SPEAKER_01 0:05

Hello and welcome back to your English Five A Day. The English Like a Native Podcast. This is your daily podcast that helps you to slowly but surely increase your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and feel more confident when using English. And we do that through the use of stories. My name is Anna, and today is week ten, day five of our story following Gabriel as he journeys across the UK. Now, this week, Gabriel has moved from pronunciation practice to ancient history, to grand estates, and even street art. And today everything slows down as he and Sophie step into a completely different kind of experience, one that engages all the senses. As always, supporting material for this whole season are available at www.joineelan.com forward slash plus. Now let's recap the entire chapter and finish it off, and then we'll do some pronunciation practice. The bus has taken Gabriel from Ullapool to Inverness, and now he's sitting on a train headed for Bristol Temple Meads railway station. He puts his headphones on and opens his laptop, ready to continue his English pronunciation course. He's alone at a table seat so he can do his vocal warm-up without feeling self-conscious. He starts humming softly. A calm English female voice flows into his ears. Let's begin with shadowing. Say this phrase with me three times. The phrase is pick it up. Gabriel mimics the app, copying the rhythm, intonation, and pronunciation. Pick it up.

SPEAKER_04 2:27

Pick it up.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

Pick it up.

SPEAKER_04 2:29

Pick it up. Pick it up.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Notice the way the final consonants detach from the words and attach themselves to the following vowel sound. Pi ki top.

SPEAKER_04 2:45

Pick it up.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

This is an example of linking. This is how we connect the words. Now let's refresh the diphthongs. O and ow. No, too easy, Gabriel thinks to himself, and he skips forward. Good. Now try this one. I saw an apple and I ate it.

SPEAKER_03 3:12

I saw an apple and I ate it.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

He repeats this a couple of times. Did you spot any examples of intrusion? In this sentence we have two. The first is an intrusive R between saw and an saw an. The second is between I and ate. I yate Now say the sentence one more time.

SPEAKER_03 3:46

I saw an apple and I ate it.

SPEAKER_01 3:50

Next we will look at elision.

SPEAKER_03 3:53

Elysian.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Listen carefully. Christmas Chocolate Different Vegetables. Notice that we don't say the word exactly how it is written. We sometimes omit sounds. Listen and repeat. At Christmas I eat chocolate and different vegetables. Gabriel repeats this sentence several times. He is so deeply immersed in the exercises that he hasn't noticed someone trying to get his attention. It's the ticket inspector.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

It's no Christmas yet, Laddie. Where are you headed?

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Gabriel shows the inspector his mobile, and the inspector scans his ticket.

SPEAKER_00 4:41

Ginger Edinburgh for Bristol. They speak funny down there, so watch out. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 4:48

That's why I am practising, because I'm leaving Bonnie Scotland.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

When Gabriel gets off the train at Bristol Temple Meads, he sees Sophie and walks quietly up behind her.

SPEAKER_03 5:02

He says Excuse me, is that the train to London?

SPEAKER_01 5:07

Sophie turns, starting to say, I don't think so. It's just come from She does a double take. Gabriel, it's you your voice.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

Oh, I've been working on my accent. Intrusion, linking, elision. At Christmas I eat chocolate and different vegetables.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Oh la la, Gabriel! You speak English like a native. The day after Gabriel's arrival in Bristol, he and Sophie set off for the remarkable Neolithic monument at Stonehenge. Sophie is driving her parents' practical hatchback. It must be strange for you driving on the left side of the road.

SPEAKER_03 6:00

You'd think so, but remember that I actually drove when I went to Ben Nevis.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Hey, how do you know I've been reading your blog?

SPEAKER_03 6:11

Oh, so so. You put so many emojis in the comments that I didn't have a clue what they meant.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

Ah, yes. So you left Isla in Glasgow then.

SPEAKER_03 6:27

Well, so so. Another way to look at it is that I just passed through her life up there.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

Now it was Sophie's turn to not have a clue what he meant. She wondered how French people could be so philosophical. She just said, Do you mind calling me Sophie in the UK? It's just that so so isn't a very complimentary word in English.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

Really? I didn't realise. What does it mean?

SPEAKER_01 6:59

Um it means nothing special.

SPEAKER_03 7:03

Oh no. Then it is not a good name for you.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

At Stonehenge, Sophie reads from the Site Guide app that the large upright stones are technically called megaliths. And henge has a very specific meaning. A prehistoric circular monument made with banks and ditches.

SPEAKER_03 7:25

And what about that stone standing on its own over there?

SPEAKER_01 7:29

That, Gabe, is a monolith. It's called the Heel Stone. Might have been a significant marker for ceremonies.

SPEAKER_03 7:40

Ceremonies?

SPEAKER_01 7:42

Yes. One theory is that Stonehenge was a ceremonial site, or even an ancient calendar.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

A calendar? Made of stones.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Yes. The stones align with the sunrise at summer solstice. And sunset at winter solstice.

SPEAKER_03 8:02

Unbelievable. Let's get closer.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Sorry, you can only go into the circle on special days.

SPEAKER_03 8:10

Well, Sophie, let me take a photo of you next to the heel stone with the henge in the background.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Why there?

SPEAKER_03 8:19

Because it is something special.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

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!

SPEAKER_03 8:49

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

SPEAKER_01 8:54

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

SPEAKER_03 8:59

We'll need all day to explore it.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Look! See those hedges over there? That's actually a hedge maze. A maze? Oh yes. One of the biggest hedge mazes in England. People disappear in there for hours.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

Amazing!

SPEAKER_01 9:17

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

SPEAKER_03 9:23

And the water beyond them. Is that natural?

SPEAKER_01 9:28

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.

SPEAKER_03 9:42

What are those people doing over there in the fields?

SPEAKER_01 9:45

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

SPEAKER_03 9:53

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

SPEAKER_01 9:58

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

SPEAKER_03 10:06

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

SPEAKER_01 10:11

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

SPEAKER_03 10:27

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

SPEAKER_01 10:33

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.

SPEAKER_03 10:53

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

SPEAKER_01 10:58

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

SPEAKER_03 11:06

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

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Gabriel, we're slowing down. What have you done to my parents' car? In the end, the issue with the car was just down to a set of worn spark plugs. Luckily it was Sophie's parents' car, and they always kept a spare set in the glove box, just in case. Sophie swapped them quickly and the engine purred smoothly again. Still, they decided not to risk another long drive, so now they're on a guided walk around Stokes Croft in Bristol. Welcome to Bristol's Banksy Walk. Bristol is where Banksy first made his name, and you'll see some of his best known murals right here on our streets. Our first stop is the mild mild west, painted in nineteen ninety nine. You can see a giant teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at riot police. It's a political satire about authority and dissent. The way it was made, large, careful shapes tells you it was done with a stencil, even though it's bigger than most stenciled pieces. The group goes up the road to Frogmore Street. Here one of Banksy's most famous works Well Hung Lover, also known as Naked Man Hanging From a Window. It's a funny play on words, but it's also a highly tense situation full of danger. Originally it appeared without permission, and a lot of people consider this vandalism. That's the sort of debate that Banksy loves to provoke. A little further along, at Hanover Place near Spike Island is the girl with the pierced eardrum. This is an example of another typical Banksy theme subversion. The title comes from the Vemir painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. Banksy has replaced the pearl with a security alarm. You'll notice that Banksy doesn't use tags. A tag is a type of signature, and other street artists use it to identify ownership. By not doing it, Banksy is making another statement. After the tour, Sophie and Gabriel go for a drink in the heart of Stokescroft.

SPEAKER_03 14:17

Oh this is some great cider. And the Banksy tour that was something else. I mean Longleat felt so controlled. Artificial lakes, curated paintings under hedge maze. But this Banksy just pops up anywhere.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Yes, it really makes you think. The world is full of things that you only notice if you pay attention. The next day, Gabriel and Sophie step into Bristol Beacon, a major music and arts venue in the city. They've come to the Bristol Coffee Festival and the scent of freshly roasted beans wraps around them like a warm blanket. Wow, the smell alone could keep me awake all week.

SPEAKER_03 15:15

Glad to see that you have kept up your interesting coffee. Remember our meetings at Moxa?

SPEAKER_01 15:21

The building is packed, and Sophie and Gabriel politely push their way through the crowds to get to the cupping session. Gabriel leads the way, holding out his hand for her to take as they squeeze through together. Sophie smiles at him and gestures towards a cupping table with her other hand. They join a smaller group of people around a table. The barista is measuring freshly ground coffee into each cup. Everyone leans in to smell the dry grounds, inhaling deeply. Most people agree that there is a sweetness to this blend with just a hint of spice. Then the barista adds the hot water. Steam rises and they wait. Only after a few minutes will the barista break the crust and release a burst of scent. It feels intimate, sharing the weight and speaking only in hushed tones. Everything slows down. Eventually, Gabriel says to Sophie I can't wait to try it.

SPEAKER_03 16:43

I love the smell.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

The taste is usually even better. Everyone bends low, almost at nose level with the cup, as the barista steps forward with a cupping spoon.

SPEAKER_04 16:58

Getting close, this is the break, he says.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

And using the back of the spoon he pushes the floating grounds away from him with one, two, three patient strokes. The dark crust of grounds splits apart, revealing the glossy liquid beneath. Steam surges upward, thicker than before, like a small sigh. This is the most intense aroma of the whole process. Everyone breathes in at the same time. It's like a festival for your senses. Smell, sight, taste, even sound, if you count the hush when everyone inhales together.

SPEAKER_03 17:45

We are only missing touch.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Gabe, please, you're distracting me from the coffee.

SPEAKER_03 17:54

Finally.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

Well, I hope you enjoyed chapter ten. Now, before we finish today's episode, we're going to zoom in on something that really helps you to sound more natural when you speak English. This week, Gabriel has been working on three key features of natural spoken English. Linking, intrusion, and elision. These are small changes that happen when words come together in real speech and they make a huge difference. So let's work on our pronunciation together. First, linking. Linking happens when one word ends in a consonant sound and the next word begins with a vowel. Instead of stopping and breaking the words apart, we connect the sounds smoothly. So listen, pick it up, pick it up. Listen again. Pick it up. Now you repeat after me. Pick it up. Good. Here's another one. Get off becomes get off. You repeat after me get off. Fantastic. Try this one. Set off together becomes set off. Set off. You repeat after me. Set off. Excellent. Now let's look at intrusion. Sometimes English adds a sound between two vowel sounds to make the speech smoother. So listen to the example that we heard in the story. I saw an apple. I saw an apple. So listen again. Saw ran. Now you try. I saw an apple. Good. Another one. I ate it. I yate it. You repeat after me. I ate it. Very good. The other feature to look at is elision. So elision is when we drop a sound in natural speech. For example, Christmas. Notice how I've dropped the T Christmas. Or my favorite food, chocolate. Chocolate. There's no O in the middle there. It's just chocolate. How about different? Not different, but different and vegetables. Vegetables. Not vegetables, but vegetables. Vegetables. Now let's put those words all together in a sentence. Listen to this. At Christmas I eat chocolate and different vegetables. Listen again slowly. At Christmas I eat chocolate and different vegetables. Okay, I'm going to say it again. I'd like you to repeat after me. At Christmas, I eat chocolate and different vegetables. Fantastic. These features linking, intrusion, and elision. Happen all the time in natural English. Once you start noticing them, you'll understand native speakers more easily, and your own speech will sound more natural. And just like that, we've come to the end of another week. This week has taken us from technical pronunciation all the way through to a deep sensory coffee experience. And through it all, Gabriel is not just learning English, he's beginning to live it and love it. Next week, Gabriel continues his journey, and with his growing confidence, new opportunities may be just around the corner. That's all from me for today. If you enjoyed this week, then please take a moment to leave a comment and tell me where and when you listen to the English Like a Native podcast.