Hello Hairil,

 

I'd like to recommend www.wanikani.com.

 

As a longtime studier of Japanese, I too struggle with Kanji (and vocab).  The nice thing about wanikani, is that it does all the work of choosing what to study, and keeping your studying organized, for you.

 

All you have to do is login and learn the lessons it provides, and review the things you've already learned.  It is made to present the lessons in a way that maximizes memory and learning.

 

I will warn you: it is slow at first, and if you've been studying kanji already, you will probably see many kanji you already know in the beginning.  You can't speed it up, and you can't select which kanji to study.  But, if you stick with it, I'm sure you'll see it's value.

 

It's made by the creators of the www.tofugu.com and www.textfugu.com websites, so it is a quality product (I'm just a user, I had nothing to do with it's creation).

 

Lastly, you can try the first two lessons for free.  If you decide to join, it's $8/month for all the lessons.  I was able to use the coupon/discount code "wanikani heart textfugu" to get it for $5 a month, which is a steal.

 

頑張ってください！

Use any method you like (websites, books, games) to learn the basics: some vocabulary, verb tenses and conjugation, basic sentence structure. Then, the important part: STUDY CONSISTENTLY. While some study methods are more effective than others, the most important thing is that you keep studying, regularly and often. If you can talk with a native speaker/watch English tv/Listen to English radio/read English books for practice, even better. Just don't stop. That's how you learn. Period.

'ello. "Taken" can't be used in a phrase that starts this kind of sentence. (That is to say, there are sentences that you can start with "Taken"). "Taking" or "Having taken" can start a start this kind of sentence. You could say "With the advice of his mother taken into consideration, he decided to stay in the hostel." That is correct because "taken" doesn't start the sentence. If you'd like an example of a sentence that starts with "taken": "Taken with a glass of water, medicine in pill form can provide quick effective relief from symptoms." Cheers.

Those sentences are all written in what is called "passive voice", please read this article: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/activepassive.html The first two sentences need a "The" in the beginning, to be (grammatically) correct. They should say "The device is/is not found". Also, keep in mind that the above is grammatically correct, that doesn't mean it can be used in every situation. For example, if your friend Karen lost her keys, and both of you are looking for them, if you find them, you shouldn't say to her "The keys are found!". You would use active voice and say "I found the keys" or more casually, "(I) found them!" The only situation where the last two sentences you asked about sound natural to me is if, for example, you are trying to use a program to use your webcam on your computer. You turn the program on, and it tells you to click "Search" to find your webcam. You click "Search", it searches for a second and then finds your camera, saying "Device found". Basically those sentences sound a bit like robot/computer talk, because of the passive voice, and the use of the word "device". Hope that wasn't too complicated :).

First, let me correct your question please. When you are asking about meaning, use this format: "What does "[word/phrase]" mean?". So in this case, the correct question would be "What does "as well as" mean?" The answer is that "as well as" has two meanings: 1. "As well as" is a phrase used to compare how skillfully two people do the same thing. Example 1: Jason plays violin as well as Martha (meaning they are equally skilled) Example 2: Brandon doesn't play the violin as well as Jason (meaning that Jason is better at violin playing than Brandon) 2. "As well as" can also mean "in addition to". Example: Brandon, as well as Martha, are going to the movies tonight. Note: This sounds sort of formal, I don't think you'll hear it very often.

Don't forget about "too"; it also has a similar meaning. One of the major differences is that "also" can be used in different parts of a sentence than "too" or "as well". The meaning between these three words is pretty much the same; their main difference is when they're used. Short summary: http://www.englishpractice.com/vocabulary/also-as-well-and-too/ More in-depth comparison: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/also-as-well-or-too Cheers.

Makoto's notebook entry: Aug 08, 2010

I really liked the movie "Crazy Heart". but the main role, Bad Brake(I like Jeff Bridges ^^)'s English is so difficult that I can't catch nor understand what he is talking especially when he is drunk. Is there anyone who likes the movie and <strike>helps</strike> can help me?

ごめん、まことさん。その映画を見る事はありませんから、手伝えません。がんばってね :)

You actually said one way already: "the score is 2 to 1." you can also say: "They're winning 2 to 1." Let me know if you need more details.