Your English Five a Day #29.3

E273: 🎙️ Welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast, hosted by me, Anna. Dive into Week 29, Day 3 of Your English Five a Day where we enrich your vocabulary with five fascinating items each weekday.

💘 We're speaking the language of love today as we kick off the list with the nouns "spark" and "chemistry". Next, explore the idiom "head over heels" and the phrasal verb "to fall for someone". Finally, we uncover the adjective "engaging".

🌹 Test your memory with a quick quiz before delving into a romantic story where these vocabulary gems shine. Follow Ellie and Tom as they navigate the awkwardness of a first date, discovering sparks and chemistry amidst laughter and shared anecdotes. Feel the warmth of their connection as they realise they're head over heels for each other, wrapped in the engaging melody of a romantic evening.

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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're listening to Week 29, Day 3 of Your English Five a Day. If you're new here, this is a series that aims to expand your active vocabulary by focusing on 5 items every day of the working week from Monday to Friday. Then on Sunday a bonus episode for Plus Members. Plus Members get additional benefits such as access to transcripts, vocabulary lists and all the previous bonus episodes. So if you're interested in becoming a Plus Member, just click on the link in the show notes. Let's start today's list. We begin with the noun a spark, a spark. We spell this S P A R K, a spark. Now I'm not talking about the light, I'm talking about a thing that happens between two people. I say a thing, I mean a connection or attraction. So when two people instantly seem to get along well or instantly like each other a lot, then you would say, there is a spark. They may not even know each other at all, but you can just see there's something that attracts them to each other. And I'm not talking necessarily just about opposite sexes attracting in a sexual way. It could be in a friendship way, or just two people who just click. There's another word'to click', to spark. So when I started my college days, I remember on the first day instantly being attracted to this boy, not in a kind of'I fancy you' way.'I'd like you to be my boyfriend.' We just got on really, really well. There was an instant connection between the two of us and we became fast and firm friends for the entire two years that we were at college, the two of us were inseparable. We were fast and firm friends because there was an initial spark. Here's an example sentence,"From the moment Helen and Kieran met, there was a spark between them that they couldn't ignore." Next on the list is another noun and it is chemistry. Chemistry. We spell this C H E M I S T R Y. Again, I'm not talking about the science. I'm talking about chemistry between two people. So this is again, a strong, mutual connection or attraction between two individuals. So the spark is like the initial connection that's made immediately and the chemistry is something that isn't necessarily instant. It could be there at the beginning. It could be something that takes time. But you can see when two people really work well together, there's a chemistry between them. And it might be that you notice a chemistry between two people at work and you think,"Do you know what? You guys would be good as a couple. There's a connection between you two that's different, that's quite strong. I wonder if you fancy each other. You'd be a good couple." With my partner, we started out as friends and I noticed that after a few months, there was a chemistry between us that I was finding harder and harder to ignore. There wasn't an initial spark. We liked each other in the same way that I'd like anyone that I meet and say hello to. We were pleasant with each other. We had a nice chat, but there wasn't a spark. It was over time that a chemistry built. Here's another example,"There was an undeniable chemistry between the two young lovers, evident in the way they laughed and finished each other's sentences." So, I hope that you have good chemistry with your life partner. Okay, so next on the list is an idiom and it is to be head over heels. To be head over heels. Head, spelt H E A D, like the head on top of your shoulders. Over heels, H E E L S. The heels like the heels on your feet. Now, to be head over heels is to be completely and deeply in love with someone or infatuated with someone. So it describes that intense feeling of love for someone. So here's an example,"Melanie fell head over heels for Jason on the plane, literally! She tripped over on her own feet, and he helped her back up. It was love at first sight." OK, moving on to a phrasal verb now. This is to fall for someone. To fall for. Fall, F A L L. For, F O R. To fall for someone. This is similar to be head over heels, but to fall for someone is that moment when you start to love someone. So to develop strong feelings or love and attraction towards someone. So sometimes we say, she fell head over heels or she is head over heels. But you can use simply the phrasal verb to fall for someone. I'm worried I might fall for you. There's such a strong chemistry between us. I'm worried that I might fall for you. Actually, I think it's too late. In fact, I am head over heels in love with you. That's it. I've realised the connection between us is so strong. The chemistry is undeniable. There's been a spark between us from the very beginning. Here's an example sentence,"I can't believe I'm falling for my best friend. I never thought of him that way before." Okay, last on the list is an adjective and it is engaging. Engaging. We spell this E N G A G I N G. Engaging. Engaging. If someone is described as engaging, then they are charming, they are attractive and interesting. You are pulled towards them. If someone is engaging, then you can't help but watch them or listen to them. You can describe content as engaging or an attraction, like a tourist attraction could be quite an engaging. An engaging performance for example, if you're walking down the South Bank in London and you'll see a myriad of performers on the streets doing different things, mime and acrobatics and magic and singing, music. But if someone is a really engaging performer giving an engaging performance, then you are attracted to it. You turn your eyes towards it, you open your ears and your mind and your heart, and you watch it. You might even interact with it. You feel engaged. Here's an example sentence,"The teacher's engaging personality made the students feel excited to learn." Alright, so that's our five for today. Let's do a quick recap. We started with the noun spark, describing a strong, immediate connection or attraction between two people. Then we had the noun chemistry, which again describes a mutual connection or attraction between two people. Then we had the idiom to be head over heels. This could also be extended to be head over heels in love with someone. And this means to be deeply, deeply in love and have intense feelings of love. Then we had the phrasal verb to fall for someone. To fall for someone, this means to develop those strong feelings of love. And then we had the adjective engaging, engaging, describing someone or something as attractive and interesting. Okay, so let's now do this for pronunciation. Please repeat after me. Spark. Spark. Chemistry. Chemistry. Head over heels. Head over heels. Fall for. Fall for. Engaging. Engaging. Fantastic. Right, let me now test your memory. If I meet someone for the very first time and there's instantly a connection, what noun would we use to describe that instant connection? There's a spark. Yes, there's that spark that's very exciting. And after talking to each other for just a few minutes, I know that it's possible that I'm going to develop very strong feelings of love for this person. What phrasal verb would I use to describe this development of strong feelings? Fall for. Yes, it's going to be quite impossible not to fall for this person because that connection is so strong. After weeks and weeks of spending time together, that spark turns into a very long-lasting connection and attraction between us. What noun would we use to describe this ongoing connection and attraction? Chemistry. There's a very strong chemistry between us. And I did, in fact, fall for this person. And now I am completely and deeply in love with this person. So what idiom can I use to describe how deeply and intensely I am in love? Head over heels. Yes, I am head over heels in love with this person. Why? Well, partly because they are so interesting. I'm very attracted to everything they have to say and do. They just get my attention. What adjective could I use to describe this person? Engaging. Yes, they're very engaging. So there was an initial spark between us. That spark led me to feel a bit worried about falling for them. And over the weeks that came, I just knew there was this very strong chemistry between us. And in fact, I did fall for them. I eventually was head over heels in love with them and primarily because they were just so engaging. So that's the end of my little off-the-cuff quiz. Let's now move to a very well-prepared story time. See if you can spot today's items in the story. Ellie twirled her fork nervously, the candlelight flickering across the table, casting shadows that danced like the butterflies in her stomach. She glanced at Tom, who was equally ill at ease, fumbling with his menu as if it were a shield against the awkwardness of first dates."So, Tom, tell me have you always been a fan of... escargot?" Ellie asked, hoping her voice sounded more casual than she felt. Tom chuckled, a sound that eased the tension slightly."Oh no, I actually thought that said'escarole.' I'm more of a salad guy, never quite had the guts for snails!" Their laughter mingled, a spark momentarily ignited between them. Ellie's heart fluttered; his smile was infectious. And she found herself genuinely amused."Well, at least that's one disaster averted tonight," she said playfully. Tom nodded, his gaze lingering on hers. There was an undeniable chemistry that both terrified and excited her. He started to share another anecdote, then hesitated, biting his lip as if reconsidering his confession."It's okay, you're in good company. I once tripped right into the waiter. Drinks on me took a very literal turn," Ellie confessed, hoping her own blunder would put him at ease. They shared a moment of silence, comfortable and warm. Ellie's laughter was engaging, drawing Tom in further. He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a near whisper."You know, Ellie, I'm really glad I didn't fall for anyone else before tonight." Heat crept up her cheeks as she realised, she was head over heels for this charming, albeit awkward, man across from her."Me too, Tom. There's something really special about tonight," she replied softly. As they continued talking, the violinist's melody wrapped around them like a warm embrace. The night was still young, filled with the potential and the promise of something new. And that brings us to the end of today's podcast. If you did enjoy it, take a moment please to leave a like, a rating or review, and don't forget to come back again tomorrow. Until then, take very good care and goodbye.