afternoon.
• Month: in May, in January, in March
• I will start looking for a job in May.
• The days are short in December.
• Season: in winter, in spring
• There is so much pollen in spring.
• The cherry blossoms will bloom in spring.
• Years: in 1978, in 2004
• More than 771,000 business travelers visited Australia in 2005.
• Jenkins came to Japan in 2004.
• Her album was released in 2004.

Other uses of in + a time

• Decade: in the twenties, in the '90s
• Future: in a few weeks, in a couple of days, in six hours
  

ABOUT

Use about the + date (for approximate dates):

• about the 25th of December

Use around the + date (for approximate dates):

• around the 25th of December

ON

• Days of week: on Friday, on Monday, on Sundays
• The expo begins on Friday.
• Calendar days: on New Year's Day, on Christmas Day
• I stayed home on New Year's Day.
  
• Use on + ordinal of the day: on October 22nd, on April the 19th
• I will see you on Tuesday the 6th.
• Weekend(s): on the weekend, on weekends
  

AT

• Precise time: at 7 o'clock, at 6:15, at six o'clock, at 10:30, at two p.m.
• My flight departs at 2:30 p.m.
• The movie will start at 8:00.
• Night: at night
• Specific places: at school, at Roppongi Hills, at Starbucks
• Weekend(s): at the weekend, at weekends (British English)
  

OF

• Use of in this structure: at + the + a particular time in a week/month/year
• Meet me at a quarter of four. (Meet me at 3:45)
• I felt sick at the end of the week.
• I will quit my new job at the start of July.
• I graduated in the fall of 2005.
• I studied ikebana from August through November of 2005.
  

(This post is an updated version of an earlier post.)

アンミ英会話教室
〒234-0053神奈川県横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3
パークサイド日野102号室

tel 045-841-4218
fax 045-841-4288
cell 070-5084-9592
http://www.anmi-eikaiwa.com/

Center Exam

The Japan Times Online

We heard a lot about the センター試験 in the news last week. So what is the so called "center exam" and why does it have such a strange name?

I Googled センター試験 and found the National Center for University Entrance Examinations Web site. After 20 years, I now know what "center exam" means. However, to non-Japanese, "center exam" sounds like a grammatical mistake, "Didn't you mean 'central exam'?" is the question I have asked before.

Interestingly enough, a writer at The Japan Times, had a well written article about the Center Exam. They wrote/translated センター試験 as "unified entrance exams for universities and colleges," which sounds a lot better than "center exam." Later in the article, they just referred to it as "national exam."

SPACE ALC's dictionary gives the following in-depth definitions:

• センター試験
• national center test for university
• preliminary university entrance examinations administered by the government
  

• 大学入試センター試験
• National Center Test for University Admissions
• test of the National Center for University Entrance Examination
• standardized preliminary examinations for university applicants
• national exam [examination] center's test for university admissions
  

• 大学入試センター試験
• University Testing Center Examination (UTCE)
  

So, the next time I want to ask a friend or student about the "center exam," I'll probably use "unified national entrance exam." How about you? Which phrase will you use?

アンミ英会話教室
〒234-0053神奈川県横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3
パークサイド日野102号室

tel 045-841-4218
fax 045-841-4288
cell 070-5084-9592
http://www.anmi-eikaiwa.com/

IC Recorder by Sony ICD-MX50

After ordering the ICD-MX50, it arrived in about 4 days. Although my Japanese reading skills are pretty rusty, I was able to install the software onto my computer quite easily. I started using the recorder right away without reading the owners manual. The user interface uses some simple icons that make it easy to understand what functions are available even if you can't read the kanji. For example, the icon of a folder means "folder" the icon of a trash can means "trash."

I have been using the ICD-MX50 for about a month now in all my classes. I record the main dialog practice of each class and later listen to our dialog and transcribe an edited/corrected version of that dialog into the student's homework/notes, and then send that dialog to them to review before the next class.

The ICD-MX50 comes with an AC adapter, so in the classroom, I plug the adapter into the ICD-MX50 and record the class dialog. Then, I hook up the USB to the ICD-MX50 and computer, and transfer the voice file from the recorder into a folder on my computer. Since I am on a LAN, I simply open a copy of the voice file from the office computer (not the classroom computer), which has good speakers.

From that computer, I listen to the dialog and transcribe/edit the dialog into Microsoft Word. Although the recorder comes with a battery, I have yet to use the battery since my setup allows me to use the AC adapter most of the time.

The ICD-MX50 has a "hold" switch on the back which disables all of the buttons and switches on the sides and front so that you don't accidently record something when it is in your bag. It also comes with a soft case, which I strongly recommend using. The display panel scratches fairly easy and I already have a small scratch on it (I cried!).

Sony's interface program for the voice file on your computer is also very good. You can control the speed and volume of your playback. This is good for when I want to match the playback speed to my typing speed so that I don't have to keep "rewinding." The computer interface can be operated both by mouse or your keyboard. I tend to use the the keyboard more than the mouse so that I don't have to keep moving my hand back and forth.

The ICD-MX50 comes with many more functions that I don't fully understand, but doubt I might use them. For my purposes, this slightly expensive gadget has been well worth the investment. I have noticed some things I do in classes that I now want to change. I hope my students benefit from having such feedback in addition to the classtime that they pay for.



Here is the info on ICD-MX50 in Japanese from the Sony website:


トリプルマイク構造＆“メモリースティック PRO デュオ”対応。高音質かつ長時間録音を実現したフラッグシップモデル

ステレオICレコーダー： ICD-MX50

ヨドバシ・ドット・コム：特価：￥33,800 (税込)
Amazon.co.jp：￥28,500 (税込)

付属：単4形アルカリ乾電池×2、ステレオイヤーレシーバー、パソコン用アプリケーションソフトウェア “Digital Voice Editor Ver.2.3”（CD-ROM）、USB接続ケーブル、ACアダプター、キャリングケース

●ステレオ/指向性録音に合わせマイクが変わるトリプルマイク（＊1）内蔵
●記録メディア“メモリースティック PRO デュオ”（＊2）対応
●パソコン上の画像やテキストデータなども記録可煤怺ｿ字表示対応液晶ディスプレイ＆ジョグレバーで快適検索
●ステレオ長時間（ステレオLP）モード搭載
●高音質で聞き取りやすい大出力スピーカー内蔵（実用最大出力350mW）
●大きな音の再生レベルはキープしたまま、小さな音だけを大きく再生するデジタルボイスアップ機煤恪ﾄ生スピードを変えても自然に近い音程で速聞き・遅聞きができるデジタルピッチコントロール機煤怎pソコン接続キット付属
●AC電源対応
＜最大録音時間＞
ステレオ：約11時間30分　
ステレオLP（ステレオ長時間）：約22時間10分（＊3）　
SP（モノラル）：約35時間05分（＊3）　
LP（モノラル）：約93時間30分（＊3）
＊1 SP/LP（モノラル）モード時は、左右のマイクを使ったモノラル録音になります
＊2 “メモリースティック デュオ”でも使用できます
＊3 乾電池ご使用での連続録音/再生の場合、途中、電池の交換が必要です
大きさ：幅36.6×高さ107.5×奥行16.9mm
質量：約96g（乾電池含む）

Sony Catalog



アンミ英会話教室
〒234-0053神奈川県横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3
パークサイド日野102号室

tel 045-841-4218
fax 045-841-4288
cell 070-5084-9592
http://www.anmi-eikaiwa.com/