Hello and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast. My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 28, Day One of Your English Five a Day. This is the series where we aim to explode your active vocabulary by introducing five pieces every day of the working week from Monday to Friday. We start today's list with a noun, and it is stamina, stamina. We spell this S T A M I N A, stamina. Stamina refers to the physical and mental endurance. Meaning that you're able to do something that's difficult for a long period of time. The people who run marathons have great stamina. I have a certain amount of stamina to keep up with this promise of producing a daily podcast for every day of 2024. It's hard work. Mentally, emotionally, and physically trying to find the time. It requires a certain amount of stamina. Do you have good stamina? Do you have good physical stamina? Mental stamina? Here's another example,"Jessica's stamina allowed her to run a marathon without stopping." Wow. I think if I were to ever do a marathon, I would probably spend more time walking and stopping for a breather than I would actually running. Okay, so next on our list is an idiom and it is to strike a chord. To strike a chord. This is spelt T O, to. Strike, S T R I K E. A chord, C H O R D, strike a chord. Now this idiom means that you are able to resonate with someone or something that someone's saying, you feel like you have a strong emotional connection to it. So if you were talking about something that I feel strongly about, and I agree with your point of view, then that would really strike a chord with me. Or if you're explaining why women with young children feel fatigued, then I'm sure what you're saying would really strike a chord with me. I will feel an emotional response, a strong emotional response to what you're saying. I'd really resonate with what you are saying. Here's an example sentence,"The movie's powerful message about love and loss struck a chord with the audience, leaving many in tears." Next on the list is the adjective strenuous. Strenuous. We spell this S T R E N U O U S. Strenuous. If something is described as strenuous then it requires great effort and energy. For example, I would say squash is quite a strenuous sport. Lots of S's there. It's a very strenuous sport. Sometimes trying to get my children ready to leave the house can be quite strenuous. It requires a lot of energy and effort. Constantly running around, trying to dress them while they're dancing and fighting against it. It can be quite strenuous. Okay, here's another example,"The hike up the mountain was too strenuous for the elderly couple, so they sat at the bottom and enjoyed the view while the youngsters made the climb." Next on the list is the verb whistle, whistle. We spell this W H I S T L E, whistle, whistle. To whistle is to make a high pitched sound by blowing air through your lips when they're pursed, like this, that's a whistle. Now I remember learning how to whistle with my fingers in my mouth, you know how you can make a really loud whistle by sticking two fingers in your mouth, or sometimes people put their index finger and their thumb together and put that kind of circular shape in their mouth, like bending their tongue and then creating a very loud whistle that way. I can't do it anymore, but I did spend a long time as a teenager learning how to do that type of whistle, and now I seem to have lost the skill. Anyway, let's move on to the example sentence,"The referee had to whistle 10 times before the players stopped and realised the ball was offside." Okay, next and last on today's list of words is the noun enthusiasm. Enthusiasm. We have that lovely TH right in the middle where you should stick your tongue between your teeth. We spell this E N T H U S I A S M. Enthusiasm. Notice how the S's are pronounced as a Z. Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm describes very strong and eager excitement or passion towards doing something. So for example, I approach my podcast recordings with great enthusiasm. I hope that every student who starts one of my courses comes with enthusiasm. Because it's the enthusiastic students who succeed. It's the enthusiastic students who come back day after day and make the most of the resources, and they are the ones that reach their goals. Enthusiasm is very useful. Here's an example sentence,"John's enthusiasm for his new job as Creative Content Writer was evident in his positive attitude and dedication." Alright, so that's our five for today. Let's do a very quick recap. We started with the noun stamina, stamina, which is the physical or mental endurance needed to work hard at something for a long period of time. Then we had the idiom to strike a chord, which describes something that gives you a very strong emotional response or allows you to resonate with someone. You are able to connect with what someone is saying. It really strikes a chord with you. Then we had the adjective strenuous, describing something that requires a great effort or energy to do. Then we had the verb whistle, whistle, which is the high pitched sound by blowing air. Then we had the noun enthusiasm, enthusiasm, to have a strong or eager excitement or passion towards something like learning English with The English Like a Native Podcast. Woohoo! Alright. Let's now do this for pronunciation. Please repeat after me. Stamina. Stamina. To strike a chord. To strike a chord. Strenuous. Strenuous. Whistle. Whistle. Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm. Very, very good. Okay. Let me now test your memory. If I were to run a marathon, I would have to give a lot of energy and put in a lot of effort for a long period of time, for a prolonged period. What will I need in order to be able to continue to give great energy and effort. I will need the noun stamina, I'll need great stamina to complete a marathon. And if I think that running in particular is very effortful, if I were to describe running for me as being quite full of effort and energy. What adjective could I use to describe running instead of saying, oh running takes great effort and energy. I could say running is... strenuous. Yes, it's very strenuous. I'm not sure if I have the energy to do a run right now. It's quite strenuous. I don't have the stamina. Now, if I needed to make a very loud, high pitched sound just by blowing air through my lips in order to get someone's attention, what would I do? What's the verb that describes this action? Whistle. I would whistle. Yes. And if I were at a football match, watching all the footballers with their amazing stamina. really going for it. I can see it's so strenuous, but they obviously have stamina. They're really going for it. And I'm whistling because I think they're brilliant. I'm getting involved. I'm very excited. I'm very eager. I'm showing a lot of passion towards this game. What noun could you use to describe this eager excitement and passion that I have for football? I have great... enthusiasm. Yes. I have great enthusiasm for the game of football. And when I'm at the pub afterwards, I'm talking to somebody and this person tells me why they love the game of football. And I really connect with what they're saying. I really agree with everything they say. And I can see that we have a lot of similarities and I feel quite emotional. When they're talking, I feel like I really, really resonate and connect with what they're saying. What idiom could I use to describe what's happening to me as they're talking? It's really striking a chord. What they say really strikes a chord with me. Yes, fantastic. Okay, so that's our five. Let's bring them together once again in context during today's story time. Samantha had always been passionate about fitness. She believed that a healthy body was the key to a happy life. But as she grew older, she realised that not everyone had the same level of stamina and strength as her. Many middle aged people who wanted to exercise were hindered by injuries and health conditions. While in the changing rooms at her local pool one day, she had overheard a conversation between two ladies who were complaining about their frustration with their aching bones and lack of energy, which was hindering their ability to exercise. Hearing this really struck a chord with Samantha, and she decided to try to do something about it. She wanted to help those who were unable to engage in strenuous exercise but still wanted to stay fit. And thus, she came up with the idea of starting a walking club for middle-aged people. She put up posters all around the neighbourhood, advertising the walking club and its benefits. And to her surprise, many people showed up for the first meeting. Samantha was thrilled to see the enthusiasm in their eyes, and she knew that she was on the right track. The first session of the walking club began with a simple stride around the park. Samantha made sure to remind everyone about the correct posture and the importance of the right footwear. As they walked, she also taught them different types of walking brisk walk, saunter, power walk and many more. The club met twice a week and every session was a new learning experience. Samantha had carefully planned different routes to keep the walks interesting. They walked around the park, along the scenic beach and even through the bustling city. The members of the club were amazed at how much they could achieve by just walking. As the weeks went by, the members of the walking club started seeing the positive changes in their body. They felt more energised, and their injuries didn't bother them as much. Samantha's walking club had become a safe haven for them, where they could exercise without feeling intimidated. Samantha's selfless act of starting a walking club had not only helped others but also brought her immense satisfaction. She had shown that staying fit didn't always have to be about intense workouts and heavy lifting. Sometimes, a simple walk can do wonders for the mind and body. And with her walking club, Samantha had brought a sense of community and support for those who needed it the most. A walking football team was her next project but there wasn't much walking going on! She often had to whistle when the ladies went sprinting ahead and shout,"No running! This is walking football!" So much for those aching bones and energy dips. It's amazing what you can do in the name of competition, isn't it? And that brings us to the end of today's episode. Before I completely wrap up, I want to take a moment to say a huge thank you to those of you who have been supporting this podcast as Plus Members. And for those of you who tune in day after day after day. Honestly, sitting here alone in my studio can be quite hard and making so much content takes a lot of time, energy, and money, but you guys make it feel worthwhile, the value I'm bringing to you makes me feel very satisfied. So thank you for supporting and I do hope to tickle your eardrums once again tomorrow. Until then, take very good care and goodbye.