Bristol, England · Age 21 · French Literature student · University of Exeter
Ellie is spending her third year at Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 as part of her French literature degree — what her university calls a year abroad. She is warm, precise, and gently sardonic. She did not expect to find Lyon quite so interesting, or to find a Hungarian student quite so difficult to ignore. When Atti asked her to record a short bio for his class project, she said yes immediately. She is not entirely sure why.
1
Listen: Ellie’s Introduction
Listen first, then read the transcript. Notice how Ellie’s English is different from Atti’s.
English by Accident — Meet the Characters
Audio Introduction · 3 of 3
Meet Ellie Marsh
Who is she?
Ellie Marsh
Bristol, England · Age 21 · French Literature student · University of Exeter
Ellie is spending her third year at Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 as part of her French literature degree — what her university calls a year abroad. She is warm, precise, and gently sardonic. She did not expect to find Lyon quite so interesting, or to find a Hungarian student quite so difficult to ignore. When Atti asked her to record a short bio for his class project, she said yes immediately. She is not entirely sure why.
1
Listen: Ellie’s Introduction
Listen first, then read the transcript. Notice how Ellie’s English is different from Atti’s.
2
Help Atti
He has listened to Ellie’s bio three times. He has questions.
Atti opens WhatsApp. He understood most of Ellie’s bio. But a few words are giving him trouble. He wants to ask her — but he wants to ask in a way that sounds natural, not like he is reading from a phrasebook. Choose the best message for each word.
💬 Word 1 of 3 — “immerse”
Ellie MarshWhatsApp
Ellie
Hope the project is going well! Let me know if you need anything else 😊
7:14 PM
AEllie what does immerse mean
BDear Ellie, I encountered the word ‘immerse’ in your recording and would be grateful if you could provide a definition.
CHey — you said ‘immerse yourself’ in your bio. I think I understand but I’m not sure — like, completely surround yourself with something?
Atti
Hey — you said ‘immerse yourself’ in your bio. I think I understand but I’m not sure — like, completely surround yourself with something?
7:16 PM
Ellie
Yes, exactly that! To immerse yourself in something means to put yourself completely into it — no escape routes. Like jumping into a swimming pool instead of going in one step at a time 😄
7:18 PM
immerse (verb) — to put yourself completely into something, with no distractions. “She immersed herself in the book and forgot to eat lunch.”
💬 Word 2 of 3 — “assumed”
Ellie MarshWhatsApp
AAlso — ‘things you assumed you already understood.’ Assumed means… you thought something was true without checking it? Is that right?
Bwhat is assumed
CI want to know the full grammatical explanation of the verb ‘to assume’ including all its forms and uses.
Atti
Also — ‘things you assumed you already understood.’ Assumed means… you thought something was true without checking it? Is that right?
7:21 PM
Ellie
Spot on. To assume something means to believe it’s true without having any real proof. It’s often used when someone turns out to be wrong — “I assumed it would be easy, but it wasn’t.” 😊
7:23 PM
assume (verb) — to believe something is true without checking or having proof. Often used when the belief turns out to be wrong. “Don’t assume — ask.”
💬 Word 3 of 3 — “appealing”
Ellie MarshWhatsApp
ALast one — ‘I find that quite appealing.’ Appealing is like… attractive? But not physical attractive, more like — you like the idea of something?
Bdoes appealing mean attractive
CEllie I have question. In your recording you say ‘I find that quite appealing.’ I am not familiar with this vocabulary item. Can you assist me?
Atti
Last one — ‘I find that quite appealing.’ Appealing is like… attractive? But not physical attractive, more like — you like the idea of something?
7:26 PM
Ellie
You’ve got it. Appealing means something attracts you — not physically, just the idea of it. “The thought of a long holiday is very appealing right now.” 😊
7:28 PM
appealing (adjective) — attractive or interesting in a general sense, not physically. “The idea of living abroad is very appealing.”
You’ve met the characters in English by Accident, now learn about the book.
