Category: EL Competition

When learning English, you may come across pronunciations that are difficult for Japanese people. If our understanding of them is vague, we often face communication problems and gaps. Speaking of pronunciation problems, the biggest one is the difference in pronunciation between “l” and “r”. Distinguishing between these two sounds is a very difficult task for Japanese people who do not usually use their tongue to pronounce words. In Japanese junior high school English classes, we are often taught to pronounce “l” with the tip of the tongue touching the base of the front teeth and “r” with the tip of the tongue does not touch the mouth. It’s easy to …

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“Take it easy,” the bus driver briskly said to me, who had overslept until I found myself being at the last bus stop and was completely alone in the cold dark. He drove me home without any signs of reluctance, even though it was not his duty to do so. This memory is just a small part of my precious memories in New Zealand. My friends and I stayed there for two weeks to study English at AUT, enjoyed shopping after school and appreciated Māori cultures on a short trip to Rotorua. (See attached video to see how it looks.) Every time a sudden happening occurred, the “Kiwis”, the New …

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Why are you learning English? How would you answer this question? Some may have clear answers, such as “to watch foreign movies without subtitles,” or “to speak with locals when traveling abroad,” while others may not be able to give satisfactory answers themselves. The answer to this question is, of course, different depending on the person. We will probably conclude that it is important for each person to find the meaning of learning English, which will greatly help them learn. In this blog, I would like to introduce the following two TED Talks to anyone who is struggling with the meaning and purpose of learning English. 1. The secrets of …

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I recommend watching some movies in English. I believe we can learn many words and phrases in the movies. we also can enjoy its story. I introduce my 3 favorites in a ranking format. No.3 is “The devil wears Prada” (2006). The main character is Andy, an unrefined girl. She starts working in a publisher of famous fashion magazine. She grows up there by her very strict boss. She is an unreasonable woman. However, Andy put up with it and turns sophisticated through her hard job. I was excited about how she grows and becomes a nice woman. No.2 is “Aladdin”. As you know, this is a famous Disney movie. …

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If your academic supervisor were to ask you to significantly improve your TOEFL score, increase the amount of muscle in your thighs, and defeat an evil dragon trying to conquer the world, all within one semester, you would probably protest that such a request is extremely unfair and irrational, even if offered all your course credits for graduation with the highest grades. However, there is only one way to possibly complete all these tasks at once comfortably. Play a fitness video game with the language settings set to English! I have played the fitness video game “Ring Fit Adventure” by Nintendo for both maintaining my health and learning English. You …

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