Words January 2024 Week 1

Happy New Year to all! I hope 2024 brings us all much happiness and good health.

I hope to increase the number of foreign students. (It is best to use “the number of” with the words “increase” or “decrease.”)

You should pat yourself on the back. (You did a good job.)

What does your middle initial “T” stand for? (In my case, the T stands for Thomas.)

The following are the 12 castles from before the Edo Era: Bitchū Matsuyama Castle, Hikone Castle, Himeji Castle, Hirosaki Castle, Inuyama Castle, Kōchi Castle, Marugame Castle, Maruoka Castle, Matsue Castle, Matsumoto Castle, Matsuyama Castle, and Uwajima Castle. (An interesting challenge would be to visit all these castles.)

He was pushing me to learn how to play a wind instrument. (He was nagging me to learn how to play a new musical instrument.)

I hope to join a class after I know my work schedule. (She will start a new job in the middle of January.)

The Dodgers baseball team was established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn. (They had to dodge moving trolley cars when entering the baseball stadium.)

The team joined the NL in 1890 as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. (They had several other names before choosing the name Dodgers in 1932.)

I visited several car dealers. (You can also say “dealerships.”)

She got lost. (She didn’t know how to get where she wanted to go.)

I started taking sleeping medicine more frequently. (She should see a doctor to solve her sleeping problem.)

The beans are grown only in South Africa. (The beans can be consumed in different recipes but are popular for making tea.)

I had to do a lot of paperwork before my mother moved here. (It was difficult, but now he can visit his aging mother easily.)

BCE stands for Before Common Era. (Using BCE and Ce, there is no connection to a religion.)

There were many bingo prizes. (Things you win while playing a game are called prizes.)

He shelled the scallops. (He removed the shells from the scallops.)

I froze half of them. (He won 18 scallops in a golf competition.)

A cerebral infarction is usually called a stroke. (The word “stroke” is much easier to pronounce.)

Scallop roe is a delicacy in some countries. (It is not commonly eaten in the US.)

Americans don’t eat scallop strings (kaihimo). (This is the first I’ve heard of this.)

They will be sightseeing around Tokyo for three days. (His daughter and her family are visiting from Australia.)

I made the hamburger steaks with ground beef and ground pork. (His grandson loved them and wanted to eat more, but he made only one for each person.)

I must memorize the lyrics. (I have a bad memory.)

He is a chef. (He is one of the cooks.)

I bought a rice cooker. (Don’t call a person a “cook.”)

They tried to lure Ohtani to join the LA Dodgers by giving him the number 17. (They tried everything to persuade him to join the team.)

Ohtani’s number was 17 while he played for the Los Angeles Angels. (It is common to give a great athlete the number they used while playing for a previous team.)