📕 Part 1: Views

This episode's vocabulary

Urban (adj) – relating to a town or city. → *Do you prefer views of urban or rural areas?*

Rural (adj) – relating to the countryside rather than the town. → *If I had to choose, it would be rural ones.*

Unforgettable (adj) – impossible to forget; very memorable. → *What unforgettable views have you seen?*

Spectacular (adj) – extremely beautiful or exciting. → *You could see the galaxy at night, and that was pretty spectacular.*

Not fussed (idiom) – not worried or concerned about something; having no strong preference. → *I'm not fussed to be honest, I'm just happy to have something nice to look at.*

On a par with (idiom) – equal or similar in quality or standard to. → *There are great sites in lots of countries, but they're on a par with those in Scotland.*

Memorable (adj) – worth remembering or easily remembered, because of being special. → *I've taken photos in some of the more memorable places.*

Scenery (n) – the general appearance of the natural features of a place. → *No one wants to be surrounded by terrible scenery, do they?*

Breathtaking (adj) – so beautiful or surprising that it takes your breath away. → *We can say breathtaking spectacular scenery or breathtaking views.*

Fussy (adj) – not easily satisfied, or having very high standards about particular things. → *I'm fussy about hotels. I'm fussy about the views.*

Choosy (adj) – difficult to please because you will only accept what you want. → *I'm very choosy about my views.*

Block the view (phrase) – to be in front of something, so that you cannot see it. → *The joke is that the mountains are the view, but they also blocked the view of what's behind them.*

Questions and Answers

Maria: Do you prefer views of urban or rural areas?

Rory: I don't mind either really, and I've seen a lot of both. If I have to choose one though, I suppose it would be rural ones, just because I don't see them very often nowadays, so it would be nice to have more of that in my life.

Maria: What unforgettable views have you seen?

Rory: Oh, plenty. When I lived in Timor, we didn't have any street lighting. So you could see not only the stars, but also the galaxy at night, and that was pretty spectacular. I've also been up and down all kinds of mountains and high places around the world, so I've enjoyed the views from them. My favorite was in a place called Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. You can look out over the whole city from the Citadel there. It's apparently over 5,000 years old, which makes sense given how huge and old looking it is.

Maria: Do you prefer views in your own country or in other countries?

Rory: I'm not fussed to be honest. But usually, I'm usually just happy to have something nice to look at. There were some great sites to see in lots of countries, but they're on a par with those in Scotland, though I suppose it might be a bit warmer elsewhere.

Maria: Do you like taking pictures of different views?

Rory: I think I've must have taken one or two photos when I've been in some of the more memorable places or places I want to remember. But it's more for the memory and less for the view. So the focus will be more on the people I'm with or whatever we're doing at the time.

Maria: Do you enjoy visiting places with beautiful views?

Rory: Doesn't everyone? No one wants to be surrounded by terrible scenery, do they? Though that's not the main reason I'll be in any given place. It's more for the people or the events there rather than anything related to the surroundings.

Discussion

Maria: Right, dear listener. So, views. Views of the city, of nature, and we can talk about scenery. Okay? Scenery is actually one of the IELTS speaking part one topics.

Rory: We've talked about scenery before.

Maria: Yeah, like countryside, nature, the natural environment. And we say breathtaking spectacular scenery, nature, or breathtaking views. Breathtaking, like they take your breath away. They are so fantastic. You open the window and you see beautiful mountains and you go, wow, it's like, they take your breath away. Fantastic views, breathtaking views. Views could be rural views or urban views. Can we say that?

Rory: Well, I think so. You definitely see things in cities, so...

Maria: Yeah, so everything about cities, we call them urban, urban areas, urban places because urban is about cities. Rural areas, about the countryside. So rural areas, in the countryside, in nature, or urban. I prefer both. I prefer urban views and rural views. Or views of nature, views of cities. But if I have to choose, I suppose it'll be... If I had to choose, it would be rural ones. Ones like views. Or if I had to choose one, it would be urban ones, urban views. Unforgettable views, you can't forget them, they are so amazing. So breathtaking views, fantastic views, spectacular views, the same, fantastic, spectacular. Like, wow. And Rory talked about his trip to Timor when he saw breathtaking views of, of what? Of mountains?

Rory: Of the galaxy.

Maria: Of the galaxy, like stars and stuff. He saw different planets and a lot of stars. That was pretty spectacular. Like, whoa, I saw the stars. And Rory used super grammar here with not only.

Rory: Did I?

Maria: Yeah, you connected the ideas well with not only.

Rory: How? Where? When?

Maria: I could see not only the stars, but the galaxy at night. I've also been up and down all kinds of mountains. You see, present perfect, because you've seen it and the question is, have you seen any unforgettable views? Dear listener, here you can lie, just talk about mountains. Talk about stars at night, okay? Say, okay, once I went to, is it the Everest or Everest?

Rory: Just Everest.

Maria: I've enjoyed the views of the sea, of Everest, volcanoes. There we go. Even if you haven't seen them. I prefer views in my country or I prefer views in other countries. Rory says, I am not fussed to be honest. Like, I'm not fussed about it. It's not important for me. I just like nice views. I'm not fussed about it. It's an idiom.

Rory: Is it?

Maria: Yeah, kind of like, I'm satisfied with any view. Kind of like they ask you, oh, would you like cola or Fanta? I'm not fussy. I'm not fussed about it. I don't care. Just give me both.

Rory: And that would be important when you're asked these kinds of questions. If you are a person like me, and you're just happy to be there, happy to be invited, then you could say, I'm not fussed, I'm not bothered, or I don't mind either. These will be good answers. Sometimes people think you must give a definite answer to these questions. But other times, you just don't mind. You're a very happy person.

Maria: Right, Rory, but if I am fussed, what do I say?

Rory: I don't know. I can't help you, Maria. I'm not a person that's fussed.

Maria: What about can I say I'm picky? I'm choosy.

Rory: Ooh, you're picky. Yes. So, what could it be here? I'm very fussy about the scenery, the views. If you're this kind of person, congratulations, you have no real problems in life.

Maria: Yeah, but the fussy is to be not easily satisfied, and it's negative, but it's C2. Fussy is C2. There we go. Right, dear listener, so if Rory, Rory is not fussed about it, but I am. See, I'm very choosy about my views. I choose the hotel thoroughly. I need a good view, I need a good bed, I need good food, I'm very choosy. Because I've done things in life, so now I want comfort, beauty, and style. After 30 years of not having these things.

Rory: Thirty years of hard work, Maria needs a rest.

Maria: Sleeping on the stones, sleeping outside, that's it. I'm not doing it anymore. So, to be fussy, C2, band nine, not easily satisfied or having very high standards. For example, a fussy eater. So you eat food and you have high standards. So I'm fussy about hotels. I'm fussy about the views. Right? But also you can say choosy, right, Rory?

Rory: Yes.

Maria: For example.

Rory: Well, you could say I'm quite choosy about the kinds of views that I have from where I live, or I'm not very choosy if you're not fussed.

Maria: And if the examiner asks you do you prefer this or that? You can say, oh, I'm not fussed to be honest or actually I'm fussy about something. You take pictures of different views. I enjoy taking pictures of scenery, of people. So you don't make pictures, no, no, no, no, no, you take pictures of people, of nature, of beautiful scenery. And here you can say, oh, yeah, I've taken many photos of memorable places. Memorable places that you can remember. It's more for the memory, just for me to remember these views. I enjoy places or areas with beautiful views. Again, beautiful. The examiner says beautiful, but you say, oh, I enjoy breathtaking views, I enjoy spectacular views, I enjoy fantastic views. I enjoy places surrounded by breathtaking scenery. And then you lie about...

Rory: And then the lying can begin.

Maria: Yeah, yeah, then kind of, oh, I enjoy the views of deserts and mountains and the Pacific Ocean, the Himalayas. And, dear listener, now we are ready for the joke. So, the joke is, did you enjoy your trip to the Swiss Alps? Yes, it was amazing. Did you enjoy the views? No. Why not? The mountains blocked the view. Funny. Not funny, dear listener. Rory, explain the joke. Will you?

Rory: The mountains in Switzerland are famous because they look beautiful, but of course, they're very big, so they will stop you from seeing other things. So the person is saying, the view ruined the view.

Maria: The mountains blocked the view. Yay. Thank you very much for listening. We'll get back to you in our next episode, okay? Bye.

Rory: Bye.