Good Morning,

What are your non-negotiables? The rules you’ve set for yourself that you refuse to let slide?

I have one. I try never to spend a whole day sitting down.

Some days that means a long walk. Other days it’s ten minutes round the block. But I go out whatever the weather.

This weekend, that rule was put to the test.

As you may have seen, the UK has been battered by not one but two storms. On Saturday, it was chucking it down, and it was blowing a gale. Any sensible person would have stayed indoors with a cup of tea.

I put my coat on and went out anyway.

Within minutes I was drenched. I mean properly soaked to the bone. That’s when I discovered that my lovely new raincoat is water-resistant, not waterproof. There’s a big difference, I now realises (silver-lining).

Then came the second surprise. With every step, my feet felt colder and wetter. My soggy socks were telling me that my hiking boots may have seen better days.

So I came home wet, cold and ever so slightly windswept (this is British humour at play... we love understatement)

But overall I was happy, because I’d kept my promise to myself.

Here’s the thing. A good habit isn’t really tested on a sunny day. It’s tested when the wind is howling and every part of you wants to stay on the sofa. That’s when it either holds or it doesn’t.

The same is true for your English. Life gets busy. Things get stormy. You won’t always have time for a full lesson. But you can almost always do a little something. Listen to five minutes of a podcast. Learn one new phrase. Say a few sentences out loud.

Small, but steady. Come rain or shine.

What’s on this week

👻 Tonight: Mike goes live with The Speaker: Language for a Horror Story. It’s the story of a new smart speaker that starts saying things it shouldn’t know… and a voice in the dark at three in the morning. You’ll learn how to describe that creeping sense of dread, from feeling on edge to the moment your blood runs cold. If you can’t make it live, *catch the replay in the Live Lesson Library.
​(*requires a Club membership)

Also coming up this week, we’re talking about:

• Monday: Making Friends as an Adult: Why Is It So Hard?
• Tuesday: Living to 100: Blessing or Burden?
• Wednesday: The Science of Fear: Why Do We Love Being Scared?
• Thursday: White Lies: Is Honesty Always the Best Policy?
• Friday: Touch Wood! Superstitions We Secretly Believe
• Saturday: Haunted Britain: Do You Believe in Ghosts?

All of this is available to Conversation Club members.
​Not a member yet?
​👇👇👇 You are welcome!

Join the Club

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Things to watch this week

🎧 Come Rain or Shine, Part 3. The story continues, and the title has never felt more appropriate.

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🎃 Halloween: 36 Scary Words and Phrases. My frighteningly good lesson with Mike from Friday. If you’ve ever wanted to jump out of your skin in English, this is the one for you.

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Stay dry, stay warm, and keep going.

Your Faithful Teacher,
Anna :)

P.S. Before I go into the useful vocabulary list I would like to say a quick thank you to the sponsor of today's newsletter: Morning Brew!

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Useful Vocabulary

a non-negotiable – something you will not change or give up, whatever happens.
​Eight hours’ sleep is a non-negotiable for me.

to let something slide – to allow something to become less good, or to stop doing it, because you are not paying enough attention.
​I used to exercise every day, but I’ve let it slide recently.
​Note: Can also mean to choose not to react to or punish a small mistake or bad behaviour.
"He was late, but it was his first day, so I let it slide."

whatever the weather – no matter what the conditions are; in any situation.
​We walk the dog every morning, whatever the weather.

to put something to the test – to find out how good, strong or reliable something is, especially in a difficult situation.
​The storm really put my new raincoat to the test.

to be battered (by) – to be hit repeatedly and with great force.
​The coast was battered by strong winds all night.

to be chucking it down – (informal, British) to be raining very heavily.
​Take an umbrella. It’s chucking it down out there.

to be blowing a gale – to be extremely windy.
​I couldn’t open my umbrella. It was blowing a gale.

drenched – completely wet.
​I got drenched walking home from the station.

soaked to the bone – extremely wet, as if the water has gone right through you.
​We were caught in the storm and got soaked to the bone.

water-resistant – able to keep out a small amount of water, but not heavy rain.
​My watch is water-resistant, so I can wear it in the rain but not in the pool.

waterproof – not allowing any water to get through.
​If you’re going hiking in Scotland, you’ll need a waterproof jacket.

soggy – unpleasantly wet and soft.
​Nobody likes a soggy sandwich.

to have seen better days – to be old and in poor condition.
​My trainers have definitely seen better days.

windswept – (of a person) looking untidy because of the wind.
​She arrived at the meeting looking rather windswept.

come rain or shine – whatever happens; in any conditions.
​The market is open every Saturday, come rain or shine.

on edge – nervous and unable to relax.
​I was on edge all evening waiting for the phone call.

your blood runs cold – you suddenly feel very frightened or shocked.
​My blood ran cold when I heard footsteps behind me.

to jump out of your skin – to react suddenly because you are surprised or frightened.
​I nearly jumped out of my skin when the door slammed.

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