🎧 Listen to our podcast here: fanlink.to/ieltssfs
🙌 Find an IELTS Speaking Partner: bit.ly/ieltsspeakingpartners
👍 Sign up for a writing check with us: successwithielts.com/#mock
💯 Book a mock IELTS Speaking test with us: bit.ly/mockieltstest
Questions and Answers
Maria: Rory, have you ever borrowed books from others?
Rory: Oh God, not in a long while. I think the last one I borrowed was about the Cold War between... Or sorry, the new Cold War between Russia and the West. And I still haven't finished it because of the tremendous amount of work I have. I didn't borrow it from someone, though. I borrowed it from like a... I don't know, we have kind of an open library at work. You can just take things and put things there as you please.
Maria: Have you ever borrowed money?
Rory: Uh, yeah, but again, not for ages. I'm pretty self-sufficient, so it's never really posed a problem, at least in recent years. Probably the last person I borrowed money from was... Maybe my friends when we were at camp together, I needed to buy a drink or something, and it wasn't serious, that's for sure.
Maria: Do you mind if someone asks to borrow something from you?
Rory: Um, usually it's quite all right as long as I get it back and even then, I'm usually a really patient guy, so I don't mind waiting a little bit before whatever I loan someone makes its way back to me.
Maria: How do you feel when people don't return things they borrowed from you?
Rory: Well, I'm really lucky because I have some... Well, most of my friends, that borrow things or who have borrowed things, are really responsible people. So it's not a common problem. But when it does happen or when it has happened, initially it's not normally a problem because I can cope without those things. I can't think of anything I couldn't cope without. Actually, even one of my laptops has gone on an adventure with one of my friends for most of the year now. I'm not particularly bothered. It's more if people are careless with my things that I start to have problems with their behavior.
Maria: Do you like to lend things to others?
Rory: If I know it will help them, then yeah. It feels really rewarding to know what you're doing is of use to somebody, if you can help further their goals in life. And of course, if you're lending something, then you're going to get something back in return. So it's not so bad.
Maria: Would you let someone borrow your mobile phone?
Rory: Well, after I purge the internet history and all of the dating apps on it, yes. Seriously, though, I don't think I have a problem with someone using it in an emergency or something like that as long as it comes back to me, that's fine.
Maria: Is there anything that can't be lent?
Rory: Well, yes, actually, it's funny. Sometimes people ask to borrow paper or a cigarette, and I'm not sure why they use that verb, because it's not like you want those things back when people are through with them. So probably things that have some sort of intimate or intimate use, or finite number of times that you can use them. That would be very difficult to lend, something like that. You give things like that, you don't expect them back.
Maria: Have you ever lent your smartphone to someone?
Rory: Yeah, at the weekend when we were ordering food, actually. The reason why that is, is because I'm rubbish at taking orders. So I usually just throw money or my phone at the problem until it goes away. And so in this case, I just handed over my my bank cards and my phone and said, just order the food so I don't care what happens. And they did it. So that was fine. And I got my phone and my bank card back, so it was OK.
-
Make sure to subscribe to our social media to see some of the “behind the scenes” stuff:
Our Instagram: bit.ly/instagramswi
Our Telegram: bit.ly/telegramswi