maxiewawa

• What do you think of people that eat junk food?
  What do you think of people that try to trick foreigners?
  What do you think of the woman that wants to be the next Japanese Prime Minister?

I’m going to ask my English student these questions when she gets home. They all require an answer in a format that she always has trouble with. Also, they’re all on issues that I think she’ll have an opinion on.

The grammar used to answer these questions in Japanese is quite simple, which is why she has so much trouble with the English. In Japanese we’d say the equivalent of:

Junk food eating people are…
Trying to trick foreigners people are…
Wants to be Prime Minister woman is…

…where as the proper English would be:

People that eat junk food…
People that try to trick foreigners…
The woman that wants to be the next Japanese PM is….

If you have any opinions on these issues, better ideas for teaching this pattern, or just want to say hello, please leave a comment!