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

More people are now working from home, at least some days a week, due to the pandemic.

Working from home, working remotely, teleworking or telecommuting, you can call it in different ways, but it generally means you stay home and work at home, instead of commuting or travelling to a place of work.

There are the pros and cons, of course. Some people feel good about it, not having to deal with super crowded commuter trains. Others are struggling, trying to separate work life from home life, or figure out how to deal with distractions.

I work from home myself, on a regular basis. And one thing I can tell you about it is, if you're a morning person, you're probably a better fit to working from home. And when you get up, make sure to get dressed. Don't spend all day in pajamas.

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

I work from home twice a week.

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

Today, I'm going to talk about the word "essential".

What does the word "essential" mean? If something is essential, it's important and necessary. Like, water is essential for all lives on earth.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, we're expected to stay home except for essential needs. And those services that are essential remain open, including grocery stores, convenience stores, banks, pharmacies, take-out and delivery restaurants, gas stations and laundry services.

And we rely on essential workers to maintain these essential services. They're doctors, nurses, caregivers, mail carriers, bus drivers, cashiers and the like.

Grammatically, the adjective essential is often followed by to or that. For example, it is essential to wash your hands. And It is essential that you dry your hands after washing them.

Now, would you like to try a quiz? Please listen carefully and choose the one that best describes the meaning of "essential". Ready?

1) capable

2) helpful

3) necessary

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

Today, I'd like to talk about the word "stuck” because it's timely and relevant to all of us, for right now everyone is stuck at home because of the covid-19.

When you're stuck, you're unable to move from where you are. And when you say you're stuck, the implication is that you are somewhere you don't want to be. Normally, you don't get stuck in a wonderful place.

The nationwide state of emergency was first declared on April 7 and now extended until the end of May. You're expected to STAY HOME unless you're one of those essential workers. However, if you are staying home not by choice, then you feel like you're stuck at home.

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

We are stuck at home.

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

Last week you learned the phrase "it's a long story". Someone asks you a question. You know the answer to that question would be very long or you'd rather not answer. Then you can use this phrase, "it's a long story".

Now, you may want to tell them what happened but in a small number of words. What would you do? Well, you can simply say, "to make a long story short" at the beginning and then tell the end or the main point of the story without giving all the details.

For example, Macmillan gives an example sentence which goes: To make a long story short, we spent the night in jail. If you end up spending a night in jail, there must be a long and complicated story. But when you make a long story short, you just tell them what happened in the end without telling why or how that happened.

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

To make a long story short, we spent the night in the airport.

I'm going to talk about a television ad today. It's a commercial for a baking company. The ad is in English with Japanese subtitles.

It begins with a voice-over narration saying "it was a small shop in a port town". Ring any bells? Then you see a girl in the shop making a sandwich. She serves it to the customer who happens to be an English gentleman. He has a bite and says "Delicious!" and asks "What's your secret?" The girl says "It's a long story".

"It's a long story" is an idiomatic phrase. When someone has asked you about something that has happened and you don't want to explain it to them because it takes too long or it's too complicated. Then you can say, "It's a long story". It can be a polite way of saying "I don't want to tell you". So, when someone says it's a long story, it may sometimes be a good idea to drop that conversation right there.

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

It's a long story.

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

It's mid-April and I'm still suffering from hay fever. Do you know what "hay fever" is? Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. Pollen is a fine powder from trees and grasses

I have some hay-fever friends. They're Japanese and don't speak English well. But they typically have a good vocabulary for describing their hay-fever symptoms, like: I have watery eyes or itchy eyes. I have a runny nose or stuffy nose. My nose is blocked. My eyes are itchy. I'm sneezing like crazy.

Well, after all, everyone feels motivated if they are learning things that are relevant to themselves.

Anyhow, my nose itches like crazy. I'm fighting the urge to stick my finger in my nose. I feel so miserable.

Oh, well. I'll forget about my itchy nose for now, and give you a quiz.

I'll read three sentences. Please listen carefully and choose the one that is TRUE. Ready?

1. Hay fever is something that you'll have when you have a cold.

2. Hay fever is caused by an allergy to tree and grass pollen.

3. Frequent sneezing isn't included in the hay fever symptoms.

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

Are you familiar with the expression "too much to ask"? This phrase is often used in the form of a question. Is that too much to ask?

When you say this phrase, make sure you sound frustrated because you're supposed to be. You want something from somebody which seems to you quite simple and easy, but you don't get it.

For example, let's say, you have a messy roommate. You might say, "Hey, you can borrow my book, you can borrow my hair dryer or anything. But when you're done, put it back where it was. Is that too much to ask?"

Another example. Your husband is not very helpful. "Hey, Hun, I told you to take out the garbage. Is that too much to ask?"

Well, why don't you come up with your own examples, if it's not too much to ask.

In the meantime, would you like to practice together? Please repeat after me:

Is that too much to ask?

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

When a woman says "she is expecting" without specifying what she is expecting, people will assume she is pregnant. In other words, she is expecting a baby.

The verb "expect" is often used in progressive forms and it means "to be waiting for someone or something to arrive". When a woman is expecting, she is waiting for a baby to arrive.

I'll give you more examples. Someone's coming to visit you this evening. You're expecting a visitor. Your mother sent you a birthday gift and it's supposed to be delivered today. You're expecting a parcel. Your friend is supposed to call you today. You're expecting a call from a friend.

Actually, a friend of mine is expecting. She is on childcare leave now and going to have her first child in a few weeks.

Now. Why don't you try a quiz? You'll be given three options. Please listen carefully and choose the one that is TRUE. Ready?

If a woman says, "I'm expecting",

1. she is expecting to get pregnant.

2. she is already pregnant.

3. she is not sure if she is pregnant.

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

I was supposed to talk about how the word "worth" is used with nouns two weeks ago. But I spent the last two episodes talking about a "virus" and a "leap year" instead.

And finally, I'm going to talk about the word "worth" with nouns, today.

Let's say there's your favorite restaurant. They serve great food at reasonable prices. It's a little far from your home, though. You need to drive an hour to get there. But it's worth the trip. The restaurant is so popular and always busy. Oftentimes, you have to wait an hour to get in. But again, it's worth the wait.

When you cook bean sprouts, do you remove the roots? Kaori says it's worth the trouble.

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

It's worth the trouble.

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

This year is a leap year.

A regular year consists of 365 days. But every four year in February one extra day is added, which is known as a leap day in the Gregorian calendar. In other words, when there are 366 days instead of 365 in a year, the year is a leap year.

Well, you've learned what a leap year is. Now, let's learn another phrase, which is "every such and such years, or days, or weeks".

For example, a leap year occurs every four years. The Olympics are held every 4 years. I change my banking password every 90 days or once in three months. I don't drive but I do have a driving license and it has to be renewed every 5 years.

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

A leap year occurs every 4 years.