Episode 220
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Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.
- I'm going to tell you how you can get vegetables without going to the supermarket. And I’m not talking about magic 🙂
- In the second part, you will learn grammar without memorizing any boring rules.
Very well. Let’s start!
Some things only happen in cities. Interesting things. One of them is urban gardens,
If you have an urban garden, you can grow your own veggies if you live in a city.
I'm talking about tomatoes, celery, broccoli, etc. It is an exciting option if you do not want to buy them directly from the supermarket or if you want to make sure that the vegetables are pesticides free.
Urban gardens appeared as a fad, but the truth is that they are consolidating in many cities. A good phrase to use in this case is: "they are here to stay". That is, it is not just a fad.
Where can we find these gardens? Locations vary. For example, there are large gardens in the suburbs of many cities. These are family gardens that produce all kinds of veggies.
We can also find urban garden projects in schools, where they have an educational function. I find it very helpful for children to understand that tomatoes are not "manufactured" in the supermarket but rather grown in the soil.
On the other hand, many apartments have a terrace, and people have some vegetables in small earthen containers. Some take advantage of the rooftop. There is usually quite a lot of space available.
I guess in general you can save money, but it's easy to overspend. You need tools, fertilizers, seeds, substrates... and a lot of patience. In any case, it's an outdoor hobby that is usually rewarding.
However, there are some disadvantages. The most important is that the contamination affects the plants. All contaminating particles fall on the surfaces. Many of them are metals such as lead, mercury, or cadmium. And I don't believe anyone likes the idea of eating a tomato with these kinds of metals in it.
Then there is the expense of the water, which can be significant. Nowadays, the water bill can go up quite a bit because there are more and more taxes.
So... Would you like to have an urban garden? If you already have one, you can tell me about it in the comments section.
Ok, let’s move on to the next section.
Now, let’s practice.
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GRAMMAR MADE EASY
POV Story: Grammar in Context
Read the same story in two different points of view and notice how the grammar changes naturally.
| 01 |
First version Past Tense - Third Person |
Matt wanted to set up an urban garden on the rooftop of his house to grow lettuce. So he bought tools, fertilizer, soil, seeds, and substrates. After setting everything up, he planted the seeds, watered them, and went to bed. The next day he went to check on the lettuce but saw nothing! What a disappointment! He decided to wait one more day, but he didn't see anything when he went up to the roof. Matt was a really impatient guy. So day after day, he went up to the roof and saw that nothing was growing, but one day he saw something green - lettuce was growing! So he tried stretching the lettuce leaves to speed up the process, but that didn’t work. He also sang to encourage it, but that didn't work either. One day he saw that the lettuce was big enough, so he plucked one and made himself a salad, but... He had no tomatoes, and no onions. What a lousy salad. But he had an idea. He exchanged several of his lettuces for other veggies with other garden owners. So Matt was finally able to eat a good salad. He learned to be more patient and to cooperate with his neighbors.
| 02 |
Second version Present Tense - Second Person |
Matt, you want an urban garden on the rooftop of your house to grow lettuce. So you buy tools, fertilizer, soil, seeds, and substrates. After you set everything up, you plant the seeds, water them and go to sleep. The next day you go to check on the lettuce, but you don't see anything! What a disappointment! You decide to wait one more day, but you don't see anything either when you go up to the roof. Matt, you are a really impatient guy. So day after day, you go up to the roof and see that nothing is growing, but you see something green one day - the lettuce is growing! You try to stretch the lettuce leaves to speed up the process, but it doesn't work. You also sing to encourage it, but that doesn't work either. One day you see that the lettuce is big enough, so you pull one up and make a salad, but... You have no tomatoes, and no onions. What a lousy salad.
But you have an idea. You swap some of your lettuce for other vegetables with other gardeners. So you can finally eat a good salad. Matt, you learn to be more patient and to collaborate with your neighbors.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
urban garden
a place for growing plants and food within a city.
grow vegetables
cultivate edible plants.
suburbs
residential areas outside the center of a city.
here to stay
likely to continue existing for a long time.
harvest
collect crops when they are ready.
swap
exchange one thing for another.
gardener
a person who grows and cares for plants.
impatient
unable to wait calmly.
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