Hello, love.
I'm Miriam.
And my name is Rory, and we are the hosts of the IELTS Speaking for Success podcast, the podcast that aims to help you improve your speaking skills, as well as your listening skills along the way.
We started this podcast to give you high-level vocabulary and grammar for your IELTS speaking and for your English life.
Wow, Rory, look at you.
You all dressed up tonight.
Yeah, I'm going out later.
Oh, let's talk about going out.
Okay, whatever.
Can we hurry up so I can go out, please?
Sure, sure.
In Speaking Part 1, they can ask you questions about going out.
Rory, do you like going out or staying at home?
To tell the truth, I'm much more of a homebody, to be honest.
I rarely like going out to clubs these days because I'm a little bit past it and I hate loud music and crowds.
It's the kind of combination that sort of makes your insides vibrate.
At the same time they're being crushed out of existence.
Do you often go out in the evenings?
Almost never, if I'm honest, unless I'm going to the gym and shopping and then walking back.
Does that count?
I think the last time I was in a club was about a month ago and it was like being in a time warp.
I went in at 11 o'clock at night and emerged at 7 in the morning.
And I have no idea how I managed to spend eight hours of my life in one place.
I don't even spend that much time in bed normally.
What do you like to do when you go out?
I like talking to people.
Hence why bars and clubs are annoying because you can scarcely hear yourself think.
It was easier when I smoked because you could always nip outside and speak to people there.
Now I have to sort of yell over the din to make myself heard.
I think the last time I was out, I just sat and spoke to random people, including the barman actually.
Do you prefer going out on your own or with friends?
Does anybody go out by themselves?
I either go out with them or I meet them at whatever venue we picked.
And by we I mean they, because I'm so old that all the places that I know closed down years ago probably.
Do people in your country go out a lot?
Well, not at the moment because of the lockdown restrictions.
But if we speak more generally about times past, then yeah, they did.
Not just for fun either.
People would go out walking or jogging or they would take dogs for a walk.
If you speak about recreational drinking, then it's like a famous thing in Scotland.
Some nights the town centres resemble a war zone.
Scotland!
Freedom!
Freedom!
Drinking!
Friday night!
What is this, war?
No, it's just Scottish night out.
Where do most young people like to go out in your country?
Well, clubbing was popular.
You used to have clubs for everything, like even certain age groups or fashion tastes, like you had rock and sort of, i suppose, grunge nightclubs, and people there would wear black and they'd be like gothic people there and that was cool.
Um, and of course there were times when people were just wandering groups of friends, and i imagine they still do when they can rory.
Thank you so much for your answers.
No problem, I have a feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night.
Did you used to listen to this song?
I did, yeah.
It was ridiculous.
Tonight's gonna be a good, good night.
So going out, Rory, what's going on with this going out thing?
When I go out, does it mean that I hit the clubs or I can go out, as you said, like to take a dog for a walk or to go jogging?
Well, it can mean both, really.
And when I was answering the questions, I was using both sort of ideas.
So when we were talking, I was using both understandings to choose which things I talked about.
But usually, for me, it means going out to a club or out with friends.
Yes, dear listener, so when we say going out or I went out, we usually mean a night out.
So you meet up your friends for a beer, or you do some sensible drinking, or you go out in a club, in a restaurant, or you have a night out in a club, in a restaurant.
It could be a bar party or something on a rooftop.
Also, you can go out just to take your dog for a walk.
So, Roy, you mentioned go out jogging.
What else did you say?
What else did I say?
Yeah, okay, so, like, take the dogs for a walk.
That's all, basically.
Go walking, go jogging.
So, basically, you go out, you don't stay in.
And Anthony is going to be to stay in.
We're not really into our freedom right now, I'm afraid.
No.
Maybe we will be again.
So, Rory, you used to be a homebody or you are a homebody?
I am homebody.
I like to be at home.
Well, meaning, yeah, like, Rory enjoys being at home, so he's a homebody.
Is it the same as being a homie?
A homie.
Is it the same thing as being a homie?
Yeah, I'm a homie.
No, a homie is like, isn't that African-American slang for, like, a friend?
Really?
I think so.
A person who enjoys being at home is a homie.
No, a homie is like, a homie is a friend, I'm pretty sure.
A homebody is someone who stays at home.
Oh, there we go.
Homie, US slang for homeboy.
Mainly US slang.
Homeboy is... Well, yeah, not somebody who enjoys US home, but a boy from your own town.
Why do you always pick the most racially sensitive topics?
Anyway.
Anyway.
Yeah, moving on.
So when Rory hits the clubs, so he goes out to clubs, his insides vibrate.
Yeah, everybody's insides vibrate when they're standing next to loud music, though.
It's not just me.
And also I like when you said like, my insides were crushed out of existence.
Yeah, but that just means that you're being crushed in a crowd.
Oh, okay.
Well, I mean in this context, if you crush something out of existence, then obviously it means you're being crushed so much that it's like you don't exist basically.
Yeah, and you can say, like, I hate loud music and crowds.
I'm a little bit past it.
So Rory now is a little bit past it, which means that... I'm old and I can't do anything anymore.
As old as the hills.
Yeah, Rory prefers snuggling under a duvet for some good old-fashioned sober movie watching or game playing.
What do you do at home?
Sleeping.
Oh, come on.
Stop it.
Stop it.
I'm so old.
Okay.
And when you said it was like being in a time warp.
What's a time warp?
A time warp is just a place where the rules of time don't apply.
Eight hours is a long time.
That's longer than most flights, you know?
And you're very aware that you're on a flight.
But for me, I was like, wow, I have no idea.
I remember.
No, this is the thing.
I wasn't even that drunk.
I remember everything, but I just don't remember how the hours passed.
I have a friend like that.
I have a friend.
Every time we go to his place, we just spend like days there.
And it doesn't seem like days until you like wake up and it's a Sunday morning.
Nice.
Did you do club crawling?
Like a pub crawl?
You do the club crawling?
You move from club to club?
I think I did when I was a fresher at university.
But now, no, I'm too old for that kind of stuff.
And if you are in a club, you can scarcely hear yourself think.
Scarcely.
Not scarcely, scarcely.
Scarcely.
Okay, once again.
So, if you are in a club, you can scarcely hear yourself think.
Yeah, which is like actually quite a nice expression.
You can scarcely do something.
So here, if you scarcely hear yourself think, it means that you can hardly hear yourself and your thoughts to organize them.
But you could also say, like I could scarcely or hardly get a word in edgeways, which is like saying that you can't get a chance to talk.
So both of these structures describe ways of speaking or not being able to speak.
I can scarcely hear myself think.
And when you used to smoke, you would nip outside.
Nip outside.
Yes.
If you nip outside, it's like saying just go outside very quickly for a short period of time.
Oh, I enjoy nipping outside for a smoke.
Well, I mean like it is, but I mean well, it's nice to go outside for a short period of time, especially now the weather has turned to rubbish.
Again, it must be April.
Yeah, not for smoking, though.
Don't smoke.
It's really bad for you.
Yeah, so nip outside just for some fresh air.
For a breath of fresh air.
A breath of fresh air.
Yay.
So you speak to random people, including the barman.
And interesting, like, you said THE barman.
There was only one barman.
Well, there were many barmen, but I only spoke to one of them so, And he was the only one serving us for the whole evening, so it's like a specific barman.
Nice.
When you go out, you pick the venue.
You pick, meaning you choose.
So choose the venue or pick the venue.
And a venue is a club.
It could be a restaurant.
Could it be a bar or a pub?
A pub.
Yeah, it could be anything.
It's a place where you drink.
Or, well, at least in this conception of things, it's a place where you drink.
But a venue is usually like a place where something happens or something is going to happen.
Yeah, if you talk about your favorite restaurant, you can say that's a good venue.
So you can go drinking midweek for some drinking promotions.
Off-peak nights, you know.
Did you do that?
No, well, yes.
But when I was like 21, I'm 31 now.
I mean, let's get real.
Oh, 31.
Wow.
And you mentioned recreational drinking.
What kind of drinking is that?
Recreational drinking is just drinking for fun.
So it's like you drink in order to get drunk and then whatever happens, happens.
It's not a great way of spending your time.
I would not encourage people to do it, but it does happen.
So there you have it.
Yeah, dear listener, be very careful with your recreational drinking.
It could lead to some neurological brain damage, all right?
So Rory knows about that.
Right, Rory?
About neurological brain damage.
Neuro... What?
Like, what neurological brain damage as opposed to what?
Neurological foot damage.
Those things are the same thing.
And when we say, like, okay, I go out...
Oh, let's go out.
We have some nice synonyms, like live it up on Friday night.
Hey, I used to live it up.
Living the high life, perhaps?
Living the high life?
High life?
Living the vida loca?
Oh, wow.
Okay, Ricky Martin is on this podcast.
Hello, Ricky Martin.
Let loose?
What about let loose?
I enjoy letting loose on Friday night.
I haven't heard all of these different ways to talk about getting drunk in so long.
Oh, what about let your hair down?
Let your hair down.
Yeah, all of these things mean the same thing to me.
It's just another way of saying, haha, get drunk.
It's like, doesn't sound very mature.
Let's hit the bars.
Hit the bars.
Hit the clubs.
Let's paint the town red tonight.
Yeah, I like that.
Paint the town red.
Like you go out, you drink, you kind of like wow yeah, you go crazy, but no one says any of these things anymore.
Well, at least like i don't, i haven't heard them, so like they're said, but they're said like ironically.
Okay, so better not use them then.
No no, you can use them.
It's just funny for me.
Yeah, because I came across these expressions in articles.
I read some articles.
Well, I do get prepared for this episode, you know, dear listener.
So I read up some articles on going out.
Can you imagine?
And they gave all these synonyms for going out, like american articles, british articles.
Yeah, they tell you what to do before you go out, like plan, how to get home eat, drink water before you have a, have a shower.
Yeah, how to dress up before you go out.
Oh god, So Scottish going out?
So when you go out in Scotland on a Friday night, it could resemble a war zone.
That's really funny.
Yes.
So if something resembles a war zone, it just looks like there's been a war there.
So like, for example, the town centres in Scotland every Sunday morning look like a war zone.
They don't really.
It's just a way of saying they're a little bit messy and people that don't like mess say that.
Yeah, in Moscow, some areas resemble a war zone on a Friday night or a Saturday night.
You go, what's going on?
Or any day of the week, really.
It's a war zone here in Moscow.
It's April and it's snowing.
I can't believe it's snowing in April.
This is ridiculous.
It's so cold.
Okay, dear listener.
Now you're all packed with a nice vocab about going out and some nice juicy synonyms.
What's the best part of going out, Rory?
I think it's like pigging out on some expensive takeaway food, street food at 4 a.m. in the morning.
I went out and when I drink a lot, I get really, really...
I get really hungry.
Yeah, so my... One night I was out with one of my friends and I went to this takeaway place.
And I should say my friend had anorexia.
And I was like, I will have a large spicy chicken pizza and nuggets and chips and a burger.
Nice.
And a large Coke.
And my friend next to me was like, I'll just have a Snickers, please.
Nice quality, Rory.
Yeah, pizza, burger, and large Coke.
Wow, I'm proud of you.
Cool.
Thank you very much for listening.
Please share our podcast with all your friends.
So they are converted into Scottish Roriness and Marianess.
Bye.
Bye.
Roy, do you like going out or staying at home?
To tell the truth, I'm much more of a homebody, to be honest.
I rarely like going out to clubs these days because I'm a little bit past it and I hate loud music and crowds.
It's the kind of combination that sort of makes your insides vibrate.
At the same time they're being crushed out of existence.
Do you often go out in the evenings?
Almost never, if I'm honest, unless I'm going to the gym and shopping and then walking back.
Does that count?
I think the last time I was in a club was about a month ago and it was like being in a time warp.
I went in at 11 o'clock at night and emerged at 7 in the morning.
And I have no idea how I managed to spend eight hours of my life in one place.
I don't even spend that much time in bed normally.
What do you like to do when you go out?
I like talking to people.
Hence why bars and clubs are annoying because you can scarcely hear yourself think.
It was easier when I smoked because you could always nip outside and speak to people there.
Now I have to sort of yell over the din to make myself heard.
I think the last time I was out, I just sat and spoke to random people, including the barman actually.
Do you prefer going out on your own or with friends?
Does anybody go out by themselves?
I either go out with them or I meet them at whatever venue we picked.
And by we I mean they, because I'm so old that all the places that I know closed down years ago probably.
Do people in your country go out a lot?
Well, not at the moment because of the lockdown restrictions.
But if we speak more generally about times past, then yeah, they did.
Not just for fun either.
People would go out walking or jogging or they would take dogs for a walk.
If you speak about recreational drinking, then it's like a famous thing in Scotland.
Some nights the town centres resemble a war zone.
Where do most young people like to go out in your country?
Well, clubbing was popular.
You used to have clubs for everything, like even certain age groups or fashion tastes.
Like you had rock and sort of...
I suppose grunge nightclubs and people there would wear black and they'd be like gothic people there and that was cool.
And of course, there were times when people were just wandering groups of friends, and I imagine they still do when they can.
