Everyday Grammar: Ramen, a Popular Food in Japan

0:07Hi, Dr. Jill.

0:08Hi, John.

0:09What's on your mind today?

0:12We received a lot of messages from our audience around the world.

0:16One unnamed VOA Learning English fan sent us a message from Japan.

0:23Most popular food in Japan is ramen.

0:26I think because ramen has huge kinds of taste.

0:31The message is clear and to the point.

0:33I lived in Japan for many years and love ramen as well.

0:38We do have a couple of suggestions to improve the writing.

0:42We need to pay special attention to short words such as articles and remove a few other words.

0:49For example, we need to include the word the at the beginning of the message.

0:55As in, the most popular food in Japan is ramen.

0:59The reason we need to include the word the is because we often use articles to introduce a

1:05noun phrase.

1:07English speakers expect a noun phrase to start with an article or other determiner.

1:13These short words are like signposts.

1:16They tell us what is coming or approaching.

1:19A few words about huge kinds of taste.

1:22While its meaning is understandable,

1:25English speakers might instead use different structures to express the same idea.

1:31For example, English speakers might say that the taste is complex, bold,

1:38or rich.

1:40So, we might update the message so that it goes like this.

1:44The most popular food in Japan is ramen because it has a rich,

1:49complex taste.

1:54And that's everyday grammar.