前作の『基礎文法単語編』は、類似した英語のニュアンスの違いを学び始めるための最初の一歩という特徴があります。そして、今回ご紹介している『よくある間違い防止編』は、さらに深い内容に踏み込んで学習していく講座です。

だから、簡単に説明すると『基礎文法単語編』の続編です。そのため、『基礎文法単語編』⇒『よくある間違い防止編』の順番で学ぶ必要があるように思えるのは当然ですよね。

今回のNic先生のMisconception克服講座『よくある間違い防止編』は、英語学習レベルが中級者〜上級者の方であれば誰でも参加できます。このように学習レベルを限定するのには理由があります。

英語学習をスタートしたばかりの頃であれば、日本語で説明してもらわないと意味を理解するのは難しいでしょう。しかし、ネイティブの持つニュアンスや感覚は、別の言語に翻訳してしまうと少なからず失われる可能性があります。

だからこそ、より高いレベルを目指すのであれば、ネイティブの価値観を丸ごと吸収するのが一番です。そのため日本語は一切使用せずに、テキストや指導の全てを英語で行います。

そのテキストで登場する英語のレベルは、下記の英文参考例で把握できます。この文章を読むことを苦痛に感じずに、ある程度の意味を理解できる方であれば、講座の内容を理解して頂けるはずです。

• 1

  【全12回】人気講師のマンツーマン添削指導

  受講生には、テキスト教材や問題集などを使用して学んで頂きます。そして、毎月2回ほどNic先生に課題を提出するとマンツーマンで添削指導をしてくれます。
  
  ユーモラスで真摯な対応をしてくれるNic先生の添削は人気があり、フルーツフルイングリッシュの講師の中でも、上位クラスにランクインされています。

  そのNic先生とはマンツーマンの添削指導以外にも、特別セミナーを開催する予定です（2時間のセミナーを1回開催予定）。テキスト内容をさらに深掘りし、Nic先生に直接質問することも可能な充実した時間をお約束しますよ！

• 2

  【340ページ越え】ボリュームたっぷりの英語教材

  Nic先生が開発されたテキスト教材は全部で5冊です。1~5冊までを合計すると349ページです。
  
  この教材の中には、フルーツフルイングリッシュの添削データとNic先生の英語指導経験から導き出した『類似した英語表現』や『よくある間違い』が凝縮されています。

  そのテキストで具体的に、どんな学習をするかをVol.1から順番に紹介しますね。

  英語Misconception克服ブックVol.1
  受講生が苦戦しやすい例文 編

  英語Misconception克服ブック Misconception2 Vol.1は、前講座「英語Misconception克服講座 基礎単語・文法編」の復習の場となっています。
  
  第一弾で特に苦戦している方が多かった間違いをより細かく・具体的に説明しています。二つ、サンプルとして例を紹介しています。

  例えば、noticeとrealizeは区別はバッチリですか？

  I noticed that you got a haircut.とI realized that you got a haircut. はどちらが自然な表現か分かりますか？

  For this volume, we first look at a few common misconceptions from Course 1 in more depth, that still tend to give people problems. Then, we look at some more general phrases that are confused! Here’s 2 examples:

  1. Although we look at realise in Misconception 1, it’s also commonly confused with the verb notice.

  Realise is similar to the verb understand that was also covered in Misconception 1. The difference between realise and notice though is that realise describes becoming aware, or gaining the understanding of something.

  He realised his mistake after the teacher told him.

  In this case, notice the change that the subject undergoes. That is, he didn’t understand or become aware of his mistake immediately. Instead, it was only after the teacher that this change and gaining of understanding occurred. He didn’t know he made a mistake before, but then he learned about his mistake and understood it after the teacher told him.

  However, notice simply means to observe, or pay attention to something. Importantly, it implies an ability, or being able to do something.

  He noticed his mistake after the teacher told him.

  This has a completely different meaning. Using notice only means that he was able to observe his mistake, or know that it existed. So, the subject may not understand how or why he made the mistake here. Instead, the subject only knows that the mistake exists, and was able to observe it.

  Now for a test of the most common mistake using realise and notice! Is the following correct?

  My students can realise the errors in their work.

  No, this is incorrect! Importantly, you cannot use realise with conditionals like can. This is because realise implies the act of becoming aware, or understanding. However, it’s a bit strange to say that someone is unable to, or cannot become aware of something. That is, everyone is capable of becoming aware, or gaining understanding of something. Realise simply describes if this process occurs or not.

  My students can realise the errors in their work.

  My students realise the errors in their work if they read my corrections carefully.

  Compare this to notice. Is the following correct?

  My students can notice the errors in their work.

  Remember that notice implies an ability, or being able to do something. So, you can definitely use can with notice. Since notice describes being aware, or paying attention, the following sentence means that my students are able to see, or able to observe the errors in their work. However, unlike with the sentence with realise, this doesn't imply that they understand their errors. Instead, they can only see that the errors exist.

  2. Come to be able to

  This is a very common phrase used by Japanese speakers. However, native speakers never use it, and it definitely sounds unnatural! Instead, let’s look at a few alternatives to using come to be able to.

  In general, Japanese speakers often use this phrase to describe a process, and being able to do something in the present, that they couldn't do before.

  For example,

  After Nic-sensei’s lesson, I came to be able to use phrasal verbs.

  There are numerous alternatives to this, but here’s the simplest.

  After Nic-sensei’s lesson, I am now able to use phrasal verbs.

  The simplest phrase is with the simple present tense! In addition, by using the time phrase now with the present tense, this implies that the subject I was unable to use phrasal verbs before, but after Nic-sensei’s lesson, I can use them now.

  Here’s one more example, and an alternative!

  I came to be able to like cooking after taking a class.

  Just like in the first example, this describes something that is true now, but wasn't true before. That is, before the class I didn’t like cooking, but not I do like the class.

  Although we could use I like cooking now, here’s another great alternative:

  I began/started to like cooking after taking a class.

  This is very common for English speakers. We use a verb like begin or start to describe when a fact is first true. In this case, using begin or start with the infinitive form to like describes when you first liked cooking, which is after taking a class.

  There’s lots more alternatives to the phrase come to be able to in my textbook as well!

  MORE

  英語Misconception克服ブック Vol.2
  類似単語の違いがわかる例文 編

  英語Misconception克服ブック Misconception2 Vol.2から今回の講座用に、様々な新しい内容を取り上げています。thereとitの違いから、thatとthis、hereとthereの比較を豊富な例文を使って行っていきます。

  サンプル例の2つ目、comeとgoの違いは誰でも一度は間違えたことがあるのではないでしょうか？なぜ、日本語の「来る」と「行く」みたいにシンプルではないのでしょう！「誰」目線で話しているかに注意して学んでいきましょう！

  Volume 2 is an expansion of the previous course, and describing a situation with there and it. However, we go even more in depth, and look at describing people, places and the world more naturally! There are lots of misconceptions related to this topic, and here are 2!

  1. this vs that

  This section is actually part of a larger section, where we cover other phrases like here vs there. In fact, it may be one of the most common misconceptions of all! Here’s a quick lesson!

  This - in the context of space and time, this is a pronoun used to refer to something relatively close to the speaker, such as the most recent event, or something physically near the speaker.

  Will you come to the party this weekend?

  We use this to refer to the closest weekend in time, which is the upcoming or weekend of the current week.

  Look at this dog by my foot.

  Since I'm referring to a dog very close to me, by my own foot, this is used to emphasise this close physical distance.

  That - once more, we use that as a pronoun. However, that is used to emphasise something that is not close in space or time, such as something far away from us, or occurred a long time before or will occur a long after the present time.

  Did you go to the party that weekend?

  In this case, that weekend is a bit unclear. However, what is clear is that the weekend you are t referring to did not occur recently. That is, the party occurred a relatively long time ago in the past.

  Look at that dog by your shoe.

  In this case, it’s not clear how far away the dog is. However, it is clear that the dog is closer to the other person, and farther away from the speaker. For example, if this was a conversation, the dog would be closer to the person being talked to, and farther away from the speaker!

  2. Come vs go

  This section is part of another larger section, covering other verbs like bring and take, as well as get and be.

  Go - used to describe movement away from the speakers current or usual location.

  I will go to work in 1 hour.

  Notice that we use go here to emphasise travelling away from our current location. That is, we are not at work now, and are not usually at work, but we will travel there in 1 hour.

  Come - used to describe movement towards a location near, or common and familiar to the speaker.

  I will come home from work in 1 hour.

  The key information here is home. Since home is a common or familiar location for the speaker, it is the place they live, we use come to refer to movement towards this location, and away from work which is a less common or familiar place.

  Here’s a common mistake:

  Can you go to my house in 30 minutes?

  Remember who the speaker is in this sentence. Here, the speaker is asking the other person to travel to their home. That is, the speaker wants the other person to travel to their own home, towards themselves. So, we use come to refer to movement towards a location near or at the speaker’s location.

  Can you come to my house in 30 minutes?

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  英語Misconception克服ブック Vol.3
  形容詞 VS 副詞 編

  英語Misconception克服ブック Misconception2 Vol.3 のフォーカスは形容詞と副詞です。形容詞と副詞関係のmisconception、意外にも多いんです。
  
  もしかするとあなたも気付かずにこのような誤解をしているかもしれません。例えばsoは英語のなかでもっとも誤用が多い単語の１つです。次の一見正しそうな文章、なぜ間違いかわかりますか？

  We had to stay so late at the office today.

  さらにこの章では踏み込みます。名詞を形容詞のように使えること、知っていましたか？
  
  例えば、大学の図書館、公園のベンチといった表現をする際に、「library of the university」「bench in a park」ではなく、もっとシンプルに「the university library」「park bench」と言えるようになりましょう。
  
  答えを見れば簡単なように思えますが、日本人の英語はほぼ前置詞つきの前者で非常にわかりにくくなっています。

  時々見かけるものの、いざ自分でやってみようと！と思うとためらってしてしまうのではないでしょうか？
  
  Misconceptionではありませんが、あなたの英語をもっとシンプルで分かりやすく、ネイティブの響きをもつものにするために、この機会にあなたも名詞を形容詞のように使う方法やルールを習得しましょう。

  For this volume, we focus on adjectives and adverbs. There are a surprising number of misconceptions related to their use, especially regarding adjective structure.

  1. Using so as an adverb.

  Aside from this and that, using so is one of the most commonly confused words in English!

  This is because its use is related to context.

  Normally so has 2 common uses:

  1. to describe an extent, or how one thing affects the other. This is commonly used with another clause and the relative pronoun that.

  He is so tired that he can't walk.

  This sentence shows the result of the person being tired. That is, he is very tired, and he is unable to walk as a result of his tiredness.

  2. emphasis in informal sentences.

  I am so hungry today!

  In this case, so is used the same way as adverbs like very or really, to emphasise the degree that I am hungry.

  The most common misconception is related to 2. This is because of context and use. This is only used in informal sentences or situations. Also, so is very strong, and usually only used to refer to how we feel, rather than actions.

  For example,

  We had to stay so late at the office today.

  Notice that so refers to late here. However, late is referring to the action of staying late. This is unnatural.

  I was so angry because we had to stay late at the office today.

  This is the difference between using so with feelings compared to actions. Notice that it’s fine to use so angry, as angry is an adjective describing my opinion of staying late.

  2. Using nouns as adjectives

  This is not a misconception, but rather a way to make your writing simpler and more advanced. It’s common to use some nouns as adjectives. We cover many ways in the textbook, but the most common way is using locations.

  In general, we can use the larger location or place something is located as an adjective. That is, if something is located within something else, we can use the larger object, or the object that contains the other object as an adjective. This commonly replaces prepositions like of or in

  This is easier with examples:

  library of the university

  Instead of using of to connect these nouns, notice that the noun university is larger. That is, the university contains the library. So, we can write the following:

  the university library

  Here’s one more example:

  bench in a park

  Again, notice that the object bench is located inside a larger area, which is a park. So, we can more simply write:

  park bench

  There are many rules for this type of simplification in English, and it’s one of the best ways to make your writing more natural! We cover them all in the course!

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  英語Misconception克服ブックVol.4
  シンプルに表現できる文章力 編

  英語Misconception克服ブック Misconception2 Vol.4 からは文の構成に関するmisconceptionを紹介しています。
  
  misconceptionが理由で文が必要以上に複雑になっているかも？より自然でシンプルな文が書けるよう、文章力アップを目指します。

  Volume 4 is focused on sentence structure. We focus on making your sentences more natural by changing the structure. In addition, we look at ways of making structure simpler, and thus more natural! One of them is actually a continuation of our look at adjectives in Volume 3.

  Here are 2 ways to make your writing more natural by changing your structure!

  1. Using proper nouns as adjectives

  Here’s a topic that may be unfamiliar for many Japanese speakers. In English, we can actually use proper nouns as adjectives.

  Remember that proper nouns are names for individual people, places, organizations or other unique objects, that are referred to with a capital letter. For example, Nic is a proper noun, because it’s the name of an individual person: me!

  So, a common misconception is the following:

  She went shopping at the shop of Fruitful Company.

  Notice that Fruitful Company is a proper noun. It’s written with a capital letter, and Fruitful is the name of an individual company. So, rather than using of to connect the noun shop with the company that the shop belongs to, we can write the following:

  She went shopping at the Fruitful Company shop.

  Without using a preposition, we can use Fruitful Company as an adjective by placing it before the noun shop.

  Here’s one more:

  He always drank his coffee from his cup made by Starbucks.

  Notice that we can simplify this even further. Not only can we replace the preposition by this time, but also the verb make as well!

  He always drank his coffee from his Starbucks cup.

  There are a few more cases of using proper nouns as adjectives as well, that we talk about in more detail in the text!

  2. Writing positive and negative information when using conjunctions

  This is a common mistake, and one that is very important to avoid. This is because it can lead to misconceptions in meaning!

  Let’s look at a sentence. What does the following mean?

  The presentation was not difficult to understand and good.

  if you use not to refer to difficult first in the sentence, before the adjective good, this means that the negative form not also refers to good. This is because you use the conjunction and. So, the meaning of this sentence is the same as the following:

  The presentation was not difficult to understand and the presentation was not good.

  If you think about the meaning, this is a bit strange! Not difficult to understand is a probably good for a presentation, so also saying the presentation was not good is strange!

  Instead, this is what the writer meant to say:

  The presentation was good and not difficult to understand.

  There are many other examples of this, and writing positive and negative information in sentences. We also compare the use of the conjunctions or and and when writing sentences with positive and negative verbs! This is another common misconception!

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  英語Misconception克服ブックVol.5
  強調・強弱 編

  最終の英語Misconception克服ブック Misconception2 Vol.5 では文に強調・強弱を加える方法を学んでいきます。
  
  例えば、受動態が文を強調する役目を持っていることをご存じですか？実は受動態、ただ「〜られる」を表すつまらない文法ではないんです。

  日本人特有のmisconceptionを減らし、ネイティブのように英語を扱えるよう半年間頑張っていきましょう！

  For our last volume, we look at ways to create emphasis in your writing. There are many ways to do this, and we already looked at using adjectives before in Volume 3.

  However, we will look at ways to create more focus on the subject, and to emphasise meaning.

  Here are 2 great ways.

  1. Passive voice

  In terms of grammar structure, this is by far the most commonly confused subject by Japanese writers.

  How many times have you written sentences like the following:

  We can see beautiful cherry blossoms in Japan in spring.

  With recordings, we can listen to Nic’s example sentences at any time.

  Do these sound natural? They shouldn’t! Can you tell why?

  There is one common element between these sentences: we. Remember that we refers to yourself, and a group of 2 or more people. However, who is being referred to with we here? Exactly! It’s not clear. In fact, it doesn't matter who is being referred to. In these sentences, it’s not important who the action. Instead, the most important part is the action itself.

  This is where we use the passive voice:

  Beautiful cherry blossoms can be seen in Japan in spring.

  With recordings, Nic’s example sentences can be listened to at any time.

  There are many more examples and uses of the passive voice, and more misconceptions! We cover lots of them, and I guarantee by the end of my course that you'll have a much greater understanding of this frequently confused topic!

  2. Using possessives more naturally

  Similar to our look at the passive voice, there are many, many uses for possessives. However, one of the most natural ways is to use possessives to replace phrases like to someone or for someone. We’ll look at only one case here, but it’s perhaps the most commonly used. The only problem is, it’s not the most natural way to phrase this sentence!

  Have you ever written the following?

  Last year was the first time for me visiting/to visit Canada.

  This is acceptable, but not the way a native speaker would phrase this. In general, we try to place important information first in the sentence. An example of ‘important information' is who or what information relates to.

  In the above sentence, the information first time to visit/visiting Canada refers to the person speaking. That is, it refers to me. However, we can place this information earlier by using the possessive:

  Last year was my first time visiting Canada.

  This is much better! By using my first in the sentence, the reader more quickly knows who the reader is referring to: themselves. Then, the information about the writer comes after. Notice that only the gerund form visiting is used, to refer to an action that occurred in the past.

  We look at other uses of the possessives, mainly to simplify and make your writing more natural!

  I hope this brief introduction helped you learn a little bit. Do you have any of the misconceptions that I mentioned! That’s OK if you do! Making mistakes is the only way to learn! Remember that this is only a small part of my course, so I'm looking forward to looking at even more misconceptions, and showing you ways to make your writing more natural!

  MORE

• 3

  【約14時間越え】Nic先生のオーディオブック

  この講座で配布する5冊の予習教材をすべてNic先生が英文で読み上げるオーディオブックを準備しました。
  
  音声は17個に分けて収録していて合計9時間弱のボリュームがあります。さらに、Vol.ごとに約1時間~2時間の音声を5個用意しました。

  すぐに使える豊富な例文も収録されているので、毎日使える表現集が増えていきそうですね！通勤途中にランダム再生して、その日中に使うのを日課にしても効果的です。
  
  例えば職場で。毎日英語を使う環境にない方は、日記添削などで使ってもいいですね！

• 4

  添削データを反映したオンライン問題集

  5冊のテキスト教材の中に掲載した使用頻度の高い例文集と間違いやすい表現を穴埋め形式のオンライン問題集として提供します。

  スマホ、タブレット、ＰＣに対応している為、好きな時間と場所で何回でも繰り返し学習できます。

  さらに穴埋め問題以外にも

  • 選んだ英文と翻訳内容が模範作文と一致したか自動添削する自習英作文
  • ディクテーション形式

  など同じコンテンツをいろいろな角度で学べるため記憶の定着に役立ちます。オンライン問題になると間違えた問題だけを繰り返し復習したり、問題をブックマークしたりと、さらに学習効果も高まりそうですよね！

  Nic先生の添削の経験から日本人が間違いがちなものばかりを集めました。そんな教材で学んだことを隅から隅まで活用いただくことが目的です！