Hello and welcome to the English Like a Native podcast. My name is Anna and you're listening to week 22, 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.
At the art gallery, a famous pianist graced the room with her presence, adding elegance to the evening.
Guests admired a treasure trove of rare items while Annie pinned her hair out of the way at the nape of her neck.
A minor mishap occurred when a drink spilled, but everyone followed the golden rule and handled it with kindness.
OK, let's dive into today's vocabulary, starting with the verb grace.
To grace. We spell this G -R -A -C -E, grace.
To grace is to bring honour, beauty or charm to a place or event by being present.
So you might grace an event or grace someone's home.
It means that you have brought honor or charm to that place by being there.
So for example, you could say, Anna's face graced my TV tonight as I watched a YouTube language video on my smart TV.
Or you might say, her portrait graces the cover of the magazine this month.
Okay, so to grace. Next, we have the noun treasure trove.
Treasure trove. Two words.
Treasure. T -R -E -A -S -U -R -E.
Treasure. Trove. T -R -O -V -E.
A treasure trove. This is a collection of valuable or interesting things.
A treasure trove. For example, the attic was a treasure trove of old photos and books.
Next, we have the noun nape.
Nape. We spell this N -A -P -E.
The nape. The nape is the back part of the neck.
Here's an example. A cool breeze touched the nape of his neck.
Next we have the noun phrase golden rule.
Golden rule. Two words.
Golden. G -O -L -D -E -N.
Golden rule. R -U -L -E.
A golden rule is the most important rule to follow in a situation.
A basic principle for good behaviour.
My children attend a school where they put a lot of importance on following the golden rules.
And if they follow the golden rules, which are the rules of good behaviour, then they're given a little golden marble, which is just a yellow marble, to go into their jar.
And when they fill a jar, they get golden time.
It's a really good reward system for them.
So what are the golden rules in your household?
Here's another example.
A golden rule when travelling is to respect local customs. Next and last on today's list is the noun mishap.
Mishap. We spell this M -I -S -H -A -P.
Mishap. Okay, a mishap is a small accident or mistake steak that doesn't cause serious harm.
So it's just a little incident.
For example, the dinner went well, apart from a little mishap with the dessert.
Oh dear, what happened with the dessert?
Okay, that's our five.
Let's do a quick recap.
We started with the verb to grace, meaning to bring honour, beauty or charm to a place or event by being present, to grace.
We have the noun treasure trove, which is a collection of valuable or interesting things.
We have the noun nape, which is the back part of the neck, the nape.
We have the noun phrase golden rule, which is the most important rule to follow in a situation, the golden rule.
We had the noun mishap, which is a small accident or mistake that doesn't cause serious harm, a mishap.
Okay, let's do this now for pronunciation purposes.
Please repeat after me.
money, grace, grace treasure trove, treasure trove nape, nape golden rule, golden rule school, mishap, mishap.
Very good. What's the verb that means to bring honour, beauty or charm to a place with your presence?
To grace. Yes, fantastic.
And if I have a collection of valuable valuable items in my back room and I say, come into my back room.
There's lots of wonderful things there.
What noun could you use to describe this back room?
It's a treasure trove.
Now, there's one very important rule that you must follow.
What noun phrase would I give this?
The golden rule. Yes, fantastic.
And if there's a small accident, maybe I drop a pudding or I accidentally put the wrong ingredient into the meal.
What can we call this small mistake?
mistake? A mishap. Oh, it's just a little mishap.
Sorry about that. Don't worry.
And finally, what is the name for the back part of the neck?
The nape. Very good.
OK, let's listen to our snapshot once again.
At the art gallery, a famous pianist graced the room with her presence, adding elegance to the evening.
Guests admired a treasure trove of rare items while Annie pinned her hair out of the way at the nape of her neck.
A minor mishap occurred when a drink spilled, but everyone followed the golden rule and handled it with kindness.
Okie dokie, let's now move on to my favourite part of the episode.
I want you to listen out for today's Target Vocabulary as we go into Storytime.
The small coastal village of Hartwell Bay was graced by the presence of Eleanor Winters that summer.
At 72, she walked with a slight stoop but carried herself with quiet dignity that commanded demanded respect from everyone she met.
Eleanor had returned to her childhood home after 50 years away.
The old lighthouse cottage stood on the cliff edge, worn by decades of sea winds, but still sturdy.
Inside, dust covered everything.
Eleanor smiled at the familiar sight of her father's old desk by the window.
Just as I left it, she whispered, running her fingers over the wooden surface.
The desk had been her father's favourite spot.
As lighthouse keeper, he would sit there during daylight hours, writing in his journal or carving small wooden figures.
Eleanor remembered watching his strong hands work the wood into shapes of birds and fish.
She opened the top drawer and found it empty, except for an old brass key.
The second drawer contained nothing but mothballs.
But when she tried the bottom drawer, it wouldn't budge.
That's odd, she murmured.
I don't remember this being locked.
Helena tried the brass key in the drawer's lock.
After a bit of wiggling, the lock clicked open.
Inside lay a treasure trove of items. items—old photographs, letters tied with faded ribbon, and a small leather -bound book.
Her hands trembled as she lifted out the book.
Her father had always followed one golden rule in their household—never read another person's private writing.
But he had been gone for decades now, and perhaps he had meant for her to find this.
Eleanor felt a shiver run down her spine and along the nape of her neck.
Was she ready to learn whatever secrets her father had kept?
She took the book to the kitchen, made herself a cup of tea, and sat down at the table.
After a moment's hesitation, she opened it.
My dearest, Eleanor.
The first page read, If you are reading this, then you have finally come home.
A tear slid down her cheek.
Somehow he had known she would return one day.
Reading further, Eleanor discovered that her father had hidden something in the lighthouse, something valuable that he wanted her to have. The next morning, she climbed the lighthouse stairs, clutching the book.
Each step was a struggle for her aging knees, but determination drove her upward. At the top, she looked out over the sea.
Then, following her father's instructions, she counted three bricks to the right of the window and pressed on the loose one.
After a small mishap where the brick nearly fell to the floor, Eleanor managed to pull it free.
Behind it was a small hollow space containing a velvet pouch. With fingers that wouldn't quite stop shaking, she opened it to find her mother's sapphire necklace.
The one Eleanor had always believed was sold to pay for medicine during the terrible winter when she was ten.
You never sold it, she whispered to her father's memory.
You kept it safe all these years.
Eleanor fastened the necklace around her neck and felt the weight of family history settle against her skin.
She had come home and in doing so had uncovered the beginning of a mystery that had waited 50 years to be solved.
And that brings us to the end of today's episode, short and sweet.
I do hope you enjoyed it.
If you did, then take a second to leave a like or a comment if you're watching on YouTube.
Otherwise, I look forward to tickling your eardrums again tomorrow.
Until then, take very good care and goodbye.
