Everyday English (Vocabulary Building)

Topic: Learning Languages

Lesson Notes February 18, 2025 (Vocabulary Building)

Words & Phrases

• During pollen season, I sometimes feel chest tightness, especially when I’m outside for too long.

• After coughing for weeks, my friend had an X-ray. The doctor checked it to diagnose the issue.

• My friend has strong back pain, so she went to a doctor.

• Using “a doctor” means the specific type of doctor isn’t important to the story—just that she saw one.

• I had a corn on the sole of my foot for the longest time. I finally went and got it treated.

• My husband gets checked for glaucoma every few months.

• The Southern All Stars are touring around the country. I applied for tickets to the shows at Yokohama and Tokyo.

• Some boys in my high school formed a Southern All Stars cover band.

Pronunciation

• Glaucoma (noun) ( zɡlɔːˈkəʊ.mə (British) / ɡlɔˈkoʊ.mə/ (American) ) GLAU-co-ma

Appropriate Language

• The high pollen levels cause chest discomfort, making it harder for me to take deep breaths.

• Whenever I breathe in deeply on a high-pollen day, I feel a bit of lung pain, like my airways are irritated.

• I don’t have asthma, but I still experience lung discomfort when the air is full of pollen.

Homework

• Learning Languages Section 4; Practice reading the script and pay attention to your pronunciation and fluency.