Learn Japanese easily! When you visit Japan, you’ll most certainly do a whole lot of sightseeing. It will be great fun, but there are a few things you need to know first. For example, you’ll need to know basic words for “sightseeing” and “tour bus.” You might not even think about it, but it’s important that you can say, “I’d like to go sightseeing.” And, knowing times will keep you from missing your tour. This Beginner Japanese article is packed with everything you need for enjoyable and educational sightseeing in Japan. Discover how we use the Japanese kankoo to form words from “sightseer” to “tourist” to “tour bus.” As a bonus, you’ll find charts that provide a helpful review of Japanese times: AM, PM, hours, and minutes. This real-world Japanese article contains plenty of example sentences and review information to make your sightseeing in Japan a breeze!

Vocabulary: In this article, you’ll learn the following words and phrases:

kankoo – “sightseeing”

gaido – “tour guide”

yotei – “plans, arrangements, schedules”

iu – “to speak, to say” (V1)

mazu – “first of all, to start with”

Kitakamakura – “Kitakamakura” (name of a place)

Engaku-ji – “Engakuji temple”

Meigetsuin – “Meigetsuin temple”

Kamakura – “Kamakura” (name of a place)

tsuku – “to arrive at, to reach” (V1)

ichi-jikan – “one hour”

goro – “about, around”

chikaku – “near”

Grammar: In this lesson you’ll learn the following words and phrases:

Useful Vocabulary and Phrases

kankoo “sightseeing“

Review the meanings of the following vocabulary words.

1. kankoo kyaku – “sightseer, tourist, visitor”
2. kankoo basu – “sightseeing coach, tour bus”
3. kankoo-chi – “sightseeing area, tourist site”

Kankoo is a noun, but when we attach o suru or suru, it becomes a verb.

kankoo (o) suru ] – “do sightseeing, go sightseeing“

We often use these words to explain procedures.

For Example:

Mazu, kankoo o shimasu. Tsugi ni, ranchi o tabemasu. Sorekara omiyage o kaimasu

“First, we’ll go sightseeing. And we’ll have lunch next. After that, we’ll buy souvenirs.“

Time Expression + goro = “around ____ , about ____”

For example:

1. roku-ji goro

   “about 6:00”

2. ichi-gatsu goro

   “around January”

Sample Sentences:

1. Mainichi, shichi-ji goro (ni) okimasu.

   “I get up at around 7:00 every day.”

2. Mainichi, juuichi-ji goro (ni) nemasu.

   “I go to bed at around 11:30 every night.”

Grammar Review:

In this lesson, we are going to review:

1. How to tell time
2. Verb conjugation: dictionary form Ô –masu form

ku-ji han desu

“It’s 9:30”

I. Time Ò SEE “Nihongo Doojoo: Welcome to Style You” Articles 16 and 17

O’clock (hour):

Time / Japanese

1:00 / ichi-ji

2:00 / ni-ji

3:00 / san-ji

4:00 / yo-ji

5:00 / go-ji

6:00 / roku-ji

7:00 / shichi-ji/nana-ji

8:00 / hachi-ji

9:00 / ku-ji

10:00 / juu-ji

11:00 / juuichi-ji

12:00 / juuini-ji

Minute:

:01 / ippun

:02 / ni-fun

:03 / san-pun

:04 / yon-fun

:05 / go-fun

:06 / roppun

:07 / nana-fun

:08 / happun

:09 / kyuu-fun

:10 / juppun

:30 / sanjuppun or han

AM and PM:

Time / Japanese

A.M. / gozen

P.M. / gogo

For Example:

1. gozen juu-ji sanjuu sanpun

   “10:33 AM”

2. gogo ku-ji juunana-fun

   “9:17 PM“

Practice:

Say the following times in Japanese.

1. 12:30
2. 4:56
3. 9:00 PM
4. 7:18 AM
5. 4:27 PM

II. Verb Conjugation Ò SEE “Nihongo Doojoo: Style You and Beyond” Articles 19 -22

Class 1 Verbs:

Dictionary form Ò –masu form:Change the final –u to –i masu-Masu form Ò dictionary form:Change the final –i masu to –u

“English” / Dictionary form / -masu form

“to meet” / au / aimasu

“to speak” / hanasu / hanashimasu

“to stand” / tatsu / tachimasu

Class 2 Verbs:

Dictionary form Ò –masu form: Change the final ru to masu

–Masu form Ò dictionary form: Change the final masu to ru“English” / Dictionary form / -masu form

“to eat” / taberu / tabemasu

“to sleep” / neru / nemasu

“to get off” / oriru / orimasu

Class 3 Verbs (irregular):

“English” / Dictionary form / -masu form

“to do” / suru / shimasu

“to come” / kuru / kimasu

Practice:

Fill in the blanks to complete the chart

“English” / Dictionary form / -masu form

“to arrive” / tsuku / ___

“to eat” / ___ / ___

“to go” / ___ / ikimasu

“to go sightseeing” / ___ / kankoo shimasu

“to say” / iu / ___

“to say” (honorific) / ___ / mooshimasu

Change the following informal speech into formal speech:

1. Watashi wa ku-ji ni okiru. Ku-ji han ni asagohan o taberu. Juu-ji ni gakkoo ni iku.

Change the following formal speech into informal speech:

1. Watashi wa roku-ji goro uchi ni kaerimasu. Shiji-ji kara hachiji made benkyoo o shimasu. Hachi-ji kara terebi o mimasu.

Many students are required to submit essays, research papers, and other assignments written in APA writing style. Academic papers written in APA style of writing should strictly follow APA guidelines even those obscure ones to score good grades. Using APA Writing style requires more than just the form of references and citations. Some complex requirements may be unknown for those who are not familiar with APA writing style or have some experience using this style when preparing their academic papers. Below are the three obscure APA rules you should know:

Prefixes in APA Writing Style

A big part of using APA writing style is the proper use of prefixes. It is common to use hyphens after prefixes in casual English. However, this is against APA style of Writing. Words such as underdevelopment, hypertext, underscore should not be hyphenated when writing an academic paper using APA style of writing. There are certain circumstances that you will be allowed to use prefixes when writing an academic paper using APA style. When using the prefix self-, you should always add prefixes for example self-esteem, self-employment among others. On the same note, you are allowed to use a hyphen when the word after the prefix is a proper noun or number.

Anthropomorphism in APA style of writing

Anthropomorphism refers to a situation where a writer ascribes human traits or action to non-living things. Anthropomorphism is commonly used in all levels of study when writing an academic paper. Many tutors, professors, or reviewers may not bother to mention it; however, it should be avoided when writing an academic paper. Examples of most commonly used anthropomorphism include “This article examines… ” or “This paper discusses… ” Be as it may, it is not technically possible for a paper to discuss anything. Therefore, the best alternative is to say “The researcher discussed… ” or “… is discussed in this paper.”

Numbers in APA Writing Style

Many students and scholars are confused by the use of numbers when writing documents using APA style. Many students and scholars are familiar with numbering rules in APA style, but they end up misusing them. It is important to note that you should spell out numbers between one through ten when you include in a paper formatted in APA style of writing. For example, you should not write ” It took 7 years for me to understand how to cite a paper using APA.” Instead, write, “It took seven years for me to understand how to cite a paper using APA.”

Tips for proper formatting and editing a document using APA

It is important to obtain a copy of APA writing style guidelines and review it thoroughly before writing an academic writing paper. You obtain them from popular websites such as Purdue OWL and reputable universities writing centers. You can also get help from professional writers and editors that can help you format your academic paper or book in APA style of writing.

Most occurrences of the word God in the Old Testament are translated from the Hebrew word Elohim, which is plural in form. However, this word does not signify a plurality of Persons, because it is used with a singular verb. Also, it was applied to individual pagan gods, to the golden calf, and to Jesus Christ, which none of whom was a trinity. The use of the plural form of a noun is a characteristic way to express greatness or majesty in the Hebrew language.

Whenever Elohim refers to the one true God, it is always connected with by singular verbs, even though this word is plural. Yet, on the other hand, whenever it refers to more than one false god, it is accompanied by plural verbs. This is important to note that grammatically speaking, this word is referring to the one true God only, although the word is plural. If the reason Elohim is used of the true God is to say He is more than One, then, plural verbs would have to be used.

As for an example, in the first verse of the Bible, the third person masculine singular verb, “created” is used with the word Elohim. Now, since the verb is singular, it is necessary that He who did the creating is singular. In this case, the only choice left to explain the plural form of Elohim is that it relates to the fullness and intensity of the many majestic attributes of the one true God. Other examples of plural pronouns used for God can be found in Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8.

So, in conclusion, although God (Elohim) is in plural form, it does not indicate that God is more than One. Although this word can mean more than one, if it was intended in this way here, the connecting verb would also have to be plural. In these Scriptures, however, the verb is singular indicating that the word Elohim who is speaking is One in number.

Browsing through slang and other uses of the word brick can be a rather interesting exercise. A ‘brick’ is an old fashioned noun for a man who is a “good sort” – solid, dependable and trustworthy which is preferable to being ‘one brick shy of a load’ in another word – dense. You would also not want something to hit you like a ton of bricks or bang your head against a brick wall and you should be cautious when using the phrase to lay a brick because it can mean to answer the more acute of the two potential calls of nature.

Given that bricks are an integral part of our vocabulary and also our lifestyles it is not surprising that according to IBIS World’s Brick and tile Market research report it is anticipated that in 2011-12, the Brick & Tile Manufacturing industry will generate revenue of £725 million. Understandably this translates into a significant amount of bricks and tiles. Interestingly though this statistic does not include estimates of the world famous Lego ‘bricks’ which have a special place in our society all of their own.

A brick is usually a block of ceramic material used in construction and is laid using various kinds of mortar.

The manufacturing of clay bricks dates back to ancient civilizations and the process has changed very little over the years although technological developments have allowed the mass production of bricks that are strong and durable. Bricks are regarded as one of the strongest and longest lasting building materials used throughout history. The United Kingdom has long relied on brick building materials for the construction of houses and non-residential buildings.

Reclaimed bricks are bricks that are recovered from old building sites and cleaned. Bricks that are reclaimed are characterised by worn and irregular surfaces and may have remnants of mortar due to their original use. These bricks are however often prized for aesthetic appeal and the character that they add.

Good quality reclaimed bricks can be cost effective as well as adding a unique look to something like a garden feature or indoor fireplace. Many reclaimed bricks will have characteristic folds, fine creases and colour variations that typify older brickwork.

So when next you want to build a small wall to enhance your garden or a low wall beneath a fence or a special water feature or even a brick barbecue it would be useful to consider using reclaimed bricks to give your project a unique charm.

Here are the top 10 tips for creating an effective PowerPoint report that will impress your clients

1. Only tell your clients what they need to hear. The most important thing to keep in mind when constructing a PowerPoint presentation is that you must only tell your clients what they need to know – not everything you learned while completing the report. Clients are busy and stressed like everyone else, and only want to hear the key messages that address the solution
2. Clear structure. Every PowerPoint should contain the following slides:
   • The Cover Page
   • The Disclaimer Page
   • The Contents Page and Section Dividers
   • An Executive Summary
   • Content Slides
3. Clear headlines for each slide. The headline should form a link between the message on the previous slide and the message on the next page. Headlines must add value and answer a client’s “so what” question. Your headline should also make sense, and should help the page to stand-alone. In other words, if someone found just that one slide, it should make sense to him or her without seeing any of the other slides. The headline should only be one sentence long.
4. One message per page. All slides should be page-numbered except for the contents page and the section dividers. Each slide should communicate only one message. Use bullets to communicate either quotes or facts. You can use an appendix for more in-depth information that you wish to share with your client.
5. Kickers. You may wish to add something to your slide called a “kicker.” Kickers are added to a PowerPoint presentation to add clarification, summarization, or implications of any information that has been presented.
6. Clear language. When creating an effective PowerPoint, you will use bullet points and sub-bullets, not full sentences. Sequential text should contain parallel text, and your style should feature active voice rather than passive voice i.e. the noun and the verb should come at the beginning of the sentence. Make sure you are specific use only the words that need to be used, and refer to the company as “it” not “they.” Do not use contractions.
7. Large font. Your font should never go under 10 points when constructing a PowerPoint for presentation.
8. Clear sourcing of data.When using notes or sources, you will need to refer to notes with letters and sources should be identified with numbers. The notes and sources list will come underneath the data. Anytime two data sets are on one page, put all sources and notes at the bottom of the page.
9. Evidence based opinions. If any opinions are included in the presentation, they need to be tightly linked to evidence supporting the statement. There is no place in your presentation for bold assumptions or conjectures.
10. White space. Finally, make sure that you leave white space in your presentation. If you don’t have white space, you have put entirely too much into your presentation. If this is the case for you, delete the information until you have only the necessary components to communicate the main ideas to your client. You can put the rest in the document’s appendix.

English and Italian are two distinct languages that offer two very different ways of expressing one’s thoughts. While Italian is known for its fluidity, English is characterized by its intricacy. The Italian language is spoken by about 85 million people from around the world. It is the mother tongue of 65 million people, most of whom are from Italy. The remainder treats it as their second language. English, on the other hand, is spoken by about 500 million people. Aside from the U.S., the largest numbers of English speakers are found in India, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Canada, and Australia.

But in what other ways is Italian different from the English language?

Difference in language family

Italian is a Romance language, which is one of the Indo-European language families. It is the modern language that most resembles Latin. In fact, there are numerous similarities between the two languages. Being a Romance language, it shares many characteristics with other Romance languages such as Spanish (82% lexically similar) and French (89% lexically similar).

Meanwhile, English had its roots in the Anglo-Saxons in England. As a member of the Germanic language family, it is closely associated with the German, Dutch, Frisian and Afrikaans languages.

Difference in Alphabet

Though they share the same 26 letters of the English alphabet, the letters j, k, w, x and y are seen as foreign letters, and as such, are employed for import words only. In addition, words that are considered proper nouns in English and spelled with capital letters, such as names of months, days and others do not use capital letters in Italian.

Difference in sounds and spelling

In Italian, the spelling is phonetic with very little exception to rules and without silent letters. This is distinct from English where the use of silent letters is practiced and spelling is more complicated. Furthermore, vowels in Italian are pronounced in a precise way, in contrast to English’s use of diphthongized vowels.

Difference in Grammar

Like other Romance languages, Italian assigns genders to nouns. Nouns are either feminine or masculine. The modifiers and articles must agree with the quantity and the gender of the subject. This is not the case in English as nouns generally do not have genders and modifiers do not have to concur.

The two languages also differ in conjugating verbs. Italian makes use of 5 tense forms, namely simple past, present, future, imperfect and conditional. It uses auxiliary to form other tenses and change verb endings to express the tense and subject. In English, the verbs typically preserve their original forms. Their meanings are distinguished by using suffixes like -ed, -es or -ing and auxiliaries such as “will” or “would”.

In English, the meaning of a sentence depends on the word order. Italian, being an inflected language, permits greater flexibility in sentence structure. Additionally, adjectives in English come before the noun; in Italian they come after the noun.

There are other differences between the Italian and English languages. In general, while English is a language of intricacy, Italian is a language of simplicity, fluidity and deference.

Briefing, noun brief·ing ˈbrēfiNG: an act or instance of giving precise instructions or essential information.

As usual, Webster’s definition is a useful starting point for helping us focus on the goal here. A briefing should communicate only the essence of what your target audience needs to know. As the briefer, you presumably know quite a bit more. To understand where your knowledge and your audience’s need to know intersect, begin by asking yourself about your purpose. Why does your audience need this information? How will they use it? What do they already know or assume about what they’re going to hear? Briefings are a no-frills form of communication that seems deceptively simple, but one that even senior executives can struggle with. Follow some basic rules to deliver the kind of briefing your boss will thank you for:

EVEN INFORMATIONAL BRIEFINGS HAVE TO BE PERSUASIVE

If you’re audience is to believe you know what you’re talking about, regardless of your title or position, you’re going to have to persuade them of that in your briefing. Your audience will have to hear and see through your presentation that you’ve selected the right information for them to consider. In other words, the recitation of raw data, no matter how profound or complex or enlightening, isn’t going to make your case for you. Numbers actually don’t speak for themselves (and neither do ideas). You’re there to provide perspective on the information. Even when presenting raw numbers, you’ll need to help your audience make sense of their meaning (are they more than expected, less? What are they comparable to?) Help your audience understand your information, not just hear it.

BRIEFINGS MUST BE BRIEF

Remember your audience, any audience, does not want to know all you know and could possibly say on the subject. That’s true for any executive presentation. Briefings particularly however are a mode of communication that carry the assumption of being short and succinct. Let your audience guide you in the q and a portion if there is one into any further detail they require. (Even there, the answers need to be direct and brief, with an option for more explanation in a different venue if need be).

TEAM BRIEFINGS ARE ABOUT THE TEAM

If you’re preparing for a team briefing, first decide every member’s distinct role in delivering the information. You want the information to highlight both individual contributions and knowledge,as well as display your team strategy and a sense of cohesion. You can accomplish this by looking for places to back each other up with references to what’s come before and what the audience is about to hear presented from others, at the same time avoiding repetition. Make sure your briefing team participates in oral rehearsals and doesn’t just share written information. You want to experience the briefing the way your audience will, orally, so you can make adjustments to benefit them.

REMEMBER THIS IS ORAL COMMUNICATION

If you’re presenting your briefing using PowerPoint or handouts, remember those are visual AIDS, not the whole of the briefing itself. Make sure whatever materials you have are visually powerful and not mere words for your audience to read. Whatever AIDS you use shouldn’t take center stage or overpower you–the job of the briefer is all important here. Remember too that oral communication demands you be understood the first time. As FDR famously said, “Be sincere, be brief, be seated.”

What is sexism in writing? It is the assumption that people are all male or all female. Men are choosing professions that were once considered for women only, and women are branching out into professions that at one time were male-dominated. Sexism in writing can occur in several ways. In writing, using pronouns that refer to men only ignores half the population and sends the message that all humans are male.

There are ways to avoid using male pronouns that refer to both men and women in your writing and to avoid alienating 50% of the population.

Here is a list of indefinite pronouns that are considered singular:

· Another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, little, much, neither, nobody, none, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something

Here are a few indefinite pronouns that can be considered singular or plural, depending on how they are used in the sentence.

· All, any, more, most, and some are plural when referring to plural nouns; all, any, more, most, and some are singular when referring to singular nouns or collective nouns.

To avoid sexism in your writing, follow these basic tips:

· Use singular pronouns to refer to singular nouns;
· Use singular pronouns to refer to singular indefinite pronouns;
· Use plural pronouns to refer to plural nouns;

Correct: If a student wants to take the class, he or she can register tomorrow.
Incorrect: If a student wants to take the class, they can register tomorrow.

Correct: If anyone wants to take the class, he or she can register tomorrow.
Incorrect: If anyone wants to take the class, he can register tomorrow.

Correct: If students want to take the class, they can register tomorrow.
Incorrect: If students want to take the class, he or she can register tomorrow.

If you do not know whether the person referred to is female or male, follow these basic tips:

· Use “he or she” or “his or her”;
· Make the sentence plural by using plural nouns and pronouns;
· Rewrite the sentence to avoid using pronouns altogether;

Correct: Everyone wanted to know his or her grades.
Incorrect: Everyone wanted to know their grades.

Correct: The students wanted to know their grades.
Incorrect: The students wanted to know his or her grades.

Correct: The students wanted to know the grades.
Incorrect: The students wanted to know his or her grades.

If you do know the gender of the person being referred to, follow these basic tips:

· Use “she or her” to refer to a female;
· Use “he or him or his” to refer to a male;

Correct: The postman left his mailbag on my front doorsteps.
Incorrect: The postman left her mailbag on my front doorsteps.

Correct: Ask the policewoman if she can direct you to the courthouse.
Incorrect: Ask the policewoman if he can direct you to the courthouse.

Using these simple tips will help improve your writing and keep your communication clear. You won’t go wrong, and you won’t alienate half the population by using sexism in your writing.

Authenticity is another word for integrity, for what someone is they do.

Benevolence is an instinct that never second guesses acts of goodness.

Compassion is the ability to suffer for good.

Diligence is rare in any age because it’s disciplined against the comfort humanity strives for.

Empathy is faked by a narcissist, but their true colours shine eventually. The true empath cannot help but care more than they should. Better the latter than the former.

Fortitude is the cornerstone behind a life stepping forward and lingering fully in the moment.

Gratitude is the grace that takes nothing for granted.

Honesty is the enjoiner of wisdom and virtue, from which everything good swings.

Integrity, as a moral good, is the essence of virtue.

Justice is but love that breeds balance in relationships.

Kindness is a verb that can be seen, heard, felt, touched, even tasted. It’s the noun of the blessed.

Love is a sentence, a page, a book, a volume, a library of the abundant life, and never more exactly a word.

Maturity is not merely the acceptance of what cannot be changed, but also the embracing of what can only be best accepted.

Nobility is the royal feature of person that calls everyone around you to genuine greatness.

Obedience is the virtue of humility that pleasantly falls under authority.

Prudence is the delicious sentiment of generosity toward others and frugality toward self.

Quality is the dimension of taste that waits with faith upon the weighing of all things.

Rectitude is the high office of respectful reliability.

Sensitivity is the corollary of poise and care, brave enough to be mocked and yet remain vulnerable.

Trustworthiness is the eminence of God in human skin.

Understanding is discernment inscrutable to the masses, a spiritual gift that can only be nurtured.

Vitality is a gift that can only be given by the vitalised.

Wisdom is an all-encompassing necessity for common life, and everything benefits from wisdom.

Yieldedness is something that aids all manner of healing.

Zeal is the feature behind every bold success and failure.