Girl”. As always listen to this story every day. Listen and enjoy. And, of course, dream big. Believe in what you imagine is possible for you, like Amelia did. And your dream will certainly come true. Next is your vocabulary lesson. See you there!
Unit 2. The vocabulary lesson
Hi, this is Alex again and this is the vocabulary lesson for “A Little Girl”
And of course, I am going to focus on the words “a magic wand”
What is a magic wand? A magic wand is a small stick used by magicians and fairies who perform tricks and magic. It also has the meaning of a quick and easy solution to a problem. Of course, you are well aware of that there is no magic wand to start speaking English better. You cannot just wave a magic wand and immediately start speaking true, real and excellent English. No. You have to work hard to speak true, real and excellent English. It’s obvious. But let’s get back to the story.
Next we have the expression “I wish I had something”
We use this phrase to express wanting something that you don’t have. It is when you want to have something or to do something, but you cannot have it because you don’t have enough money to buy it or you don’t have enough experience or knowledge to do it. In other words, you feel sorry for not having something that you would like to have or you would like to change in this or that situation. In our story, Amelia says, “I wish I had a magic wand.” She wants to have a magic wand, but she doesn’t have it. She expresses her regret at not having a magic wand. She would like her present situation to be different.
In this lesson we also have another phrase which is “if only”
In the story Amelia says, “If only I had a magic wand, I would be the happiest girl in the world”
Here “if only” is simply another way of saying “I wish”. The difference between these two phrases is very small. You can use them both interchangeably. But if you really want to know the difference I will tell you. We use “if only I had” or “if only I knew”, and so on when we become more emotional and want to show that we would very much like the situation to be different. In other words, “if only” is stronger than “I wish”.
In the story you see that Amelia says first, “I wish I had a magic wand”, but then she becomes more emotional and she says, “If only I had a magic wand, I would be the happiest girl in the world.” I think you get the idea, right?
And, of course, we are going to find out the reason Amelia really wants to have that magic wand. We can see it from the next sentence which is “I would help less fortunate people to be happier”. It is good to wish to be happier. This is what Amelia does by saying that. But she not only wants to be happier than she is now, she also wants to help other people to be less fortunate. She wants people to be happier too. What does “less fortunate people” mean? Less comes from “little” when we compare something to something.”
Less fortunate people are the people who are not as lucky or happy as others. Some people can be more fortunate than others by simply having better health or by being born in a wealthy family or by getting into luck. So Amelia wants to help those people who are not that happy, not that lucky, and not as bright as those who are. This is her dream. This is what she would like to change, if she had a magic wand. I think you get the idea, right?
We move on and we have the expression “to be in bloom”
Usually we say like that when we talk about a plant or a tree that has flowers on it. In the story you can see that the weather is gorgeous. It is probably spring time and the plants have flowers on them. They are in bloom. It is the period when flowers open. For example, the roses (are) in bloom.
Next we see the word “rare”
Here “rare” means not happening very often. So it doesn’t happen very often to see a bird like that. A rare bird is a bird you don’t see very often because it is difficult to find. Amelia sees a little, beautiful and unusual, unique bird, a bird which is difficult to find, a rare bird.
In this lesson we also have the expression “in a flash”
Well, actually, it is an idiom. It means very quickly or immediately. It can also mean suddenly. Suddenly, immediately, very quickly, the bird lands on the ground next to Amelia. In a flash, the bird lands on the ground next to Amelia.
From the story, you know that the rare bird gives Amelia a magic wand as a gift. Amelia is very happy about the gift, but she doesn’t know what to do with it. She decides to go the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
And now let me explain to you what the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry means. The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a special school of magic. Witchcraft is the activity of performing magic to harm other people. Witches usually use evil powers to bring bad things to people’s lives. Wizardry is the activity of performing magic to help people. Wizards use good powers to help people to live better. So the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry teaches Amelia how to use the evil and good powers using her magic wand.
Our next word-combination is “a diligent student”
A diligent student is a student who works hard with care and effort. So Amelia works very hard with care and effort. Yes, she makes mistake, like any of us, right? But she continues to study hard performing magic. She puts all her time, energy and love into doing it. And she is a success, which actually means she is successful.
And our next expression for today is “to become a master of something”
When someone becomes a master of something, it means that he or she is very skilled in a particular job or activity. So Amelia becomes very skilled at performing magic. She stops making mistakes and she does magic extremely well. She is a master of her magic wand. She knows everything about it. She knows how to use it, how to protect it and how to take care of it. She is a master of her magic wand. And by the way, it is not an easy thing to do. You really have to know and practice a lot. It is like when you practice English. You put all your time, all your energy and all your love into learning English. That is why you become better and better at English and one day, I am sure, you will become a master of English. And when you become a master of English, you will definitely be fulfilled. It means you will be happy and proud of yourself that what you have done, what you have achieved is good not only for you but also for other people.
And on this note, let me finish this fantastic vocabulary lesson. I want you to be fulfilled with what you do. It is one of the most important things to do in life, I believe.
Okay, see you for the mini-story lesson. Bye-bye.
Unit 2. The mini-story lesson
Hello, this is Alex. I am super excited that you continue learning English with me. Welcome to our mini-story for “A Little Girl” As you know I am going to ask the story. I am going to ask a lot of studio, crazy and funny questions. And I am going to give answers to all my questions. So here we go.
There
