Words June 2026 Week 3

I went to the concert with three of my neighbors. (She has many neighbors.)

I went to the concert with my three neighbors. (She has only three neighbors.)

Our rain suits were worn only a few times. (She bought the rain suits for trekking many years ago.)

We rented a car. (They used a rental car.)

I learned how to play the flute when I was young. (I took flute lessons for two years when I was young.)

Do not use the word “to” before the words “here,” “there,” and “home.” (Don’t say, “I went to there.”)

She was glued to her PC watching YouTube videos. (This was during the typhoon.)

The “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry was a one-hit wonder. (It was her only hit song.)

James Dean starred as the leading man in the movie “East of Eden.” (The soundtracks for this movie were very beautiful.)

He had an illegitimate daughter. (An illegitimate child is a child whose parents were not married to each other.)

Mutsu Ryoko was born in November 1856 in Edo. (She was the eldest daughter of samurai hatamoto Kaneda Shitomi and his concubine.)

In Japan, a concubine, or sokushitsu, was a woman who had an ongoing relationship with a wealthy or powerful man, such as an emperor, shogun, or samurai. (In Japan, concubines were formally registered as part of the man's household until the custom was officially abolished under the Meiji Civil Code, which adopted monogamy.)

A condominium superintendent is also called a building super, resident manager, or property manager. (People rent apartments in an apartment building and people buy condos in a condominium.)

There were four of us. (Don’t say “we were four.”)

I drank four cans/glasses of lemon sour. (If she drank from the can, she would say “four cans” but if she poured the drinks into a glass, she would say “four glasses.”)

A glass of beer is sometimes called a “schooner” because it has the shape of a sail on a schooner ship. (This term is common in the northwest part of the US.)

Lightning rods are rarely built into modern houses. (They are expensive to install, and the risk of a house getting hit is incredibly low.)

American racoons are called “araiguma” in Japanese. (They are an invasive species that causes millions in agricultural damage, destroys historic temples, and threatens native wildlife.)

Tanuki are closely related to foxes and wolves. (Despite their similar "bandit mask" faces and round bodies, the Japanese tanuki and the North American raccoon are entirely different species.)

The baseball fans were booing. (Some baseball fans disrespect opponent’s team members.)

The Japanese version of “The River with no Bridge” has seven volumes. (I have the English translation, but it is only one volume.)

The book has small print. (The characters are very small and difficult for the elderly to read.)

He cried tears of happiness when he heard his newborn son’s first crying. (The baby was born by C-section.)

IOU stands for “I owe you” and is a written promise to pay back a debt. (This is usually used when family or friends borrow money from each other.)