Post by Jembru on Nov 23, 2014 21:28:55 GMT
I was just discussing this book with Bokusenou and she asked me for images. It may not be very easy to get hold of (I couldn't even tell you if it's still in print), but as I'm sharing this information anyway, it wouldn't hurt to share it with all of you.
So, I got this little gem from a second hand bookshop in London (the one that looks like a coin laundry from outside). The full title is 「とっさの言い回し英会話気持ちを伝える表現辞典」(something akin to 'the instantaneously express your feelings naturally in English phrasebook'), which is a bit of a mouthful, so forgive me for just calling it '表現辞典’ here. Basically, it is a collection of phrases for describing your feelings, presenting arguments or offering an opinion.. which are all areas that can have language learners fumbling for words, but which form the backbone of most natural conversations.
It's a small and as you can see narrow book, but that doesn't stop it having over 330 pages of super useful phrases! Of course, it is aimed at Japanese speakers learning English, but as all the phrases are translated into natural Japanese (and sometimes in more than one way in order to transmit the exact nuance to the reader), you can use it to improve your conversational Japanese too!
The book is divided into 14 chapters and each one is a theme such as 'happiness and pleasure', 'anger', 'smoothing the conversation', 'useful phrases for daily life' and so on. Each of these chapters is then divided into categories which are usually one category per 2 page spread (for example, the image above is taken from the 'happiness and pleasure' section and is the sub-category for expressing pleasure with co-workers).
Between chapters there are also pages containing useful cultural information and commonly encountered useful phrases.
This book is small enough that is fits easily in my small handbag letting me carry it with me where ever I go. I like to read one page at a time and then cover the Japanese, trying to recite the phrase in my head. It also acts as reading practice, and as the phrases are related, you often find that a word you've had to look up will appear in several phrases on the same page.. with helps to reinforce new words or kanji.
My favourite section is near the back. It is divided into months, so for example, you can look up 'July' and there'll be a selection of handy phrases relevant to July. These phrases are great openers for conversations. You can brush them up on your way to meet friends and then open with, 'wow, it's really starting to feel like summer now isn't it?' 'Have you made any plans yet?'
So I will end by sharing with you December. (I'm sorry my camera is so poor.. I can retake if anyone is particularly interested).
So there you have it. My second favourite book after 'Shadowing', for improving your conversational Japanese. Probably not the easiest thing to get hold of outside of Japan, but if you can beg a friend over there to hunt it down for you, it is well-worth the effort!
So, I got this little gem from a second hand bookshop in London (the one that looks like a coin laundry from outside). The full title is 「とっさの言い回し英会話気持ちを伝える表現辞典」(something akin to 'the instantaneously express your feelings naturally in English phrasebook'), which is a bit of a mouthful, so forgive me for just calling it '表現辞典’ here. Basically, it is a collection of phrases for describing your feelings, presenting arguments or offering an opinion.. which are all areas that can have language learners fumbling for words, but which form the backbone of most natural conversations.
It's a small and as you can see narrow book, but that doesn't stop it having over 330 pages of super useful phrases! Of course, it is aimed at Japanese speakers learning English, but as all the phrases are translated into natural Japanese (and sometimes in more than one way in order to transmit the exact nuance to the reader), you can use it to improve your conversational Japanese too!
The book is divided into 14 chapters and each one is a theme such as 'happiness and pleasure', 'anger', 'smoothing the conversation', 'useful phrases for daily life' and so on. Each of these chapters is then divided into categories which are usually one category per 2 page spread (for example, the image above is taken from the 'happiness and pleasure' section and is the sub-category for expressing pleasure with co-workers).
Between chapters there are also pages containing useful cultural information and commonly encountered useful phrases.
This book is small enough that is fits easily in my small handbag letting me carry it with me where ever I go. I like to read one page at a time and then cover the Japanese, trying to recite the phrase in my head. It also acts as reading practice, and as the phrases are related, you often find that a word you've had to look up will appear in several phrases on the same page.. with helps to reinforce new words or kanji.
My favourite section is near the back. It is divided into months, so for example, you can look up 'July' and there'll be a selection of handy phrases relevant to July. These phrases are great openers for conversations. You can brush them up on your way to meet friends and then open with, 'wow, it's really starting to feel like summer now isn't it?' 'Have you made any plans yet?'
So I will end by sharing with you December. (I'm sorry my camera is so poor.. I can retake if anyone is particularly interested).
So there you have it. My second favourite book after 'Shadowing', for improving your conversational Japanese. Probably not the easiest thing to get hold of outside of Japan, but if you can beg a friend over there to hunt it down for you, it is well-worth the effort!
