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Hello and welcome back to your English Five a Day on the English Like a Native podcast. This is the daily podcast that helps intermediate to advanced level learners build natural English vocabulary through stories. This is season three. My name is Anna, and today we're on week ten, day three of our story following Gabriel's journey across the UK. Yesterday, Gabriel and Sophie visited Stonehenge and explored the language of ancient monuments. Today they move from prehistoric Britain to something a little more refined. A grand stately home surrounded by carefully designed landscapes and a few surprises along the way. As always, supporting materials for season three are available at www.joineelan.com forward slash plus. Now let's begin, as we always do, with a snapshot of what's to come. At Longleat, Gabriel admires the sweeping lawns stretching out from the stately home and learns that the lakes are serpentine, designed to look natural. Inside, the walls are lined with curated paintings, while outside, visitors explore a giant hedge maze and prepare for a spectacular showcase event featuring hot air balloons. Wonderful. Now let's look a little deeper in our vocabulary breakdown. Today we have a list of interesting collocations starting with sweeping lawns. Sweeping lawns are large, wide, open, grassy areas often designed to impress. For example, the sweeping lawns stretched down towards the lake. Stately homes, of which there are many in the UK, often have some form of sweeping lawn in front of the grand property, the grand house or home. Next we have serpentine lakes. Serpentine S E R P E N T I N E lakes. L A K E S. Serpentine lakes are artificial lakes shaped to curve like a snake, designed to appear natural. Here's an example sentence. The estate featured beautiful serpentine lakes. Next we have curated paintings. Curated C U R A T E D paintings. P-A-I-N-T-I-N-G-S. Curated paintings are artworks carefully selected and arranged for a particular purpose or effect. For example, the gallery displayed curated paintings from different eras. Next we have showcase event. Showcase S-H-O-W-C-A-S-E event E V E N T. A showcase event is a special event designed to display something impressive. For example, the estate hosted a showcase event with live performances. And finally, hedge maze. Hedge H E D G E Maze M-A-Z-E. A hedge maze is a maze created using tall hedges as walls. For example, visitors often get lost in the hedge maze. Now as somebody who struggles with being stuck in confined spaces, I get a little claustrophobic when I get lost inside a hedge maze. So if it's a tall hedge maze, if it's above my head height and I can't see over the top of the hedges, then I tend to just send everybody else in and wait outside for them to find their way out again. It's not for me. Okay, that's our five for today. So I'd like you to listen out for those expressions once again, as they appear very naturally in today's story. Gabriel and Sophie are going to Longleat, a stately home, gardens, and safari park. Like Stonehenge, it sits in the county of Wiltshire. Gabriel would like to drive there, but Sophie tells him that he can drive them back when she gets tired. As Longleat House appears in front of them, Gabriel says, Wow!

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That's a proper stately home, like something out of a film.

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It's a huge estate. The house and all the land around it.

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We'll need all day to explore it.

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Look! See those hedges over there? That's actually a hedge maze.

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A maze?

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Oh yes. One of the biggest hedge mazes in England. People disappear in there for hours.

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Amazing!

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Just look at those sweeping lawns. Everything's designed to impress.

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And the water beyond them. Is that natural?

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I'm not sure. Let me read the brochure. Well, obviously the water is real, but those are serpentine lakes. Shaped to look natural, but actually carefully planned.

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What are those people doing over there in the fields?

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Apparently, today there will be one of their showcase events, an aerial extravaganza.

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Oh now I see. They're setting up hot air balloons.

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Shall we go inside the house first? I want to see if the inside is as perfect as the outside.

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Okay. When we come out, the balloons should be in the air.

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They go inside. Look, Gabe. There's artwork everywhere. These are carefully curated paintings. Not just for decoration, but to convey wealth and status.

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You're not wrong, Sophie. Even the horses in this one are covered in jewels.

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After admiring the spectacular interior, they visit the safari park and try several of the delicious homemade cakes at the Watering Hole Cafe. In the early evening, Sophie gives Gabriel the car keys and they set off back to Bristol.

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I never expected to find a safari park in the British countryside.

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Yeah, lions, zebras, monkeys, koalas. But Gabe, what's that sort of coffin noise?

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I don't know. Maybe one of the monkeys has got into the back seat.

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Gabriel, we're slowing down. What have you done to my parents' car? Alright. Let's pause the story there and bring today's vocabulary back into focus. I will repeat each of our target items twice, leaving space for you to repeat each one after me. And then we'll revisit the definition. So let's go. Repeating after me, sweeping lawns. Sweeping lawns. These are large, wide, open, grassy areas that are very impressive. Next, repeat after me, serpentine lakes. Serpentine lakes. Fantastic. These are artificial lakes shaped to curve like a snake designed to appear natural. Next we have curated paintings. Curated paintings. This is artwork that has been carefully selected and arranged for a particular purpose or effect. Next, we have showcase event. Fantastic. This is a special event designed to display something impressive. And finally, the thing that I avoid at all costs, we have hedge maze. Hedge maze. Yes, a maze that's created using very tall hedges as walls. Not something I enjoy very much. But if you have the chance to get lost in a hedge maze, then please be my guest. Try and enjoy yourself. So Gabriel and Sophie have explored a grand estate, but their journey doesn't quite go smoothly on the way home. Tomorrow they stay closer to the city and take a guided walk through Bristol's street art scene, where they learn about banksy, satire, and the fine line between art and vandalism. That's all from me for today. If you are enjoying the podcast, and I truly hope that you are, then please just take a second to leave a like, a rating, or review. Your positive interaction with the podcast does really help, and I'm eternally grateful. Thanks for tuning in. Please come back again tomorrow. Until then, take care and goodbye.