Into the Story: Learn English with True Stories Bree Aesie

Tom spends months preparing for an ultramarathon, but race day brings surprising challenges.

Level: upper intermediate 

Accent: Australian

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5 words and expressions in today's story:

- TO PUSH YOURSELF TO DO SOMETHING: To make a big effort to do something. Examples: "I need to push myself to stay awake until midnight." or "He pushes himself to work harder every day."

- TO CLOCK / TO CLOCK UP: To reach a certain number or amount of something. Examples: "He clocked 70 kilometers last week as part of his training." or "She has clocked up 200 hours of volunteer work this year."

- TO TAKE A TOLL: To have a bad effect on someone or something. Examples: "Working long hours takes a toll on health." or "Hard training takes a toll on your body."

- GUT FEELING: A strong feeling about something without a clear reason. Examples: "She had a gut feeling that something was wrong." or "He trusted his gut feeling during the race."

- RELIEF: Feeling better after being worried or stressed. Examples: "When the storm passed, they felt great relief." or "Finding her lost keys was such a relief."

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Jaclyn tells the story of a paragliding accident and its emotional impact on her life.

Level: upper intermediate 

Accent: Canadian

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5 words and expressions in today's story:

- TO END UP: To arrive at a particular place or find yourself in a situation, often unintended. Examples: "After getting lost, we ended up at a beautiful beach." or "She ended up working late because of the unexpected project."

- TO LIFT OFF: To take off, especially for rockets or planes, launching in a vertical direction. Examples: "The rocket lifted off successfully, heading towards space." or "The helicopter lifted off from the helipad."

- TO GLIDE: To fly smoothly through the air in a continuous motion. Examples: "The bird glided effortlessly across the sky." or "The paraglider glided down to the landing point."

- SLOPE: A surface with one side higher than the other; can also be used as a verb to describe something inclining. Examples: "The children enjoyed sledding down the snowy slope." or "The path slopes gently towards the river."

- TO FIT IN: To be comfortable with a group of people or to have enough space for something. Examples: "She fit in well with her new colleagues at work." or "The couch didn’t fit in the small living room, so they had to move it to another room."



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Twice in her life has Brigitte felt alone and lost, and both times she decided to search for the northern lights. 

Level: Intermediate 

Accent: Canadian (Quebec)

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5 words and expressions in today's story:

- UPROOT: to pull something—especially a tree or plant—out of the ground. 

Examples: "The strong winds uprooted the old tree." or "They had to uproot the weeds from the garden."

Metaphorically: to move (someone) from their home or a familiar location.

Examples: "His family was uprooted when they moved to a new city." or "The war uprooted many families from their homes."

- OUTGOING: Friendly and socially confident.

Examples: "She is very outgoing and makes friends easily." or "His outgoing personality makes him popular at parties."

- FIRST NATIONS: Indigenous peoples that are the original inhabitants of the land that is now Canada.

Examples: "First Nations have a rich cultural heritage and history." or "The government works with First Nations to preserve their traditions." 

- PITCH-BLACK: Completely dark.

Examples: "The night was pitch-black without any stars." or "The power outage left the house in pitch-black darkness."

- STAY PUT: To not move or go anywhere.

Examples: "She told the dog to stay put while she answered the door." or "During the storm, we decided to stay put at home."

- DIM: Not shining brightly or clearly.

Examples: "The room was lit by a dim lamp." or "The dim light made it hard to read."

Episode Links: 

- Find out more about Brigitte at The Story Warrior

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When Scott goes exploring in a dark cave and gets stuck hanging on a rope with no light, he has to use his imagination to find a way out.

Level: Advanced 

Accent: United States (Ohio)

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5 words and expressions in today's story:

- CAVING / SPELUNKING (CAVER/SPELUNKER): Exploring caves as an adventure activity. A caver or spelunker is someone who enjoys this, often with helmets and lights for safety.

Examples: "The spelunker explored deep caves, amazed by the rocks." or "Caving is fun for people who like discovering new places."

- TO GET DRENCHED: To get completely wet, usually from rain or water.

Examples: "We got drenched in the rain, running for cover." or "The kids got drenched playing in the water."

- SLACK VS TAUT: Slack means loose, while taut means tight.

Examples: "Check the rope is taut before climbing." or "He adjusted the slack in the rope for better climbing."

- TO NOT SAY SOMETHING LIGHTLY: To say something seriously, not casually.

Examples: "I don't say this lightly, but we need to change." or "She didn't say it lightly when apologizing."

- TANGLED VS UNTANGLED: Tangled means twisted, while untangled means straightened out.

Examples: "The wires were tangled and hard to fix." or "She untangled the knots in the necklace."

Episode Links: 

- For more thoughts and inspiration from Scott Brandon, follow him on LinkedIn.

- Visit Scott’s website.

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Tiffani leaves her job at NASA to explore a new path, leading her to the most difficult thing she's ever done. 

Level: Upper intermediate

Accent: United States (Maryland)

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5 words and expressions in today's story:

- TO BE GLUED TO YOUR SEAT / SCREEN: To be unable to move from your seat or stop watching something.

Examples: "I was glued to my seat during the movie." or "He's glued to his screen, playing video games all day."

- TO BE DIALED IN (FOCUSED): To concentrate or pay close attention.

Examples: "She's dialed in during class, always listening to the teacher." or "Being dialed in means you're focused and not distracted."

- TO PUSH THROUGH: To keep going even when it's difficult.

Examples: "Even though he was tired, he pushed through and finished the race." or "Pushing through means not giving up, even when things are hard."

- TO HAVE YOUR CONFIDENCE STRUCK: To feel less sure of yourself.

Examples: "After failing the test, his confidence was struck." or "Having your confidence struck means feeling unsure or not believing in yourself."

- TO CLICK (UNDERSTANDING): To understand something suddenly.

Examples: "After studying for a while, it clicked, and I understood the math problem." or "It clicked in my mind how to solve the puzzle."

Episode Links: 

- Speak English With Tiffani Academy

- Speak English With Tiffani YouTube

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When Martin becomes a dad, he realizes how difficult it is when we can’t be with the ones we love.  

Level: Upper Intermediate

Accent: United Kingdom (Essex)

🚐 Ready to take your English further? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FOR FULL EPISODE PACKAGE⁠ with full vocabulary list, transcript, test, and much more!

5 words and expressions in today's story:

-TO SHOVE: To push someone or something roughly or with force, often with the intention of moving someone or something out of the way. For example, "She accidentally shoved her friend while rushing to catch the bus, causing them to stumble," or "He shoved his passport in his pocket before getting on the plane."

-TO BE OVER THE MOON: To be extremely happy or thrilled about something. For example, "She was over the moon when she found out she got the job she had been dreaming of," or "He was over the moon with joy when he received the surprise birthday party his friends had organized for him."

-A PRAM: A stroller or baby carriage used for transporting infants. For example, "She took her baby for a walk in the pram," or "The pram was equipped with a comfortable seat and a protective canopy."

-OBVIOUSLY (FILLER WORD): similar to saying "it's clear" or "you see" to show something is easy to understand. It's added to sentences to make a point stronger or emphasize that something should be clear. But it doesn't always change what's being said; it just helps the speaker highlight their viewpoint or understanding of the situation.

-FULL ON (ADJECTIVE): Intense or extreme in nature. For example, "The party was full on, with loud music and dancing all night," or "He experienced a full-on adrenaline rush while participating in the extreme sports event."

Episode Links: 

- Listen to Martin’s podcast Rock n’ Roll English

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