These two words can have roughly the same meaning and, depending on the context, can be used interchangeably. "I'm scared/afraid of the dark" "He's scared/afraid of heights." "People are scared/afraid to go out alone at night." These all sound perfectly natural to me. However, we can use "scared" as a verb (past tense) but we cannot use afraid in the same way. For example, we can say "I was scared by the ghost", but we cannot say "I was afraid by the ghost". Afraid can also be used for expressing apology or regret. 'I'm afraid I bumped your car when I was trying to park.' The following article goes into the usage of these two words in detail and has a lot of good example sentences. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv335.shtml

An informal lesson, unlike a formal, structured class, is basically a friendly conversation with your teacher. It's excellent for speaking practice. If you take a formal class with a professional teacher, you may work with a textbook, and the lesson will be geared towards your teacher "teaching" you the language. An informal lesson on the other hand is much more relaxed. You can choose a topic, talk about it and should you make any mistakes you're teacher will correct them for you. You can also ask any questions you have about the language you're studying. :) http://support.italki.com/entries/21589867-What-is-Informal-Tutoring-

ありがとうございます。 Ａｒｉｇａｔｏｕ　ｇｏｚａｉｍａｓｕ．＾＾

Utilitarian art is a type art which has some sort of function like a company logo, a mascot, a bowl you made in pottery class etc. It isn't visual art like a painting, which is created to be appreciated, but has some kind of design and usage. In the article you've above, the author talks about a urinal being turned into a piece of art. It's not visual art, but it certainly has a function! :p In the art world, the "medium" is the material used by the artist to create their work. In terms of drawing and painting, it's usually referred to as the "media". Examples include oil paint, pastel, pencil and watercolor. In architecture the medium could cement, glass, metal etc. To "wow" your friends simply means to amaze them.

Hello, Could you provide us with some context? Where did you hear this phrase and what was the full sentence? There are quite a few (American?) slang terms which use the word "clam" such as "clam up" and "clam it", but I've only ever hear them in films. They all carry the same meaning which is "Shut up and calm down!" "Clam down" could possibly be a variation? http://reefcorner.com/wp-content/uploads/Crocea-clam-closed-512x384.jpg When someone says this, the person the phrase is directed at should act like a clam and keep their mouths shut tight! ;)