執筆者 Modern English | 2017年01月06日 | Phrases
“I had my vacation planned out, but some problems cropped up at the last minute.” To “crop up” is to appear without warning. This phrase is often used with problems or difficulties, but other things can crop up, too: “Protests against environmentally unfriendly policy...
執筆者 Modern English | 2016年12月17日 | Phrases
“I’ll stop at the store for milk on the way home.” “Can you stop at school on the way to work and get my homework for today?” “The train bound for Osaka stops at Kyoto.” This is a useful phrase when you go somewhere for a short time on the way to somewhere else....
執筆者 Modern English | 2016年12月10日 | Phrases
“Rub the sunscreen into your skin.” “Rub it in” means to rub a liquid onto a surface until it is absorbed. But we often use this phrase to mean drawing attention to someone’s failure. “You failed the math test?” “Yes.” “After you studied all night? Your...
執筆者 Modern English | 2016年11月26日 | Phrases
“Did you just shoot a blue shell at me? I’ll make you pay for that!” “Calm down. It’s just a video game.” To make someone pay (for something they did) is to get revenge (for what they did). Of course, it can sometimes mean to force someone to pay money for something....
執筆者 Modern English | 2016年11月19日 | Phrases
“I liked the movie. How about you?” “I’m allergic to peanuts. How about you?” “Betty has a cat. How about you?” “How about you?” can mean many things, depending on the topic of the conversation in which it is used. In these examples, it could mean: “Did you like the...
