Are you going to any parties tonight? I'm not... because I'm working at the school today.
Halloween has gotten more and more popular in Japan over the last few years. Even I've noticed this! In the 5 years since I first arrived, I've seen more and more decorations and costumes for sale each October. Still, like Christmas, everything seems much more kid-focused here. In the US, adults have halloween parties too, and the TV is full of scary movies for most of October, movies that kids can't watch. I used to hate watching TV around this time of year, because there would always be something scary on. Of course, kids get to go trick-or-treating, so they get something out of it too.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Countable Coffee
You probably learned in high school, and from me as well, that drinks and other liquids are usually uncountable. Well, this isn't always true. The liquid itself is uncountable, but people still sometimes refer to that liquid in one of its most common containers as, for example, "a water". So:
"2 cokes" could mean 2 bottles of coke, 2 cans of coke, or maybe 2 glasses of coke at a restaurant.
"a coffee" could mean either one type of coffee, like "mocha is a popular coffee", or an order of coffee, or even a single serving of coffee in a jar or can.
Try to keep track when the drinks in the following paragraph are being referred to as (countable) servings or types, or (uncountable) liquids.
I went to my favorite bar the other day to get a beer, which I often do on Fridays after work. There's a beer there called Spaten that I really like. At this bar, as opposed to other bars, they really do give you a proper pint of beer when you ask for one. Some of the customers order cocktails instead of beer, too. I prefer beer.
"2 cokes" could mean 2 bottles of coke, 2 cans of coke, or maybe 2 glasses of coke at a restaurant.
"a coffee" could mean either one type of coffee, like "mocha is a popular coffee", or an order of coffee, or even a single serving of coffee in a jar or can.
Try to keep track when the drinks in the following paragraph are being referred to as (countable) servings or types, or (uncountable) liquids.
I went to my favorite bar the other day to get a beer, which I often do on Fridays after work. There's a beer there called Spaten that I really like. At this bar, as opposed to other bars, they really do give you a proper pint of beer when you ask for one. Some of the customers order cocktails instead of beer, too. I prefer beer.
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