📘 Part 3: Novels and reading

This episode's vocabulary

Plot line (noun) – the main story of a book, film, or play. → Novels with simple plot lines are easier to adapt into films.

Convoluted (adj) – extremely complex and difficult to follow. → A convoluted story takes more effort to adapt for the screen.

Put your finger on something (idiom) – to identify or understand something exactly. → I can’t quite put my finger on why printed books are still so popular.

E-reader (noun) – a device for reading digital books. → Some people prefer using an e-reader, but others prefer print.

Childish (adj) – immature or silly, often in a negative way. → Some people think games are childish, so they prefer books.

Mechanics (noun) – the rules or system behind how something works, especially in games. → If the game mechanics aren’t engaging, people might not play them.

Self-contained (adj) – complete in itself and not dependent on other material. → Novels are usually self-contained stories.

Language use (noun) – the way language is spoken or written. → The language use in older novels is often outdated.

Phrase (noun) – a small group of words with a particular meaning. → Some phrases in old books are no longer used today.

Pick up (phrasal verb) – to resume something after a pause. → Readers can pick up the book where they left off.

En masse (adv) – all together, in a large group. → Technology allows us to print books en masse.

Accessible (adj) – easy to obtain or understand. → E-books have made reading more accessible to many people.

Background information (noun) – facts that help you understand something better. → The internet helps writers find background information for stories.

Special effects (noun) – visual tricks used in films to simulate imaginary events. → Special effects help make stories more engaging in films.

Proportionally (adv) – in relation to the whole. → Proportionally, fewer people might be reading even if numbers grow.

Genre (noun) – a category or type of artistic work, like mystery, sci-fi, or romance. → Mystery novels are a very popular genre.

Narrative (noun) – the structured story or account of events. → A strong narrative helps keep readers interested.

Engrossing (adj) – very interesting and completely absorbing. → The novel was so engrossing I read it in one sitting.

Foreshadow (verb) – to hint at future events in a story. → The author foreshadows the ending in the first chapter.

Suspense (noun) – a feeling of excitement or anxiety about what will happen next. → Mystery novels rely heavily on suspense.

Questions and Answers

Maria: What kinds of novels are suitable for a film adaptation?

Rory: Well, I suppose the easiest ones are those with simple plot lines and just a few characters and settings that don't rely on a tonne of special effects. That could be relatively easy to put together compared to something with loads and loads of characters or a convoluted story, since that takes a lot of time, money and effort.

Maria: Do most people prefer to read e-books or printed books?

Rory: Well, probably most people prefer printed books. And the reason I say that is just because they haven't gone away. In fact, there seem to be more printed books than ever. I can't quite put my finger on why. Possibly there's just something about being able to hold the physical copy and turn the pages that people quite like. You probably wouldn't get that same feeling with something on a tablet or an e-reader.

Maria: Why do some people prefer reading novels to playing computer games in this digital world?

Rory: I don't see why they can't do both, depending on their mood, really. Though I suppose they might just not see the point in playing games if there's nothing to learn from them, or if they seem childish in their view. There also just might not be any games with stories or mechanics they find engaging. Certainly not all gamers like games, so that makes sense.

Maria: Is there any difference between the popular novels now and those in the past?

Rory: Well, they're still relatively self-contained fictional pieces of writing, so I don't think the format has changed much, though possibly the language use in some of them might have changed over the years. In fact, it definitely will have, since there are some words and phrases we don't use anymore. But that's more about the content than the actual novels themselves, I suppose.

Maria: Why are mystery novels so popular nowadays?

Rory: They are? Well, I suppose people might like the thrill of reading about and trying to solve some sort of mysterious situation, and it could help make things memorable for people if they put the book down and pick it up again from time to time. They can follow on from where they left off.

Maria: How does technology help people tell stories?

Rory: It's pretty much limitless, isn't it? For example, it allows us to print things en masse, which makes things more accessible. And that could also be helped by the internet, which just about anyone can use to find out background information, to add depth to a story being told. And then from the perspective of filmmaking, special effects can engage audiences further in the plot and the action they're trying to follow. If they didn't have that, they might get bored.

Maria: And do you think more people will read in the future?

Rory: I would imagine so. I mean, in absolute terms, the population is increasing, so there will be more people reading. Although I don't know how much time they will spend reading. So proportionally speaking, it might go down if they're not spending the time. But I don't know enough about that to say for sure.

Discussion

Maria: So novels could be adapted into films. And novels with simple plot lines. A plot line is the story of the book. We kind of use the word the plot itself. The plot or the plot line. The story of a book or a film. And a plot line could be predictable, original, ridiculous, stupid. Kind of like the storyline. And a few characters. So people who we read about are called characters in a film or in a book. They're not people, they're characters. Like Harry Potter is a character. Settings. When we talk about settings, we mean where the film is set. In Paris, in New York. Or where the book is set. Like the time and place where the action takes place in a book, film or play. The setting. And if a book has loads of characters. So like many characters. Or a convoluted story. Convoluted? Convolutatory?

Rory: Well, convoluted could mean a lot of things. I personally think it means it's difficult to follow. Convoluted means like very twisted, complex. For example, convoluted grammar explanations are difficult to understand. You don't understand things. So a novel should have a simple plotline rather than a convoluted story. People read e-books, electronic books or printed books. Rory, do we have any other synonyms to printed books? Like paper books?

Rory: Paperbacks, maybe? But that's one with a flexible cover rather than a rigid one. That's a hardback. And that's not really about the material that it's made from. Non-electronic books.

Maria: There you go. And people might find printed stuff easier to read. Because you can kind of have the book in your hands. You can hold it, you can feel it. And if you're not sure, you can say that I can't quite put my finger on it. Like, why do people do this? I don't know. I can't put my finger on it. It's an idiom. Band 9 idioms. Put your finger on something is to discover the exact reason why a situation is the way it is. Especially when something is wrong. It's C2, Band 9. For example, there's something odd about him. There's something strange about him. But I can't quite put my finger on it. I don't know. So if the examiner asks you why do people... Or what's the reason, you say: I can't quite put my finger on it. And Rory, could you read it nicely? Where do you have the stress? Which words do you stress here?

Rory: Well, what would it be? I can't quite put my finger on it. So...

Maria: On it. You see, on it is stressed.

Rory: Yeah.

Maria: Because usually it's on the table. It's on the table. Not on the table, but he's got on it. And you can say that it's just there's something about being able to hold a physical copy. So a physical copy of a book. So when you hold this printed book in your hand, there's something special about it. You turn the pages. You know, when we have this beautiful sound. I'll take my IELTS book, of course. Mmm. Ah, smells IELTS. Yum, yum, yum. I have only IELTS books in my library, dear listener. Yeah. No, joking. I have other books too. But lots of IELTS books. And it's a different feeling from reading on a tablet or on your phone or using an e-reader. People prefer reading novels to computer games. So I prefer reading to playing computer games. Or some people prefer reading to playing or playing computer games to reading. And it depends on people's mood. Everything depends on people's mood. I'm in the mood for a book. I'm in the mood for some games. And some people just don't see the point in playing games. So they don't see any meaning. Like, what's the use of it? Why is it useful? And some games might seem childish. And then if you are a gamer and if you enjoy playing games, you are sitting there thinking, what? Childish games? What are you talking about?

Rory: They might seem childish. Other opinions are available. I like playing video games.

Maria: Yeah, there you go. Yeah, Rory, actually, he's a gamer.

Rory: I wouldn't go that far. But I definitely see the value in playing games, even if it's just to decompress.

Maria: Decompress means to relax. Popular novels these days and popular novels in the past. Hmm, is there a difference? The format hasn't changed much. So a novel is a novel. But the language has changed. The topics perhaps have changed. And what do you mean by self-contained fictional pieces?

Rory: Well, that just means that the story is contained in the book. You don't need any information outside of the book to understand it. However, some novels are written as prequels and sequels. So they still have a story inside of them that's linked to something else.

Maria: And you can also say that modern novels are different from works in the past because they have simple language. Modern novels have simpler language, so the language is simpler. And usually a more complex storyline, plotline, faster pacing. So all these events unravel very fast. But in classical literature, we have more elaborate language, more formal, elaborate, complex language. And we can compare classical literature to modern literature.

Rory: It's funny, though, because I think around about the time that novels were being written, lots of them were criticised for having language that was too simple, for example. So it's interesting to see this contrast in perspectives on language.

Maria: And some people say that classical literature, our classics, they are boring. But modern literature is full of adventure and all these futuristic ideas when giant spiders invade the universe.

Rory: Maybe.

Maria: Mystery novels are super popular. And mystery novels, we mean something like detective stories, Agatha Christie's books, Murder on the Orient Express, and all these murder stories, and more murder, and even more murder. Crime, thrillers, whodunnits, murder mysteries, hysterical mysteries. So pretty much like, what's his face? Stephen King.

Rory: Does Stephen King like murder mysteries?

Maria: Yeah, I'd say it's crime. Yeah, crime.

Rory: Well, I thought they were horror novels, but maybe he's written some crime ones too.

Maria: Yeah, like horror novels. There we go. Suspense, crimes, fantasy, mystery. Yeah, also mystery. So we can put down Stephen King books on the list. People like the thrill of reading about murder. The thrill is this excitement. And people enjoy solving mysterious situations. People enjoy solving crimes. So people enjoy putting themselves in the shoes of a detective. Technology helps people tell stories. And here Rory uses a tag question. It's pretty much limitless, isn't it? Rory, how do you pronounce it? Could you read out the sentence?

Rory: I think I said, oh, it's pretty much limitless, isn't it?

Maria: So there are no limits to technology and how we tell stories. Like ChatGPT, AI, different, you know, devices. What can we do these days? Technology allows us to print things en masse. Pretty much technology allows us to print so many books that you can't imagine. So if you do it en masse, you do it at the same time and in large numbers. And we can talk about printing books, right? Printing short stories, making them accessible to everybody. And also reading books online, listening to audio books, right? So many people prefer listening to books these days. They don't read. Do you read or listen to books, dear listener, I wonder? Rory prefers reading. I prefer listening to books. And then from the perspective of film making. So we can talk about books and novels, right? And the perspective of film making. Special effects can engage the audience. And also films tell stories. So books tell stories, films tell stories. We change the perspective. From the perspective of film making, special effects engage audiences. So make the story more exciting for people. The plot and the action engage people. And if a film doesn't have it, then it's boring, so people get bored.

Rory: Well, it might be boring. There are some people who think that special effects distract from the story.

Maria: Right, dear listener. Don't forget to read our scripts, okay? Especially speaking part 2. It's like a short story by Rory. And if you want to read Rory's books, go to Amazon or just Google Rory. What are your initials?

Rory: Oh, just find me on Instagram. And we'll take care of it from there.

Maria: Thank you very much for listening. And we'll get back to you in our next episode. Bye!

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