Hello and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast, the listening
resource for intermediate to advanced level English learners.
This particular series is called Your English Five a Day, which
intends to expand your vocabulary.
My name is Anna and today is Week 9, Day 5.
To begin our list, we start with a noun and it is the noun rally, rally.
I spell this R A L L Y, rally, rally.
In tennis, or squash, or badminton, a rally is a continuous
exchange of hits between players.
So, if you are a fan of any of those racket sports, you'll understand
that a rally is like one round.
So, a good rally is a round that kind of goes on a little bit longer than usual.
A short rally might only involve a service, a return of service and then
a dropshot and the rally is over.
That would be a very short rally.
It's not very interesting to watch short rallies really.
The occasional one is okay, but it's nice as a player, and I think
as a spectator, to see a rally that takes a bit of time, where you can
really see the players trying to work out how to beat their opponent.
Here's an example sentence:
"That was the best rally we've had in ages, how we didn't win, I don't know.
Great game though."
Alright, moving on to our next word, we have a verb and
it is emphasise, emphasise.
This is spelled E M P H A S I S E, emphasise.
To emphasise something is to show that something is very important
or worth giving attention to.
It's similar to highlight or make something seem bigger maybe than
it is, or at least spotlighting it.
So, for example, when I wear a long jumper dress, I may decide to wear a belt
because the belt emphasises my figure.
It emphasises my slim waist and my curvy shape, of which I'm quite proud.
If I play squash, then I will often wear a vest top, and this emphasisizes
my toned, muscular arms and shoulders.
I don't wear the vest top to emphasise my toned arms, but it
does emphasise my toned arms.
Alright, so here's an example sentence.
"I'd just like to emphasise how important it is for people to learn foreign
languages, it opens so many doors."
So, to emphasise a piece of information is to give extra weight to it,
to make sure that people really heard that piece of information.
For example, I'd like to emphasise how pleased I am that you're
listening to this podcast today.
And if you're pleased about being here and enjoying it, then please do take
a moment to emphasise your love, love might be a strong word, but emphasise
your like of this podcast by giving it a rating or a review, a kind one, please.
I mean, honest, of course.
Anyway, let's move on.
Our next word on our list is an adjective and it is avid, avid.
I spell this A V I D, avid.
If someone is described as avid, then they are extremely eager or interested.
Here's an example sentence:
"I am an avid fan of ice hockey, I try to get to every game when they
play at our local sports centre."
Next on the list is another adjective and it is extraordinary, extraordinary.
This is spelled E X T R A O R D I N A R Y, extraordinary.
If something is described as extraordinary, then it's special.
It's very unusual.
It's unexpected or strange.
It's not ordinary.
Here's an example sentence:
"What an extraordinary voice that girl has got, we need to book her to
perform at next year's gala dinner."
And last on our list is an idiom: never cease to amaze.
If something never ceases to amaze, then it means, or at least emphasises,
that someone is always amazing, or something is always amazing, and it
never fails to capture your attention.
How are we spelling this?
Let's just double check.
We've got never, N E V E R.
Cease, C E A S E.
To, T O.
Amaze, A M A Z E and whoever is talking would say 'me'.
You never cease to amaze me.
It never ceases to amaze me.
They never cease to amaze me.
An example might be if you were to see the Northern Lights on a regular
basis, you might look up and go,
"The Aurora Borealis never ceases to amaze me."
Or if someone tells you they've done something wonderful and
they always do wonderful things, you might look at them and say,
"You never cease to amaze me."
You're just telling them,
"You're wonderful.
I'm always amazed by you."
This could also be used in a sarcastic way as well.
When someone amazes you in a shocking and disapproving way, they do things that
you just would never expect them to do.
They behave in terrible ways and you just go,
"Agh, you never cease to amaze me.
You are despicable.
I am ashamed to be related to you."
Hopefully, you never say that about anyone, but it does happen.
Here's another example sentence:
"Oh, your talents never cease to amaze me, Rebecca, is there anything you can't do?"
Alright, so that's our five for today.
Gosh, it goes so quickly, doesn't it?
Let's recap what we've covered.
We started with the noun rally, which is a continuous exchange of hits between
players in tennis, squash or badminton.
Then we had the verb emphasise, to show that something's very
important or worth looking at.
We had the adjective avid, meaning extremely eager.
Hopefully you're an avid listener of this podcast.
Then we had the adjective extraordinary, which is something that isn't
ordinary, it's extra special.
Then we finished with the idiom never cease to amaze me, when
something is just constantly awe inspiring, constantly wonderful.
Let's now try for pronunciation, please, if you are able to, repeat after me.
Rally.
Emphasise.
Avid.
Extraordinary.
Never cease to amaze me.
Very good.
Okay, let's bring those all together in a little story kind of thing.
Yeah, it's not really a story today, but bringing them all together.
Let's see if you can spot them.
Are you an avid tennis player who loves to teach and inspire others?
Do you have the skills and experience to lead a team of
talented and motivated students?
Do you want to be part of an extraordinary journey to the national finals?
If you answered yes to these questions, then we have an
exciting opportunity for you.
We're looking for a tennis coach for our university team, who can help us achieve
our dreams of becoming the champions.
As our coach, you will be responsible for planning and conducting training
sessions, developing strategies and tactics, and providing feedback
and guidance to our players.
You will also promote team spirit, emphasise the importance of teamwork
and sportsmanship, and foster a positive and supportive environment.
You will work closely with our captain and our sports coordinator, who will support
you in your role and provide you with the necessary resources and facilities.
You will also have the chance to travel with us to various tournaments
and events, and represent our university with pride and honour.
We want to be known for our outstanding rallies and skilful shots.
To apply for this position, you need to have a valid coaching certificate,
a proven track record of coaching success, and a passion for tennis.
You also need to be available for at least 10 hours per week, and be
flexible and adaptable to our schedule.
If you think you have what it takes to be our coach, please send us your CV
and a cover letter explaining why you are the best candidate for the job.
We would love to hear from you, and we hope to meet you soon.
Our team is full of amazing players who never cease to amaze us with
their talent and dedication.
They deserve the best coach possible, and we hope that coach is you."
Okay, there we go.
Did you spot all the words and phrases from today?
I do hope so, and I hope you found today useful.
Until next time, take very good care and goodbye.