Hi David and everyone,

David - Thanks for your explanation about my question. Sometimes you use "should" when I never think of the word, so I'd wanted to ask you about it. It's still difficult for me to understand, but I'll keep gathering example sentences. Thank you:)

Everyone - Thanks for sharing those words that have the same meaning. They all sound confusing to me too! I think I need to study more, but maybe I should just wait until I understand them sometime.

I did a Google search with this "continue vs. last"(続く), so let me write about it.

Last implies more of a quality of an endurance or even a surviving a process.
Last implies more about energy expended over a lifetime or even a shelf-life.

Continue implies some sort of passive mechanical motion or action.
Continue is more general as to how long it will move forward or move on with no concern about expiration or survival.

Someone asked these questions:

1. The house should last for 25 years. vs. The house should continue for 25 years. (Okay this is an example where 'last for' works and continue for sounds strange.)

2. He will continue until he finishes. vs. He will last until he finishes.

3. It'll last until 5 o'clock. vs. It'll continue until 5 o'clock.

And these are the answers:

1. You're right. 'Last' is preferred here.

2. These two sentences really don't mean the same thing. Generally speaking, "He will continue until he finishes" is correct, simple and straightforward. The other sentence -- "He will last until he finishes" -- clearly implies that the person being described is having some difficulty and can't last long. With that sentence you are indicating confidence that he will "last" at least that long. We don't know; he might die soon afterwards. To say he will "continue" doesn't imply any such thing, merely tells us his time schedule.

3. The problem is similar here. Both sentences tell us that the program ("it") will be over at 5 o'clock. But the first sentence implies that there is some question about whether "it" can take up that whole time period. You are assuring us that it'll last that long.

It was interesting to read, but the part I liked most was the last sentence the student(?) had wrote:

Can you give me some hard and fast rules on when and how to use these two words correctly. I don't think my brain can continue or how long this confusion will last.

I liked his joke, and I think he understands the difference!

Have a great weekend,

Tomo

PS David - The pictures are amazing! They are all beautiful!!

•  Tomo
• 2011年2月 4日 22:58

Hi Ling,
Thank you for googling "travel vs. journey". It's definitely helpful! So there are differences. I have been using one of them 適当に　so far.

Hi David,
I google another similar words; "say vs. tell". Of course they are translated into 言う。 Differences are follows;

Ｙｏｕ　ｓａｙ　ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ．
Tom said that he was tired.
Tara said "I love you".

Ｙｏｕ　ｔｅｌｌ　ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ　ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ．
Tom told Jack he was tired.
Tara told John that she loved him.

I'll google again when I don't know the differnces of similar words. Thank you again for telling us how to know the difference of some words.

I'm glad to hear that you had a lot of good time at mountains. The pictures are beautiful, especially the one which the sun was shining through the trees, it's awe-inspiring!

If you don't mind answering, what tunes of piano you are playing? I like playing the piano too, not a good player. I play some classical music and pop music.

By the way, the title of this and last post is "Lost In Translation", "lost in" in this case means 耽る（夢中になる）or 迷う？
And in your entry, you said "a couple of _"
and "couple of _". If we put "a" in front of couple, it's singular so it's means 2（人、個）、then "couple of_" means how many? 2,3(人、個）？
Sorry for asking you, I googled by myself but I couldn't find the answer.

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Fumie

•  Fumie
• 2011年2月 5日 08:12

Hi Fumie,

I play popular music, but I'm not very good at all. It's just for fun.

The title of the entry was just a copy of the title of a movie. I thought it expressed the meaning of the entry quite well.

In my entry, I wrote "a couple of guys" and "the last couple of weeks." Is this what you mean? "Couple" means two. The difference between the phrases I wrote is specific vs. non-specific. If you have my red book, please read the explanation of "a/the." (There is also an explanation of "say/tell.")

•  David
• 2011年2月 5日 09:46

Hi David and everyone,

When I read this sentence "I don't think my brain can continue or how long this confusion will last" yesterday, I thought it meant something like “この混乱はいつまで続くのか、僕(僕の脳)はそれに耐えられるのか”, but... 今日読んだら何か違うような…？？　それだと、I don't know how long this confusion will continue or if my brain can last.　かな？？　ちょっと分からなくなりました。。

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2011年2月 5日 13:23

Hi Tomo,

It's not a 100% foolproof explanation, but it might help you to think of actions vs. states. "Continue" is used when something is happening or somebody is doing something. "Last" is used to talk about a state, or simply to talk about the existence of something.

In your example, the writer means "I don't know how long my brain can continue working this hard, and I don't know how long this state of confusion will last."

You couldn't use "last" in the first part because if you said "I don't know how long my brain will last," it would mean that you were expecting to die! (Because the state of your brain existing was coming to an end.) You could, however, say "or how long this confusion will continue." It depends whether you think of confusion as something that is happening in your brain (continue) or a state that your brain is in (last).

Does that help?

•  David
• 2011年2月 5日 13:33

Hi David,

Yes, your explanation helps me a lot. I thought the difference was "endurance", but it's "actions vs. states". I got it. Thank you!

•  Tomo
• 2011年2月 5日 14:55

Hi David,
Thank you very much for answering all of my questions!
The difference between "the couple of weeks" and "a couple of guys" is specific vs. non-specific.
"a" imply non-specific not for singular. Why didn't I notice such a simple thing!!
Thanks for answering such a stupid question.　こんなバカな質問にも、きちんと答えてくれるDavid は本当いい人ですね！

I had read your books but I forgot some parts, so I will read them all over again.

Oh, there is the movie which has the same title of your entry. "Lost in translation" by Sofia Coppola.
I've never seen this, but it seems interesting. I checked about the movie and it says the movie explores some problems and culture shock against the backdrop of a modern Japanese cityscrape.
I'll rent the DVD of the movie.

Fumie

•  Fumie
• 2011年2月 6日 07:05

I have nearly finished the writing book I told you about. Jazmin, I have included your story about the Japanese couple on the train. If you would like me to put your name in the book, please email me at info at btbpress dot com, because I don't know your full name.

•  David
• 2011年2月 6日 12:26

Hi David and everyone,

How’s your weekend? Hope you are having a nice one.
I was supposed to meet my friend this weekend, but he couldn’t make it, so it upset my schedule. I didn’t go out and stayed home yesterday, and I don’t have any plans today, either. I am watching a Japanese movie on TV. I rarely watch Japanese movies, but this movie is based on a novel which is one of my favourite authors’ books.

PS. David, Thank you for uploading nice pictures, I like them.

amo

•  amo
• 2011年2月 6日 13:37

Hi, David and all.
David, your photos of view of in the mountain are so beautiful. Those picture make me heal. Now, I'm so tired as I was reading your last entory again and again.　You and other members conversation was so long and their expression means was very difficult for me.　I almost couldn't understand those long sentence.　Those are nice subject for English learning for me though. Sure this entry is same for me.After I read your last and this entry and member's comment, I wanted breath deeply in the place where like in your photos .
Hi, Amo.
休日は貴重なひとときですよね。計画が狂うのはほんと、がっかりしちゃいます。I'm going to my mothers house.　As I couldn't there at yew years day because of heavy snow. These days it rather warm here thouth, I wonder how other members place?
toko-mom

•  匿名
• 2011年2月 6日 22:35

Hi David,
You have included my story in your new book?
It’s such an honor!
I’ll give you full permission to use any writing by me without asking me or putting my name.
Thank you for asking.

•  Jazmín
• 2011年2月 6日 22:38

Hi toko-mom,

Yes, it disappointed me a bit, but it’s not his fault, he had no choice. That’s the way it goes.
By the way, how’s your mother? Are you still your mother’s place or already returned?
Hope you had a good time.

Hi David,

How's your work? Are you still working on it? Did you have time to go for a ride or walk. Don't work too hard.

amo

•  amo
• 2011年2月 7日 23:23

Hi, amo. I went back my house tihs early morning^^/. I stayed mothers house last night.
母は元気にしています。（これを英語でいう表現がみつかりません。my mother looks well.でもいいんですかねえ？）My mother doesn't have a car licencs.
Yesterday I brought he to hospital for get a medicine, and went to the grossery store with her.After went back her house I cut her hair. We enjoyed with a lot of chatting. Recently I really think that my mother is livng long. and I 'm glad to her a lot and I can have a chance to say "Thanks a lot" to mother.As I already fifty . When I was arounf fourty I didn't have a time of thinking about my parent and I couldn' afford to say thanks for them. Oh, so sorry, this is very privete story.

Hi,david. I had a very comfortable time while driving on the high way around Beppu interchange in Oita- ken this early morning around there, there are beautiful mountain and a nice view place.
(文法、単語、自信がないのですが、金魚の口がパクパク状態です!）ほんとに読んでいただいてありがとうございます。toko-mom

•  toko-mom
• 2011年2月 8日 10:08

Hi David,
Wow, you go to the mountain by your mountain bike or trials bike? What an athlete you are！To climb the steep slope in the mountain is so tough, but you go up there by bike, right? I love walking in a mountain and go twice a month. I usually don't take any pictures because I get tired and can't afford to do it. But I looked your good photoes and felt that I wanted to take pictures.

Hi everyone,
This and last topics are too difficult for me. I need enough time to read and understand it. There are lots of words of "versus"　私も調べてみたのですが、私の力ではまだスッキリと理解出来ません。内容が所々分からないからです。文法的なコメントをするのはとても難しいので、せめて読んで内容を理解出来るように頑張りたいです。

Mimi

•  Mimi
• 2011年2月 8日 18:45

Hi , David & everyone.

I was wondering if I'd ask you a question about the sentences "It doesn't look it on the picture, but this was actually very steep." from the 27th to the 28th line in this entry.

I've never seen the expression "It doesn't look it" in the first sentence.
Does that mean the same as "It doesn't look so?"
I think that the second "it" in this expression probably implies "very steep."
Can "it" refer to an adjective like this way the same as a noun?

I'd deeply appreciate it if you'd bother to answer this.

Thanks in advance.

Bye for now.

gk2bs

•  gk2bs
• 2011年2月15日 09:57