📕 Part 1: Noise

This episode's vocabulary

Intrusive (adj.) - affecting someone in a way that annoys them and makes them feel uncomfortable.

Jolt (verb) - to (cause something or someone to) move suddenly and violently.

Commute (verb) - to make the same journey regularly between work and home.

Clatter (verb) - to make continuous loud noises by hitting hard objects against each other, or to cause objects to do this.

Grunt (verb) - (of a person) to make a short, low sound instead of speaking, usually because of anger or pain.

Despise (verb) - to feel a strong dislike for someone or something because you think that that person or thing is bad or has no value.

Go off (phrasal verb) - if a device goes off, it starts to ring loudly or make a loud noise.

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Questions and Answers

M: Do you mind different noises Rory?

R: Not if they are overly intrusive, no. Of course, something like a loud bang will give anyone quite a fright or jolt them out of whatever they're doing. But generally, I'm quite good at filtering out distractions.

M: What types of noise do you come across in your daily life?

R: Well, I teach kids so screaming and loud chattering are quite common from day to day. And during the commute there are the normal traffic signs. I suppose lastly at the gym, there's the usual clattering, crashing and grunting as people go about their routines as well.

M: Are there any sounds that you like?

R: The sound of silence? I am not sure, actually. Uh, possibly... Oh, I know, the sound the printer makes when it gets ready to print, although that's just reassuring that it's working. I quite like the sound of the sea and gentle crashing of the waves. That's quite pleasant, isn't it?

M: Which sounds do you dislike?

R: Like most people I don't like it when I'm being talked over. So any interruption like that is always a bother. As as anything loud and distracting. Smashing glass is another one. And then there are sounds like nails being dragged across a blackboard that gives you goose bumps.

M: Disgusting. Even just talking about it. Describe a noisy place that annoys you.

R: Um, the modern languages department at school gets quite low when grade five are acting up. And I really despise that since it means someone isn't doing their job or looking after them, and that usually means they'll get up to no good. Oh, and any cinema in Russia. I lose people talking at the theater and it seems to be like a feature of Russian cinemas for some reason.

M: Do you think there's too much noise in modern society?

R: Uh, generally, yes. It's harder to remove yourself from distractions these days. There are always phones going off or some other sort of excess noise, maybe from building work, for example. That's probably a side effect of a growing population, increased levels of development and the invention of new technologies.

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Discussion

M: Rory, thank you so much for your noisy answers. Yeah. Are there any noises that people make is that you don't like?

R: Farting.

M: I was waiting for that. So, noises. Noises in the dark. We, first of all say that people make noises, we make noises. All right? Yep, yep. And some noises are intrusive.

R: Yeah, so this intrusive, it means it's disturbing you and preventing you from focusing on what it is you're supposed to be doing.

M: So the noises such as loud bangs. So a loud bang, something like...

R: Yes.

M: Like that. So, yeah, a loud bang, somebody banging on the wall or on the door. Jolt them out. So these loud bangs could jolt people out of something.

R: It's a good phrasal verb, isn't it?

M: It is.

R: So if you're jolted out something, it means you're suddenly stopped from doing whatever it was you were doing.

M: Yeah. Jolt you out. Right. But you can filter out distractions.

R: Yes.

M: Filter something out.

R: Another good result verb, which means you just remove them from whatever process is you're doing.

M: Yeah. You can say I'm OK with different noises because I'm good at filtering out distractions. Yeah. And then, dear listener, that you should use specific noises, specific words of noises, for example, screaming and loud chattering when people, you know, chatter, they speak, they talk, they chat. So chatter.

R: Clattering, crashing, grunting.

M: And also you can be exposed to traffic sounds. So normal traffic sounds on your commute. Commute - when you go from your home to work, you commute. On your daily commute there are normal traffic sounds. Rory's favorite sound is the sound of silence.

R: Yes, although I was kind of joking there. What does silence sound like, Rory? Just wait.

M: Then he enjoys the sound of the sea. So this gentle crashing of the waves.

R: And that's what waves do. They crash. Like pshhh.

M: But sometimes noises could be a bother. Yeah. So people are bothered by different noises. Oh, such a bother. Like annoying. Yeah, distracting. They're loud. For example, smashing glass. Like Rory doesn't like smashing glass.

R: Nails being dragged across the chalkboard .

M: Nooo.

R: Because it gives you goose bumps. Oh goose bumps. Are these small bumps that appear in your skin when you have the. Are you quite finished?

M: Yes.

R: Goose bumps are these small bumps that appear on your skin when you are uncomfortable to hot, to cold, nervous, being electrocuted. All of these things.

M: Yeah, goose bumps. It gives me goose bumps.

R: Noises can be loud. And so can people, especially when they are acting up. Acting up, meaning misbehaving. And if you want to know more about phrasal verbs with up, then you should check out our Podcourse about phrasal verbs.

M: Yeah, 15 glasses with quality phrasal verbs with examples. We laugh, we crack jokes. Yes. So do check it out. It's worth it. So when you talk about a noisy place that annoys you. You can talk about cinemas, because really people do make strange noises in the cinema and they talk out loud and they make comments, they use foul language.

R: Imagine not using foul language. Who would do that?

M: Oh, yeah. Once I had it, we went to the movies and then this lady, she would just curse out loud commenting pretty much like, I'm not joking. I was flabbergasted. OK?

R: Are you sure it was not just me?

M: So, and she would make these horrible comments in Russian using Russian curse words. Horrible. All the time. Yeah. So our phones can go off.

R: That just means it starts to ring. Bones can go off. A bomb can go off.

M: Alarms. Yeah. Alarms. I hate the noise of my alarm. Well, alarm clock in the morning.

R: You should change it.

M: Yeah I changed it and then I started hating the new one and then I changed it again and then the cycles starts...

R: It's the circle of pain. Anyway, we hope that you enjoyed our noise about making noises. Make some noise.

M: Oh we didn't talk about animal noises. Oh. What do mice do?

R: They die because I poison them.

M: What do pigs do?

R: Also die because I poison them.

M: Thank you very much for listening. We hope it was noisy enough for you, so we made some noise.

R: Make sure you give us a review with five stars on Instagram and all of the other places that we are.

M: On Instagram? No. On Apple podcast.

R: Yes, you can give five stars on Instagram. Like you put five stars in the comments section.

M: Oh, make some noise in the comments section.

R: I'm going to do that. I'm going to start a trend.

V: Just say Apple podcast, Rory.

R: No, no, I will not say Apple podcast. Bye!

M: Bye!

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