This evening I enjoyed a short three-page essay by Haruki Murakami titled 真っ白な嘘 (mashiro na uso – White Lies) . I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it was in the original Japanese. As the book had furigana, a CD attached, and translation notes it wasn’t such hard going. Here are some words from the essay that students of Japanese/English might enjoy learning:
でたらめ – nonsense
でっち上げ – fabrication, hoax
でまかせ – speaking without thinking
世間を惑わせる人 – people who disturb the public order
例によって – as usual, as is one’s habit, as per usual, just like always
It was a playful and witty little essay. Give it a read. You’ll enjoy it.
本の前半には、“Would you like to …?” や “I was wondering if …”といった１２の基本フレーズが載っており、その使用例も書かれています。後半では、基本フレーズを基に、具体的な場面でのフレーズの使い方が解説されています。基本フレーズを使った実際のメールのやりとりも載っているのでわかりやすいです。
Do you sometimes have the opportunity to send emails or Line messages in English? When we use Line or SNS we send lots of short sentences. During such conversations do you ever worry about what you should say or how you should say it? Well, this book was written so that when you message in English you will be able to write clear, simple and easy to understand English.
The first half of the book covers 12 foundational phrases, like, “Would you like to…?” and “I was wondering if…” and examples of how to use them. The second half builds on those foundational phrases to explain other practically useful expressions. There are even examples of real online conversations using those key phrases in the book so it’s very easy to understand.
Even those who don’t have many opportunities to send messages in English will find lots of everyday English conversation expressions in the book. They ought to be of real help to anyone studying English. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, why not give it a try?
