Learn English Vocabulary Daily #19.1 — British English Podcast

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

My name is Anna and you are listening to Week 19, Day 1 of Your English Five a Day.

This is a series where we deep dive into five pieces of vocabulary

every day of the week in order to expand your active vocabulary.

So, let's kick off this week with a noun, and it is hardship.

Hardship.

Now we spell this H A R D S H I P, hardship, hardship.

Hardship is the difficult conditions that causes one to suffer.

So, if you are going through a very difficult time, then you're

suffering through hardship.

Often this is coupled with the word financial.

So if you are struggling for money and that is causing difficulty with

buying food and just general basic living, if you're unable to buy warm

clothes, if you're unable to pay for your heating, if you can't feed

yourself or your family, then you're struggling with financial hardship.

It's something that's often discussed in this country over the winter,

particularly for pensioners, older people who are living on a pension, especially

during times when the cost of living is rising or when energy bills go up.

So, these people tend to suffer financial hardship and therefore they

go through difficult times, they're unable to turn on their heating or keep

themselves warm or feed themselves.

Have you ever gone through any hardships in your life?

I'm sure.

All of us have, in some form or another, at one point or another.

Here's an example sentence,

"The UK's cost of living crisis is causing financial hardship to many

families up and down the country."

Next on our list is the word realm, realm.

We spell this R E A L M, realm, realm.

This is a noun and realm describes a specific area of interest or activity.

Realm can also mean like an area that's ruled, like a kingdom.

So, you'll often hear the word realm used within gameplay.

I think of the game Zelda and the realms that you would adventure

through in the world of Zelda.

But in this case, realm is a specific area of interest or activity.

So for example,

"You should venture into the realm of water sports one day.

Oh, not here though, the UK waters are too cold!"

Moving on to an adjective and it is horrendous, horrendous.

I use this word a lot myself.

So, horrendous, we spell this H O R R E N D O U S, horrendous, horrendous.

Horrendous means terrible, or extremely unpleasant, or bad.

It wasn't just bad, it was horrendous.

Here's an example sentence,

"Oh, what is that horrendous smell?

I think it's coming from the kitchen sink."

Now, I do use this often, I can't remember the exact last time that I used

it, but I often use it to describe my appearance or the state of the house.

So, I might say,

"Oh, I can't film myself right now.

I look horrendous."

I do tend to put myself down a little bit too much.

I need to work on that.

Or I might say,

"Oh, the house is looking horrendous.

I need to tidy up.

We can't let people in, with my house looking like this, it's horrendous."

Or I might say,

"I feel horrendous.

I feel terrible.

I feel very unpleasant."

Especially if I haven't had a good night's sleep, or if I'm feeling a little poorly.

Next on the list is an idiom, and it is defy the odds, to defy the odds.

We spell this defy, D E F Y.

The, T H E.

Odds, O D D S.

Defy the odds.

Defy the odds.

To defy the odds means to achieve or make a success of something

when others thought it was unlikely or they thought you would fail.

So, if the odds are against you, which is another phrase, the odds are against me.

If the odds are against you, if it doesn't seem probable, or even possible

that you will do something, but then you do it, then you have defied the odds.

Here's an example sentence,

"The 76-year-old defied all odds and completed the marathon

in record-breaking time."

I think a 76-year-old running a marathon would defy the odds, wouldn't it?

Because it's not likely, although not impossible, but it's not likely that the

average 76-year-old could run a marathon, especially not in record-breaking time.

I don't think I could run a marathon to be fair.

It's not something that everyone can do.

Okay, sticking with idioms, we're going to our last phrase for

today, and it is on the cards.

On the cards.

If something is on the cards, then it's likely to happen.

And just in case you're misunderstanding me, let me

just spell this one for you too.

So, on, O N.

The, T H E.

Cards, C A R D S.

On the cards.

So, it's not likely to happen if it's not on the cards.

Okay.

Or it might happen if it is on the cards.

It depends if it's used in the negative or in the positive.

Here's an example sentence,

"I think Mary will get Botox on her lips, it's been on the cards for years."

Okay so, what's on the cards for you later today?

What is coming up?

What's likely to happen?

For me, a squash match is on the cards.

Later, after I've had my dinner, I'll be heading out and playing some squash.

I think.

I hope.

That's the plan anyway.

That's what's on the cards for me.

Right, let's recap our five for today.

We started with the noun hardship, describing difficult conditions

that cause you to suffer.

We went on to the noun realm, which is a specific area of interest or activity.

We have the adjective horrendous, which means very bad, extremely bad, terrible.

Then we had the idiom, defy the odds, when you achieve something that

seems, to others at least, unlikely.

And then we had the idiom, on the cards.

Something that's likely to happen.

So, let's do this for pronunciation purposes.

Please repeat after me.

Hardship.

Hardship.

Realm.

Realm.

Horrendous.

Horrendous.

Defy the odds.

Defy the odds.

On the cards.

On the cards.

Fantastic.

Now let me test your memory.

If I'm going to describe something as being really, really unpleasant.

What adjective could I use?

Horrendous.

And if those horrendous conditions really cause me to suffer, what

noun could I use to describe those conditions that cause me to suffer?

Hardship.

Hardship.

Now, because of the hardship, I'm not able to enter into a

specific area of interest for me.

I'm very interested in water sports, but I can't enter into

that specific area of activity.

What noun can I use instead of a specific area of activity?

Realm.

I can't venture into the realm of water sports, unfortunately, because

of all the financial hardship.

Oh, it's horrendous.

But if I actually managed to achieve success with an online business

idea that seemed, to most people, virtually impossible, what idiom

would you use to describe that feat?

I've defied the odds.

Isn't it amazing?

And now that I've defied the odds and things are looking up and I've

gained some financial success, the future is looking bright.

I think I might be in a better place.

Good things are going to happen.

At least good things are likely to happen for me now.

What idiom can I use to say what's likely to happen and

come up in the future for me?

On the cards!

Good things are on the cards for me.

Woohoo!

Now, let's bring that all together in a little story.

Listen out and see if you can hear the words and phrases

that we've covered today.

In the 1980s, the city of Birmingham was riddled with hardship and poverty.

The slums were a realm of struggle and survival for its residents,

especially for one young girl who grew up in these horrendous conditions.

This girl faced unimaginable challenges, living in a world where opportunities

were scarce and dreams seemed impossible.

But she was determined to defy the odds and make something of herself.

And today we are here to celebrate the incredible journey of this

beautiful girl who, against all odds, competed in and won the

prestigious Miss Europe beauty pageant.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming and congratulating our

very own Miss Europe, Ariana Jenkinson.

Ariana, you have truly shown us that anything is possible with

determination and hard work.

Your journey from the slums of Birmingham to the Miss Europe stage is an inspiring

example of how one can overcome any challenge and achieve greatness.

Your journey has not been an easy one.

You faced hardship and struggles that would have broken most people.

But you never gave up, you never lost sight of your dreams, and you kept

moving forward, one step at a time.

Did you ever imagine that you would one day stand on this stage?

And here you are, here today because you refuse to let

your circumstances define you.

You are here because you never stopped believing in yourself

and the power of your dreams.

Ariana, you have not only made your family and your city proud, but

you have also inspired millions of people around the world.

Your journey has been nothing short of remarkable.

You have shown us that even in the most random and unfair situations,

success is always on the cards for those who are determined and resilient.

So, on behalf of the entire city of Birmingham, I congratulate you

on your well-deserved victory.

You have not only won the Miss Europe title, but you have also won our hearts

with your strength, courage, and grace.

You are a true inspiration, and we are honoured to have you as our own.

May your journey continue to inspire others to never give up on their dreams.

Congratulations once again, our beautiful Miss Europe.

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

I do hope you found it useful.

Until next time, take very good care and goodbye.