Lily asks
What is your favourite time of day, and what do you do then?
How to build your answer
Rank it: four moves, about a minute.
- 1Your number oneStart with the winner.
- 2The othersTwo more, a few words on each.
- 3Why it winsWhat puts number one on top.
- 4A near missOne that didn't make it.
Lily's answer, three ways
The same story, from easy to advanced. Tap a highlighted phrase to learn it.
Easy
Lily's voice note
Late evening, I think. The street outside goes quiet, and my flatmate Mia's gone to bed. The flat feels all mine. I make a cup of tea and put my feet up under a blanket with my book. Sometimes I just think about my day. Nobody needs anything from me. It's the only time I don't feel rushed. I'd love to stay up for hours, but I usually fall asleep by eleven. Ha.
Phrases to borrow
stay up
/ˈsteɪ ʌp/
not go to bed until late
We stayed up chatting until two.
Natural
Lily's voice note
Probably late evening, when the day winds down. The street goes quiet, my flatmate Mia's gone to bed, and I've got the flat to myself. I make a cup of tea, get cosy under a blanket and read a few pages of my book. Sometimes I just sit and think about my day. It's the only time I don't feel rushed. I'd happily stay up for hours, but I've usually nodded off by eleven.
Phrases to borrow
/ˈwaɪnd ˈdaʊn/
become slower and quieter; or relax at the end of the day
I read for half an hour to wind down before bed.
get cosy
/ˈɡet ˈkəʊzi/
make yourself warm and comfortable
Let's get cosy on the sofa and watch something.
Advanced
Lily's voice note
Late evening, without a doubt. Once the street's gone quiet and my flatmate Mia's gone to bed, I have the place to myself. I make a big mug of tea, wrap myself in a blanket and bury myself in my book. Sometimes I just sit and replay the day, which helps me leave work behind. It's the one time nothing's rushing me. I'd happily stay up for hours, but by eleven I'm usually out like a light.
Phrases to borrow
have the place to yourself
/ˈhæv ðə ˈpleɪs tə jɔːˈself/
be alone in a home or room because everyone else is out or asleep
My parents are away, so I've got the place to myself this weekend.
bury yourself in something
/ˈberi jɔːˈself ɪn ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
give all your attention to something, like a book or work
After the exam I buried myself in a good novel.
leave something behind
/liːv ˈsʌmθɪŋ bɪˈhaɪnd/
stop thinking about something when you go away from it
On holiday, I try to leave work behind.
be out like a light
/ˈbiː ˈaʊt ˈlaɪk ə ˈlaɪt/
fall asleep very quickly and deeply
The baby was out like a light after her bath.
Your turn: answer Lily
What is your favourite time of day, and what do you do then?
Answer out loud, in your own words. Try one phrase you just borrowed.
Daily life
wind down
become slower and quieter; or relax at the end of the day
“I read for half an hour to wind down before bed.”
heytardy