Email Check

Here is a copy of an email I recently received from a student. Can you tell what parts need to be changed?

---ORIGINAL---

Dear Chip
At last,the rainy season has started in Kanto region.
This time homework was very difficult.
Here is my homework. Please check it and give me some advice.
Thank you.

----SUGGESTED VERSION---

Dear Chip,

At last, the rainy season has started in the Kanto region.

This time the homework was very difficult. Here is my homework. Please check it and give me some advice.

Thank you,

Hanako

----NOTES---

Dear Chip → Dear Chip,	Add a comma after the name for personal email.
Dear Chip → Dear Chip:	Add a colon for business email.

At last,the rainy season has started in Kanto region.	At last, the rainy season has started in Kanto region.
Missing a space after the comma.	Add a comma after the comma.

This time homework was very difficult.	This time, the homework was very difficult.
Which “homework”?	Add “the” before the noun homework.
This time homework was very difficult.	My homework was very difficult this time.
Which “homework”?	I would suggest this version.

Here is my homework. Please check it and give me some advice.

Looks good to me!

Here is my homework. Please check it and give me some advice. Thank you.	Here is my homework. Please check it and give me some advice. Thank you.
Missing one blank line between the last sentence and the closing.	Add one blank line.

Thank you. Hanako	Thank you, Hanako
Don't use a period after the closing.	Use a comma after the closing.

Thank you. Hanako	Thank you, Hanako
Missing one blank line between the closing and the signature.	Add one blank line between the closing and the signature.

Any questions or comments? Please ask me in class!

Chip

---

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.1 Japan License.

Waste vs Useless

Some of our students have confused the words "useless" and "waste."

The term 無駄 can be either "useless" or "waste" depending on how you use it.

Useless:
役に立たない；　無用な;　無益な：　無駄な

---

Notes and examples:

• Useless is an adjective 形容詞.
• it is useless to 〈do〉; it is useless...-ing ～して見ても意味がない[無駄なことだ, しかたない]
• render...useless ～を使い物にならないように[役立たずに]する
• ～ are useless there そこでは～は役に立たない
• It is useless to them. かれらにとって, それは用をなさない.
• With dead batteries, the flashlight was useless.
• 役に立たない上司 useless boss
• ぽんこつ車 useless car
• 役にも立たない人生 a useless life
• 気ばかり焦っても仕方ない useless to get so worked up
• 役に立たない地図 a useless map
• 無用な長物 a useless object
  

Waste:
浪費する, 空費する, 無駄にする[なる], 次第に消耗する[減少する]

---

Notes and examples:

• waste can be used as a verb, noun, and adjective
• cut waste 無駄を減らす
• eliminate waste 無駄をなくす
• avoid waste 無駄を省く
• お金を無駄遣いしてはいけません。Don't waste your money.
• それは時間の無駄だ。It is a waste of time.
• 台所のごみ kitchen waste
• 産業廃棄物 industrial waste

---

More examples:

• The meeting was a waste of time. Everybody just argued and nothing was accomplished.
  
• The meeting was useless. Everybody just argued and nothing was accomplished.

• My professor's class was useless. He lectured on topics I already knew.
  
• My professor's class was a waste of time. He lectured on topics I already knew.

• The gift certificate was useless. It had expired last year!
• The gift certificate was a waste. It had expired last year!

If you have any questions, please ask me in class! If you have any suggestions or can't come to class, send me an email!

Chip

---

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.1 Japan License.

Spacing and Punctuation

Below are examples of errors made my anmi-eikaiwa students in their original compositions. I have also seen these errors in compositions made my Japanese engineers who submit work to me for checking.

Take a look at the following and see if you can find the errors. Good luck!

---

Error #1 (Conversational English Student)

A: Did you ski last winter?
B: No,but I skied two winters ago.

Error #2 (Mechanical Engineer)

Test Conditions
Lubrication____:_ECM oil
Speed________:_33 000 rpm
Temperature___:_Ambient temperature

Error #3 (Conversational English Student)

A:How are you doing today?
B:Just fine. And you?
A:Couldn't be better. Thanks.



How did you do? Were you able to find the errors? Let's discuss each error.

---

Error #1 (Conversational English Student)

A: Did you ski last winter?
B: No,but I skied two winters ago.

Rule: Always add one blank space after a comma.
Hint: Most spelling check software will give you a warning if you make this mistake.

Correct Version:

A: Did you ski last winter?
B: No, but I skied two winters ago.

---

Error #2 (Mechanical Engineer)

Test Conditions
Lubrication_______: ECM oil
Speed __________: 33 000 rpm
Temperature ______: Ambient temperature

Rule: No blank space on the left side of a colon. Align all text after the colon at the same tab setting.
Hint: The above error is not an error in a Japanese text. However, when you write in English, you need to follow English rules.

Correct Version:

Test Conditions
Lubrication:.........ECM oil
Speed:...............33 000 rpm
Temperature:.....Ambient temperature

---

Error #3 (Conversational English Student)

A:How are you doing today?
B:Just fine. And you?
A:Couldn't be better. Thanks.

Rule: In the above format or in a typical sentence, there is only one blank space on the right side of a colon.
Hint: Most spelling check software will give you a warning if you make this mistake.

Correct Version:

A:_How are you doing today?
B:_Just fine. And you?
A:_Couldn't be better. Thanks.