Zoom英会話クラス(金)

Lesson Notes July 25, 2025 (FRIDAY ZOOM)

Words & Phrases

• A lot of the electronic shops are busy this time of year.

• I placed two packets of (mouse / rat) poison outside, and the next day I found a dead one.

• Does anyone know the sizes differences between mice and rats?

• “It sounded like mice scurrying around in the attic.” (Used when you imagine tiny feet quickly moving across a surface.)

• “There was some scratching and rustling up there in the boxes — probably mice.” (Used if it sounds like something brushing through materials.)

• We had a barbecue in the backyard.

• She planted tomatoes in her garden.

• Our yard is really big, but we don’t have a garden.

• I found a mound of dirt in my garden, I think a mole might have dug a hole.

• Did you come face to face with the mole living in your garden? (“Did you meet the mole in person” is not the correct phrase to use in this situation)

• When is a good time to visit the pool?

Appropriate Language

• In English, when someone says “long time no see”, the period of time is usually more than a few weeks, but less than a few years in most cases.

• “Oh wow, long time no see! How have you been?”

• “Hey! Long time no see. Thought I’d check in and see how things are going.”

• General sense of time for “long time no see”:

• 1 week → usually too short to use this phrase

• 2–3 weeks → borderline, but still a little short for most people

• 1 month or more → this is the most common range

• Several months to a year → totally natural

• Over 1 year → still okay, but people might add something like “Wow, it’s really been forever!”

• Yard vs Garden

• In North American English

• Yard = the outdoor space around a house (could have grass, trees, or nothing)

• Garden = a part of the yard where you grow flowers, vegetables, or other plants

• In British English:

• Garden = the whole outdoor area of a house

• Yard = usually a small, often concrete space (like a schoolyard, prison yard)