Your English Five a Day #24.1

E236: 🎙️ Welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast! I'm Anna, your host, guiding you through Week 24, Day One of Your English Five a Day. Join me as we explore five vocabulary pieces every weekday, enriching your active vocabulary.

🌟 Today, we kick off with the noun "gusto". Next up is the idiom "on the fly", followed by the adjective "frequent". After that, we take a look at the meaning of the noun "endorsement", and finally, we explore the adjective "dense".

🗺 🎒 Join me for pronunciation practice and a memory test, then embark on adventures with Alastair and Miriam, frequent backpackers exploring the globe with gusto, making decisions on the fly and discovering destinations along the way. Their journey through dense rainforests and Mediterranean waters encapsulates the spirit of exploration and discovery.

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Transcript

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Hello, and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast. My name is Anna and you are listening to Week 24, Day One of Your English Five a Day, the series where we deep-dive into five pieces of vocabulary every day of the working week from Monday to Friday with the aim of increasing your active vocabulary. So, tune in, make a note and try to use at least one or two of these items on today's list. We're going to start today with a noun which is gusto. Gusto. We spell this G U S T O. Gusto. Gusto. Gusto describes a strong and enthusiastic enjoyment of something or an appreciation for something. We often do things with gusto. So, if I'm in the kitchen and I'm cooking I'm doing it with a lot of enthusiasm. I'm singing and I'm dancing around the kitchen. I'm enjoying sprinkling herbs into my pot and stirring it with a big smile on my face. Then you could say,"Anna is cooking with gusto." So, we often hear it as doing something with gusto. Here's another example sentence,"Sophia tackled the project with gusto, eager to impress her boss." What do you do with gusto? Perhaps you exercise with gusto. Some people really love going down to the gym or taking part in an exercise class and they really go for it. Or I'm reminded of an example that I brought up recently about singing in church. Some people know the songs very well, the hymns. And when you sing in church, there will be those people who have no idea what the song is. And they're just kind of looking around and humming a little bit. And then there'll be the churchgoers who know the songs inside out and love to sing. And they're really, really going for it. They're singing with gusto. Is that you? It's certainly me when I know the song. I love to sing. So, if I know the song, I'll go for it. I'll sing with gusto. But there are many things that we just do on autopilot that we don't put any additional effort or energy into, but occasionally we'll do something with gusto. Next on the list is an idiom and it is on the fly, on the fly. Let me spell that for you. It's fly as in F L Y. On the fly. So, if you're doing something on the fly, then you're doing it very quickly without any planning or preparation, almost like doing something on the spot. Like if I said to you,"Oh, could you just quickly make me a cup of tea?" And you've never made a cup of tea before, but you just do it and you're doing it on the fly. Or if I say to you,"Oh no, we have a presentation to give, but our main presenter is sick. They've just told me they can't come and do the presentation and the presentation starts in one minute. Could you do it for me?" And you say,"Sure why not?" And so, you stand up and you give a presentation. You do it on the fly. So, you might say at the beginning,"Our planned presenter is unwell today. So, you have me, I will be doing this presentation on the fly. So, forgive me if I'm a little bit confused when it comes to the numbers, but let's get through this together." Alright, here's another example,"I gave a performance on the fly when my friend asked me to get up and sing a song to the congregation. I didn't know what to sing, so, I just made something up." Next on the list is an adjective and it is frequent, frequent. We spell this F R E Q U E N T. Frequent. Frequent. Something that is frequent is done regularly or often. So, for example, I might talk to you about my frequent trips to the bathroom at night. Does anyone else suffer with that? Actually, half of the trips to the bathroom are not for me. They're for my three-year-old who wakes up at 2 am, 3 am, 4 am."Mummy, I need the toilet." I take these frequent trips to the bathroom for my son's frequent needs. Here's another example,"There have been frequent complaints about the size of chocolate bars recently. The bars are getting smaller yet the price is getting higher." And if anyone's seen the price of cocoa lately, oh my goodness me, stock up on chocolate now because the price of chocolate bars really is about to go through the roof. Okay, moving on to our next piece. This is a noun and it is endorsement. Endorsement. We spell this E N D O R S E M E N T. Endorsement. Endorsement. Endorsement describes the act of showing support or approval for something or someone and doing it publicly. So, for example, I obviously have my voice out in the public. Lots of people tune in and listen to my podcast and watch my videos. If I say that a product is really good, then I'm endorsing it. So, it has my endorsement. Now, I'll let you into a little secret. I am frequently, or rather, I get frequent requests for endorsement. But most of the time I'm not happy to endorse the products that are being presented to me. So, when you do see me endorsing something, if you see an endorsement from me for another company, then you know that I think it's the bee's knees. That I think it's fantastic and I will endorse that product with gusto. Okay, so here's another example,"The celebrity's endorsement of the new product led to a significant increase in sales." Next on the list is an adjective and it is dense. Dense. We spell this D E N S E. Dense. Now, I always think of either people or like bushes and woodlands when I think of the word dense. So, dense in today's context describes things tightly packed together or where there's a lot of something. So, if we talk about dense woodlands, then we're talking about a forest that is thick with lots and lots of plants, trees and bushes. It's really hard to walk through dense woodland. There're not many areas to make a path. But you can also describe a person as being dense. If you describe a person as being dense, then you're saying they are thick. They are stupid. So, it's not the nicest term. You don't want to be described as dense. So, here's another example sentence,"The dense forest was full of tall trees and thick underbrush." Okay, so, that's our five for today. Let's do a quick recap. We started with the noun gusto, which is to do something with a lot of enthusiasm because you enjoy it and you appreciate it. Then we had the idiom on the fly, which is to do something quickly without planning or preparation. Then we had the adjective frequent, which is to do something often or regularly. We had the noun endorsement, which means to show support publicly for something that you approve of or someone that you approve of. And then we had the adjective dense when something is tightly packed together or contains a lot of something. So, let's now do this for pronunciation. Please repeat after me. Gusto. Gusto. On the fly. On the fly. Frequent. Frequent. Endorsement. Endorsement. Dense. Dense. Very good. Alright, now let me test your memory. I have just arrived at your wedding party. And you are really stressed because the singer hasn't turned up and you say,"Anna, this is my wedding. It's supposed to be perfect. We have this singer booked, but she can't make it now. She has laryngitis. Could you please sing at least for our first dance? Could you do a few numbers?" And I say,"Of course, you're my best friend. I will do my best. I haven't planned anything. I haven't sung in ages. I don't even know if I can remember the lyrics to half the songs, but show me where the band is and I'll work something out and I'll do it without planning and preparation. It's okay." What idiom could I use here instead of saying, I'll do it without planning and preparation? On the fly. Yes, absolutely. And I'm going to be really nervous, but I love singing and you're my best friend and it's your wedding. So, when I do perform, I am going to perform with strong enthusiasm and enjoyment, and I'm going to love every single minute of it. What noun could we use to describe this level of enthusiasm with which I'm going to perform? Gusto. That's right. I'm going to do it with gusto. And this is because in the past, even though I haven't sung for a very long time, in the past, I was a regular singer. What adjective could I use instead of regular? Frequent. That's right. I was a frequent singer. I sang every week at the local club. And at every party that my friends were throwing, they'd always ask me to get up and sing a little song. So, I was a frequent singer in the past, so, it doesn't bother me that much. Now I'll get up, do it on the fly and do it with gusto. Now at the end of the performance, the band's manager comes along and said,"I'm really sorry. I've only just arrived. I missed the whole performance. Thank you so much, Anna, for standing in." And he turns to the band and says to the band,"Did she do a good job? Was she okay? Because actually we could do with a second singer. What do you think?" Now the band thought I did a fantastic job and they openly show full approval for me and my performance and say to the manager,"Absolutely. She was fantastic. You should definitely sign her up as soon as possible." What noun could we use to describe this support that they're showing for me? Endorsement. They gave me an endorsement. And that led to some fantastic gigs in the future. Apart from one which I wouldn't describe as fantastic because it was right in the middle of a very tightly packed woodlands and I got lost. I couldn't find my way out because there were just so many trees and plants and bushes. What adjective could I use to describe this woodland? Dense. Yes, dense, and I felt quite dense because I got lost in the dense woodland, which is a bit silly, really. Maybe I just took a wrong turn somewhere. Okay, so to recap, during your wedding, your singer became ill. I had to stand up and do a performance all by myself on the fly, but I did it with gusto because in the past I was a frequent singer and I do love it. After the performance, the band gave me a full endorsement to the manager, and that led to many more gigs, which were fantastic apart from the one gig that was in the middle of some dense woodlands where I got lost. And that story, as with all the memory sections, was done on the fly. I hope that you found it useful. But let's revisit those pieces one more time in today's story. As the sun began to rise over the Scottish Highlands, two backpackers, Alastair and Miriam, were busy packing their bags for their upcoming adventure. They had been planning this trip for months and were finally ready to embark on a round-the-world tour by boat and road, anything but an aeroplane! Alastair and Miriam were no strangers to travelling. They had been frequent backpackers for many years, exploring the rugged landscapes of their own country and beyond. But this trip would be their biggest adventure yet, and they were filled with excitement and a sense of gusto as they set out on their journey. Their first stop was the bustling city of London, where they would catch a boat to their next destination. As they wandered through the vibrant streets, they couldn't help but feel a little out of place among the stylish city dwellers. But they were determined to embrace every new experience that came their way. With only a map and a rough plan, Alastair and Miriam were used to making decisions on the fly. They had no set itinerary, preferring to go wherever the wind and their sense of adventure took them. And as they boarded the boat that would take them across the Atlantic, they couldn't help but feel a sense of freedom and excitement at the thought of the unknown. Their journey took them through various countries, each one offering a new and exciting experience. From hiking through the dense rainforests of South America, to camping under the stars in the Australian outback, Alastair and Miriam were living life to the fullest. They even had the chance to sail on a small boat through the crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean, a dream come true for the adventurous pair. And as they reached the end of their journey, they couldn't believe how much they had seen and experienced in such a short amount of time. As they returned home to the Scottish Highlands, the couple couldn't stop talking about their trip. They had so many incredible stories to share, and their friends and family were in awe of their adventures. Even their frequent backpacking friends were impressed and considered taking the same epic trip. Alastair gave an endorsement to many of the places they had stayed and travel companies they had used. For Alastair and Miriam, this trip was a life-changing experience and they couldn't wait to start planning the next great adventure. And that brings us to the end of today's episode remember, you can take your learning further by becoming a Plus Member, where you'll get access to additional episodes, transcripts, and vocabulary lists. I'll leave a link in the show notes. Until tomorrow, take very good care and goodbye.