Hello and welcome to the English Like A Native podcast.
My name is Anna and you're listening to week 36, day one of Your English Five A Day, the second season.
This podcast series is all about helping you to ultimately achieve fluency.
Making this podcast part of your daily routine allows you to expand your vocabulary, improve your listening skills and start to feel more like yourself when communicating in English.
So make sure to tune in every day of the working week from Monday to Friday.
Now let's begin our episode as we always do with a snapshot of what's to come.
Doris reached a high rock that gave her a perfect vantage point to overlook the wide valley below.
From there she saw thick green vegetation covering the hills and a man walking slowly along the riverbank.
He looked weary, as if the long walk under the hot sun had taken all his energy.
OK, let's deep dive now into some of that vocabulary, starting with the noun vegetation.
Vegetation.
We spell this V-E-G-E-T-A-T-I-O-N.
Vegetation.
Vegetation.
Vegetation is plants, trees and grass that grow in an area.
So I have vegetation in my garden.
When you go to the woods or out into the countryside, you will see lots of vegetation.
Here's an example sentence.
The mountain was covered in thick vegetation.
Next, we have the verb overlook.
To overlook, we spell this O-V-E-R-L-O-O-K.
Now, to overlook can have a few meanings, but here we're looking at the version.
That means to have a view over something from above.
So if you are in a high position, you can overlook. the things that are below you.
For example, if I'm on a balcony, I can overlook the streets that are below me.
When you go away on holiday, if you're staying in a hotel, it's nice to have a room which then overlooks the place in which you're staying.
Here's an example sentence.
Our hotel room overlooks the sea.
Next, we have the noun vantage point.
Vantage point.
Two words.
Vantage, we spell V-A-N-T-A-G-E.
Vantage.
Notice the pronunciation at the end there.
Idge rather than age.
Vantage.
Point, we spell P-O-I-N-T.
Point.
Vantage point.
A vantage point is a good position for seeing something clearly.
A good vantage point.
The tower gave us a perfect vantage point for taking photos.
Do you have somewhere nearby where you live that you can climb up onto in order to have a vantage point over an area of interest or an area of natural beauty?
I live on the outskirts of London and if I go into London, into the big city, then to get a good vantage point of London I would need to either go to Greenwich and climb up to the top of the hill in Greenwich or I would need to go up one of the high rise buildings, like the Shard is a good place to go for a visit to gain a good vantage point over London.
Or I might go on the London Eye.
OK, let's move on.
Next, we have the noun riverbank.
Riverbank.
All one word.
R-I-V-E-R-B-A-N-K.
Riverbank.
The riverbank is the land along the side of a river.
For example, we sat on the riverbank and had a picnic.
It can be lovely to sit on a lovely riverbank in the sunshine, but in certain places it can also be quite uncomfortable because you might get attacked and eaten by mosquitoes.
Are you lucky enough to live close to a riverbank?
Are you able to enjoy an afternoon sitting on the riverbank?
And finally, we have the adjective weary.
Weary.
We spell this W-E-A-R-Y.
Weary.
Weary.
To be weary means very tired, especially after working hard.
I'm quite weary now.
Here's an example.
She gave a weary smile before going to bed.
My eyes were growing weary last night.
I stayed up a little too late.
I'm hooked at the moment on a Netflix series and I can't help but watch a little bit more and then a little bit more, until my eyes become quite weary and I curse myself for not being more disciplined.
And then, when I woke up this morning, I also felt quite weary because I hadn't had enough sleep, but nevermind.
Okay, that's our five.
So let's do a quick recap.
We started with the noun vegetation.
This is trees, plants and grass that grow in an area.
That is vegetation.
We had the verb overlook, which is to have a view over something from above.
To overlook.
We had the noun vantage point, which is a good position for seeing something clearly.
Vantage point.
We had the noun riverbank, which is the land along the side of a river.
The riverbank.
And we had the adjective river.
Weary, which is to feel very tired, especially after working hard.
Weary.
Okay, now I'd like to do this for pronunciation purposes.
Please repeat after me.
Vegetation.
Vegetation.
Overlook.
Overlook.
Vantage point. vantage point, riverbank, riverbank, weary, weary.
Fantastic.
Okay.
What's the noun that you would give to plants, trees, and grass that grow in an area?
Of course, we're talking about vegetation.
And if I find a good position at the top of a hill that allows me to see the whole area very clearly, what could I call this position?
A vantage point.
Yes, this vantage point allows me to have a great view over the city from above.
So what can I say that this point does?
What's the verb that means to have a great view over something?
Overlook.
Yes, this vantage point overlooks the city.
It's fantastic.
And what noun would you give to the land along the side of a river?
The riverbank.
Yes, very good.
Finally, I might sit on the riverbank if I'm feeling very tired after a hard day at work.
What adjective could you give me other than tired?
Weary.
Yes, I will rest my weary body on the riverbank.
Fantastic.
OK, let's now listen to our snapshot once again.
Doris reached a high rock that gave her a perfect vantage point to overlook the wide valley below.
From there she saw thick green vegetation covering the hills and a man walking slowly along the riverbank.
He looked weary, as if the long walk under the hot sun had taken all his energy.
Okay, I'd like you to listen out for today's target vocabulary once again as we head into my favourite part of the episode story time.
Corrine pressed her hands against her knees as she climbed higher up the steep mountain.
The sun was already hot and the air felt heavy around her.
She was not new to walking, but this was her first solo hike in a place she had never visited before.
Her rucksack felt heavier with each step and the path twisted like a thin snake between rocks and thick vegetation.
Leaves brushed her arms as she pushed forward.
Their green edges wet with the memory of last night's rain.
She paused to catch her breath.
From here she could overlook the valley below.
At this height the farms and houses seemed very small, as though someone had scattered toy pieces on a patchwork quilt.
The view gave her both courage and fear.
She liked seeing how far she had come, but the empty path ahead reminded her how alone she truly was.
Corrine continued upwards, her boots crunching against loose stones.
Every sound felt louder in the silence of the hillside.
The cry of a bird, the snap of a twig, even the rhythm of her own breathing.
After another sharp turn, the path opened onto a ledge.
It looked like the perfect vantage point.
She stepped carefully to the edge and looked out.
Below, a river shone in the sunlight, winding through the valley like a silver ribbon.
She followed it with her eyes until it disappeared into a dark forest.
For a long moment, she stood still, letting the sight wash over her.
The riverbank far below was lined with tall trees, their shadows stretching across the water.
She imagined walking there, hearing the soft splash of the river against stones.
But her path was up, not down.
The hill demanded her strength and she could not turn back now.
The climb grew harder as the trail narrowed.
Sometimes she had to use her hands to pull herself over rocks.
Her legs trembled and her throat grew dry.
She thought of the cool water in her bottle, but she wanted to save it for later.
She told herself she was strong. but inside she was growing weary.
Each step felt like a battle between her mind and her body.
Then the path curved again, and the light changed.
The sun broke through a gap in the clouds, pouring gold across the hillside.
Ahead, she saw the final stretch leading to the top.
It was steep, but short.
Corrine stopped, pressed her hand against the rough stone and smiled.
She remembered why she had come, not only for the walk, but for the silence, the space to think.
Life at home had been noisy, crowded with voices and demands.
Here, even in her weariness, she felt free.
She could hear her own thoughts, clear as the wind that touched her face.
Gathering her strength, Corrine moved forward once more.
She knew the top was close.
She knew the view would reward her and she knew, too, that this climb was more than a hike.
It was a promise to herself that she could face the steepest hills alone and still standing.
And on that note, I gladly bring this episode to a close.
I do hope you found it useful.
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Tell me what you enjoyed about this episode today.
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Until tomorrow, take very good care of yourself.
And goodbye.
