Hello and welcome to the English Like A Native podcast. My name is Anna and you're listening to week 21, day 4 of Your English Five A Day, the second season.
With this series you are getting a healthy daily dip into the English language so that you can slowly but surely start to feel more confident and more like yourself when communicating in English.
So let's begin, as we always do, with a snapshot of what's to come.
Macy now resides in the oldest part of town in a small flat above a dusty old bookshop.
She eschews digital devices, not because she's a snob per se, but because she finds the constant noise of screens annoying.
Her life isn't exactly straightforward. She walks with a limp and always carries a walking stick.
But to her, it's a life that feels just right.
OK, let's begin our deep dive into our vocabulary, starting with the verb reside.
Reside. We spell this R -E -S -I -D -E.
To reside. This means to live in a particular place.
So where do you reside?
I reside in the UK, in the south of the UK, not far from the city of London.
Here's another example.
She currently resides in a small village by the sea.
That was simple enough.
Next, we have the adverb per se.
Per se. Two words. Per, P -E -R, se, S -E.
That's unusual, isn't it?
Per se. Per se means by or in itself.
So, by itself or in in itself.
It means not necessarily true on its own.
It's true in context, but it's not true on its own.
So, it's quite tricky, actually.
Here's an example sentence that might help.
The idea isn't bad, per se, but the timing is wrong.
So, in that example, I'm saying the idea on its own isn't bad, but in the context of the timing, in the context of this particular situation, the idea is not ideal.
So it's a good idea generally.
It's not a bad idea per se.
It's not a bad idea on its own out of context, but in context, it's not a good idea because the timing is really off.
All right? Hopefully that's a little clearer.
Next, we have the adjective straight forward. All one word, straight forward. We spell this S -T -R -A -I -G -H -T -F -O -R -W -A -R -D.
D. Straight forward. Straight forward. If something is described as being straight forward, then it's clear and simple.
It's easy to understand, easy to do.
For example, if I'm going on holiday and I ask you to look after my cats while I'm gone, and you come around to my house to receive the spare key and the instructions of what you need need to do, I'll tell you, well, look, it's quite straightforward, really.
All you have to do is put some food in the cat bowls, fill up their water every day and make sure they're okay.
That's quite easy, isn't it?
It's straight forward. Here's another example.
The instructions were straightforward, so I finished quickly.
Next, we have the verb, is stew.
Is stew. We We spell this E -S -C -H -E -W.
To eschew something means to deliberately avoid it, especially for moral or practical reasons.
For example, she eschews social media to focus on real -life connections.
I try to eschew phone use, especially when I'm with my children because I want to have that real connection with them.
What do you eschew in your life?
Next and last on today's list is the noun walking stick.
Walking stick. Two words, walking, w -a -l -k -i -n -g, stick, s -t -i -c -k, a walking stick.
A walking stick is a wooden or or metal stick with a handle at the top that you can lean on to give you support or help you to balance when walking.
Now, a walking stick is usually a long -term accessory, something that you would have for long -term difficulties with walking and balancing.
It's quite different to the sticks that you get when you have an accident.
Maybe you break a leg and you go to the hospital and after a few weeks they tell you you can now go home and they give you two metal sticks that you can lean on that really give you support when walking.
It allows you to move around without putting any weight on a leg.
And they're called crutches.
So they're a little bit different to a walking stick.
Okay? So a walking stick is a long term stick that you'd have for support.
Here's an example sentence.
He leaned on his walking stick while waiting for the bus.
Okay, so that's our five.
Let's do a quick recap.
We started with the verb reside.
which is to live in a particular place, to reside.
We moved on to the adverb per se, meaning by itself or not necessarily true on its own, but in context, it's true, per se.
Then we had the adjective straightforward, which describes something that's easy to understand, clear and simple.
Then we had the verb istue, which means to deliberately avoid something, especially for moral or practical reasons, istue. And finally, the noun walking stick, a wooden or metal stick with a handle at the top that you can lean on for support to help you to balance when you're walking.
Okay, let's now do this for pronunciation purposes, so please repeat after me reside reside per se per se straightforward straightforward straightforward es -tue walking stick walking stick Fantastic.
If I want to say that something isn't true on its own, but in context it is, what adverb would I use?
Per se. Very good. And if I'm talking about where I live, I live in a particular place, what verb could I use?
Reside. Yes, very good, reside.
And if I want to tell you that the instructions I'm going to give you are very clear and simple, they're easy to follow, what adjective could I use to describe my instructions?
Straightforward. Absolutely.
My instructions are straightforward. And after a decade of punishing my knees playing squash, I now have to walk with the support of a long metal pole.
What noun would I use when talking about this pole that supports me?
A walking stick. Very good.
Finally, give me a verb that means to deliberately avoid something.
A stew. Very good. Alright, let's listen to our snapshot once again.
Macy now resides in the oldest part of town in a small flat above a dusty old bookshop.
She eschews digital devices, not because she's a snob per se, but because she finds the constant noise of screens annoying.
Her life isn't exactly straightforward. She walks with a limp and always carries a walking stick.
But to her, it's a life that feels just right.
Alright, I want you to listen out for our target vocabulary once again as we head into Storytime.
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Agnes Tilly resided in the same weather -beaten cottage where she'd been born 82 years ago.
It crouched like an old cat on the windswept edge of Millstone Crag, a mile from the village and just shy of the treeline, line, where even the cows seemed reluctant to linger.
The slate roof leaked in three places, and the only heating came from a fireplace that sulked more than it blazed.
But Agnes would not leave. Not for the council, not for the cold, and certainly not for the worried sighs of her niece from Cheltenham.
I'm not moving to some flat with buttoned carpets and neighbours who bang on walls if you sneeze too loud, she declared I've got no time for electric lifts or thermostats That house is me It wasn't comfort, per se, that she rejected It was what comfort seemed to require Quire, giving up, giving in.
She would rather eschew the modern conveniences her niece called basic necessities than abandon the echo of her father's boots on these floorboards or the sunlit patch on the windowsill where her mother's cat used to nap.
Life up there was far from straightforward. forward. Each winter came with a new test of will.
The pipes froze. The wind howled like it wanted in.
But Agnes, with her thick socks and stubborn shoulders, pressed on.
She'd haul coal in a canvas sack.
And split kindling with hands, the weather had long ago turned into leather.
Her walking Kingstick, once her grandfather's, helped her across the stone path slick with moss, steady as ever.
The villagers muttered about her, half in admiration, half in concern.
She should be somewhere warm, said the postmistress.
It's not natural a woman that age, chopping logs and boiling water for tea like it's 1910.
But she's still there, isn't she?
replied Mr Blake, the butcher.
And that house, well, it's still standing, more than can be said for some of the new ones.
They visited sometimes, to bring her bread or check the roof.
She rarely asked for help, but didn't turn it away when given.
I'm not foolish, she'd say, just particular about what I need.
And in truth, there was a kind of quiet logic to it all.
Agnes didn't seek hardship for its own sake.
She simply refused to exchange her life's rhythm for something neater, quieter and, in her eyes, lesser.
Come spring, you could see her again, on her bench, a cup of tea steaming beside her, mist curling over the crag, resilient, rooted, exactly where she was meant to be.
And that brings us to the end of today's episode.
I do hope that you enjoyed it.
If you did, then please take a moment to leave a like or even a comment and I look forward to tickling your eardrums once again tomorrow.
Until then, take very good care and goodbye.
