Hello and welcome to the English Like A Native podcast.
My name is Anna and you're listening to week 32, day 2 of Your English Five A Day, the second season.
Think of me as your English spirit guide, guiding you towards building a healthy habit of dunking daily into the English language so that over time you become more confident and more capable of expressing yourself with ease and confidence in English.
I'm here every day of the working week from Monday to Friday, ready to tickle your eardrums with a new set of vocabulary each day.
I bring it all together at the end of the episode with a nice little story and I record everything that we cover all the vocabulary and definitions and examples in our database.
The vocabulary vault that you can access for free.
I'll leave a link in the show notes. And if you'd like to take your learning further, then consider becoming a PLUS member, a membership that gives you access to the stories, the downloads, an opportunity to do some writing practice and to test your comprehension as well.
I'll leave details about PLUS membership also in the show notes.
So let's begin today's episode with a snapshot.
The funicular railway began to ascend the mountain, moving steadily upward through the morning mist.
Taj watched nervously as the other car passed them going downhill, balanced perfectly on the same track system.
Within 20 minutes they would reach the peak and see the view his grandfather had described so many times.
Right, let's dive into that vocabulary, starting with the noun funicular railway.
Funicular. We spell this F-U-N-I-C-U-L-A-R.
Funicular. Railway. R-A-I-L-L. A funicular railway is a type of railway that goes up and down a steep hill using two connected cars that balance each other.
Now, maybe you have one of these in your country.
I'm sure we have one or two of these dotted around our country, but generally we don't have many hills in the UK.
Well, not very steep ones anyway. So here's an example sentence.
We took the funicular railway to the top of the mountain.
Now, if you'd like to see a picture of a funicular railway, I'm showing one now.
If you're watching on YouTube and if you're listening via another streaming platform, then maybe hop over to YouTube to take a look.
Alright, our next item on the list is the verb ascend.
To ascend. We spell this A-S-C-E-N-D. To ascend is to go up or to move to a higher place.
For example, the balloon slowly ascended into the sky.
We often use ascend when talking about climbing mountains.
I once ascended the lower part of Aconcagua, which is over in Argentina, and I have ascended Mount Snowdon.
I summited Mount Snowdon. And some of the nearby large hills as well.
There's lots of hills to climb in Snowdonia in Wales.
But I haven't done any of the other mountains in the UK.
We have Ben Nevis in Scotland. I haven't done that one.
Have you ever ascended a mountain? Tell me all about it.
OK, next we have the adverb steadily, steadily.
We spell this s-t-e-a-d-i-l-y, steadily.
If you do something steadily, then you do it in a smooth, gradual and regular way.
If you walk steadily, then you're not at risk of falling over.
When I ask my children to take their bowls or plates from the dining table back to the kitchen after a meal, I tell them to do it steadily.
Be careful. Walk smooth and slowly. Don't mess around.
Don't get distracted. Don't skip. Don't run.
Do it steadily. Here's another example sentence.
His health is improving steadily. Next we have the adverb upward.
Upward. We spell this U-P-W-A-R-D. Upward.
Upward means to go towards a higher place or level.
So if you move upward, then you move up to a higher level.
In English, you want to learn and move upward when it comes to your fluency.
Unfortunately, if you neglect your English studies, then you'll go in the opposite direction.
Here's an example sentence. The path continues upward through the forest.
Okay, last on today's list is the noun peak.
Peak. We spell this P-E-A-K. So when we spell it P-E-A-K...
It's the noun that means the top or the highest point of something, especially when talking about mountains or hills, the peak.
It's different to the verb that has the spelling P-E-E-K, but also sounds the same.
So to reach the peak, here's an example sentence.
The view from the peak was breathtaking.
Wow. Okay, that's our five. Relatively easy, but hopefully some new words there for you.
We started with the noun funicular railway, which is a type of railway that goes up and down a steep hill using two connected cars that balance each other.
A funicular railway. We had the verb ascend, which is to go up or move to a higher place, to ascend.
We had the adverb steadily, which is to move in a smooth and gradual or regular way, to do it steadily.
And we had the adverb upward, which is to go towards a higher place or level.
It's the direction. So you move upward or it might continue upward.
Then we had the noun peak, which is the top, the highest point of something, especially used when talking about a mountain, the peak.
Okay, now it's your turn. Please repeat out loud after me.
Funicular railway. Funicular railway. Ascend.
Ascend. Steadily. Steadily. Upward. Peak.
Fantastic. What's the name of the two connected cars that balance each other to help you go up and down a very steep hill? a funicular railway.
Yes. And if something does move to a higher place, what adverb could we use to help describe the direction in which this movement is going?
Upward. Yes. And if we are going up? What verb could we use instead of saying we're going up?
Ascend. Very good. We're going to ascend.
And if you need to ascend in a very smooth and gradual way, what adverb are we going to use here?
Steadily. We steadily ascend to the top of the mountain.
What word could I use instead of top? What noun?
Peak. Fantastic. Easy peasy. I want you now to listen to the snapshot once again.
The funicular railway began to ascend the mountain, moving steadily upward through the morning mist.
Taj watched nervously as the other car passed them going downhill, balanced perfectly on the same track system.
Within 20 minutes, they would reach the peak and see the view his grandfather had described so many times.
Alright, I want you to listen out for our target vocabulary once more as we head into story time.
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Raquel gripped the wooden bench inside the funicular railway car as it began its journey up the mountain.
Her knuckles were white and her heart was racing.
She had avoided heights her entire life, but today was different.
Today, she was determined to reach the peak.
Are you all right? asked an elderly man sitting across from her.
He had kind eyes and wore a thick woolen jumper.
You look a bit pale, love. Raquel forced a smile.
I'm fine, just not great with heights. She glanced out of the window and immediately regretted it.
The ground was already far below them and they were only five minutes into the journey.
The funicular railway moved steadily up the mountainside, its wheels clicking rhythmically on the tracks.
Raquel tried to focus on the sound instead of the view outside.
She closed her eyes and remembered why she was doing this.
Her late father had always talked about this mountain.
He had climbed it dozens of times when he was younger, before his legs became too weak.
One day, Raquel, he used to say, you'll see the view from the top.
It's worth facing your fears for. The railway car swayed gently as it ascended the steep slope.
Raquel's stomach lurched with each movement.
She could hear other passengers chatting excitedly about the scenery, but she kept her eyes firmly shut.
First time up here? the elderly man asked kindly.
Rachel nodded. My dad always wanted me to see the view from the top.
He passed away last month. The man's expression softened.
Oh, I'm sorry for your loss. What was his name?
Robert Mitchell. He was a keen walker. Robert Mitchell, the man exclaimed.
I knew him well. We used to walk these mountains together years ago.
He mentioned you often. Said you were scared of heights but that you'd conquer them one day.
Raquel opened her eyes and looked at the stranger.
You knew my dad? Indeed I did. He was a good man.
And he was right about you, conquering your fears.
Look how far you've come already. Raquel glanced around the car.
They were much higher now, moving steadily upward through the clouds.
Her fear was still there, but it felt less overwhelming somehow.
The peak is just ahead, announced the railway conductor over the speaker system.
We'll be arriving at the summit in two minutes.
Raquel took a deep breath and looked out of the window properly for the first time.
The view was magnificent. Rolling hills stretched out in every direction, covered in green forests and dotted with tiny villages.
The fear was still there, but it was mixed with something else now.
Wonder. As the funicular railway reached the peak and came to a stop, Raquel felt a sense of achievement she had never experienced before.
She had faced her greatest fear and won.
Your father would be proud, the elderly man said as they prepared to leave the car.
Raquel smiled, tears in her eyes. Yes, I think he would be.
Until tomorrow, take very good care and goodbye.
