Lesson 27 Hard work

ポイント
In English, the same expression can mean different things depending if it describes doing something or being something. Masako’s mistakes should help me explain this.

ダイアログ
Tracy: What’s your boss like?
Masako: He’s hard work.
Tracy: I’m sorry to hear that.

解説
Why is Tracy sorry to hear that Masako’s boss is “hard work”? Isn’t hard work a good thing for a boss? Well, hard work can be a good thing for a boss to do, but it’s a bad thing for a boss to be. “He’s hard work” means 彼は気難しい; i.e., he is hard work for other people. Masako should say, “He works hard” or “He does a lot of hard work.” So remember to work hard, but don’t be hard work.