Have you ever swum in a lake, river, or the sea? What was it like?

A natural way to answer

Yes, I once swam in a cold mountain lake during the summer. The water was very cold to begin with, so it took me a while to get in. Once I did, though, it felt wonderful. Afterwards we dried off in the sun and had something to eat by the shore.

Key phrases to use

• chickened out — decided not to do something because you suddenly felt too scared or nervous“I was going to jump off the rocks but I chickened out at the last second.”
• dried off — got dry again after being wet, usually after swimming or rain“We dried off in the sun before heading home.”
• dry off — to become dry again after being wet, especially after swimming or rain“We lay on the warm sand to dry off.”