Use - 2 meanings, 2 pronunciations - 使う and 用途

USE can be a verb or a noun and the pronunciation is slightly different.  Look at these examples: 

The word 'USE' can be a verb (使う) ~ "May I use your telephone? I have to call my Mom." The verb form has a Z (zee) sound at the end. YOUZ 

The word 'USE' can also be a noun (用途) ~ "Studying English is a great use of your time." The noun form has an S (ess) sound at the end. YOUS

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~ish at the end of word = っぽいです (Bluish = 青っぽい)

If we put the letters ~ish at the end of word, the new word means = it’s like, or has the quality of the original word

For example - Bluish = 青っぽい

My new suit is bluish grey.

Words that end with ~ish are almost always adjectives.

foolish – like a fool
childish – like a child
stylish – has style

We sometimes use it to describe someone or something from an area or country~
Someone or something from Spain is Spanish.
Someone or something from England is English.

What do we call someone from Scotland?

*Be careful! This doesn't work for every country...

I'm from Canada so I'm Canadian, not Canadaish!!!

Drop VS Fall ~ 落とす VS 落ちる

Compare:

I dropped my phone. 自分の携帯電話を落としました。

My phone fell. 私の電話が落ちました。

It fell in the sink!

My phone is about to fall! 
落ちそうだ!

few VS a few

few 少ない

There are few people in this cafe. (Not many people)

a few 二、三

I drank a few cups of coffee so now I'm wide awake. (I drank 2 or 3 cups of coffee)

wide awake - very awake, the opposite of sleepy

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Today is the summer solstice - 至

June 21st is the summer solstice! It's the longest day of the year! Have a great summer solstice this year :)

solstice - noun - either of the two times of the year at which the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at midday, marked by the longest and shortest days (至)

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単語 preventable = 予防できる

(単語) preventable =予防できる

preventable - adjective - that can be stopped from happening

(click the word for link with audio!)

Survey finds 138 ‘preventable disaster deaths’ following 3/11 disasters

Japan Times story link

We use the verb take with public transportation (公共交通)

We use the verb take with public transportation (公共交通)

I take a train to work.

I took the bus to Shibuya.

Mario took a taxi home on Friday night because he drank too much. He didn’t want to drive.

breathe VS breath ~ 意味 発音

breathe - verb (動詞) - 呼吸する  to take air into your lungs and send it out again through your nose or mouth

"When you stretch it's important to breathe."

"The air was so cold we could hardly breathe."

breath - noun (名詞) - 呼吸 ~  the air that you take into your lungs and send out again

"I can hold my breath for a long time!"

"Sorry, I had pasta with a lot of garlic for lunch. I have bad breath. I need to bush my teeth!"

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hay fever 花粉症

hay fever 花粉症

My older sister suddenly got hay fever last year.

pollen 花粉 – fine powder, usually yellow, that is formed in flowers

People allergic to pollen have a difficult time in Spring!

Hear VS Listen ~ 聞く VS 聴く

Hear VS Listen ~ 聞く VS 聴く 

"I can hear the people talking at the table next to me."

hear 

VERB

to be aware of sounds with your earsI can't hear very well.

hear something/somebody She heard footsteps behind her.I couldn't hear anything.hear somebody/something doing something He could hear a dog barking.

hear somebody/something do something Did you hear him go out?I heard a car drive off.hear what… Didn't you hear what I said?

"I was listening to the speaker at the meeting."

listen

 VERB

 to pay attention to somebody/something that you can hearListen! What's that noise? Can you hear it?Sorry, I wasn't really listening.She had been listening at the door.

listen to somebody/something to listen to musicI listened carefully to her story.You haven't been listening to a word I've said!

We listen to something 
I like listening to classical music. NOT I like listening classical music.

*We report information that we learned by saying "I heard..."
"I heard Richard got a promotion." (get a promotion = 昇進する)

"I listen to English news on the train."
"Don't listen to James, he's a liar." (liar = うそつき)