Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

"Barn Burning" is one of my favorite short stories written by Haruki Murakami. The story is available in English and found in a book called "The Elephant Vanishes".

In this story, you can find a lot of expressions and phrases that you can use in daily conversations. One example is "to come to think of it". "Come to think of it" means "Now that I really think about it". For example, let's say, you are talking with your sister about a birthday gift for your mother. When you really think about it, you remember what your mother was saying. This is where you can use this phrase. "Hey, listen, come to think of it, mom was saying she wanted a pair of new walking shoes".

Now, "The Elephant Vanishes" is a really good collection. Perhaps, you may want to read some of the stories first in Japanese, then try their English versions. Remember, reading will help you improve your speaking skills.

Now, would you like to practice together? Please repeat after me:

Come to think of it, it's her birthday!"