Learn English Vocabulary Daily #15.5 — British English Podcast

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

My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 15, 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.

So, let's start today's episode with a verb and it is infer, infer.

This is spelled I N F E R, infer.

Now to infer is to reach an opinion from available information or facts.

So, if you hear about somebody, you've never met them, but you hear about them

and you read some newspaper articles that state some facts about that person then

you will come to some opinion about them.

You'll form an opinion on them.

You'll think,

"Oh, that person seems like a really decent person."

Or,

"That person seems like they are possibly quite arrogant or not a very nice person."

Whatever it is, you'll form an opinion based on the

available information and facts.

So, here's an example sentence,

"Daisy inferred that James was not interested in a relationship

from what he wrote in his letter."

Next on our list is another verb and it is harbour, to harbour.

We spell this H A R B O U R, to harbour.

To harbour is to think about or feel something, usually

over a long period of time.

Now, for me, this word always makes me think of a boat harbour.

A boat harbour is a place where you put your boat when you're not sailing.

So, it's a place to keep your boat safe from the tide and the bad

weather that would potentially take your boat off or damage your boat.

So, it kind of protects your vessel.

So, to harbour.

If you harbour thoughts and feelings, you keep them stored inside you,

inside your mind or inside your heart.

If I harbour feelings for someone, then it means I'm experiencing strong

feelings for them, like I might be in love with them, but I'm not telling anyone.

I'm not letting that vessel go.

I'm not letting him know that I love him.

Or if I harbour ill will for someone, I'm thinking nasty thoughts about

someone who I really don't like.

I'm green with envy and I really don't like that person.

And I'm having these horrible thoughts, but I'm not telling anyone about them.

Then I'm harbouring bad thoughts.

Okay, have you ever harboured thoughts or feelings for anyone?

Here's an example sentence,

"Maxine has been harbouring a grudge against me ever since

her promotion was refused.

It's not my fault though.

I was simply the better person for the job."

Next on our list is an adjective and it is adverse, adverse.

This is spelled A D V E R S E, adverse.

If something is described as being adverse, then it has a negative

or harmful effect on something.

So, we talk about sometimes medications having an adverse effect or changes to

the landscape having an adverse effect on wildlife or the plants in the area.

Here's an example sentence,

"So far the drug is thought not to have any adverse effects."

Next on our list is a phrasal verb and it is make out.

To make out.

Let me spell this for you in case you're mishearing me.

Make, M A K E.

Out, O U T.

To make out.

To make out is to kiss and hold a person in a very passionate and sexual way.

So, you make out with your lover, okay.

This is not something you'd use to talk about giving your granny a

kiss, or giving your child a kiss.

You only make out with someone that you are sexually attracted to.

Okay.

To make out.

Here's an example sentence,

"Everyone at the party was making out and I was just sat

there in the corner on my own."

That sounds pretty true to be honest.

I was usually the one sitting there like a spare part while all my friends

were making out with their boyfriends.

Anyway, enough about me.

Let's move on to our last word.

This is a noun and it is affection, affection.

We spell this A F F E C T I O N.

Affection.

Affection is a feeling of liking a person or a place.

So, we often couple this with the word show — to show affection.

You show affection to people, it's when you show people how you feel.

So, my pussycat shows me affection.

He comes and rubs itself against my ankles until I pick him up and then he purrs and

nuzzles his little face into my jumper.

He shows me affection.

Sometimes he licks me, telling me I need a bath.

Okay, here's an example sentence,

"I had a deep affection for Roman until I caught him bad mouthing me behind my back.

I can't believe I trusted him."

Alright, so that's our five for today.

Let's do a quick recap.

We have the verb infer, infer, which is to reach an opinion based on the

available information and facts.

Then we had the verb harbour, to think about or feel something over a long period

of time, usually without telling anybody.

Then we had the adjective adverse, which is to have a negative or

harmful effect on something.

Then we had the phrasal verb to make out, which is to kiss and

hold a person in a sexual way.

Then we had the noun, affection, which is a feeling of liking for a person or place.

Let's now do this for pronunciation.

So, please repeat after me.

Infer.

Infer.

Harbour.

Harbour.

Adverse.

Adverse.

Make out.

Make out.

Affection.

Affection.

Fantastic.

Okay.

So, if I reach an opinion on you, just because I've heard some

stuff, and I know some facts.

What am I doing?

What verb would I use?

I'm inferring, I'm inferring something about you.

And if I have this feeling for a guy at work, but I don't tell anyone about

it, what am I doing with that feeling?

I am...

harbouring.

I'm harbouring that feeling.

Okay, so, I've got a headache and I'm going to take some paracetamol.

Now I know I should probably take ibuprofen, but the last time I had

ibuprofen there was a really bad reaction.

So, I could say the effect that it had on me was...

adverse, adverse, an adverse effect.

Very good.

Okay.

And if I'm caught at the back of a cinema kissing and canoodling

with my boyfriend, what am I doing?

What phrasal verb would you use?

Making out.

Oh yeah.

Making out.

Right.

And I'm going to finish on a feeling of liking for a person.

What noun would that be?

A feeling of liking for a person.

Affection.

To have affection for somebody.

Yes.

Lovely.

Okay.

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

Did you ever have problems making friends at college?

Were you a shy student who harboured your insecurities and didn't let others get

close to you, didn't show them affection?

It can be a really difficult time in a person's life, so many new faces and

people doing things you wouldn't dream of — taking drugs, drinking alcohol, skipping

class to hang out at the skate park and kissing on every corner of the hallway.

You've never made out with anyone since you tried it with that boy at school and

he rejected you and laughed at you like you were an alien from another planet.

How could he be like that?

You were always under the impression that he liked you.

That's what you inferred from the compliments and the warm glances.

These experiences can have an adverse effect on a person.

They can shape them and take away what they once were.

I have nothing against college or university, quite the opposite,

they can shape character and open our eyes to a new way of living and

understanding the world around us, but I feel for those who are struggling

to find their place in the world.

Everyone has a place, everyone has a purpose — make yours great!

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

I do hope you found it useful.

Until next time, hopefully tomorrow, take very good care and goodbye.