Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to the very first issue of English Tea Time!
In this regular newsletter, I sit down with a nice cup of milk tea and tell you about my recent worksheets, video lessons and social media posts. I also share study tips, cultural insights, and try to motivate you to keep working on your British English!
Site News
The biggest news is that I started this blog, but I’ve also made two worksheets, both with videos on YouTube and posts on Instagram. Please take a look!
- True Story – The Spanish town that celebrates New Year’s Eve in August
- True Story – Europe’s largest ‘lost and found’ warehouse
Nick’s News
Here in Japan, disaster struck on New Year’s Day when a huge earthquake rattled (shook) central Japan. I live in Gifu, which is about 300km from the epicenter (center of the earthquake) on the Noto Peninsula. My wooden house shook for two minutes, which was the longest quake I’ve ever experienced. I hid under my desk. What would you do?
British Culture
Surprisingly, the UK does get earthquakes, but almost all of them are too small to be felt. We do get plenty of bad weather, though. Storm Henk has been battering (hitting repeatedly) Britain recently. The wind is so strong that my mum is worried that her bedroom windows will smash!
British English
Speaking of the weather, here are two very British weather phrases:
- “It’s chucking it down” which means ‘pouring down’ or ‘raining heavily’.
- “A bit nippy, isn’t it?” which means ‘it’s a bit cold’. We sometimes use this sarcastically (jokingly) when it’s actually really, really cold!
Study Tip
From the story about Europe’s largest lost property office, I’ve picked out the phrase, “Rolex watches and bags of cash.” Notice how we stress the important words, Rolex watches, bags and cash, and reduce the words and and of. Also, practice linking them for better speaking fluency.
Motivation
Since it’s a new year, it’s customary to set a New Year’s resolution (promise), something you will do this year for self-improvement. Perhaps you want to improve your English, or maybe you want to lose weight or quit smoking. Whatever you choose, I recommend you set yourself small, achievable goals. As you complete each mini-goal, you’ll find yourself getting closer to the bigger one.
For example, my New Year’s resolution is to do the splits(!), you know, sitting on the floor with one leg forwards and one leg backwards. That’s very difficult for a nearly 50 year old man! But I will accomplish it by going just a little lower each week. There’s no rush. Baby steps. And hey, if I can do the splits, I know you can achieve your goal! 😀
Thank you for joining me for tea! If you’re enjoying my blog, please share the link with your friends. I really appreciate it!
All the best,
Nick
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