The friction between locals and military personnel has been exacerbated in recent years by cultural misunderstandings and the isolated criminal acts . It's hoped the reduction of forces on the island chain will reduce the animosity .
Excerpt from Simplfied Grammar Japanese book: Omit "g" sound e.g. arigatou . Actually In English, "g" sound can be omitted cases like "I'm gonna"-->"I'monna"
In this morning's NPR's diane reim show, I learned two phrases 1. "play by the rule" e.g. "they're the second or third generation of latino immigrant and they always play by the rule." You can also add another phrase - pay tax on time. I used to use abide by the law, which sounds too formal :) 2. "I'll do" When asked by the host which panelist will say something, one of the panelist says "I'll do", meaning 让我来 or 我来说好了。
used to describe something been used often and no maintenance, way off, crappy. e.g.1: The beat up computer in dry lab. (the Asus 20" AIO that everyone install/uninstall everything) e.g.2: Some Japanese words sounds really beat up when using katakana to form it.
come to grips with someone or something Fig. to begin to deal with someone or something difficult or challenging in a sensible way. We must all come to grips with this tragedy. I cannot come to grips with Ed and his problems.