English Tea Time #20 – My brother was here!

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Hello there! First of all, I’m sorry for going AWOL (“A-woll”, Absent Without Leave, disappearing) recently. My brother, Mark, was visiting me in Japan and we had a very busy schedule. We went hiking, visited an aquarium, a castle, shopping centres, an amusement park, a public bath and a lot of restaurants!

Mark and I in the Utsukushigahara Highlands.

It was interesting talking to my brother. He’s obviously (clearly) a native English speaker, yet he uses simple vocabulary and expressions, and he even talks quite slowly.

It’s a good reminder that you don’t need to use difficult words or speak quickly to speak fluent English.

British English

Here are some common phrases that my brother used repeatedly:

1. Sorry! Oh, sorry! I apologise!
2. Cool, cool.
3. I don’t know.
4. Well, that’s good then.
5. How much is it?
6. At the end of the day,…
7. Oh god!
8. Nick, Nick, are you awake? 😂

Number 6 is an interesting one. It means “when everything is considered…” Here’s an example:

Nick: What do you want to see next, the castle or the shrine?

Mark: Oh, I don’t mind really. At the end of the day, I’m just happy to be in Japan!

New Worksheets and Videos

Before I finish my cup of tea, I want to show you what I’ve made since the last newsletter:

Videos:

• Speaking Skills – “Could you tell me…?” | English Speaking Gym
• Speaking Skills – “I’m having trouble…” | English Speaking Gym

Worksheets:

• Speaking Skills: Speaking Gym: Could you tell me…?
• Speaking Skills: Speaking Gym: I’m having trouble…
• News: Fire-breather hurt in fight with mariachi band
• True Story: How French fries got their name

Private Lessons

I am available for private lessons again.

Facebook Group

Our Nick’s English Group on Facebook now has 53 members! Please check it out!

Behind the Scenes

I usually upload a video to YouTube every Thursday night. Unfortunately, with my brother visiting, I haven’t been able to make one this week. Sorry!

Wrap-up

And that’s it! Thank you for joining me for tea! If you’re enjoying my blog and would like to get new posts in your email, please subscribe. If you have friends who might like these posts, please share this link with them. I really appreciate it!

All the best,

Nick