Speak Better English with Harry | Episode 279

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• 00:10

  Hi there, this is Harry, and welcome to a podcast where I try to help you to get a better understanding of the english language, to help you with your conversations, perhaps to help you with a potential job interview, to help you with business English.

• 00:24

  And we look at all aspects of grammar, pronunciation, idiomatic expressions, everything related to English.

• 00:33

  And of course, if you know somebody who you think will enjoy the podcast, well, why don't you tell them about it and get them to join and listen as well.

• 00:40

  At the end of the podcast, I'll give you a link to my address.

• 00:45

  And a lot of you have contacted me over the weeks, and quite a few now have had lessons with me.

• 00:51

  So I'll mention that again at the end of this particular podcast.

• 00:55

  Okay, so what are we going to talk about today?

• 00:58

  Well, for all of you and those of you who are living in cities, I thought I'd give you some adjectives connected with city life.

• 01:07

  Some of these are positive and some of them are negative, like every aspect of life in a city.

• 01:12

  So I'll explain to you which have positive or negative meaning.

• 01:17

  Okay, so let me give them to you first of all, and then I'll give you the examples.

• 01:21

  Run down, congested, sprawling, spotless, affluent, polluted, filthy, deprived, compact and flourishing.

• 01:42

  So, good mix of positives and negatives here.

• 01:46

  So if we describe a city as run down, well, it means that the city is perhaps old in decay.

• 01:55

  No investment has been made by government or mayors into that particular city.

• 02:01

  And really the city overall could do with a good facelift, as we would say.

• 02:07

  Okay, so some buildings, particularly those of architectural value, could do with some sprucing up, meaning improvement, and they could do with some cosmetic surgery, paint, or they could do with some repairs to the cornices or the roof or whatever the aspect might be, and the city would then take on a new lease of life and no longer be run down.

• 02:30

  And we've seen that throughout Europe in many cities where parts, if not all of the city, have been given that particular facelift, and they no longer would be regarded as rundown.

• 02:42

  But unfortunately, some lack the finance and they are in that particular state.

• 02:48

  So, run down.

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