It is so beneficial to be cordial and friendly in the neighbourhood. A friend told me once that it is not necessary or expected to speak to convenience store staff when they greet you. I disagreed with my friend and continue to greet and talk with the staff. I try to be joyful and uplifting. [...]
Everyone seems to have trouble with “a / the”. I know it’s difficult, so I think in order to teach it I will just tell you a story and see if you can put “a” and “the” in the right place. I’m married, and my wife is ____ nice Japanese girl, so sometimes there is [...]
Here we go again…we’ve just finished the first decade of the 21st century and I for one am really excited about this year. Smith’s 英会話 Hirakata has quite a few surprises planned for 2011 so be sure to keep your eyes open. I’m the kind of guy who likes to keep things fresh which is why [...]
For / of / at / in / to / about / into / under / upon / without / before / beyond / near The last time I wrote a missing proposition article _____ the Smith’s Hirakata 英会話 Soapbox blog it was because one _____ the students here _____ Smith’s Hirakata requested that I [...]
One of the toughest things for people learning English is pronunciation. Despite English having an alphabet of only 26 letters over a thousand different sounds can be created with them, making English one of the simplest and yet complicated languages in the world. At Smith’s 英会話 Hirakata we make it a priority for students to [...]
Tonight one of our students at Smith’s 英会話 Hirakata was sitting in the waiting room when I came out and I noticed her colorful nails. Quite a few young ladies get their nails done at a salon and I must say that I’m a huge fan of French Nails myself. Simple yet so elegant. You can’t [...]
When I was 7 years old, back in 1975 I started skateboarding. You know, back then the boards were totally different, and most were made of plastic and very thin, but I loved it. I didn’t know anything about tricks or any kind of fancy things at all. My friends and I would just skate [...]
In a previous post I mentioned just how much I like Facebook – it’s the best way to keep in touch with friends and an easy way to track down long-lost friends. I encourage anyone who wants to study English to get a Facebook account as it’s an easy way to meet people from all [...]
Oh, finally it’s that time of year again, and I’m so excited. I’m happy. I’m ecstatic, beyond belief. Oh, why am I so excited? Because the most amazing thing has happened, (wait for it,………… it’s coming………) SUMMER IS OVER! Oh, we might have a hot day here and there, but for the most part summer [...]
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