Learn English Vocabulary Daily #10.3 - British English Podcast

Hello and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast.

My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 10, Day 3 of The English

Five a Day series, the series that aims to increase your vocabulary

by five pieces every single day of the week from Monday to Friday.

So, let's kick off today's list with a noun, seamstress, seamstress.

I spell this S E A M S T R E S S.

Seamstress.

A seamstress is a woman whose job is sewing and making clothes.

The seam is the join in your clothing or in cloth.

So, the seam of my duvet cover is where my duvet, where two pieces of

cloth have come together to complete my duvet and been stitched together.

Sometimes I have to mend the seams in my clothing if I've eaten a little bit too

much over the winter and I've put on a bit of weight, then some of my clothing may

become a little tight, and if I continue to wear it, I may be busting at the seams.

So, I may be putting a lot of stress on the cotton that holds the seams together.

So, I have to get out my needle and thread and start stitching and mending my seams.

And in that case, I would be a seamstress.

Here's an example sentence.

"My mother-in law is a wonderful seamstress, if you ever need

a special dress making then I highly recommend using her."

Next on our list is a verb, and it is to document, to document.

Notice how this word sounds different as a verb than it does as a noun.

So, the spelling here is D O C U M E N T, just like the noun.

Document, document, but as a verb, we say document, document, to document something.

If you document something, then you record the details of it,

usually an event or a process.

So, a scientist, when they are doing experiments, will document

their experiments, they'll document every step and the results.

A documentary maker will document their subject.

Here's an example sentence:

"Don't forget to document all your expenses, we can't pay you back unless we

have a complete list and the receipts."

Next on our list is the adjective astonishing, astonishing.

I love this word, astonishing.

This is spelled A S T O N I S H I N G, astonishing, astonishing.

If something is astonishing, then it's very surprising.

Here's an example sentence:

"Melinda's first novel had astonishing success, I can't

wait to read her next book."

Moving on to number four on our list.

This is an idiom and it is in with a chance.

In with a chance.

We spell this I N, in.

W I T H, with.

A, chance, C H A N C E.

In with a chance.

This is used to say that someone has a possibility of doing

something or achieving something.

There is a possibility.

Here's an example sentence.

"I'm going to ask Adam to be my date to the graduation party, do

you think I'm in with a chance?"

So, there she's saying, do you think it's even remotely possible

that Adam would want to be her date for the graduation party?

Or you might say,

"Hey, I heard that there's a talent contest at school.

And I've looked at the list of people who are entering.

And I think you should enter because, well, you're an amazing dancer.

And I really think that you're in with a chance of winning."

So, you should enter because you might win.

There is a possibility that you will win.

You are in with a chance.

The last word on the list is overall, overall.

So, this is an adjective or an adverb if it comes before a noun.

So, overall means in general rather than in particular.

Or including all the people or things in a particular group or situation.

Like, you might say,

"Did you have a nice time on holiday?"

And if five of my days were amazing, but two of my days

were terrible, then I'd say,

"Overall, it was really nice.

There were a few bad days, but overall, it was brilliant."

Here's another example sentence.

"There were a couple of issues with people arguing, but overall we had a great night.

Thank you everyone for coming."

Or you could say,

"The overall event was brilliant."

Okay, so that's our five.

Let's recap.

We had the noun seamstress, which means a woman whose job

is sewing and making clothes.

Then we had the verb to document, which is to record the

details of an event or process.

We had the adjective, astonishing, which means very surprising.

Then we had the idiom, in with a chance, which means that there's

a possibility that something will happen, that you'll succeed.

And we finished with the adjective or adverb, overall, which means in general

or including all people or things.

Let's now work on our pronunciation.

Please repeat after me.

Seamstress.

Seamstress.

Document.

Document.

Astonishing.

Astonishing.

In with a chance.

In with a chance.

Overall.

Overall.

Fantastic.

Let's bring them all together in a little story.

Lucy was a young seamstress from Devon with a passion for

fashion and a talent for sewing.

One day, she saw an advert for a competition that could make her dream

of becoming a fashion designer at a top London fashion house come true.

The competition was open to anyone who could design and make an

original and innovative garment.

The winner would receive £50,000 and a job offer from a prestigious fashion label.

Lucy was thrilled and decided to enter the competition.

She spent weeks working on her design, sketching, cutting,

stitching and decorating.

She wanted to make something that would reflect her personality

and style, something that would stand out from the crowd.

She chose a vibrant fabric with a floral pattern and a flattering silhouette.

She added some lace, buttons, and beads for extra flair.

She was very proud of the creation and named it "Lucy in the Sky".

She carefully packed her garment and sent it to the competition address

along with a letter explaining her inspiration and process, and a list that

documented famous local clients that Lucy had made dresses for in the past.

She waited anxiously for the results, hoping that her dress

would impress the judges.

A few weeks later, she received a letter back that changed her life.

She opened it and read the astonishing news: she had been selected as one

of the finalists of the competition.

She was invited to London to present her dress in front of a panel

of experts and a live audience.

She was overjoyed and couldn't believe her luck.

She had made it to the final round and was in with a chance

of winning the grand prize.

Lucy packed her bags and boarded the train to London.

When she arrived at the venue of the competition, she was

greeted by the organisers and shown to the backstage area.

She met the other finalists, who were all very talented and friendly, she admired

their creations and wished them good luck.

Lucy then put on her dress and waited for her turn.

As she walked on the stage, Lucy felt a surge of confidence.

She smiled and posed for the cameras and the audience.

She felt like a star!

She explained her dress and answered the questions from the judges.

They praised her for her originality, creativity, and craftsmanship.

They said they loved her dress and her story.

They said she had a bright future in the fashion industry.

There were a couple of runner-up awards and the judges said it was a very

close call, but there could only be one overall winner and they had chosen

one dress that stood out from the rest.

They said it was a dress that captured the essence of the competition, a dress that

was innovative, original and beautiful.

They said it was a dress that they would love to wear themselves.

They announced the name of the winner: Lucy!

Lucy couldn't believe her ears.

She had won the competition.

She had won £50,000 and a job with a top London fashion house.

She had achieved her dream and dedicated her win to her parents, who had always

encouraged her to follow her passion."

And that brings us to the end of today's episode.

I do hope you found today useful.

And until next time, take very good care and goodbye.