Your English Five a Day #7.5

E122: Join me, Anna, as I wrap up Week Seven of the Your English Five a Day series, where we explore five useful vocabulary items every working day. Today's journey begins with the phrase "come to mind". We then move on to the adjective "witty" and we also discover the noun "contempt". Up next, the adjective "titular" takes the spotlight, and last but not least, we explore the adjective "clear-cut".  At the end of the episode, we listen to a fantastic story about Jack, a witty writer searching for the perfect titular villain. Follow Jack's journey as he encounters unexpected twists and turns, showcasing the importance of these vocabulary gems in real-life scenarios.

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Transcript

0:02

Hello and welcome to the English Like a Native Podcast. My name is Anna and you are listening to Week Seven, Day Five of Your English Five a Day series. In this series, we explore five pieces of vocabulary every day of the working week from Monday to Friday. So let's kick off today's list with a phrase, come to mind, come to mind. This is spelled C O M E, come. To, T O. Mind, M I N D. Come to mind. Now this means that a thought or idea occurs to someone or to think of something without making an effort. So, it just pops into your head. Something just came to mind. Here's an example sentence."Nothing comes to mind at the moment but if I think of something later, I'll let you know." This is a phrase I actually often say when someone says,"Oh, Anna, do you know of any books that would be good for this or that? Or do you know of any good TV series that would be good for a four-year-old to watch or..." And I'm like,"Nothing comes to mind." I'm not very good at recollecting information, certainly not very good at remembering names, not very good with names of things. So come to mind, that was our first one. Number two on the list is an adjective and it is witty. How do we spell this? Well, it's W I T T Y. Witty. Witty. If you are witty, then you use words in a clever and funny way. Here's an example sentence."Professor Mundo is so witty, he has me in stitches every time he does a presentation." Next on our list is a noun and it is contempt. Contempt. It's spelled C O N T E M P T. Contempt, contempt. This is to have a strong feeling or disliking and having no respect for someone or something. So, if you really don't like and you don't respect someone, then you have a feeling of contempt. Okay, here's an example sentence."Why do you show such contempt toward your staff? You'll turn up one day and they will have all walked out." Okay, next on our list is an adjective, and it is titular. Titular. This is spelled T I T U L A R. Titular. Titular. This means having the title of a position, but no responsibilities, no duties, no power. So, you are that thing, you have that title, but in name only. For example, if I was named the head of my company, then I would be the titular head of the company or the titular CEO. Here's an example sentence."It has been agreed that you will be the titular head of the accounting department." Last on our list for today is another adjective. We're very adjective-heavy today. And it is clear-cut, clear-cut. How are we spelling this? Well, it goes C L E A R, hyphen, C U T. Clear-cut. Clear-cut. If something is clear-cut, then it's clear and obvious without needing any proof. Here's an example."It's pretty clear-cut to me, he cheated on you, and he's trying to make you feel like the guilty one." Alright, that was our five for today. Let's recap. We started with the phrase come to mind, which is when something just occurs to you. You think of something without effort. Then the adjective witty, to use words in a clever and funny way. The noun contempt is a strong feeling of dislike and having little respect for someone. We had the adjective titular, meaning to have a title of a position, but no responsibilities or power. And the adjective clear-cut, when something is clear and obvious. Let's try now for pronunciation. Please repeat after me. Come to mind. Witty. Contempt. Titular. Clear-cut. Fantastic. Let's bring that all together in a little story. Jack was a witty and clever writer. He was working on his latest novel, a thriller about a mysterious murder in a small town. He had already decided on the title, the plot, and the characters, except for one: the titular villain. He wanted to create a memorable and terrifying antagonist, someone who would challenge his protagonist and keep the readers on the edge of their seats. He had a few ideas, but none of them seemed to fit. He needed something more original and surprising. One day, he decided to take a break from his writing and go for a walk in the park. Ideas often came to mind when he was out enjoying the fresh air and he hoped this and the sunshine would inspire him. He put on his headphones and listened to his favourite podcast, a comedy show that made fun of the latest news and trends. As Jack was walking, he noticed a woman sitting on a bench, reading a book. He approached her casually and pretended to be interested in her book."Excuse me, miss, what are you reading?" he asked. She looked up and smiled."Oh, hello. I'm reading'The Witty Comeback' by Jack Smith. Have you heard of it?" Jack felt a boost of pride and recognition. She was reading his book, his best-selling debut novel. He decided to play along and see how she liked it."No, I haven't. What's it about?" he asked."It's a hilarious and clever story about a man who always has a witty comeback for everything. He gets into all kinds of trouble and adventures, but he always manages to get out of them with his wit and humour. It's very entertaining and well-written. I highly recommend it." Jack smiled. He was glad she enjoyed his book. He decided to reveal his identity and surprise her."Actually, I have a confession to make. I'm Jack Smith, the author of the book. I'm very happy that you liked it." He expected her to be shocked and delighted, to ask for his autograph and praise his work. He expected her to be a fan. Instead, she looked at him with contempt and disgust. She slammed the book shut and placed it down hard on the bench."Really? You're Jack Smith. Well, I have a confession to make, too. I'm Jane Doe, the reviewer who gave your last book a one-star rating. I hated your book. It's the worst thing I've ever read. Your characters are silly and annoying, your plot is predictable and boring, and your jokes are offensive. You have no talent and no taste. You should quit writing and do something else with your life." She got up and walked away, leaving Jack speechless and stunned. Her feelings were clear-cut. He had just met his biggest critic and worst nightmare. Jack picked up the book and looked at the cover. He had an idea... he had found his villain. And that wraps up today's episode and Week Seven. I do hope you found this all very, very useful. Until next time, take very good care of yourself and goodbye.