📙 Part 2: Describe a contest you would like to participate in

This episode's vocabulary

Сaber (noun) - a long, heavy wooden pole that is thrown as a test of strength in traditional sports competitions in Scotland.

Tossing - (= throwing) the caber.

Shot put (noun) - a sports competition in which a heavy metal ball is thrown from the shoulder as far as possible.

Modicum (noun) - a small amount of something good such as truth or honesty.

Twist someone's arm (idiom) - to persuade someone to do something they do not want to do.

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Questions and Answers

M: Today, Rory is going to describe a contest he would like to participate in. A contest - like a competition. He's going to say what the contest is about, where the contest will take place, when will it be held, and he's going to explain why he'd like to participate in this contest. Rory, are you ready, Rory? Ready, Rory?

R: Let's get this contest on the road.

M: Yeah.

R: I think it'll never happen. But if I had to choose from one of the limited set of competitions on offer in my country, then it would probably be the Highland Games, which, at least from what I can see, is a massive test of throwing things and people around. This is just a huge strength demonstration competition, really. I used to think that there was only one event every year, but it turns out there's one or at least one in just about every region in the north of Scotland. And at different times of the year. Though, summer is the most popular period because of the nicer weather. Some places in North America even have them, I think, what was also a surprise for me, to be honest with you, when I started finding out things about this. You can do different sports there, like caber tossing. That's when you have to hurl a tree trunk or a log as far as you can. And there are other weight-throwing activities like I think shot putting is one and hammer throwing. Apparently, all of these are called heavy events. I make it sound like a lot of big guys just throwing stuff around and while it's a significant part of it, there are other things to do there as well that are related to dance and traditional music from the Highlands. So there's lots of people with bagpipes, for example. And there are local tourist attractions and information events. So that makes every regional event unique to the area where it is. For example, in Inverness, which is a town in the north and around there, there will be a lot of information or displays about Loch Ness and the Loch Ness monster, but that's unique to that particular area. Elsewhere, there will be other things which are more unique to those places. To be honest, even though I've talked about that there, I doubt I'd be very good at it. But I think it's just about the only sporting event in Scotland I would even have a modicum of success in. Since I've had at least a little bit of experience with lifting and comparatively little experience with any other sport, plus I don't really know of any others and the task is twisting my arm a bit here, so hopefully, that satisfies the requirements.

M: And what about your friends and family? Do they enjoy this contest?

R: I haven't actually heard of any of them going, to be honest.

M: Thank you for your answer!

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Discussion

M: Oh, such a Scottish answer... Highland Games. Yeah. Would you really like to participate? Come on, Rory.

R: I basically said in the task, that's what it... The task is twisting my arm. That just means that it's making me talk about something I don't really want to talk about. If I were adequately prepared, then I would. But I'm really not.

M: Yeah. And, dear listener, you can just Google Highland Games. So high and land, one word, games. And just look at the pictures. So go to Google Images, type in Highland Games and look at those men in kilts, throwing stuff, and dancing, and women in kilts throwing stuff. Whoa! it's just amazing! Oh, and when are the games this year? It says, like summer. Spring, summer?

R: Yeah, they happen, they're unique to every region. I thought it was just a one-time thing, but it's not. They happen all over the place and at different times of year.

M: Yeah. So this is a specific contest. So contest means competition. And, dear listener, now you can think about what you're gonna be speaking about. Maybe you can talk about the Olympic Games, you know, why not? So, yeah, I would like to participate in the Olympic Games, in the Summer Olympics or in the Winter Olympics, and then you choose a sport that you like, I don't know, skiing or what else do they have? Skating? Summer Olympics swimming. So you can talk about the Olympics. What other competitions can our listeners talk about? You can talk about Highland Games in Scotland. Go ahead. What kind of other competitions, in general, do we have in the world?

R: The Olympics.

M: The Olympics. Yes, it's just the Olympics.

R: No, it's not just the Olympics. There's the Olympics, the World Cup. There's like pro weightlifting events.

M: Local competitions, maybe, I don't know. Some local competitions.

R: Ultimate fighting championship.

M: Yeah, maybe like dancing competition that you have at your gym.

R: Just thinking about UFC, there's absolutely no chance at all that you would ever see me anywhere near that ring.

M: Oh, if, for example, you go to a gym and then at the gym, they may have some competitions. Like who can, what, do the most sit-ups?

R: They do have that, don't they? I remember going to a Russian gym once and there was this guy wandering around asking people if they wanted to compete. And I was like, absolutely not. I'm the smallest person in here. What am I going to compete in? Who can be the shortest person?

M: Charisma. No, charisma. You just stand there, you know, and just like shine with your charisma. And then okay, yeah. I win. Charisma competition. Yes. So, dear listener, please, again, the topic is just a contest, a competition you would like to participate. So here, just think about the future. You know, Olympic Games. Even if you're sure that you will never, ever get in the Olympic Games, you can say that. Rory, tell me, can our listener talk about a marathon? Is a marathon a competition?

R: It is.

M: A contest.

R: But I don't like running. I hate like organised sports.

M: But again, many people are fond of running and they might want to participate in a marathon or half a marathon. Running. So go ahead and talk about that. Why not? And then Rory started, if I had to choose one, I'd probably choose the Highland Games. Right? So you can start, like really, I don't like competitions, but if I had to choose one contest, I'd choose the Olympic Games, for example. So, and then you describe the contest itself. So Rory said it's a massive test of throwing things and people around.

R: Maybe that's not the best description, to be honest. It's just like...

M: That's funny.

R: Well, people throw things around, but also they have tug of war there as well. So that's kind of like, well, it's not throwing people around. That's more like pulling people around.

M: Dear listener, you should just go and look at the pictures. Really. They are fascinating.

R: I swear that we're a modern, civilised Western country. Doesn't always come across.

M: Whoa, and these like guys, you know, massive guys throwing massive stuff. Wow, spectacular. Yeah. And then Rory said it's just a massive strength competition. So they compete like how strong they are. Right? So it's a huge event. Again, if you talk about the Olympics. Well, read a couple of things about the Olympic Games and you can describe them. It turns out there is a game in just about every region. Right? So they are held in every region in Scotland. Or you can say they take place every year in my country, or they are held in my local gym. They take place in my local gym, for example. And then Rory said summer is the most popular period. Or, I don't know, winter is the most popular period for these competitions. Maybe it's a swimming competition in the frozen lake under water. You know...

R: That sounds like much more of a Russian thing.

M: Yeah, I'm thinking, like, yeah, some Russian people would do that. But no, no, no, we don't compete in frozen water swimming under the ice. No, no. We usually, usually we don't do this. And then Rory described different sports. So you can do different sports. We do different sports like caber tossing. And here, dear listener, like you just need to Google caber tossing. So you can read our script and find this caber tossing. Caber is this massive kind of a tree. They throw a tree. Can you imagine a massive, strong Scottish guy in a kilt throwing a tree?

R: At you.

M: At you...

R: No.

M: Oh, boy. Yeah. So it's called caber. Caber tossing. Tossing is like when you throw things. And this is something very specific. Right? Again, depending on the competition you are describing, you need to use specific vocabulary. Rory said you have to hurl a tree trunk or a log. Right? So a tree trunk is the trunk of a tree or they sometimes call it logs. Logs are used so when you make a fire, so you put logs into the fire. And then weight-throwing activities. Weight-throwing? What weights do they throw? Do they throw people?

R: I don't think so. But I think they do things like shot potting, which is when you have a giant ball of metal and you throw that. That's actually an Olympic sport, I think. Discus and hammer throwing in particular is an event at the Highland Show.

M: Yeah.

R: Highland Games, I should say.

M: Can only Scottish people take place? Can kind of a foreigner take part in the Highland Games?

R: I think as long as you live in the local area, it's fine. Because they have them in North America, so I don't think you have to be Scottish to do that.

M: Mhm. So you see, specific language, weight-throwing activities, hurl a tree trunk. Like a typical Scottish day. Hey! They just throw some trees.

R: Let's just go and throw a tree trunk at somebody.

M: Yeah. So they're kind like called heavy events. Yeah, heavy events. With a lot of big guys just throwing stuff around. It's amazing. It's really spectacular. Have you ever been? Have you seen it like in real life, Rory?

R: No, but then it doesn't really happen in my part of the country. However, it's common where I'm going to live. So I will probably see them later on, either this year or maybe next year.

M: Nice. Take photos. Yay.

R: I will.

M: Make sure they don't throw you around. And also, you said there are dance, music events and they are local tourist attractions. So like tourists go there to see massive Scottish guys. And there'll be a lot of information about the Loch Ness Monster. Hey! Yeah, so the usual, yeah? Kilts, massive Scottish guys, Loch Ness Monster, whisky later. Yeah. So... And then Rory said, to be honest, I doubt I'd be very good at it. So if I had to choose, I'd choose this competition. I doubt I'd be very good at it. So it's fine to admit that well. I will, you know, mess it up big time.

R: But there are people that do this professionally for a living. I sit and talk about language all day, so that's fair.

M: And what was the word you used? A modicum? A modicum of success?

R: Ah, okay. Right. Well, like this expression is like should have even a modicum of success. So it's like, like a little bit of success, you know, you'd be able to maybe, you might not win, but you would be able to complete the task.

M: Hmm. So just a little bit of success, a modicum of success?

R: Yeah.

M: Just a bit of success. Wow. Nice. You can say I've had some experience with lifting or I've had some experience with swimming. A little experience. I've had very little experience. So I doubt I'd be really good at it. Yeah. And I don't really know if I twist my arm. You can talk about injuries that you might have during these competitions. I probably, I... I could twist my arm or break my bones. Yeah...

R: Well, actually, what I meant was the task was twisting my arm cause it was forcing me to think of something that I wouldn't really like.

M: Oh, yeah, yeah. So the task is twisting my arm. So this IELTS task, this IELTS prompt is twisting my arm, because, really, I don't want to take part in any competition. And yeah, leave me alone.

R: But now we're not going to leave me alone. We're going to talk about competitions even more.

M: In speaking part three, we're gonna come back with more competitions. So stay tuned.

R: Great!

M: Bye!

R: Bye!

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