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Hello and welcome back to your English Five a Day on the English Like a Native Podcast. I'm glad to see you back for your daily dip into the English language by building a habit of regularly immersing yourself in the language. Even if you can't feel it, you will be improving your listening skills and your comprehension skills. You will be growing your vocabulary, and that in turn will improve your confidence. So sticking by this habit that you've built is the best thing that you can do. So give yourself a pat on the back for making it this far. And if you're just discovering this podcast, then you can start from here or go all the way back to the beginning of series three. My name is Anna, and today we're on week nine, day five of our story following Gabriel as he travels across the UK. At the moment, we're about to wrap up Gabriel's time in the Scottish Highlands. This week, Gabriel has travelled through sweeping landscapes, he's battled Highland weather, explored remote islands, and experienced something truly magical under the night sky. And now, as his journey continues, he faces a moment of reflection and perhaps a turning point. Supporting materials for this season are available at www.joineelan.com forward slash plus. But now let's begin by first recapping the full chapter nine. Gabriel is leaving Glasgow with Isla. They're heading for Ullapool, a fishing town on the edge of the Northwest Highlands where Isla grew up. She drives a blue Subaru forester, which she says is perfect for narrow highland roads. They pass through rolling moorland and hills at first, before the scenery opens up into sweeping valleys and breathtaking mountains which loom through the windows. In the passenger seat, Gabriel takes a moment to review the new words that he has picked up in Scotland.

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He says to Isla that the journey is pure bonny, and she smiles, teasing Gabriel by saying, If you go to the trouble of learning all our words, you may as well stay in Scotland. You won't need them when you go back down south.

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Is she serious about me staying? Or is it just an example of British humour? Gabriel silently wonders. Along the way Isla points out small locks lying between the untamed hills. When they reach Ullapool, which sits beside a sheltered sea lock, Gabriel sees ferries slowly arriving and departing. The peace and pace of life here are a stark contrast to the lively city of Glasgow. Isla explains that ferries are lifelines here, connecting scattered communities that depend on the sea as much as the road. She tells him about her uncle, who owns a small fish shop in the harbour, which is known for its delicious fresh fish and seafood. It's around lunchtime when the water is bright in the loch. Gabriel is struck by the white buildings along the shore and the dark hills beyond. They continue a short way along a winding coastal road to Isla's family home near Lochbroom. Her parents come out to greet them and they show Gabriel around the garden. From the kitchen Gabriel is almost salivating as he smells butter melting over freshly grilled scallops. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, they say. After the most delicious home cooked seafood meal that Gabriel could ever remember eating, he and Isla finally set out for their walk. Now though, some low hanging cloud had appeared, casting shadows on the valley below. They exchange only a few words as they head for a cliff top. At a bend in the path, Isla reaches for Gabriel's hand and leads him along a narrow trail that hugs the edge of the land. Soon they feel the full force of a biting wind as they reach the exposed headland. But it's worth a little hardship to be able to admire the glorious windswept views all around. They laugh nervously as they battle with the wind, but take care not to get too close to the edge of the cliff. As they walk along the headland, Gabriel sees Loch Broom sparkling below. Tiny islands dot its surface and mountains rise darkly beyond the water. Heather and wild grasses cling to the cliff edge, while gulls wheel above, their cries carrying on the wind. A sudden shower catches them, and Isla pulls Gabriel over to some yellow gorse bushes, where they try to take shelter. Lean in like this, she shouts. Gabriel does as he is told, but trips on an exposed route. He ends up falling backwards into the bush, tearing holes in his lightweight jacket. Isla helps Gabriel to his feet, and they rush off to find another place to shelter. The skies are already clearing though, and they slow down and start heading back to Isla's family home. While walking, Isla tells Gabriel how much she longs to return to Ullapool to live and work in the environmental sector. Gabriel looks at his torn jacket and notices that he has cut his hand. The same hand that Isla took to lead him up to the clifftop. It isn't a deep cut, though. Nothing serious. Nothing serious. Gabriel, whose curiosity is pulling him in search of adventure and discovery, feels the symbolism immediately. He has to do something soon. The next day Gabriel boarded the ferry to the Summer Isles. He was off to Taniera Moor for the day, to hike all the way round the island. After Isla had seen him off from the harbour, he gazed at the open water for a while. At the cliff top yesterday, he had realized that even though he liked Isla and found the country beautiful, he couldn't see himself living permanently in the Scottish Highlands. As the ferry rocked gently on the waves, Gabriel kept his eyes open for porpoises and basking sharks. When he didn't see any, he took out a map of Teneerum Moor, and traced his anti clockwise route with the index finger of his cut hand. After disembarking, Gabriel followed a narrow trail that wound around the northern shore. On the rocks he spotted families of seals soaking up the sun. He kept a safe distance from them, scrambling over small outcrops of rock that jutted into the path. Occasionally he had to grasp at the low branches of the gorse and the heather plants in order to steady himself on the uneven ground. It was refreshing to have some time alone, after all the socializing in Glasgow and staying with Isla's family. The island was small, though, and by early afternoon he had to come back to the little stone pier to catch the ferry to Ullapool. Isla greeted him as planned, and they went to have tea by the sea at tea by the sea. It was a tea room with beautiful views over Loch Broom. Gabriel wanted to tell Isla that he had his heart set on continuing his adventures. He had to let her know that no matter how special the place or the person was, he wasn't ready to settle down. Gabriel and Isla were enjoying their tea on a gorgeous afternoon overlooking the harbour. Gabriel talked about how seeing the open water shimmering in the sun made him itch to keep travelling and follow his instincts. He brought up an idea that he had about seeing the northern lights from Ben Nevis. He said that he didn't think it would be realistic, and he hoped that Isla would take his subtle hint that some things in life were just not meant to be. He didn't know how to react then, when Isla told him that if he really wanted to see the Northern Lights, then he could borrow her car and drive to Fort William. Was this her way of wishing him well? Or was she still trying to get close to him in a way that he couldn't understand? Either way, in the spirit of adventure, he set off the next morning. He drove for hours along winding highland roads in order to get to a hostel that he had hurriedly booked the previous evening. There he met a small group of hikers who were planning an evening walk to a vantage point in Glen Nevis. They greeted him, admiring his vehicle, and asked him to join them. He eagerly agreed, feeling that his whole highland experience was becoming transcendent. By the time they reached their destination, dusk was settling, and the summit of Ben Nevis loomed above them. The sky was a little cloudy, but after a while here and there, faint ribbons of green began to appear in a sort of slow celestial dance. Wow, thought Gabriel. It was truly ethereal. Even though the group got only partial glimpses of the lights, spectral and fleeting, this was an unforgettable experience. Late that night, back at his accommodation, Gabriel went to briefly organise and label his photos in the cloud. After tonight, this cloud should be brightly coloured, he thought, with a laugh. He checked his emails quickly, and a notification caught his eye. Congratulations, it began. The next morning Gabriel woke up early. Although he hadn't slept much, he didn't want to miss the chance to climb Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Scotland. The air was crisp as he started along the path through Glen Nevis. But the terrain soon became steeper, rocky, and more demanding. Gabriel paused occasionally, not only to catch his breath, but also to take in the spectacular panorama. He reflected on the congratulatory message he had received the night before. He'd entered his Edinburgh poem in a travel writing competition and it had been accepted. It would be posted online as one of the finalists for people to vote for. Gabriel was thrilled because people would now be able to search his name and find his blog. If they liked his poem and his blog, it might lead to some new options and offers for him, either for travel or writing. Gabriel got moving again, and by early afternoon he'd reached the summit. He'd been lucky with the weather and enjoyed dramatic views of the mountains and valleys around him. It would be difficult for him to do justice to just how magnificent the feeling was when he came to write about it. Perhaps the pitchers will have to speak for themselves, he thought. After lingering at the top, Gabriel began his descent along the same path. He had to be careful with the loose stones regularly shifting beneath his feet. The sun was lower now, casting long shadows across the slopes, but he got back safely to Isla's car as evening approached. He settled into the driver's seat, tired but exhilarated. Suddenly, something in the compartment of the passenger seat door caught his eye. It was a note from Isla. It read Follow your calling and geni no greet. I've literally climbed a mountain, Gabriel said aloud to his reflection in the rear view mirror. But not only that, it seemed that he had safely come down one, too. Alright, I hope you enjoyed chapter nine and Gabriel's Highland Adventure. Now it's time to take a moment to reflect on the language that we've used this week. Yes, it's time for the language lens. Non-defining relative clauses are parts of sentences that add extra information about a noun or pronoun without changing the core meaning. They are sometimes called non-essential clauses because the main sentence remains clear if the clause is removed. Now, if you are anything like me, then you much prefer to see this type of technical detail written down. I'm very much a visual learner. So I've made PDF reference sheets for all the language lenses that you can download for free. Just head over to www.joineelan.com forward slash plus and you should see a pop-up offering you those language lens PDFs. So if that would be helpful to you, then remember to grab those at some point today. Non-defining relative clauses are often introduced by relative pronouns such as who, which, whose, where, or when, and are always set off by commas. The commas act like brackets, signalling that the information is additional rather than essential. For example, in part one of Gabriel's adventures in the Scottish Highlands, he and Isla are heading for Ulapool, a fishing town on the edge of the Northwest Highlands where Isla grew up. The sentence would still be fine if it ended after the word Ullapool, but the additional clause gives context about the town. It is, however, non essential. We learn that Isla drives a blue Subaru forester, which she says is perfect for narrow highland roads. The witch clause here again provides extra information, this time about the car. It's common to join the two clauses together in this way rather than use a series of shorter stop and start sentences. We can also combine non-defining relative clauses, as in, she mentions her uncle, who owns a small fishing shop in the harbour, which is known for its delicious fresh fish and seafood. Here we have additional information about the uncle and his fish shop. Two non-defining relative clauses in a single sentence. Now the big question is why use which instead of that? Listen to this sentence and I'll explain the difference. Ayla reaches for Gabriel's hand and leads him along a narrow trail that hugs the edge of the land. Here the word that defines the particular trail that they take. It's the narrow one. If the word wit were used instead, then the fact that the trail hugs the edge of the land would simply be extra information. After Gabriel has cut his hand on the gorse bush, we can see how to use the possessive form of relative pronouns in a non defining clause. Listen again. Gabriel, whose curiosity is pulling him in search of adventure and discovery, felt the symbolism immediately. The whose clause provides character insight. This time two commas frame it as additional information because it comes in the middle of what could also be a complete sentence. You could simply say Gabriel felt the symbolism immediately. We can also use when in a non-defining relative clause, as in it's around lunchtime when the water is bright on the lock. This fits the pattern of providing extra information, this time about the water. Okay, now it's your turn. Listen again or read the story and write three or four sentences featuring nonessential information. Try to include at least one example of a non-defining relative clause featuring who, where, which, whose, and when. This task, which you can share in the comments, will help you to give more depth to your expressive skills. I look forward to reading your sentences, and I do hope you'll tune in again next week to find out what's next in Gabriel's adventure. Until then, take care and goodbye.