Hello, Sunshine.
I'm Maria.
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.
Band 9, Scotland Freedom.
Quality.
We started this.
No, I can do this.
Yes, you can.
We started this podcast.
We started this podcast to add natural and native speaker-like language into your English life.
So get ready for some quality grammar and vocab, alright?
Rory, your beard is bigger than usual.
It's like an animal.
Yeah, it's like I've got a new pet for my face.
You have a new pet for your face.
Shall we talk about pets?
Let's talk about pets.
What a coincidence.
Scotland freedom.
Ha!
Quality.
Dear listener, in IELTS Speaking Part 1 they can ask you questions about pets.
By the way, if you'd like to know what other topics might come up in the speaking exam, click the link in the description to visit our Patreon, where we cover all three parts of the IELTS speaking exam.
If you like what you see, you can sign up for our Patreon and get access to all our exclusive episode archive, with 12 new episodes each month.
The link is in the description.
This week on our premium podcast, we're talking about spending time by yourself in part one.
In part two episode, Rory is talking about an old friend that he got in contact with again.
And in part three, we discuss friends in general.
Rory, have you ever had a pet?
Yeah, our family had a tradition of keeping chow chows.
That's a breed of dog from China.
It's one of the seven ancient breeds, actually, I think.
And we also had fish stick insects and an assortment of other small creatures from the local area that my little brother and I picked up.
We don't have them now, but we did before when we were younger.
Do you have a pet at home now?
No, I live in a rented and shared apartment, so that wouldn't be fair and I haven't the time to look after another animal.
I would like a dog, though, when I have a family of my own.
I think it's helpful for kids to have a pet to help them learn about the world and cope with the struggles it brings.
What kind of pets do you like?
Well, I like dogs.
If anyone has a dog, they have immediately won me over.
Specifically big dogs, though I like dogs in general too.
They're really welcoming and they create this air of warmth in a household, which is really nice to have.
Did you have any pets when you were a child?
Well, like I said, we had two of man's best friend and numerous goldfish and small creatures.
I think it helped a lot growing up to have companions, though I should have appreciated it more at the time.
I don't think you ever do when you're a child.
What kinds of pets are common in your country?
Well, at the risk of flogging a dead horse in terms of topics, dogs are very popular.
You can see them everywhere.
Cats are also a common sight in our neighbourhoods and the surrounding neighbourhoods, as well as our fish, although the fish will be outside in their fish tanks.
I heard that people are increasingly keeping ducks, but I'm not sure if that's true or not.
Scotland Freedom, do what you like.
Keep your duck.
No comments from me.
Why do some people keep pets at home?
Well, they're good company and they add to the general ambience of the place and they serve as a sort of furry security force.
There are lots of other uses.
I think companionship is the main desire they cater to, though.
Animals are really good company to have.
Yeah, so we are discussing the words now.
Basically, all the questions have been asked and answered.
And now we're going to discuss them.
Oh, it was so cute when you said we had the tradition of keeping chow-chows.
Chow Chow is such a cute dog.
If you have no idea what a Chow Chow is, you should Google it right now.
Chow Chow.
C-H-O-W.
Twice.
Yeah, double it.
So, chow-chows.
Yes, dear listener, you do need to know some specific words about pets.
Rory mentioned the chow-chows, also fish, stick insects, okay?
Not just insects, he preferred stick insects.
Rory, could you explain your choice to us?
Well... Why not butterflies?
Why not, like, bugs, ants?
We just keep bugs.
Who build the whole universe.
We did keep bugs, though.
Wow.
Snakes?
No, we knew people that kept snakes, but we didn't.
Spiders?
There are already spiders living in that garden, so... Why keep them at home?
Well, why keep them at home when you can keep them in the garden and they live longer?
That's the thing, though.
If you find a spider in your house, you're not supposed to put them outside because they die.
They're specifically adapted to living in your home.
That's why they're there.
If they wanted to live outside, that's where they would be.
Exactly, yeah.
So never kill any spiders inside your home.
They kill flies, they kill all other creatures you don't want in your house.
Pests, which is different to pets.
Yeah.
Pests.
You want pets.
You don't want pests.
No.
Pests are like insects you don't want.
An assortment of other small creatures.
Yes.
An assortment of something just means like a mixture of different ones.
So we had like...
Oh, my God.
Woodlice, ants, crabs.
Crabs?
You had crabs?
Well, we live next to a beach.
Whoa.
You just go down to the beach and lift up a rock and you can pick up a crab.
So, you picked up crabs and just put them in a box?
Um, well, you don't put them in a box, you put them in a bucket.
Bucket?
They live in a bucket?
Well, or a fish tank.
Wow.
Have you ever had turtles?
No, there aren't any turtles in Scotland, I don't think.
I've seen a turtle, though.
When I went diving in Fiji, we spotted a green turtle.
And we got to name it as well.
And I think we called it Bob.
You didn't call it Vanya?
No, I didn't know Vanya at the time.
Would you like to be a turtle, Vanya?
So when we have pets, we look after our pets.
So we look after our cat or a dog.
And Rory is a dog person.
He eats dogs and he keeps dogs.
I'm so funny.
Well, I'm glad someone thinks so.
Yeah, so it's nice to keep a dog to cope with the struggles it brings.
It brings, it means not the dog brings, but the world brings.
Rory, you said that dogs create this air of warmth in a household.
Yeah, so if you create an air of something, it's like you create an atmosphere of something.
So when you go into a house and there's dogs and the dogs are happy to see you, then it's like it's nice.
It's a nice feeling.
At home, or you can say in a household.
That's a nice paraphrase.
Yes.
And we talked a lot about homes already, I think.
I really enjoyed how you used this idiom, flog a dead horse.
Yes.
Yeah, that was crafty.
Well, there's only so many times you can mention the word dog.
What are the ways to paraphrase dog?
Canines, that's very scientific.
Four-legged friends, which I did use.
Oh, four-legged friends.
Four-legged friends is very contrived, so probably not the best choice.
Yeah, and Rory was mentioning dog, dog, dog, and then...
You asked me another question about dogs.
Yeah, like what kinds of pets are common in your country?
Dogs.
And you always said, at the risk of flogging a dead horse in terms of topics.
So when you flog a dead horse...
You repeat the same thing again and again.
Yeah, and that's idiomatic language.
So we can say that cats are a common sight in my country or goldfish are a common sight.
Dogs are a common sight in my country.
Fish live in fish tanks.
Yes.
And I have friends, Dave and Steve.
They've got lizards.
They have a lizard.
It's a bearded lizard, I think.
And I think the bearded lizard lives in something called a vivarium, which is like a fish tank, but it's for a lizard.
Lizard tank.
Vivarium?
Vivarium, I think so, yeah.
Yeah, you can't say lizard tank, it's vivarium, I'm pretty sure.
Yeah, we are using very nerdy, specific words here.
I think a vivarium is warm, whereas there's another one, a terrarium, which is just.
What's the difference, Rory?
What's the difference?
Remember your biological... Well, it's not.
Biological... I think terrarium is just decorated nicely, whereas a vivarium isn't.
It just creates the conditions.
Let's look this up.
I know those words are things, and I know there's a difference between them.
The answer to this question is really important because we do use this vivarium statize, whatever it is, every day.
So you go shopping and they ask you, oh, how's your fish?
Oh, I keep my fish in the fish tank and lizards in a vivarium.
Right.
Okay.
So vivarium is, I'm going to generalize here.
So if there are any biologists listening, sorry about this.
A vivarium is a tank that's used to study animals specifically.
Oh wow, whereas a terrarium is like a fish tank, but a fish tank or an aquarium is for water, a terrarium is for land.
But All of these things are used very interchangeably.
And there is a website called Tankerium, which explains the difference.
But there's a giant chart that I'm not going to waste people's time explaining.
Just take my word for it.
Thank you.
Why do people keep pets?
Well, because pets are good company.
They add to the general ambience.
Yes.
Ambience like environment.
Well, actually, I said ambience, but I think the word is ambience.
Ambience?
It's ambience.
Yeah.
The ambience is... Ambience.
No idea what that is, actually.
It's like the general atmosphere in a house or like...
Yes, it is.
It's the atmosphere.
But if you run out of words for atmosphere, then just say ambience and people will understand you.
Yeah, you also said like a furry security force.
That's funny.
Well, I could have said like guard dogs, but I'd already said guard dogs.
So I was like, what's a good paraphrase of that?
Furry security force.
There we go.
Yeah, so why do people keep pets?
I don't know.
It's a very security force.
Yeah, it's a very security force.
Fluffy, sweet.
Yeah, so our pets cater to our desires.
Yes.
And if you cater to a desire, it just means that you help.
Meet the desire.
Satisfy it.
Yeah.
You might have a desire to cuddle your furry security force.
A furry security force.
To be honest, the more I say that, the more I really want a guard dog to cuddle with.
It's nice to cuddle a dog, a fluffy, fluffy dog.
Yeah, you can also keep some exotic pets like lizards, chameleons, crocodiles in your bathtub.
Who else, Rory?
I don't know.
The only animal in my bathtub is the hare.
Of my roommates.
Actually, no, they don't do that.
I should say my very good roommates.
So that is not a problem for us.
Yeah.
We can also use this word pets.
Like, oh, it's my pet subject.
Can you say that?
Pet subject?
Yeah.
Pet student?
Pet student.
Oh, yes.
Pet students.
Well, I wouldn't say I was a pet student, but I was pretty popular with the teachers.
Yeah, a pet student means like a favorite student.
Like a teacher has their own pet students, their favorites.
Do you have pet students?
No, no, I don't.
And on that note of that enthusiastic answer, let's bring our pet episode to an end.
Scotland Freedom, what a coincidence, bad 9 score.
So, what should I say now?
You've said it all.
There's one thing I didn't say, and that was quality.
I always say quality.
You do.
And the only word for me which is left is quality.
Have a quality weekend.
Bye.
Thank you very much for listening.
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But before you go, listen to the question and answer part again, just to make sure you understand every little thing there.
See you in the next episode.
Bye!
Rory, have you ever had a pet?
Yeah, our family had a tradition of keeping chow chows.
That's a breed of dog from China.
It's one of the seven ancient breeds, actually, I think.
And we also had fish stick insects and an assortment of other small creatures from the local area that my little brother and I picked up.
We don't have them now, but we did before when we were younger.
Do you have a pet at home now?
No, I live in a rented and shared apartment, so that wouldn't be fair and I haven't the time to look after another animal.
I would like a dog, though, when I have a family of my own.
I think it's helpful for kids to have a pet to help them learn about the world and cope with the struggles it brings.
What kind of pets do you like?
Well, I like dogs.
If anyone has a dog, they have immediately won me over.
Specifically big dogs, though I like dogs in general too.
They're really welcoming and they create this air of warmth in a household, which is really nice to have.
Did you have any pets when you were a child?
Well, like I said, we had two of man's best friend and numerous goldfish and small creatures.
I think it helped a lot growing up to have companions, though I should have appreciated it more at the time.
I don't think you ever do when you're a child.
What kinds of pets are common in your country?
Well, at the risk of flogging a dead horse in terms of topics, dogs are very popular.
You can see them everywhere.
Cats are also a common sight in our neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as our fish, although the fish will be outside and in their fish tanks.
I heard that people are increasingly keeping ducks but I'm not sure if that's true or not.
Scotland freedom, do what you like, keep your duck.
No comments from me.
Why do some people keep pets at home?
Well, they're good company and they add to the general ambience of the place and they serve as a sort of furry security force.
There are lots of other uses.
I think companionship is the main desire they cater to, though.
Animals are really good company to have.
Would you like to have an exotic pet?
I already do.
I have you in my life.
