Learning notes
Verbs:
Hiking - going for a long walk in the countryside
Strolling - walking slowly so that you can look around you and enjoy what you see
Strutting - walking with a stiff, erect, and apparently arrogant manner
Trudging - walking slowly and with heavy steps, typically because of exhaustion or harsh conditions
Tiptoeing - walking quietly and carefully with one's heels raised
Striding - walking with long steps, usually because you have something you want to say or do – often if you are angry
Toddling - walking with tiny, uncertain steps
Power-walking - walking very fast as a form of exercise
Climbing up - walking up the hill, stairs, mountain, cliffs or similar
Colloquial expressions:
Take a hike - Go away
Tiptoeing around a problem - not dealing directly with a problem or trying to be very careful not to make someone angry
Tread carefully - watch where you step. But it can also mean to be careful about what you say or what you do
To go downhill - walk down the hill. It can also mean that something is getting worse
Transcript
Hi, you are listening to the SBS Learn English podcast, in which we help Australians to speak, understand and connect through English.
In this mini pod series, we are talking about verbs related to our bodies. Today we’re talking about walking.
Walking can be anything: from the first, funny, steps of a baby to those made by the astronaut Neil Armstrong on the Moon when he famously said: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Walking has many forms and there are even more verbs in English to talk about it. So, let's go to a place where you can walk, run, climb, hop like a rabbit, be silly, funny... whatever you like.
The Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk! It’s a path that goes along the beautiful beaches and cliff tops in these Sydney suburbs where you’ll find cool cafes.
Whenever you come to this coastal walk, you'll see a lot of people and everybody walks in their own way. Let's explore this while I go on a long walk along the coastal path, starting at Bondi.
When people go for a long walk in the countryside, we call it – hiking. But be careful!
If you tell someone to take a hike it means ‘go away’ and is rude. It's not swearing, but it's also not a very nice thing to say, so we tend to use it when we are angry.
Sometimes this part of the path is really worth seeing because once a year you can see a lot of art works made by artists from all over the world who show their sculptures in the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. The best way to enjoy this exhibition is to stroll among the artworks.
Because strolling is when you walk slowly so that you can look around you and enjoy what you see. I have to be careful on my carefree stroll, though, as this path is full of ups and downs – a bit like life itself.
And straight ahead is - Tamarama Beach. A lot of famous pop and fashion stars come here so the local people call it Glamourama.
Oooh! I can see cameras, and a film crew,... I think they're using this lovely sunset to film a commercial. I'll lower my voice so that I can be your own reporter from the event.
A female model is walking very elegantly, one foot in front of the other, almost not touching the sand. We can say that she is strutting.
Ah, but what’s this noise? Someone has just come trudging along carrying a very heavy box. Trudging is the kind of walk you have to do when you are carrying something heavy that slows you down and makes you take heavy steps.
The angry voices suggest this wasn't planned so I will tiptoe away. Tiptoeing is walking on the tips of your toes with the heel of your foot off the ground.
It's a very quiet way of walking. You do it when you don't want anyone to hear you or know you are there. You can also say that someone is tiptoeing around a problem if they are not dealing directly with it or trying to be very careful not to make someone angry.
Just a second, who is this striding up to the man with the box? He looks angry. Striding is walking with long steps, usually because you have something you want to say or do – often if you are angry. So, for example, he might be striding up to the man with the box to tell him to take a hike. He definitely wants him to leave!
My next stop is Bronte Beach. Here, there are rocks under the water which make swimming difficult - but they also make a lovely rock pool that has fresh water from the ocean but is beautiful and calm because it is sheltered from the waves.
Next to the pool is a sandy path and here you can always see young children playing and walking about. We can say they are toddling. Toddling is walking with tiny, uncertain steps. Very young children walk like this when they are first learning to walk. And we even call kids that age – toddlers.
I left Bronte beach, and now I’m strolling by Waverly cemetery to my next stop: Clovelly Beach. It’s very swimmer-friendly and nice. While some people rest and enjoy the sunset, I’m going to try power-walking.
This means to walk as fast as you can but not run. Great exercise, so it is very good for you but is much harder than it looks.
Now I'm crossing Gordons Bay. I’m getting a bit tired, so I think I’d better get back to strolling along the path. In fact, since I'd like see if I can see the birds that you can hear, I’m going to stroll away from the path.
I hoped I'd just be strolling but in fact I have to climb up. I’m not on the path here, so I can’t always see the best way to go.
I’ll have to tread carefully because there are rocks and rabbit holes and I don’t want to fall or hurt myself. To tread carefully means to watch where you step.
But it also means: to be careful about all kinds of things that have nothing to do with walking, such as what you say, or what you do. So - whatever you do, tread carefully.
And now they stopped. I’d better leave them in peace and go back. I’ve got to go downhill hill now after all that climbing! By the way, we can use the phrase to go downhill when we’re not talking about walking at all. We can say that something is going downhill if it’s getting worse.
Nothing bad has happened to me so I say: Hello, Coogee Beach. I've made it!
The sun is just setting over the ocean and it is truly beautiful. Well, I’ve really enjoyed my walk and all the different kinds of walking that I have described: hiking, strolling, power-walking, climbing, trudging, strutting and toddling. Perhaps you can try these different walks one day, too!
