My name is Jack from To fluency. This is A to fluency podcast.
Be sure to turn on subtitles. Listen to it once without
subtitles and then again with subtitles and then stay until
the end because we're going to go through keywords and phrases
used in the story. Let's get started.
The wrong suitcase. Lena sighed as she stood on the
baggage carousel watching the suitcases spin by.
She was exhausted after a flight to Florence for a work
conference. All she wanted was to grab a
suitcase, head to a hotel and sleep.
Finally, she spotted a bag, Or at least she thought it was her
bag. A black suitcase with the same
bright pink ribbon she always tied to the handle.
She grabbed it, rode it out of the airport, and hopped into a
taxi. When she arrived at her hotel,
she kicked off her shoes and unzipped the suitcase.
That's when she froze. Inside was not her carefully
packed work outfits, but a neatly folded dress, a box of
chocolates, and an envelope with a name written on it.
Her heart raced as she opened the envelope.
Inside was a note. This suitcase isn't a mistake.
Follow the clues. A Lena stared at the note,
confused. A.
That could only mean Alex, her boyfriend of two years.
But what was he doing in Florence?
She had left him back home, thousands of miles away, saying
goodbye at the airport just yesterday.
She picked up her phone and called him.
No answer. She tried texting him.
Nothing Frustrated but curious, she rummaged through the
suitcase and found another note taped to the chocolates.
Go to the cafe where you had your first cappuccino in
Florence. Lena smiled.
Alex had joined her on her first work trip to Florence last year
and they had stumbled into the small cafe near the city centre.
She remembered the way he had laughed at her trying to order
in Italian. After a rest, Lena set out, the
suitcase rolling behind her. The streets of Florence were
just as beautiful as she remembered, with cobblestones
under foot and the smell of fresh pastries in the air.
When she reached the cafe, she stepped inside and scanned the
room. On a small table near the window
was a cappuccino and a note. Lena sat down and opened it.
I know you're busy with work, but I hope you'll make time for
this adventure. Your next clue is at the Euphizi
Gallery, Look near the Botticelli paintings.
Lina laughed quietly to herself. Alex knew she loved the Afizi.
She had spent hours in front of the Birth of Venus on her last
trip, admiring every detail. At the gallery, Lina felt the
excitement growing. She walked through the crowded
halls, stopping near Botticelli's famous painting.
There, a museum guide handed her a small envelope.
How did you know to give this to me?
She asked, surprised. The guide smiled.
A man came earlier, he described you perfectly.
Lena blushed as she opened the envelope.
The note was longer. Remember when we got lost trying
to find Aponte Vecchio? You said you'd never forget the
view. Go there next.
Lena headed toward the bridge, her heart racing.
She could picture Alex setting this up, his playful smile as he
planned every step. Ponte Vecchio was busy with
tourist crowd in the shops along the bridge.
Lena searched for another clue, feeling a little lost.
Then she saw a street performer holding a rose.
Are you Lena? The performer asked.
Yes. She replied, feeling a mix of
surprise and anticipation. The performer handed her a rose
and a note. This is the last stop.
Come to the Piazza Michelangelo at sunset.
By the time the sun began to dip below the horizon, Lena was
climbing the steps to the Piazza Michelangelo.
The view of Florence stretched out before her, bathed in golden
light. Her heart pounded as she scanned
the square. And then she saw him.
Alex stood near the edge of the Piazza, hood in a small black
box. Tears filled Lena's eyes as she
walked towards him. You did all this?
Alex grinned. I figured if you were going to
Florence for work, it was the perfect chance to remind you how
much I love you. He dropped to 1 knee and opened
the box, revealing a sparkling ring.
Lena, will you marry me? Lena laughed through her tears.
Yes, of course. The Taurus around them clapped
as Alex slipped the ring onto her finger.
As they hugged, Lena couldn't stop smiling.
What had started as a work trip turned into the most
unforgettable adventure of her life.
In this story, we explored 10 commonly used phrases and a lot
of phrasal verbs. Let's break those down now so
you can understand their meanings and how they're used in
everyday conversations. These phrases will help you
sound more natural when speaking English, and it will help you
understand English better. The first one is step off.
And step off means to exit a vehicle or a mode of transport
by stepping down or out of it. So in the story, Lena stepped
off the plane. Feeling tired but excited, she
stepped off the plane. Other examples He stepped off
the train and looked for a taxi. As soon as we stepped off the
bus, we were greeted by the tour guide #2 is grab to grab means
to take hold of something quickly or firmly, and it's
often used in casual situations. In the story, she grabbed the
suitcase thinking it was hers. She grabbed the suitcase.
Other examples, Can you grab me a bottle of water from the
fridge? Can you grab me a bottle of
water from the fridge? I grabbed my bag and rushed out
of the door. I grabbed my bag and rushed out
of the door. The third one is one that is a
little bit more advanced. It's to kick off to kick off.
Now, there are various meanings for this, but in the story at
the hotel, she kicked off her shoes to relax.
At the hotel, she kicked off her shoes to relax.
So to kick off means to remove something, usually shoes in a
casual way. Another example is after a long
day, I love kicking off my shoes and lying on the couch.
After a long day, I love kicking off my shoes and lying on the
couch. Kick off can also mean to start
an event or activity. For example, let's kick off the
meeting with a quick update. Let's kick off the meeting with
a quick update #4 is set out. Set out.
To set out means to begin a journey or a task with a
specific goal in mind. In the story, Lena set out to
follow the clues Alex had left. Lena set out to follow the clues
Alex had left. Other examples are we set out
early to explore the city before it got too crowded.
This is something I like to do on vacation.
We set out early to explore the city before it got too crowded.
And another example, she set out to finish her report before the
deadline. She set out to finish her report
before the deadline. I like #5 which is rummage
through, Rummage through to rummage through means to search
for something in a hurried or untidy way.
So in the story, Lena rummaged through her suitcase to find
more clues. She rummaged through the
suitcase to find more clues. Other examples.
I rummaged through my bag but couldn't find my keys.
I rummaged through my bag but couldn't find my keys, and he
rummaged through the drawers looking for a pen.
He rummaged through the drawers looking for a pen.
You're halfway through the language analysis, so let's keep
going. Before you do, be sure to check
the description for English Learning Resources and also for
all of the phrases in this story.
Number six is scan the room. To scan the room and to scan the
room means to look around quickly, usually to find someone
or something. In the story it said at the cafe
she scanned the room for her next clue.
At the cafe she scanned the room for her next clue.
Other examples are she scanned the room for a familiar face,
she scanned the room for a familiar face, and the teacher
scanned the room to see who wasn't paying attention.
The teacher scanned the room to see who wasn't paying attention
#7 is head toward. You might also hear head towards
now to head toward means to move in the direction of a specific
place and in the story. She headed toward the Uffizi
Gallery, excited for the next stop.
Hopefully I am pronouncing that correctly.
Other examples are we're heading toward the park for a picnic.
We're heading toward the park for a picnic and he headed
toward the exit after the meeting ended.
He headed toward the exit after the meeting ended #8 is hand
over. To hand over means to give
something to someone. This is often formal with a
specific purpose, and in the story the performer handed over
a rose and a note. Other examples are the cashier
handed over my receipt and change, the cashier handed over
my receipt and change, and he handed over the documents to his
lawyer. He handed over the documents to
his lawyer #9 is look around. To look around means to observe
your surroundings often when you're exploring or searching
for something. In the story, Lena looked around
the Piazza, searching for Alex. Other examples.
We looked around the museum for hours.
We looked around the museum for hours and she looked around the
shop for a gift but didn't find anything.
She looked around the shop for a gift but didn't find anything.
And #10 is slip on. To slip on means to put
something on quickly, often referring to clothing or
accessories. So in the story, Alex slipped on
the ring after Lena said yes. Other examples are I slipped on
my jacket before heading out, I slipped on my jacket before
heading out, and she slipped on her shoes and ran to catch the
bus. She slipped on her shoes and ran
to catch the bus. So that is today's lesson.
If you want to learn more English with me, then check the
description to go through the different lessons that I have
available for you. If you are on YouTube, then
simply click on more videos. If you're on the podcast,
continue listening with me. And if you enjoyed this, then I
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benefit from this lesson. Thank you for watching or
listening and I will speak to you soon.
Bye for now.