english like a native — 5 Powerful English Verbs

Transcript کامل قسمت

hello and welcome back to your english five a day on the english like a native podcast this is your short daily dose of english vocabulary especially to help you to build natural english through stories

My name is Anna and this is week seven, day four of our Edinburgh adventure.

Now yesterday, Gabriel was feeling enchanted and wistful until he realised his suitcase had disappeared.

Today, we will find out what happened and we explore five powerful verbs connected to learning, appreciating and thinking deeply.

As always, supporting materials are available at www.joinelan.com forward slash plus.

Let's begin with a snapshot.

In a moment of panic, Gabriel began to recite travel warnings to himself.

Later, he decided to immerse himself in the history of Edinburgh Castle, where he pauses to admire its architecture, absorb its atmosphere and reflect on its past.

Okay, so let's now break down that vocabulary.

Here are the five verbs that I want you to pay attention to.

The first is immerse.

Immerse.

We often immerse ourselves in something.

This means to become completely involved in something.

For example, she immersed herself in the culture.

Next, we have recite.

To recite something is to say it out loud from memory.

For example, he recited the poem perfectly.

Next, we have admire.

Admire.

This means to respect or find something impressive or beautiful.

For example, they admired the craftsmanship.

Next, we have absorb.

Absorb.

Spelt with an S, but we voice it like a Z.

Absorbed.

This means to take in information or to take in the atmosphere or the emotion.

For example, take a moment to absorb the atmosphere.

And finally, we have reflect on.

To reflect on something is to think deeply about it.

For example, she reflected on her experiences.

We often use reflect when talking about thinking about something that's happened, almost in a way of reviewing it or going over it in some way.

I reflected on the way I handled the situation this morning.

I reflected on my time at university.

So it usually is to do with thinking back to a previous experience.

OK, that's our five, so I want you to listen out for those items once again as we head into today's story.

Gabriel didn't know how long he had been absorbed in typing.

He ran blindly out of the square in a panic and, to make things worse, he smacked straight into a police officer.

What's the hurry, laddie?

The policeman asked.

Gabriel apologised and nervously explained that he'd lost his suitcase.

Would it happen to look anything like this?

The officer calmly replied, pointing to Gabriel's suitcase, standing innocently and alone just a few yards away.

Seeing the relieved look on Gabriel's face, the policeman said, I'd be a wee bit more careful if I were you.

Aye, I will.

Gabriel replied.

Thank you.

Gabriel went straight to his accommodation, reciting the warnings he had read in London as he walked.

Keep your belongings close.

Do not leave bags unattended.

He dropped off his things and set off for Edinburgh Castle.

He wanted to immerse himself in its history and forget about his recent scare.

On the information panels, Gabriel read that the castle was the seat of Scottish kings and queens for centuries.

Its position on a volcanic rock outcrop made it nearly impregnable and this natural defence has given the castle an almost mythical presence.

Gabriel admired the enormous effort that it must have taken to build this castle up on the rock.

He was just reflecting on this when he bumped into a group of tourists listening to their guide.

He decided to tag along discreetly

They made their way into the royal palace to see the crown jewels and the guide stopped to talk about a large rectangular stone.

It didn't seem very precious to Gabriel but it turned out that it was in fact the stone of destiny.

Gabriel quickly imagined a connection between the stone and Harry Potter.

However, the guide explained that traditionally Scottish kings were crowned while seated on the stone at Schoon Abbey near the city of Perth.

Schoon Abbey?

What a coincidence!

Tatty scone for breakfast and schoon at the castle.

All right, let's bring today's vocabulary back into focus.

Remember those verbs?

I'm going to recap them.

And as I do, I'd like you to repeat each one after me out loud.

I'm going to repeat each one twice for you.

So here we go.

Repeating after me.

Immerse.

Immerse.

To immerse yourself in something is to be completely involved in it.

Next, repeat after me.

Recite.

Recite.

Fantastic.

This means to say something aloud from memory.

Next, we have admire.

Admire.

This means to respect or find something impressive or beautiful.

Wow.

Next, we have absorb.

Absorb.

Very good.

This is to take in information, the atmosphere or emotion.

And finally, reflect on.

Reflect on.

Very good.

This means to think deeply about something, usually something that you've experienced in the past.

Tomorrow, we follow Gabriel as he explores Leith, tries traditional Scottish food, and reflects on his time in this storied city.

Even composing a small poem of his own.

That's all from me for today.

If you are enjoying the podcast, then please take a second to leave a like, a rating or review.

And remember to come back again tomorrow.

Until then, take care and goodbye.