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Table of Contents
Introduction
Talking about pollution can be difficult, but talking just about noise pollution, well that can be even more difficult!
In this free IELTS Speaking lesson on the topic of noise pollution, you will learn how to talk about different noises and the problem of noise pollution.
IELTS vocabulary: Noise pollution
My morning was full of noise pollution!
- Workers ringing the doorbells
- Dogs barking, yelping
- Construction workers drilling
- Workers shouting
- A cacophony of sounds = a mix of different noises sounding terrible
- They made such a racket = a terrible noise
A noise…is a sound, especially one that is loud and disturbs.
Different kinds of noises
Noises from PEOPLE
- Shouting
- Screaming
- Crying
- Bad singing (in the Karaoke)
- Music on the loudspeaker of a mobile
- People eating, chewing, slurping, munching, chomping
- Snoring and grinding your teeth when sleeping
Noises from ANIMALS
- The rooster / cock in the morning
- Mosquitoes buzzing around my ear at night
- Dogs barking
Noises from THINGS
- Alarm clocks
- Thunder, storms, and lightning
- Car horns
- People honking their horn
- Ambulance sirens
- Drilling
- Low flying airplanes
How to talk about noises
I am sensitive to certain sounds
I really dislike _____
I can’t stand the sound of _____
This sound is…
- annoying
- irritating
- aggravating
- maddening
(all four words mean the same, i.e. a sound you don’t like)
This sound really grates
It hurts my ears
- It drives me up the wall = makes me angry drives me crazy
- It drives me round the bend = makes me angry drives me crazy
- It drives me nuts = it makes me crazy
It gives me a headache
It gets on my nerves
It makes me cringe
That noise is…
- loud
- piercing
- unbearable
- deafening
- throbbing (for a drill)
- grating
- high pitched (adj.),
- screeching
Noises you dislike
The shrill of the telephone ringtone is so aggravating and irritating
The high pitched hum of the drill on the construction grates so much.
The piercing noise of the automatic saw is unbearable, it reminds me of the dentist’s drill and really scares me.
The shrill crow of the rooster is a terrible way to wake up in the morning
The crash of breaking glass drives me nuts and gives me a headache.
The problem of noise pollution
Noise pollution can cause stress
It can affect our stress levels
It can lead to sleep loss, or even insomnia, (the inability to sleep),
It could lead to hearing damage
It can aggravate the health of elderly or sick people.
It disrupts our work
It distracts us and makes it impossible for us to concentrate on our work or studies.
Noise pollution now compared to the past
With this kind of question notice the ‘clues’ in the question about comparisons (“compared”) and the past time (“to the past”)
You don’t have to use this grammar (comparisons and past tenses) but it is a good opportunity to do so, and clearly would be appropriate for this kind of question.
One possible template:
Clear opinion: I would say arguably yes.
Talk about the past: In the past, there were fewer building sites, so…
Talk about the present and make comparisons: But nowadays…there is more noise pollution because…
OR
These days there are higher levels of noise because …
IELTS Speaking tips
Notice,
Speech is not in perfect sentences.
There is repetition
There are false starts
If you write your answers out in perfect sentences, it will not sound natural, it will sound like you are a book!
Don’t write your answer out first,
Speak your answer first, then record it, then write it out.
You can compare these features of spoken and written English below.
Q1. Why do we have to preserve cultures?
SPOKEN
WRITTEN
Well, I think there are several aspects of our culture that are well worth preserving and some of those are traditional aspects.
I think, you know, customs around birthday celebrations, wedding celebrations, Christmas celebrations, …
It’s inevitable for me… I think culture is fluid and forever changing, and to try and stick rigidly to tradition doesn’t really work either.
Well, I think there are several aspects of our culture that are well worth preserving and some of those are traditional features.
I think, you know, customs around birthday, wedding and Christmas celebrations, ….
I think culture is fluid and forever changing, and to try and stick rigidly to tradition doesn’t really work either.
Student's questions about noise pollution
Keith, which noise don’t you like and why?
Well, there are so many noises that I find aggravating but one of the most maddening noises there is for me, is the sound of the dentist’s drill.
It’s one of those noises that are so high pitched and piercing that it really grates
and it drives me around the bend, and not only that, not only does it drive me round the bend, it really scares me.
It’s a sound I think, maybe the dentist wants to attack me and kill me.
So, it’s one of those noises I really hate.
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