Native English speakers answer questions about free time from previous B2, C1, C2 and IELTS exam papers
Today we have speakers from Texas, New York, Scotland, the South of England, the midlands of England, the North of England, and London, and myself from Ireland. So you´re going to get loads of exposure to different accents, which is exactly what you need when preparing for an English exam. We have quite a diverse mix of hobbies and interests too, it´s very interesting what similarities and differences there are culturally between different parts of the world. So you should be able to pick up some nice expressions and vocabulary today that you could use to describe yourself and your own free time, if you have any!
For classes or transcripts go to https://realexamenglish.com/
Music: Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Thanks to all of the contributors, including Ian from the We Dig Music podcast, Arianwen from the In Mothering podast, Trisha from Conversations with a Random Nobody, Chris, Barbara, Ronny, Zoe, Ofordi, Karen, Keith, Mary, Emma and Ursula.
Native English speakers answer questions about free time from previous B2, C1, C2 and IELTS exam papers
Today we have speakers from Texas, New York, Scotland, the South of England, the midlands of England, the North of England, and London, and myself from Ireland. So you´re going to get loads of exposure to different accents, which is exactly what you need when preparing for an English exam. We have quite a diverse mix of hobbies and interests too, it´s very interesting what similarities and differences there are culturally between different parts of the world. So you should be able to pick up some nice expressions and vocabulary today that you could use to describe yourself and your own free time, if you have any!
For classes or transcripts go to https://realexamenglish.com/
Music: Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Thanks to all of the contributors, including Ian from the We Dig Music podcast, Arianwen from the In Mothering podast, Trisha from Conversations with a Random Nobody, Chris, Barbara, Ronny, Zoe, Ofordi, Karen, Keith, Mary, Emma and Ursula.
Hello and welcome to Real Exam English. Today we are going to be talking about free time. Everybody has something they like to do in their free time, although with Covid half the people seem to have too much free time on their hands and are bored out of their trees, and the other half don´t have any free time at all and would kill for an extra hour or two a day. That´s life I guess, in this new normal that we have. So today we have speakers from Texas, New York, Scotland, the South of England, the midlands of England, the North of England, and London, and myself from Ireland. So you´re going to get loads of exposure to different accents, which is exactly what you need when preparing for an English exam. We have quite a diverse mix of hobbies and interests too, it´s very interesting what similarities and differences there are culturally between different parts of the world. So you should be able to pick up some nice expressions and vocabulary today that you could use to describe yourself and your own free time, if you have any!
Ok then, let´s go with the questions!
do you like playing computer games?
I do.
I love it and I play games to death. I have sunk numerous hours into Fallout Fallout 3, Fallout 4 myself and my wife play skyrim together fairly regularly. I play she like looks up quests and finds out things and spots. Treasure on the floor and stuff like that.I think computer games are great.I play them a lot.
have you got a hobby?
Yes.I have.I've got several hobbies.My main hobby is music.I make music.I play guitar.I record songs.I write songs.I listen to music voraciously, like if I haven't heard a new song in a week.Not necessarily a new artist, but a new song.I will consider it to be a bad week.I like to find new music all the time.New music by artists that I know knew artists.This is my passion.I do two podcasts talking about music.I talk about music to my wife all the time.This is going back to one of the other questions why socializing is so important?Go.Because I have a friendship group who are also all passionate about music, so it's really good to exchange.Bands talk about things, go to gigs together.Yes, music is super important other hobbies.
I like to urban Explorer into Chernobyl a few times.If I see an abandoned building and a way to get into it.I'm gonna get in it.I'm going to take some photos.I'm gonna put them on Instagram.Its just.It's unavoidable, can't stop myself.Love abandoned buildings.
Ok so this speaker loves computer games, he plays them to death. To do something to death means to do it so much it becomes boring. For example, Zombie survival movies have been done to death. We had a couple of B2 level phrasal verbs too, to look up information which is to search for information and to find out things which means to discover things. We also had lots of music vocab like songs, artists, recording, bands, and going to gigs. So gigs is what real music fans call concerts, well…to clarify I guess if you go to see Beyonce in a big stadium that is a concert but if you go to see an indie group in your local venue then that is a gig. But saying gigs is definitely cooler. Also, This speaker listens to music voraciously which means in a really eager or keen way, for instance she voraciously reads the world news every day.
What is your favourite way to relax?
I I like going.I like to have a bath.Anneli lighting the candles put in light bubbles in the bath.And reading basically like reading in the bath.That's how I really chill out. in the morning I do like a bit of a yoga kind of stretching session.And that kind of helps me start the day.
For part one of a speaking exam this length of an answer is absolutely fine. Two or three sentences, is ok, if you have a little bit of nice vocabulary and some discourse markers, perfect. If you have big long answer then the examiner will cut you off anyway, which isn´t a bad thing by the way, but just be aware that it might happen.
What is your idea of a perfect night out.
My idea of a perfect night out.
I like to get my family together and we'll go out.We have a fire pit outside and so will roast marshmallows and hang out around the campfire and just sit down and chit chat.We also have a movie screen that we can set up so if we want to, we can put out blankets and set up the movie screen and watch a screen movie outside.While the campfire is going and everybody is together, it's just a perfect, you know everybody I love is there.Together we're doing something we enjoy together the fire is going we're outside it's a it's a good day.
Wow, that sounds amazing, quintessentially American really, roasting marshmallows on an open fire. He said that they chit chat, which is to talk about things that aren´t very important. We had a phrasal verb here which comes up all the time in Cambridge exams and that is to set up. So to set up can be to organize or arrange something, like in our example, they set up the movie screen, or you can set up a computer or something else technological too. In addition, you can set up a business, which is to start a new business. So make a note of this one guys, its really common.
Is there something creative you would like to be able to do but can't?
I play bass and when I play bass normally I play along to songs.I've look up a song that I know and I follow the baseline a few times I've tried to compose a few things, but it's something that doesn't come very naturally to me and I play all the musical instruments I play. the I played the violin for many years.Because when I was learning the violin, I was being classically trained and there you really are following music that's been composed in the past.I don't feel like I have a natural creativity when it comes to composing music, even though I love listening to music and playing music, so I would love to be able to compose music.
Has your choice of free time activities changed over the years?
I actually don't think it has very much because when I was younger.I think of my summer Holidays where you have all the free time in the world.I would love hanging out with friends, going to the cinema, going to the park.But I had a very good relationship with my parents.I would also enjoy, you know, being at home with them, watching TV, reading books, listening to me.Like I think in my adult life, I still afford the same proportion to those hobbies.It's just that now I work, so it's probably a little bit less time, but I still enjoy the same things now that I did when I was younger, probably with the exception of podcasts which didn't really exist.Music, Books, TV, film still My my main hobbies as they were when I. was a child
We had a lovely expression here which was it’s something that doesn´t come naturally to me. So if something comes naturally to you then it comes to you in an easy way. , you don´t have to work that hard to be able to do it. We heard to play along to songs which means to play your instrument while the song is playing on your stereo or speakers or whatever.
What is your favorite way to relax?
OK, don't judge me, but going for a long run.
I enjoy running if I can get like a good 5 to 8 miles in just, you know, go out to the trail and come back home.I really enjoy running.I'm an avid runner, so that's my me time.People think I'm crazy, but whatever.Yeah.
This answer started off with the expression don´t judge me but….You use this expression when you are going to say something you might be a little bit embarrassed about or you think the other person might not think is so cool. Like, don´t judge me but I still sleep with a teddy bear. We had a really useful adjective too which was avid, she is an avid runner, which is very keen or interested. It´s a good one to put into a writing, for instance you could start a review with Being an avid concertgoer, I was dying to check out Trevor´s new band in their first gig last Friday. or maybe in a letter of complaint, like I am an avid reader of your publication and was disgusted with the portrayal of Trevor’s awesome podcast. Yep, so make a note of that one guys, avid.
has your choice of free time activities changed over the years.
Absolutely yes, absolutely. Yes. because years ago I would go to any local venue that a band is on and I'd go there. Have couple alcoholic beverages and really enjoy it. But that's definitely not happen now. It's going to cards night. It's going out for meals. It's going for.Drives and walks places as well.I don't know if it's just that age thing, but that's certainly been something that's really changed and I.I love it. You know I got into, you know I had a radio background 1516 years ago and I've always kept that in the producing side doing podcasts and stuff like that. So I've done a little bit more of that. And if you can cool people that that kind of stuff, but certainly I know I have a dog. I've got a puppy who's just there would be six months so.Everything you think about free time has to revolve around her, but I wouldn´t have it any other way just now.
Is there something creative you would like to be able to do but can't?
I would love to be able to draw paint that kind of stuff that that's a kind of creative.A real like I can do audio stuff.I can do a little bit of double stuff.I can do a tiny bit of video stuff.But I'd love to be able to draw, and you know, even using like Illustrator to bring things to life.That that's something I I don't have.It's a skill like doing.And probably if you're appreciating something else, I'd love to be able to sing, you know, I mean, I sing around the house, but it's no good like it is not good, but that would certainly be something I'd love to draw and be artistic, and certainly that would be something creative.I'd love to be able to do.And I have to say I am terrible.Even my stick man.Don't look good.
So this listener used to go to the local venue and have a couple of alcoholic beverages. This is a very common way to say you out for a few drinks, and it is suitably vague, so maybe he used to go out and drink 10 pints of beer and a few whiskys but if you say a couple of alcoholic beverages it covers that, in a fun kind of way. He also said he a had a new puppy and his free time revolves around her, this is a great expression to say that is she is the centre of his attention or the most important thing to him. It would be a great expression to use in the first part of a speaking exam if you are asked what you are interested int. Like my whole life revolves around fishing.
What is your favourite way to relax?
At the moment I'd say my favorite way to relax is actually to garden, so I'm really enjoying going into the garden, planting new things, making sure that that the plants and the crops that I've.
Sown previously are healthy and then you know sort of propagating them.
And I'm really, really quite enjoying that and sort of stepping into the into the greenhouse and seeing whether things are growing and how healthy they are as well as sort of indoor gardening so you know, checking that the plants in the House so healthy and watering them and potting them on as they grow.
It's really relaxing I think, and it's it's. It's so nice to be.
In tune with nature and actually to to feel the soil on your fingers and to kind of get your mind away from being being busy and doing something you know completely different to to what I. Do every day.
Has your choice of free time activities changed over the years?
no, I suppose it hasn't hasn't in the sense that I have a number of different free time activities that I really enjoy, so. I've gone from really loving painting and restoring furniture is having periods of not doing that and doing something else like reading or you know, gardening and I think lock down has had a has had a an impact on what you can do in this instance.
You know I enjoy seeing friends and going out and having meals and it's not been possible to do that.
But some. I also enjoy going for walks and sensors, spending time in nature, so for me it's it's.
It's not so much that they've changed, it's just that the focus is shifted.
So sometimes I do things I haven't done for a while and then put things I have done quite frequently.
Sort of on the back burner until I'm ready to go back to them again.
Yeah.
Do you think it´s important to be busy all the time?
I think it's important to not be busy all the time.
I I think if one is busy continuously then one never has a chance to. You know, smell the coffee or the Flowers or whatever. It happens to be. It's you know one needs a break mentally and physically.
Otherwise one isn't able to function properly. And I think that.
You know our society generally is is all about doing things. In a rational being, sort of super busy and this shows how important you are, but actually you know people need time to take stock an you know our bodies naturally tell us that we need to rest.
That's one of the reasons we sleep and we don't function so well if we don't sleep.
But also our mental health needs that to process things an I think there's something quite important about. Just taking time out and and meditating or being mindful of where you are and stopping so that actually you're able to order your your your thoughts Anne and actually your body is able to recover as well. So for me it's it's important to take a break.
Three brilliant answers there. Lots of gardening vocabulary in the first answer. This speaker is from London, and has a wonderful garden, I´ve been there. People in the UK are avid gardeners, the climate is superb for planting a variety of flowers and plants. So in this answer we heard about planting, propagating, watering and potting on plants, all different things any keen gardener should know, and we had the expression to be in tune with nature which is I guess being close to nature and sensitive to it. Then We had a couple of fantastic expressions, we had to take stock which means to take a break and assess how you have been doing up to now and to smell the coffee which is used as a metaphor for taking a break to enjoy the smaller things in life that are beautiful, like smelling the coffee, of the flowers or whatever.
Ok guys, that´s about it for today. Hope you enjoyed the wide range of free time activities our speakers shared with us and the super language they used. Remember to keep an eye on the Real Exam English page on Facebook and Instagram for use of English exercises and updates. And I´ll see you again next time for some more Real Exam English.
All the best,
Trevor