📕 Part 1: Dreams

Rory, do you remember your dreams when you wake up?

Well, not usually, unless they've been particularly vivid or memorable. It's normally a case of going to sleep and then just waking up feeling well-rested. Oh, unless I've had lucid dreams, because then you can remember everything that you did in great detail, because you were actually in control.

Do you think dreams affect life?

Well, they probably reflect life more than they affect it, in my case. I remember someone arguing once that dreams are your brains' way of problem-solving. And the dreams I can recall in most detail revolved around something that was playing on my mind the day before. Does it affect my decision making in the real world, though? Not that I'm aware of. Usually, I'm quite conscious in my decision-making process.

Do dreams have special meaning?

I suppose they can, if you decide to assign some meaning to them. For me, it's more about getting sleep and resting my brain and getting up again. I don't really tend to dwell on dreams, or what they might mean for me. I can see how someone might believe otherwise. But in my case, it's rather straightforward.

Do you like listening to other people's dreams?

I haven't really had the chance, to be honest. Though, I suppose if someone really wanted to tell me then I'd find the time to hear what they had to say. It could be an interesting insight, but it's hard to say for sure. Because it doesn't happen to me very often.

Do you share your dreams with others?

Do you mean do we have the same dreams? Or do I talk to other people about them? So if it's the former, then sometimes I see people I know in my dreams, but we've never had the same experience, which makes sense because it's my brain that the dream is happening in. Or if it's the latter, then I don't usually see the point beyond saying I had a really weird dream about so and so, and that's it.

Do you want to learn more about dreams?

Not overly so. I have a lot of things on my plate right now that I need to study. And so I don't really see this as a great use of my time. Maybe if I had more time I'd feel differently but not right now. -

Maria, wake up!

Oh, what? I fell asleep. I'm dreaming now. Am I dreaming? I'm awake. I'm awake now. Oh, no, Rory, your answers were fabulous. I was listening very attentively.

Really? What did I say for the last question? Oh, you can't remember, can you?

It was like a dream. So dear listener, first of all, the word dreams has two meanings. A dream about the future. So my dream is to move to the seaside and have a cottage by the sea. That's my dream. Or when you sleep, you see dreams. We had an episode on dreams a long time ago. So you can browse through our history and find the episode about dreams or sleep, or something like this. But again, this topic, it's a comeback, you know, because IELTS people reuse the topics. They are lazy to come up with new topics, so they keep reusing the topics. So here the questions are about dreams that you have while you are asleep. Well, sometimes you have them, sometimes you don't. There are people who do not see dreams. So Rory, what are the usual collocations? So what do I say? I see a dream? I dream a dream? I sleep a dream?

I dreamed a dream of time gone by, no, you have a dream. And you can just, it's probably easier to describe dreams than actually say which verbs go with them. So you can have a vivid dream or a memorable dream. That means they're ones that stand out in your memory. And if you want to know more about words connected to talking about memory, then you should check out our premium. Because last time we talked about things that are memorable.

Oh yeah, yeah.

However, the big ones are a vivid dream, a memorable dream or an unmemorable dream. And a lucid dream.

Yeah, lucid dreams are the dreams that you have at the beginning when you just start, when you fall asleep and then you have this lucid dream. No?

No, no. Lucid dreams are dreams where you control things. Have you never had this dream, where are you understood like oh, I'm in a dream, and I can do all of this crazy stuff.

No, I don't think so. Yeah. When you control things, yeah, lucid dreams. Okay.

Good fun.

How do I use it as a verb? Like you say, I dreamt about something or I dreamt of you? So if I saw you in my dream, what do I say?

Do you know, it's funny because you can dream about something and you can dream of something. But there are two different prepositions. And I don't know what the difference in meaning is. Do you?

I think when we talk about sleep, I say oh, I dreamt of you. Which means like, I saw you in my dream. Or I drempt, like dream - dreamt, is in the past. So I dreamt of cooking an ostrich or cooking a lasagna.

I don't think it's the tense. I think it's the idea.

Hmm.

It's not even about the future and the past. It's weird. You can have either, but there must be a difference in meaning.

Mhm.

Hmm. However, until we work that out, they're interchangeable. You can use them both.

Yeah. Yeah. So I saw a dream. I saw a dream. You can say I usually see dreams, or I usually have dreams. Or I dream about.

Or I dream of.

Or of. And then dreams affect your life or Rory said reflect life.

Yeah. Now that's, if you can do that quickly then I'll be very impressed. Because the question is focused on how dreams work in your life, or like what happens after, but I changed the word because it sounds similar. Affect and reflect. So affect means it makes you do something. And reflect means it shows you something that you wouldn't normally see. Which is clever. But you can only do it in a certain number of cases. So...

Yeah, and then you said dreams are your brains' way of problem solving. This is a nice one.

Yes. And if you need to solve a problem, it's usually something that is playing on your mind. That just means you're thinking about it a lot.

Mhm. Like work related problems were playing on my mind, and then you see them in your dreams. Have you ever met people who just don't have any dreams?

Are we talking about when they sleep or for their lives?

No when they sleep?

Well, I wouldn't know. I don't talk to people about this kind of thing. This is why this was a hard subject because I don't know what other people dream about. Do people share their dreams with each other now that we have, you know, media that we can talk about, like concrete shared experiences?

Hmm. No, but, for example, like you are with your family, yeah? And last night you had a nightmare, or I don't know, like a strange dream, a very strange dream involving members of your family. And they go oh, you know what? Yesterday, I had this strange dream, and you just would talk about it. I think it's quite normal, to be honest with you. Maybe you even share nightmare, like a horrible dream you had, or I think people do talk about dreams. Then surely, IELTS people could ask you about special meanings. They love such questions. When we had the topic of names, they would go, what's the meaning of your name? And here they ask you do dreams have special meanings? Yeah. And then, you know, when you see something like, oh, I saw green snake in my dream, or a yellow bird. What does it mean, doctor? And you go online, you research and you have all different meanings. So Rory said, that if you decide to assign meaning to dreams.

Which is another way of saying to give something of meaning. However, you said, this was one of the examiners favorite questions, but in the same way that it's a common question, there's a common way to get out of it as well. Because you can just say, like what I did, which was basically no, and then follow up with, I can see how some people might believe otherwise, but in my case, it's rather straightforward. So in this case, some people might believe so modal verb, believe otherwise, which is another way of saying believes something different, but it's a higher level phrase and collocation, and then but or however, in my case. So for me, another complicated way of saying this. It's rather straightforward. And that's just another way of saying it's rather clear. But instead of clear, we say straightforward, because again, higher level idiomatic expression. And there you go, a general answer for questions about special meanings. You could just say, no, I can see how some might believe otherwise. But in my case, it's rather straightforward. You can't say this for every question, but it's a good one to have. Just in case.

Yeah, yeah. Agree. Also, for example, I've just found an article "Dreaming about snakes". So if you kind of, okay, you are sleeping, and then you see snakes in your dreams, right? So they are kind of a symbol, you can think that oh, they mean something. So for example, the title of the article is mindbodygreen.com. Dreaming about snakes, and then in the text, they have dreaming of snakes. So as we've told you, like two different options are possible about or of. And they go like are you curious about the meanings behind your strange dreams?

I can see how some people might be but in my case, it's rather straightforward.

No but come on like, Rory, like...

I don't care like really. I think that's crazy.

No, but if you see like an elephant, if you see something very strange, like I don't know, a flying elephant in your dream, you're not interested in what it could mean?

I think that's absolutely nuts. And I refuse to entertain the idea. Like, no. So there you go, dear listener, I can see how some people might believe that but in my case, it's rather straightforward. So there you go.

Freud wrote the whole book on dreams, okay? And interpretations. Anyway.

Wasn't he wrong about like everything? But nevermind.

Oh, he made it all up. So...

No, I don't think he made it up. I think he had like, really good intentions, but he, like, I think he was wrong.

And sometimes, and banana is a banana and a cigar is a cigar. Yeah?

Okay, so moving swiftly on.

So people talk about their dreams. And are we fond of listening to their stories?

I can see Oh, some people might be but in my case, it's rather straightforward.

No.

No.

I do not.

No, I don't.

It could be an interesting insight, but no.

But in my case, it's rather straightforward. It's in the same way. Like, instead of saying no to these questions, just be like, I haven't really had the chance, to be honest. So again, we've got to be honest, which is something like a discourse marker, and then I haven't really had the chance. So perfect tense.

And I think a good film., speaking of DiCaprio, because we were talking about Leonardo DiCaprio, "Inception". I think "Inception" is a good one. They kind of fall asleep. But they they said dream and in in a dream in a dream in a dream. And then there are different layers of dreams. So "Inception", go ahead, watch it. DiCaprio forever. So you can share your dreams with others. So you can just like retell your dreams, if you remember them.

But this question is bizarre because I don't know if it's like telling people about your dreams, or if it's having the same dream with other people in it.

Yeah, but it's also kind of "Inception", because in "Inception" film they had the same dream, I think. I might be wrong.

They did. But it's still like, the wording of the question is bizarre.

Yeah.

Which is why you can ask this question, because you could just say like, do you mean this or this? Because if you mean that, then it's this. But if you mean the other thing, then...

Yes. And this is a good strategy. If the question is bizarre and strange. But then do not wait for the examiner to respond. So you go like, if you mean this, blah, blah. But if this, blah, blah. You just answer the question in this way. Rory asked a question, but it's a kind of rhetorical question. Do you mean, do we have the same dreams? Or do I talk to other people about them? And then he gives the answer. The examiner will not answer your questions. Okay?

Yes. You don't interview the examiner. That's like cheating. And also, the examiner, if this is part one, and you ask the examiner question, the examiner is just going to look at you and repeat the question.

Yeah.

Do you share your dreams with others? And you could say, do you mean do we have the same dreams? And then the examiner will just say, do you share your dreams with others? And you'll be like, okay, so this is not gonna be a very interesting conversation.

Yes, in speaking part one, the examiner isn't allowed to rephrase the question, to help you, to answer your questions to chit chat with you, to crack jokes and something like this, right? So the examiner just sticks to the questions. Okay? So even if from the very beginning you say that I never remember any dreams, I don't have dreams. How often do you see dreams? How often do you have dreams? So the questions could be a bit strange. So Rory has a lot of other things on his plate. That's why he's not interested in learning more about dreams, reading Zygmunt Freud, or interpreting his dreams.

So instead of saying, I'm busy, I have a lot of other things on my plate right now.

A very polite way of saying that bugger off.

Or I can see how some people might want to learn this, but in my case, it's rather straightforward. No, I don't want to. What a great, what a great... I'm gonna try and work that into every single episode now. I can see why some people would say but in my case it's rather straightforward.

No. Oh, God. Yes, dear listener, so, again, we did an episode on dreams, please have a listen to this. A long time ago. So find it and have a listen to this. And then to this, so like two episodes about dreams, sleeping.

Can we use that to answer all of the questions that we've had so far?

No, it's gonna be repetitive.

Yes. But if it's repeated, then people will be more likely to remember it. So that's our special thing for this episode. We're going to integrate this into all of the other questions. So can you ask me all of the other questions again? And I'll change the structure slightly, but I'll use the same thing again.

Okay. Do you remember your dreams when you wake up?

I can see why other people might do that. But in my case, it's rather straightforward. No, because I have a terrible memory. Keep going.

Do you think dreams affect life?

I can see why other people might think that. But in my case, it's quite straightforward. No, because I think dreams reflect life, they don't affect them. Keep going.

Do dreams have special meanings?

I can see why some people might believe that. But in my case, it's rather straightforward. I don't think so. I just forget about these things as soon as I wake up.

Do you like listening to other people telling you about their dreams?

I can see why some people might want to do that. But in my case, it's rather straightforward. I haven't really had the chance.

Do you share your dreams with others?

I can see why other people might want to do that. But in my case, it's quite straightforward. I don't really feel like doing that kind of thing.

Do you want to learn about dreams?

I can see why some people might be interested in doing that. But in my case, it's quite straightforward. I've got a lot of things on my plate right now. So I don't have the time.

You see, dear listener, it works, it works. So, yeah, this is a perfect strategy. Doesn't matter what the question is. just answer it like this. Yeah.

Don't do it for like every single one, but at least like one, we should maybe do variations on that. I like the idea. I'm going to try and work it in in the future if I remember. If I forget, then please remind me.

Yeah, I'll remind you.

Well, the listeners can remind me as well, cuz I think that's quite funny. I'm gonna start doing that in real life now as well. Someone's gonna say like, how was your weekend? And I'd be like, I can see why some people might want to talk about that. But in my case, it's quite straightforward. I don't really want to.

Oh, God. Oh, sweet. So dear listener, now, you can listen to Rory's answers again. And this time notice all the vocabulary, interesting grammar structures that Rory has used. This is good for you to, for your memory to remember words, to listen to the answers again. And also, while you're listening, you can repeat everything Rory says, you can play it, stop, repeat, play, stop, repeat. So you can copy Rory's intonation. I wish you to have sweet dreams. Lovely, nice dreams. Maybe in English. Maybe you'll see Rory or me in your dreams. Bye! Rory, say goodbye to the world. Bye!

I can see why some people might want to do that. But in my case, I'd rather... No, I'm kidding. Chao! See you later! Bye! - Make sure to subscribe to our social media to see some of the “behind the scenes” stuff: Our Instagram: bit.ly/instagramswi Our Telegram: bit.ly/telegramswi