英語學習筆記

    The name Sebastian originates from Greek and means "revered." Sebastian is especially popular in France. In Shakespear's play "Twelth Night," Sebastian is the name of Viola's twin brother. Variants of the name include Bastian, Seb and Sebastian. Famous people who have the name include track star Sebastian Coe and composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

    The name Maya is of Spanish, Hindi and Russian origin. In Sanskrit, it means "dream, illusion." Names similar to Maya include Maiya, Miah and Mai. Celebrities who share the name, for example, are Maya Angelou and Maya Rudolph.

    There are two problems with this sentence. Firstly, we do not say 'UK', we say 'The UK' as it is a group of islands (like 'The Philippines' and 'The Canaries'). Remember that we also use 'the' for 'The USA' as it is a collection of States.
    The second problem is that for 'arrangements' -- i.e. future events you have planned and bought tickets for, invited people etc. we use the present continuous. Because this person is visiting the UK next week, he has probably already arranged everything. The correct sentences, then should be:

The test is way to hard. How could the professor treat us like this?
Miah: Don't find excuses for your laziness!
Seb: I can't really memorize things. I think I'm getting old.

Look out for that car!
Maiya: Phew! How could he run the red light like that?
Bastian: Maybe he's driving under the influence.

                                                             ^{by Yuka Hayashi}

Sebastian: Do you know what? Last night I ran into a police check at a pub. The police yelled at some customers and made me feel so scared.
Maya: Hmm. The situation would be much better if you were in Thailand.
Sebastian: Why?

    The name Isaac originates from Hebrew and means "laughter." In the Bible, Isaac is the only son of Abraham. Variants of the name Isaac include Issac, Isa and Zak. Famous people who share the name include Sir Isaac Newton and shorthand developer Isaac Pitman.

    The name Natalie is of Latin origin, and its meaning is "birthday," usually referring to the birthday of Christ. Names similar to Natalie include Natalia, Talia and Tasha. Examples of celebrities who have the name are singer Natalie Imbruglia and actress Natalie Wood.

What happened to your arms?
Zak: I must have played too much Wii. I bet my friend that I would be able to beat this new game before the end of the week. I've palyed for 12 straight hours. Now I'm so tired that I can't lift my arms! I want to take a break, but I can't because I have to beat the clock.
Tasha: You have "DOMS," I think.