📘 Part 3: Migration and urbanization

This episode's vocabulary

Push factors (noun phrase) – conditions that drive people away from a place. → Lack of jobs is one of the major push factors in rural areas.

Pull factors (noun phrase) – conditions that attract people to a new place. → Better career prospects are a common pull factors for city life.

Sheer size (noun phrase) – the large extent or magnitude of something. → Cities offer more opportunities simply due to their sheer size.

Novel experiences (noun phrase) – new and interesting things to try or learn. → Big cities provide access to novel experiences not found in small towns.

Monotonous (adjective) – dull and repetitive. → Life in the countryside can feel monotonous for some people.

Crave (verb) – to strongly desire something. → Many young people crave a faster pace of life.

Change of pace (noun phrase) – a shift to a different speed or style of living. → Moving to the city gave her a welcome change of pace.

Livable (adjective) – suitable or good enough to live in. → Good healthcare and transport make a city more livable.

Stable (adjective) – not likely to change or fail. → A stable food supply is essential in any livable city.

Security (noun) – safety from crime or danger. → Security is a key factor in choosing where to live.

State of nature (noun phrase) – a condition without laws or order. → Without rules, the city could descend into a state of nature.

A stone’s throw (noun phrase) – a very short distance. → Her apartment is just a stone’s throw from the office.

Comfort of your own home (noun phrase) – a familiar and safe home environment. → He prefers watching movies in the comfort of his own home.

Space at a premium (idiom) – very limited and therefore valuable. → In city centres, space is at a premium.

Conducive (to) (adjective) – making something likely or possible. → The climate is not conducive to living in mud huts.

Collapse (verb) – to fall down or fail suddenly. → Poorly built structures may collapse in harsh weather.

Cost of living (noun phrase) – the amount of money needed for basic expenses. → Before moving, check the cost of living in the new city.

Destitute (adjective) – extremely poor, lacking the basic necessities. → Without planning, people can end up destitute after relocating.

Socialise (verb) – to interact with others socially. → Cities offer more opportunities to socialise.

Opportunities for independence (noun phrase) – chances to live and make decisions on your own. → Moving out gave him more opportunities for independence.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Why do many people choose to move to big cities?

Rory: Oh, so there are two groups of factors, generally speaking, push and pull. The push factors are those which make people leave the area they are in, like a lack of jobs and opportunities. And I think it's safe to say that there are more of these in the cities just by virtue of sheer size. However, there are pull factors, too, that draw people in. This could be things like the amount of access to novel experiences in cities. By comparison, country life can be a bit slow and monotonous, and many people might crave a change of pace and scene just because it's interesting.

Maria: What factors make a city livable?

Rory: Well, that's probably a matter of lots of differing opinions, but generally things like a stable food supply, so people don't starve to death, and reasonable security, which means people don't need to worry about being mugged or assaulted randomly. If you don't have those things, and others like them, cities can turn into something like the state of nature, and no one wants to live like that, do they?

Maria: What are the benefits of living close to one's workplace?

Rory: Well, if you're not one for moving around a lot or you like to save time, then I suppose being a stone's throw away might be a handy thing. Getting home from work in a short time, so you can spend time doing the things that you like in the comfort of your own home, could also be another one.

Maria: What kinds of places do people in your country prefer to live in?

Rory: I suppose the main choices are between houses in varying forms, like semi-detached houses or bungalows, or apartments in larger cities, where space is at a premium, and you just have to live on top of other people. I don't think the environment or the climate is conducive to more primitive forms of accommodation, like mud huts or something like that. They would probably collapse in days.

Maria: What should people prepare before they move to a different city?

Rory: Well, it's probably a good idea to at least prepare mentally, so you could investigate the cost of living and find out what the local area has to offer. That way, you won't wind up destitute or bored, or at least you'll find ways of avoiding them.

Maria: Why do many people move from one place to another?

Rory: There are all kinds of reasons. We sort of touched on this when we talked about push and pull factors. Some things will encourage them to leave, like a need for lower prices and opportunities for independence, and others will draw them in, such as having more people to socialise with.

Discussion

Maria: People move to big cities. And here Rory gives a very structured answer. First of all, he says there are two groups of factors. And then he goes like push and pull. And then he explains what he means by push and pull. The push factors…

Rory: They push you away from where you live.

Maria: Yeah. It's like no jobs, and people just leave because they are pushed to go somewhere else because they don't have a job in this city, or they don't have any opportunities to grow. And there are pull factors. Some cities just attract other people, and people are pulled to go there. So they just want to go there by themselves. So certain places draw people in. For example, New York is a lovely place, so people are drawn to this place. So they just go there because they want to move there, they want to live there. Country life, in comparison to city life, could be slow and monotonous. Monotonous, like the same, nothing interesting. And people may crave a change of pace. Pace is like the speed of life. People crave, they want. They have a very strong feeling or wanting of something. Crave is a C2 verb, Band 9 proficiency. For example, people crave attention. Children crave attention. Everybody craves attention, and Vanya, please mute yourself. Or is it Rory typing? Oh, okay. It's you, it's okay, you can type. Vanya can't type.

Rory: Vanya is banned from typing.

Maria: So you can say that people move because they crave a change of pace. And scene, so a change of scenery, a change of views that they see in the city or in the countryside.

Rory: Oh, it's important to point out, a change of scene is also connected to just changing the context of your life as well.

Maria: Right, yeah, yeah, yeah. So people just need a change of scene. They just need to change where they live. Okay? To move from a house to a flat, or from a flat to a house, or to move to a different country. So if a city is livable, you can live there.

Rory: I was thinking about that there. I was like, what makes a city livable?

Maria: Just like, no, but like, come on, like facilities, like good facilities.

Rory: The things that will not kill you.

Maria: Yeah, like there should be food in a city.

Rory: A reduced chance of dying will encourage people to move to a place.

Maria: There is food in this city. Go, you can live there. No, but actually the basic stuff, you're like houses, work, food, and facilities, right? Also, a city should have lots of entertainment opportunities. So theatres, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, swimming pools, sports centres, all the stuff, parks, greenery, right? And like reasonable security as well. A very good idea, Rory. So, a city should have a reasonable security system so people don't worry about being mugged. Mugged is when...

Rory: Well, that's when someone assaults you and steals your money.

Maria: Yeah. This is a special word to mean a crime. So, to mug is to attack a person in a public place and steal their money. So it's important that a person is attacked in public, right? For example, he's mugged in broad daylight. Or people should not worry of being assaulted. So if a person is assaulted, they are attacked. It's a violent attack. Assault is a C2 level. Band 9 proficiency.

Rory: Is it?

Maria: Yeah.

Rory: Oh, wow. Okay.

Maria: An assault on a police officer. So a violent attack.

Rory: I remember teaching this at like upper-intermediate level.

Maria: Yeah. So it's proficiency. And we usually say like an assault on something, somebody. Cities can turn into something like the state of nature. So cities can turn into, they can change and become something. So a city can turn into a nice place to live. What do you mean by the state of nature? What is it? It's a name?

Rory: Oh, the state of nature is something from philosophy. So for context, I am reading a lot right now about, sort of, the influences of indigenous peoples on European thought. And so one of these things was talking about the state of nature, where there is no overarching control. There is no state to enforce any rules. And the idea is that because this doesn't exist, there will be just the sort of war against all where everyone is fighting each other. And life is generally miserable. Nasty, brutish and short is the idea. Of course, there are alternative views of the state of nature, but I'm implying this when I'm talking here. And for that, I thank my good friend, Lena Khalkova, who gave me a book on this topic, which I like to read. Honestly, people, if you want to improve your vocabulary, just read a lot about different topics.

Maria: Read books, watch YouTube, stop scrolling, drink…

Rory: Water…

Maria: See? Life is very simple! Oh, listen to our podcast. So people sometimes live close to their workplace. So my workplace, a place where I work. If you work at home, it's beautiful, so you live at work. Or some people move around. So people have to move around a lot. They commute to work. They travel to work. They have to get to work by metro, by bus. And my house can be at a stone's throw away from my office. So it's an idiom. A stone's throw. But Rory, how do we use it in a sentence? Because there are different phrases.

Rory: Well, you could say it's a stone's throw or a stone's throw away from something. For example, my house is probably something like a stone's throw away from the shops. Because they're just up the road.

Maria: And it's an idiom, which means a very short distance. So you can just take a stone, throw it, and there you go. And usually we say, my flat is just a stone's throw from the sea. So very close to the sea. Or, is your house away from your work? No, it's only a stone's throw away. C2. It's a proficiency Band 9.

Rory: Is it?

Maria: A stone's throw, yeah. So you see, you can say that being a stone's throw away from your workplace might be handy, useful. In the comfort of your own home is another great phrase. So, pretty much like doing something at home and being comfortable there.

Rory: I think that's it. That’s just a fancy way of saying that it makes life easier for everybody.

Maria: Rory, tell me, why didn't you use an article? You said, like, good question, but you didn't say a good question. So why not?

Rory: I suppose it's an example of ellipsis. We don't really need this expression if we understand what is being spoken about.

Maria: And people live in different houses. Or you can say that the choices are between houses in varying forms. So in different forms. And then, for example, like semi-detached houses, bungalows, flats, apartments, houses, and townhouses. So these are different kinds of houses.

Rory: I couldn't think of any more.

Maria: Well, pretty much it, yeah. Like cottages, flats, expensive flats, modern flats, new flats. Some people prefer to live on top of other people. What do you mean on top of other people? Like on the highest floors?

Rory: They live literally on top of each other. So, for example, I live on the third floor of my apartment building. So I live on top of the people who are below me.

Maria: And some people live on a boat. Or people used to live in some mud huts. Or still, there are people who live in houses made out of mud. Mud is this, you know, this ground which is wet. Mud. So people make their houses from mud. And they live there. And Rory says that the environment may not be conducive to an accommodation made from mud. So our environment or climate may not be suitable for living outside, for example.

Rory: I feel like most environments are like that, to be honest.

Maria: And like in your country, do all people live in flats and houses? Or some people are poor and they live outside?

Rory: Well, there are communities of travellers, for example. And they will live in caravans. But that's a negligible proportion of the population. I think it would be less than half a percent, to be honest with you. It's not many people. But of course, the caravans that they live in are designed in a similar manner to homes here, as far as I'm aware. So I don't think it's that much of a departure from what's normal, to be honest with you. They just move around.

Maria: People move to a different city or a different country. And they should be prepared to move. And we say, like, people move house. So they move from one flat to another flat. Or just people move. And this means that they change their house or the country they live in. And first of all, people should investigate the cost of living. They find out more about the local area. And this is how they will not wind up destitute. So destitute is a super word which means poor. Like, without any house. Like, without money, food or a home. Destitute. So you kind of do your research. And you won't end up destitute. Or wind up destitute. So you won't find yourself without money, food or a house. When the examiner asks you a question why, you can say all kinds of reasons. And then you name the reasons. Maybe, like, two or three reasons. And if you have already said something like this, you can say, I've touched on this already. Or I've touched on this already when I talked about blah-blah-blah. For example, in the first answer, Rory told us about the push and pull factors. A super educated answer. And in this answer, Rory refers the examiner back to this idea. He says, we sort of touched on this when we talked about push and pull factors. And he also engages the examiner. He doesn't say, I touched upon, so I talked about this one. I mentioned this topic. But we, like, we together with the examiner, you know, like friends. Give me a Band 9.

Rory: It's a conversation. It's supposed to involve the other person.

Maria: Yeah, like, you are manipulating the examiner, Rory. You kind of say, oh, like, we're together, you know, like, come on. Yeah, it's a very good idea to engage the examiner.

Rory: We're together. And together you will give me my Band 9 score.

Maria: Exactly. Exactly. See? Psychological pressure. So, it's a very good idea to say, we sort of touched on this when we talked about push and pull factors. And Rory adds some more ideas about the reasons why people move. So, some things encourage people to leave. Like, high prices. They want lower prices. They want more people to socialise with. Socialise, like, to talk, to communicate. Yeah, or they just need a change of scene. Right, dear listener, thank you so much for listening. Your head is now full of Band 9, C2 vocabulary and grammar. Okay? Make sure you read the script, you choose the super grammar for you, and you choose nice phrases, words, collocations, idioms, and phrasal verbs. For your IELTS speaking. Okay?

Rory: And we'll see you next time. Bye!

Maria: Bye!

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