Learn English Vocabulary Daily #21.5 — British English Podcast

Hello.

Welcome to the English Like a Native Podcast.

My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 21, Day 5 of Your English Five a Day.

This is the ever-popular series that's all about increasing your active vocabulary.

We focus on five target pieces every day of the working week from Monday to Friday.

So, buckle up and let's get going.

Number one on today's list is the noun indigestion.

Indigestion.

We spell this I N D I G E S T I O N.

Indigestion.

Indigestion.

Indigestion describes that pain or that discomfort that you get

in your stomach after you've eaten food that's hard to digest.

I tend to get indigestion when I eat quite fast, just before doing sports,

like, if I go and play a squash match.

Let's say I have a heavy lasagne half an hour before I go on court,

then I'm bound to get indigestion, this pain, this discomfort.

These days, actually, I find that if I eat white rice, I get indigestion.

I get bloating and pain in my tummy.

It's very odd.

What causes indigestion for you?

Here's an example sentence,

"I knew I shouldn't have eaten so much bread at lunchtime.

I've got terrible indigestion now."

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

We spell it W H O L E S O M E.

Wholesome.

Wholesome.

If something is described as wholesome, then we are saying that it's good for you.

Now, usually it's used when talking about food so, you might hear someone saying,

"This is a wholesome meal,"

Or,

"We should eat more wholesome food."

Sometimes you'll hear a film being described as a wholesome film.

It's a film that is good for all the family.

There's nothing offensive or challenging in the film.

It's a good, family-friendly, wholesome film, but often it's referring to food.

So, here's an example sentence,

"Goodness me, you look so skinny!

You need a good, wholesome meal.

Sit down and I'll cook you something."

Okay, next on the list is the adjective disciplined.

Disciplined.

We spell this D I S C I P L I N E D.

Disciplined.

If you or someone is disciplined then you are able to control yourself.

You can control how you act, how you behave.

You can avoid being distracted and you get up on time.

You do the jobs you're supposed to do, you're very disciplined.

I'm always in awe of the people who get out of bed at the crack of

dawn and do a big workout, a big exercise routine before the sun has

come up on a cold winter morning.

When they're tired, they just drag themselves out of bed.

They're very disciplined and they get it done.

I'm always impressed by that.

It's not something I've really been able to implement into my routine.

As much as I would love to get up at 5 am to work out, I just love my bed!

I don't get enough sleep, so, I don't want to get up earlier than I have to.

I'm not very disciplined in that respect.

Here's an example sentence,

"If you're going to apply for the gymnastics competition team,

you need to be more disciplined.

Train every day, eat healthy wholesome food, and stop going

out drinking every night.

They're very strict about who they let in."

Next on the list is the phrasal verb, polish off, polish off.

I like this one, it's fun.

We spell this P O L I S H, polish, and then off, O F F, polish off.

If you polish something off, then you eat it completely until it's all gone.

For example, I might say,

"Oh, we opened a bottle of wine last night.

We were only going to have a tiny little drop, but I polished off the whole bottle.

It's no wonder I've got a headache this morning."

Here's another example sentence,

"Please don't tell me you polished off that whole chocolate gateau.

I was saving some for your parents coming over tomorrow."

We've all been guilty of that, haven't we?

Polishing something off that we probably shouldn't have.

We should have been more disciplined and avoided it.

It will now give us indigestion.

Next and last on today's list is the verb devour, devour.

We spell this D E V O U R.

Devour.

To devour something is to eat food in a kind of greedy and eager way.

You devour it, you dive in and you eat the lot.

You probably are going to polish off the thing that you are

devouring, but it's all about the intention, the eagerness of eating.

So, I might eat a piece of cake or devour a piece of cake.

The verb devour really suggests that I jump straight in there and I eat it

really quickly and I polish it off.

I eat the whole thing, every crumb.

I even lick the plate clean afterwards and lick every finger to

get every last crumb into my mouth.

I devour it.

Okay, here's another example,

"OMG!

That angus burger was the best I've ever had, I devoured it in seconds!"

Okay, so that was our five for today.

Let's do a quick recap.

We started with the noun indigestion, to have a pain or discomfort after

eating something that's hard to digest.

Then we had the adjective wholesome.

When relating to food, it means food that's good for you.

Then we had the adjective disciplined, disciplined, meaning

you're able to control yourself.

You can push yourself to do things you don't want to do and stick to it.

Then we had the phrasal verb polish off, which is to keep eating

something until it's all gone.

And we ended with the verb devour, devour, which is to eat

something eagerly, quickly, and with full intention and keenness.

Okay, let's do this now for pronunciation.

Please repeat after me.

Indigestion.

Indigestion.

Wholesome.

Wholesome.

Disciplined.

Disciplined.

Polish off.

Polish off.

Devour.

Devour.

Very good.

Okay, let's test you now.

Oh dear.

I've just opened the fridge and spotted a huge, a huge piece of chocolate gateau.

And even though I know it's not for me, it's my son's chocolate gateau because he

missed the party and we saved it for him.

I just cannot control myself.

So, even though I'm going to try to control myself, I know I

might fail, but I'm going to try.

I'm going to try to be controlled, to stop myself from doing something.

What adjective could I use to describe myself being in control of my own actions?

Disciplined, yes.

Yes, Anna, you can be disciplined.

Come on, don't eat that deliciously chocolatey chocolate cake that's sitting

and calling my name from the fridge shelf.

Don't do it.

Don't put it in your mouth.

Oh no.

I've done it.

I've gone to the fridge, I've grabbed it, and I've shoved

the entire thing into my mouth.

I didn't just eat it.

I ate it in a really greedy and eager way.

What verb could we use there?

I devoured it, absolutely, and I didn't just devour it, proving that I'm not

very disciplined at all, never was, never will be, but I even licked the

plate and picked up every teeny tiny crumb that was on the fridge shelf.

What phrasal verb could you use to describe completely

finishing a piece of food?

I polished it off.

Yes, I devoured and polished off this one piece of cake that was meant for my

son because I'm not very disciplined.

Oh, and now, oh no, I've just remembered, I'm gluten intolerant and that chocolate

cake has given me a pain in my stomach.

Oh, it's going to be so hard to digest this.

What noun could I use instead of saying I have a pain in my stomach?

I've got indigestion.

Yes.

Devouring and polishing off that chocolate cake that wasn't

meant for me because I have no discipline has given me indigestion.

Well, that's my own fault, isn't it?

That's my punishment for being so bad.

What I should do is create a meal that's very healthy and good for me

and for my son as well to say sorry.

What adjective could I use to describe this very good

meal that I'm going to make?

Wholesome.

Yes, I'm going to make a wholesome meal for me and my son and apologise

for being so ill-disciplined and devouring and polishing off that

delicious piece of chocolate cake.

OK, let's bring this all together in a little monologue.

That smell, the aroma of sizzling burgers fills the air as I stand outside

the iconic Bullring in Birmingham.

Hi, there, my name is Ally and I am a proud burger lover.

Today, I'm standing in front of the Bullring, where an exciting

event is about to take place.

It's a gourmet burger-tasting competition where people from all

over the city will compete to make the best gourmet burgers and the hungry

crowds have the chance to devour each one and vote for their favourite.

I'm currently standing in the middle of the activity, as a foodie, I

just couldn't resist the opportunity to be a part of this event.

But let me tell you, this is not just about satisfying our taste buds.

It's not about indulging in and polishing off as many gourmet

burgers as you can, no, today's event is also about being disciplined

and appreciating wholesome food.

We have to be careful not to overindulge, we don't want to suffer from indigestion.

That's why, even though it's a competition, the organisers and

competitors are all being mindful of the portions they serve and are

promoting healthy eating practices.

The competition is fierce, but the atmosphere is fun and friendly.

We are all here to celebrate our love for burgers and appreciate the hard

work put in by the creators and chefs.

The best part is, these patties are not your average fast food type.

They are gourmet, with unique flavours and ingredients that will

leave your taste buds dancing.

So, if you're a burger lover like me, come down to the Bullring in

Birmingham and join us for this epic gourmet burger-tasting event.

Trust me, it's an experience you don't want to miss.

See you soon!

And that brings us to the end of today's episode and Week 21.

If you've enjoyed any of the episodes that I've made this week, then please do leave

this podcast a like, rating or review so that others can find this resource too.

I appreciate you tuning in and I hope that you'll tune in again tomorrow.

Until then, take very good care and goodbye.