Learn English Vocabulary Daily #17.5 — British English Podcast

Hello, and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast.

My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 17, Day 5 of Your English Five a

Day, a series that aims to increase your active vocabulary by five pieces every

day of the week from Monday to Friday.

We start today's list with an idiom and it is stuck in a rut, stuck in a rut.

Let me spell that for you.

Stuck, S T U C K.

In, I N.

A.

Rut, R U T.

Stuck in a rut.

If you're stuck in a rut, then you're fixed in a particular job or activity,

and you really need to change it.

Imagine a rut being essentially a hole, and you can't get out of that hole.

You feel fed up, probably, if you're stuck in a rut.

We often use this to describe a certain time in our life when we just want

change, and we don't know how to get out of the situation that we're in.

Here's an example sentence,

I've been neglecting myself recently and feel stuck in a rut, do you

think we could go out this weekend?

I think I need it."

Have you ever felt stuck in a rut?

If you did, then what did you do to get out of that situation?

I've certainly felt stuck in a rut at multiple points in my life.

Let's move on to another word.

This is an adjective and it is listless, listless.

Listless is spelt L I S T L E S S.

Listless.

Listless.

If you describe yourself as listless then you have little

enthusiasm and not much energy or you are unwilling to do something.

Especially if it's something that needs effort.

So, sometimes you just wake up and you feel a bit listless, a bit fed up.

You're stuck in a rut and you just don't have the energy to do the things you want

to do, or you don't feel enthusiastic about the thing that you need to do.

Here's an example sentence,

"He has seemed listless and a little depressed ever since

he got his exam results."

Next on the list is a phrasal verb and it is run down.

We spell this run, R U N.

Down, D O W N, run down.

You can run yourself down or someone might be run down and it means to be tired and

poorly or to make yourself tired and ill.

I often personally run myself down.

I work too hard.

I work unsociable hours.

I have two young children.

I don't sleep enough.

Until recently, I didn't eat very well either.

My water intake is definitely in need of improvement.

I am quite often running myself down.

And I'd say,

"I feel quite run down today.

If I'm honest, I feel like I'm going to be poorly.

I feel very tired and ill."

But here's another example,

"Since taking on an extra job to help pay the bills, I've really run myself down."

The next word on the list is a noun and it is depression, depression.

This is a very negative list today, isn't it?

I do apologise.

Depression.

We spell this D E P R E S S I O N.

Depression.

Depression is the state of feeling very, very unhappy, where you

feel like you have no hope for the future, no energy for life.

Unfortunately, many people suffer from depression.

I personally haven't ever really suffered with depression apart

from postnatal depression, which is a specific type of depression

that you have after having a child.

It's usually associated with the exhaustion and the hormone imbalance

that you deal with after giving birth.

So, here's an example sentence,

"I was overwhelmed by feelings of depression for months after

losing my job, I'm pleased to say I am much better now though."

Next on the list is an adjective and it is determined, determined.

That's much more positive, isn't it?

Determined.

We spell this D E T E R M I N E D.

Determined.

If you are described, or if an animal perhaps is described as determined, then

it's wanting to do something very much.

It doesn't allow anything to stop it.

I'm thinking about my cat now.

My cat is very determined at times.

I'll try and stop him from getting out of the kitchen when I've got

the front door open because I don't want him to leave the house.

He's far too young and he'll be determined to get out of the kitchen.

He finds a way to open the door.

He's a very clever cat.

I'm also quite a determined person.

I like to think of myself as being determined.

I have a goal in mind and I try not to let anything stop me from achieving my goal.

And I hope that you, as a language learner, also have

a level of determination.

I hope that you are determined to achieve your goals.

Here's another example,

"Helen will get the job she wants — she's a very determined person."

Alright, that is our five.

So let's do a quick recap.

We started with the idiom stuck in a rut, which means to be in one fixed

type of job or activity or situation that you really want to change.

Then we had the adjective listless, which is when you have no energy or enthusiasm

for something that needs effort.

We had the phrasal verb run down or run yourself down, which is to work too

hard and make yourself poorly and tired.

We have the noun depression, the state of feeling very unhappy.

And the adjective determined, wanting very much to achieve something and

not allowing anything to stop you.

So, let's now do this for pronunciation purposes.

If you can, please repeat after me.

Stuck in a rut.

Stuck in a rut.

Listless.

Listless.

Run down.

Run down.

Depression.

Depression.

Determined.

Determined.

Fantastic.

Now let's test your memory.

If I've been working so hard that I've made myself poorly and I'm very

tired, what phrasal verb would you use to describe what I've done to myself?

I've run myself down, haven't I?

And if, when I'm run down, I feel a state of being deeply unhappy, and I feel

there's no hope for the future, what noun would you use to describe this state?

Depression.

Depression.

And during my state of depression, when I feel so run down, I am really

lacking in energy and enthusiasm.

I'm unwilling to do anything.

What adjective would you use to describe me?

Listless.

Listless.

And during that particular time in my life, I could say that I feel like

I'm fixed, too fixed in a particular activity, in a particular situation.

And I really need to change it.

What idiom would I use to describe my situation?

Stuck in a rut.

Stuck in a rut.

But I do feel very much like I want to get myself out of this rut.

I know I'm run down so I'm going to look after myself and I want to get

out of this state of depression.

I don't want to be listless every day.

You could now describe me, because I'm not going to let anything stop

me, you could describe me as being...

determined, determined.

Fantastic.

So, that's our five.

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

I'm sure you've all experienced this before.

You love your job, you're really good at it, you're popular at work and

you have a great circle of friends.

You work hard, sometimes too hard.

You stay late to answer all the emails your colleagues couldn't deal with, you

reorganise the filing system because it was a total mess, you go into the office

extra early to prepare the presentation that could secure you the biggest

contract of the year, you skip meals because you don't have the time to eat.

The deadline is more important after all.

As long as the boss is happy with you, what's the problem?

The problem is that you're jeopardising your health.

You're stuck in a rut that isn't healthy and soon you'll run yourself

down without even realising it.

Have you ever woken up one day and realised that something is wrong?

You don't feel like yourself, you're more emotional than usual, you're

listless and can't function properly.

Unfortunately, this happens to thousands of people every day, but

because you don't recognise these symptoms, you might just push them

aside and think you're having a bad day.

But what if they persist and don't go away?

Depression can hit you when you least expect it, and often you

don't even know why it has hit you.

Depression used to be a taboo subject, but now people are talking about it

more openly and doctors, patients, employers and employees are more

determined than ever to tackle the signs, symptoms and consequences.

So, if one day you feel that something is wrong, be honest, open up and seek help.

We all deserve to be happy and healthy.

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

Week 17's English Five a Days.

We do still have an episode coming out tomorrow, so please do

come back to listen to that one.

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