Hello and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast. My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 30, Day 2 of Your English Five a Day. This is the series that aims to expand your active vocabulary by deep-diving into five items every day of the working week from Monday to Friday. You can get access to the complete database of everything covered in our Five a Day series dating back to the very first week, just by clicking on the link in the description and joining the mailing list. So, let's start with today's list. The first item is an adjective and it is contagious. Contagious. We spell this C O N T A G I O U S. Contagious. If someone or something is described as contagious, then it spreads easily. It's easily transmitted from one person to another. We are using this when talking about illnesses, viruses, diseases. So, if someone is ill, your first thought might be,"Are you contagious?" As you step away, slowly, with a smile on your face. So, contagious. Here's an example sentence,"The flu is a contagious illness that can quickly spread from person to person." Right, so let's move on from our contagious first item to our next item, which is another adjective, and it is knackered. Knackered. We spell this K N A C K E R E D. Knackered. Notice that the first K is silent. Now knackered is more of an informal, I would say, a slang word. It just means that you're extremely tired. You're exhausted. So, I wouldn't use knackered at work, unless I'm very informal with my colleagues at work. Then I might say,"Oh, I'm knackered. This project is taking its toll. I'm knackered." But generally, I wouldn't use it in a formal or business setting. Here's another example,"After a long day of hiking, I was absolutely knackered and could barely walk home to the campsite." Next on our list is a verb and it is elude, elude. We spell this E L U D E. Elude. If something eludes you, then it escapes or it avoids something or someone. So, a criminal might elude the detectives by covering their tracks and being very sneaky. The answer to a question might elude you. I often say,"Oh, it eludes me. It escapes me. I can't think of the word. It was in my brain somewhere, but I can't find it. It eludes me." Here's another example,"The suspect managed to elude the police by running into the crowded market." Okay, next on our list is a phrasal verb and it is shake off. I instantly have that song in my head now."Shake it off. Shake it off. Uh, uh." Okay. So, shake off, we spell it S H A K E. Off, O F F. Shake off. To shake something off is to get rid of something or someone usually we use shake off when talking about a feeling. So, we use it metaphorically. So, if you're feeling uncomfortable about something anxious about something, but you know, there's no logical reason for you to feel anxious. You might try and shake off that feeling of anxiety by distracting yourself with something very positive. Maybe you can't shake off that feeling of anxiety and it's really bothering you. You can also try and shake a person off. So, if someone is hanging around with you and your friends a lot and you're trying to discourage them, you're trying to give them the hint that you don't want them to be there, but they're not getting the hint, then you could say,"Oh, I'm trying to shake this person off, but they're not getting the hint. They keep hanging around like a bad smell." Okay. Here's an example,"After a long day at work, I like to go for a run to shake off any stress or tension in my body." Now, all the examples I've given you have been metaphorical, but you could literally shake something off. So for example, if I'm sitting, having a picnic and all the crumbs from sandwiches or biscuits or whatever I'm eating have fallen onto my lap, then I'd stand up and shake them off. I'd literally shake my skirt or my dress or my blouse and try to get them off me. Okay. Last item on our list is an idiom, and it is to look or feel like death warmed up. So, there's two options there. You could say I look like death warmed up, or I feel like death warmed up. So, death, D E A T H. Death. Warmed, W A R M E D. Up, U P. Like death warmed up. We use this to describe looking or feeling extremely exhausted or very unwell. It's often when you feel weak and drained of energy. So, if someone just looks terrible, they look pale, they look exhausted, they've got bags under their eyes, they've got bloodshot eyeballs, then you'd say,"Oh my goodness, you look like death warmed up. Are you feeling okay?" And if they feel bad, then they'd say,"No, I feel like death warmed up." Now, this is when you feel extremely bad. So, if you just feel like you've got a bit of a cold coming on, then you wouldn't use this idiom. It's too strong. You just say,"I feel a bit under the weather." Or,"I feel a bit off." But if you feel really bad, like you can't do anything. You just want to get into bed and sleep then you can use this idiom. For example, my son has tonsillitis at the moment. And when he first got the virus, he was unwell. He had a runny nose and he had a bit of a fever, but he was still quite playful and energetic. But then the next day he was pale. He had dark rings around his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot. He couldn't lift his head up properly. He said the light was hurting his eyes. He was just crying. He was just curled up on the sofa, didn't want to play, didn't want to eat. He said he had a headache. He felt like death warmed up because he looked like death warmed up. So, I'm sure he also felt like death warmed up. Here's one more example,"You really shouldn't be at work when you're so ill. You look like death warmed up! Go home and get some rest." OK, so that's our five for today. Let's do a quick recap. We started with the adjective contagious, meaning something that spreads easily or is transmitted from one person to another. Then we had the adjective knackered, which is extremely tired or exhausted, should only be used in informal situations. Then we had the verb elude, which is to escape or avoid something or someone. Elude. And then we had the phrasal verb shake off, which is to get rid of something or remove it either physically or physically by shaking or metaphorically. Then we had the idiom to feel or to look like death warmed up, which is when you look or feel extremely ill or extremely exhausted. So, let's now do this for pronunciation. Please repeat after me. Contagious. Contagious. Knackered. Knackered. Elude. Elude. Shake off. Shake off I feel like death warmed up. You look like death warmed up. Very good. Okay, let me test you now. What adjective could I use to describe feeling extremely tired? Knackered. That's right. And if I have a sense of anxiety, for no reason, and I need to just get rid of it, what phrasal verb could I use? I need to shake it off. Yes, I'm just trying to shake off this feeling of anxiety. Now, if I'm still feeling really, really tired and actually starting to look exhausted too, what idiom could you use to describe how bad I look? I look like death warmed up. Absolutely. Maybe I've caught a bug from a co-worker who was really ill in the office yesterday. If I think that that person was able to spread their bug to me, what adjective could I use to describe that? I describe them as being... contagious. Yes, contagious. And if I want to use a verb to describe escaping or avoiding something, what verb could I use? Elude. Yes, elude. Very good. Okay, let's bring all these items together in today's story. It had been almost a year since Libby had emigrated. She had been excited for the change, the adventure, and the opportunities that awaited her. However, her plans were quickly derailed by a lingering illness that seemed to have no end in sight. At 36 years old, Libby had always been healthy and active. But ever since she arrived in Mexico, she had been feeling under the weather. It started with a cough that she couldn't seem to shake off. Then came the fever, the body aches, and the fatigue. She had gone to countless doctors, but no one could give her a concrete answer. Some said it was just a viral infection, others suggested it could be allergies. But as the months passed, Libby only seemed to get worse. Every time she thought she was on the mend, the illness would come back with a vengeance. She had missed out on so many opportunities, job interviews and social events because she was concerned about being contagious and she was often too knackered to leave the house. Her once vibrant and energetic self now permanently looked and felt like death warmed up. Libby couldn't understand what was happening to her. She had always taken care of herself. She ate well and exercised regularly. The root cause of this illness seemed to elude her and her doctors, and it was taking a toll on her mental and emotional well-being. One day, Libby received a call from one of her old friends. She had moved to Mexico a few years ago and had faced similar health issues. She urged Libby to get tested for Chagas disease. And just like that, Libby finally had an answer. She started treatment and slowly but surely, she began to feel like herself again. This just goes to show that it pays to stay in touch with friends. And that brings us to the end of today's episode. Remember, you can get your hands on the entire database with all the words from today, yesterday, and every other day of this Five a Day series. I'll leave the link in the description for you. I hope you enjoy your day, and until tomorrow, take very good care and goodbye.