English grammar - correctly using FOR, SINCE, AGO

Here is a quick guide to using FOR, SINCE and AGO

FOR

For talks about a length of time (an amount of time) 10 minutes, 9 weeks, 25 years etc.

"I've known Dylan for 15 years."

15 years before ---------15 years----------- now

"Steven has been trying to catch a taxi for 30 minutes."

30 minutes before -------30 minutes--------- now

"When I was in University I lived in Toronto for 4 years."

2003---------------4 years-------------2007

日本語の例文

Steam for 10 minutes. 

10分間蒸す

I slept there for about 10 minutes.  

私はそこで10分ほど眠った。

SINCE

Since talks about a point of time in the past until now.

"I have known Dylan since 2009."

2009 --------------------> now

"Steven has been trying to catch a taxi since 6:30."

6:30pm ------------------> now

日本語の例文

I have studied in Paris since 2011 October.

2011年の10月からパリで勉強している。

AGO

Ago means before now.

"I ordered the pizza 25 minutes ago, it should be here soon."

= 25 minutes before

A: "When was your last dentist visit?"

B: "It was 7 months ago. I think it's time for another check-up!"

English Idiom (英語のイディオム) - Heads up! - (注意喚起)

Heads up is a common expression in English. You may have heard it on a TV show or in a movie. It is usually used in 2 ways.

1. as a noun - an advance warning of something.

Harry: "The boss is in a bad mood today so I would try to stay away from him."

Mike: "Thanks for the heads up Harry."

"I wanted to give you a heads up that I'll be out of the office tomorrow."

"Coconuts may fall from this tree so I wanna give you a heads up."

2. as an adjective - showing that someone is alert and paying attention

"Great passing! That was a heads up play, good job!"

*When your head is down you can't see what's happening around you well.
Your eyes are looking down. 

When your head is up you can see what is happening around you much better. You can see danger coming early, you are alert and paying attention.

Ball is coming! Heads up!

発音練習 desert VS dessert - WITH AUDIO!!!

Has the pronunciation of these 2 words ever been difficult for you?

desert 砂漠

dessert デザート

Let's practice today! The good news is context will help you be understood, even if your pronunciation is strange.

If you said "After dinner can we have ice cream for desert (砂漠)?" I know what you mean even if your pronunciation is incorrect.

Here is the sound each word makes:

dessert デザート DIZ-ZURRT

desert 砂漠 - DEZ-IRT

Here is the audio:
"After dinner can we have ice cream for desert?"  DIZ-ZURRT

"My student used to live in California, and he often went to the  Mojave desert with his family."  DEZ-IRT

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hope VS wish (期待する) WITH AUDIO! (リスニング練習!)

hope VS wish (verb)

WISH and HOPE can mean 期待する. 
In English there is a small nuance.

英語ではちょっとニュアンスが違う。

hope verb - to want something to happen and think that it is possible

hope (for something) We're hoping for good weather on Sunday.
All we can do now is wait and hope.
‘Will you be back before dark?’ ‘I hope so, yes.’
The exam went better than I hoped.

‘Do you think it will rain?’ ‘I hope not.’

...but I brought my folding umbrella just in case!

wish verb - to want something to happen or to be true even though it is unlikely or impossible

wish (that)… I wish I was taller.

I wish I hadn't eaten so much.

‘Where is Alex now?’ ‘I only wish I knew!’

I wish you wouldn't leave your clothes all over the floor.

Definitions from http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

Lately and Hardly (最近 and ほとんど)

Lately and Hardly 

Lately is an adverb that means recently. 

“Have you been to the shopping mall lately? 4 new stores opened last week.”

“I lost 3 kilograms! I stopped eating chocolate and lately I have been riding my bicycle to work.”
What have you been doing lately? ~ 最近何してたの？

Hardly is an adverb that means only just, almost not.

“Jerry must not be feeling well. He hardly ate anything at lunchtime.”

“I’m not sure why Chris told me such a personal story, we hardly know each other.”
There's hardly any difference ~ ほとんど差がない

Do you study English hard? = Do you try your best?

Do you hardly study English? = Do you do very little studying?

AUDIO listening!

"I need to study."

"I'm too tired to study."

English - Reported Speech pt.3 (間接話法)

Reported Speech pt.3

*Remember we also use this grammar when we explain something we heard from the TV news, Internet or read in the newspaper. Even if we read the information, we still use the verb said to report information. Look at these examples:

"The news last night said it was going to rain today."

"The I listened to the radio last night. It said it was going to rain today."

"I read the paper (newspaper) this morning at breakfast and it said it was going to rain today."

*I get most of my weather information from the Internet. 

"I looked at Yahoo weather last night for my area, it said it was going to rain today."

"The newspaper says that it will be sunny all week."

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English - Reported speech pt.2 (間接話法)

Reported speech pt.2

When we report what someone has told us remember that can becomes could and will becomes would.

For example:

Daniel: "I can meet you at 5:30." 

Daniel said he could meet us at 5:30.

Brenda: "I won't be in town next weekend."

She said she wouldn't be in town next weekend.

"Carrie said she couldn't come to the amusement park with us today. She doesn't feel well."