Hello, and welcome to the English Like a Native podcast.
My name is Anna. And you're listening to week 33, day one of your English five a day, the second season.
I'm here providing you with the resources you need to develop and maintain your habit of dipping daily into the English language so that Over time, you can increase your vocabulary and improve your confidence.
So that eventually you start to feel more like yourself when communicating in English.
So let's begin today's episode as we always do with a snapshot.
Lucy heard the rustling of leaves outside her window and saw tiny grey kitten hiding under the bush.
She quickly bundled the frightened animal into her car and drove straight to the vet's office.
When her daughter bounced in from school later that afternoon, the kitten was already starting to purr contentedly on the sofa.
Okay, let's dive into the vocabulary starting with the verb PER.
Now, we spell this P-U-R-R, but we don't pronounce the letter R at all.
Even though there are two of them. Purr.
To purr is to... create the soft vibrating sound.
It's normally something a cat would do. When a cat is happy and relaxed, although you can also talk about the engine of a car purring.
It's making that soft vibrating sound I can't do it very well, but I think you must get the idea.
Okay, so the example sentence I might use with the verb per is...
You could hear the gentle purr of the cat across the room.
Okay, next we have the noun kitten. Nice and easy. kitten.
We spell this K-I-T-T-E-N, kitten. Oh, a kitten is a baby or a very young cat.
Now, kittens are very cute, but they grow up fast and they demand a lot of food and a lot of attention.
And in this country, they cost a lot of money when it comes to vet fees, vaccinations, neutering.
So don't go overboard. buy a kitten or two, but stop at two.
Unless you want to be like... a cat person, a cat lady, a crazy cat lady, someone who's got maybe 10 or 20 cats.
Okay, so here's an example sentence using kitten.
My cat had four adorable kittens last week.
Next, we have the phrase to bundle into.
A car. Bundle, we spell B-U-N-D-L-E, bundle, into... a car or the car.
It might even be another vehicle. You might bundle into the plane, you might bundle into the tube or the train.
So to bundle into a vehicle is to quickly or roughly help people or things to get in. often in a hurry or with some difficulty.
When you're waiting to board the tube, In London, if there are many people and it's first thing in the morning, rush hour as the tube pulls up.
Everyone gets a little tense and as those doors open, everyone bundles in to the carriage.
Not me. You'll find me taking a firm step backward.
I do not like to be bundled into a busy tube.
No, thank you. So I step back and I wait for everyone to bundle in.
Off they go and the next tube turns up literally a few seconds later and it's empty.
Perfection. Okay here's an example sentence.
We bundled the kids into the car and raced to school.
Next, we have the noun rustling. rustling, the rustling.
We spell this R-U-S-T-L-I-N-G, rustling.
Notice we don't pronounce that T. Rustling.
Rustling is a soft, light sound made when things like leaves or papers rub against each other.
A rustling sound. For example, the rustling of the trees in the wind was very calming.
Last, we have the phrase to bounce in. To bounce in bounce, we spell B-O-U-N-C-E
To bounce in is to enter a place full of energy. like to bounce into the room.
I consider myself a relatively energetic person.
Although I think I have calm energy, but at times, especially in the mornings, I can bounce into a room and get everybody going, whether they like it or not.
So you might say the children bounced into the room full of energy after their nap.
And talking about children bouncing in. I'm expecting my two to come bouncing in at any moment now.
So that's our five. Let's do a quick recap.
We started with the verb purr, which is that soft vibrating sound. that a cat or a car makes.
So when they make that soft sound, they are purring.
We had the noun kitten, which is a baby cat or a very, very young cat, a kitten.
We had the phrase bundle into a car or some sort of vehicle.
So to bundle into is to get in roughly or quickly or to help other things or people to get into. a car or a vehicle you bundle into.
We had the noun rustling, a soft light sound made when things like leaves or papers rub together, rub against each other.
The rustling. And we had the phrase bounce in, which is to enter a place cheerfully or full of energy.
Hi, guys. bounce in. So let's do this now for pronunciation purposes.
Please raise your voice and repeat after me.
Purr Purr Kitten kitten bundle into bundle into rustling rustling bounce in Bounce in.
Wonderful. What do we call a baby cat? A kitten, very good.
And what noise do they make? What's that soft vibrating noise that they do?
What's the verb that they're doing? when they're making a soft vibrating noise, they are... purring, very good.
And if some leaves are rubbing against each other, They make a soft light sound.
What could we call the sound? Could be a rustling, couldn't it?
I heard a rustling. It was relaxing, but I'm a bit nervous.
And if I'm standing on the edge of the platform as the tube arrives and there are hundreds of people behind me, I can expect that they will roughly help me into the carriage.
What are they going to do to me? They will bundle me into the garage.
Yes, they will. Whether I like it or not.
And if I wake up full of energy and I come and enter the room as quickly and cheerfully as a grasshopper with a big smile...
What phrase would you use to describe how I entered the room? bounce in.
Yes, I bounce into the room. Yes, very good.
I have nothing more to say on that. Okay, it's been a long day already.
It might be morning for you listening to this now, but it's the end of the day for me and it's been a long one.
Let's now revisit our snapshot. Listen carefully.
Lucy heard the rustling of leaves outside her window and saw a tiny grey kitten hiding under the bush.
She quickly bundled the frightened animal into her car and drove straight to the vet's office.
When her daughter bounced in from school later that afternoon, the kitten was already starting to purr contentedly on the sofa.
Amazing. All right. I want you to listen out for our target vocabulary once more as we head into story time.
Pamela had never owned a pet before. At 35, she lived alone in a small flat above the bakery where she worked.
Her life was quiet and predictable. Work, home, sleep, repeat.
But something about the tiny orange kitten in the pet shop window had caught her attention.
Are you sure about this? asked the shop assistant as Pamela filled out the adoption forms.
Kittens need a lot of care. Pamela nodded, though her hands were shaking slightly.
She wasn't sure about anything anymore. Ever since her mum died six months ago, everything felt different. empty.
Maybe a kitten would help fill the silence in her flat.
The shop assistant bundled the kitten into Pamela's car along with a bag of food, toys and a small carrier.
She's only eight weeks old, she explained.
Keep her warm and feed her three times a day.
Back home, Pamela set the carrier down on the kitchen table.
The kitten was so small she could fit in a teacup.
Her fur was bright orange with white patches on her chest and paws.
When Pamela opened the carrier door, the kitten stayed inside, looking frightened.
Come on, little one, Pamela whispered. This is your new home.
But the kitten wouldn't move. Pamela left some food and water nearby and went to make herself a cup of tea.
As she sat at the table, she heard a soft rustling from inside the carrier.
The kitten was moving around. exploring her temporary shelter.
Hours passed. Pamela tried reading, watching television, even cleaning the flat, but she kept checking on the kitten, still hiding in the carrier.
Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she wasn't cut out to be a pet owner.
That evening, as Pamela sat on her sofa feeling rather foolish, she heard a tiny sound.
A gentle purr. She looked down to see the orange kitten sitting by her feet, looking up at her with bright green eyes.
The kitten approached slowly, sniffing Pamela's hand.
Then, to her amazement, the little creature climbed onto her lap and curled up in a ball.
The purr grew louder, a comforting vibration against Pamela's legs.
For the first time in months, Pamela smiled properly.
The silence in her flat didn't seem so heavy anymore.
She stroked the kitten's soft fur, marvelling at how something so small could make such a difference.
I think I'll call you Ginger, she said. The next morning, Pamela woke to find Ginger had made herself completely at home.
The kitten had explored every corner of the flat during the night.
Pamela's slippers were in the kitchen and there were tiny paw prints on the bathroom mirror.
When Pamela's colleague Kate bounced into the bakery that morning, she noticed the change immediately.
You look different, Kate said. Happier. Pamela couldn't stop talking about Ginger.
How she played with a piece of string for an hour.
How she fell asleep in a patch of sunlight by the window.
How her purr was the most soothing sound in the world.
Sounds like you've found yourself a friend, Kate said, smiling.
Pamela realised she was right. For the first time since her mum's death, she didn't feel alone.
And that brings us to the end of today's episode.
I do hope that you've enjoyed it and found it useful.
Until tomorrow, take very good care and goodbye.
