In this episode, a smell hangs in the air that catches you mid-step, cuts through the day, and takes you somewhere you weren’t expecting.
I walk through these moments: petrol on a cold service station forecourt, the sea before you see it, the green breath of the ground after rain, and the warm weight of a scent you can’t quite name.
This is a slow wander through memory, the way certain smells outlast the years, and the quiet joy of letting them hold you for a while.
Linguistically, it features adjectival post-position, nominalised clauses as subjects, and resumptive modifiers - structures that add texture, depth, and rhythm to advanced storytelling.
If you’ve ever been pulled somewhere far away by nothing more than the air around you, this one’s for you.

✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-favourite-17-136764083

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Smells & Senses, Memory & Emotion Triggers, Movement & Smell Actions
Grammar: Adjectival Post-Position to sound more poetic, rhythmic, or descriptive, Nominalised Clauses as Subjects to make an abstract idea the main focus of the sentence, Resumptive Modifiers to repeats a noun (or pronoun) and add extra detail or commentary after it.

🐣 Too difficult? Search:
“Beginner English with James” (beginner)
“Slow English with James” (intermediate)