Hello, everyone.
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.
We started this podcast to give you a look at how a native English speaker would answer some of the most common IELTS speaking questions.
I ask Rory questions and he gives answers using vocabulary and grammar for a high score – band 9 score.
Rory, why you look at me like this?
Oh, I can feel my admiration growing for you by the minute.
It's interesting because today we're going to be talking about something that grows.
Are we talking about plants?
Plants.
Yes, we're going to be talking about plants.
Dear listeners, in Speaking Part 1, they can ask you questions about plants.
Great.
Rory, do you like plants?
Oh, naturally.
We need them to live and they're very beautiful and quite relaxing to look at.
Do you know a lot about plants?
I know they make oxygen via photosynthesis, but I think that is about all.
Oh no, I know a lot from high school actually.
So, for example, Plants make oxygen through photosynthesis and they are green because they have chlorophyll in their leaves.
This is like the color of the chemical that is inside of them.
And if I'm right, The chlorophyll is produced by chloroplasts.
These are like small organs inside the cells of the plant.
So, actually thinking about it, I know a little bit about it, but I wouldn't say I'm like a botanist or anything.
Wow, that was so nerdy, Rory.
It was.
I have many nerdy moments.
Have you ever had a plant?
I tried to have a plant once when I was in my 20s and it did not work well for me or the plant.
It kind of turned brown and I think it died.
Plant murderer!
I didn't mean to.
I was just a very irresponsible 20-year-old.
So, Roy, do you have a reputation for being a plant killer?
Well, no.
If I kept trying, I think I would have this reputation.
But now, no, I've learned my lesson.
Good for you, not so good for the plant.
Yes.
Would you give a plant as a present?
Oh, I have given the plant as a present, actually.
I gave one to my colleague, Daniel.
I bought him a cactus because I thought that that symbolized our relationship quite nicely, because it's spiky, but quite nice.
Did it have a flower?
It had many flowers, actually.
Which represent you or Daniel or both of you together?
I think it represents our friendship.
It's beautiful.
Daniel, if you're listening, it's very cute.
Why do people like plants in the house?
I suppose it's because plants are quite calming.
You look at them and you feel relaxed.
They're also very decorative.
I think it's almost like you're inviting nature into your home.
It's really cool.
I like houses with lots of plants.
As long as they're looked after.
If you go into a house with lots of dead plants, then maybe you feel a bit depressed.
Do you have a garden?
Um, I suppose.
In Russia, no.
The closest thing I have to a garden is the patch of land outside my window, but it's not very nice and it doesn't belong to me.
But back in Scotland, my house has two gardens.
We have a back garden and a front garden.
The front garden faces the sea and it's quite big.
It's filled with plants and trees.
It's really nice.
And the back garden has decking, so it's like wooden decking.
And we have a small shed out there as well where we entertain people in the summer.
Do you know how to cultivate plants?
You pour water on them and you give them soil.
Like I say, I'm not much of an expert.
I've given up trying to work with plants, to be honest with you.
It's just too much effort.
I don't have the time and I don't think it's fair on the plants.
Rory, thank you so much for your answers and your ideas.
Thank you.
Now, dear listeners, Rory has just used very nice words about plants.
Rory, when we talk about plants, do we mean flowers or the green stuff, basically without any flowers?
That could be confusing.
It could be confusing but to be honest with you, I think people like to talk about both in this set.
It's an umbrella term, like it covers everything.
So you could talk about flowers and it would be okay, but I think maybe it refers more to the actual thing without the flowers.
Yeah, the green thing that we usually have on our window sill.
Window sill, this thing by the window.
And dear listeners for this topic, you should know the exact name of the plant that you have on your windowsill.
Rory was talking about a cactus, right?
But also, for example, you can have a rubber plant or some roses.
Daffodils, tulips.
But it's the flowers.
But what about, like, the green plant?
No, I think the plant is called that as well, actually.
Yeah.
Oh, wow.
Without any flowers?
Mm-hmm.
Oh, well, without any flowers, it would be dead tulips or daffodils.
But, you know.
I don't have green fingers, so I'm not into plants.
But I do have a rubber plant.
Oh, nice.
Yeah.
And I've checked it out.
It's called a rubber plant.
So it's better for you to know some, you know, precise names.
We can look after plants.
Yeah, you've got to make sure they can live and survive.
So when you look after something, you care for it and make sure it doesn't die.
Or in my case, you don't look after something and it does die.
Yeah, so you can give up on your plant?
Well, yes, but not intentionally.
Oops, it died.
I was just a bit irresponsible when I was younger.
We can water plants.
Well, we do water plants.
We give them water.
Yes.
And we give them soil to live in.
That's the, I suppose, the earth, the dirt that you put them in.
We give them soil, we water them.
Some plants need shade.
Yes.
Others need sunlight and they should be exposed to the sunlight.
Yes, even if it's not all the time, it's definitely a good idea to show them some sunlight, because otherwise they won't photosynthesize.
Make that nice oxygen.
Oh, there we go, there we go.
Photo, photo what?
Photosynthesize is the verb.
Photosynthesize.
Photosynthesis is the process.
Yes.
And what else did you say?
Chloro, what?
Chlorophyll.
That is the green chemical implants.
I'm pretty sure my high school biology teacher told me that.
So apologies, Mrs. Grant, if I've got that one wrong.
Here, actually, we can get very technical and nerdy.
Go ahead and impress the examiner with this chlorophyll photosynthesize thing.
Yes.
And we can mention that, oh, I'm not a botanist.
Yes, a botanist is like a person who studies plants.
Right.
We can say that plants make oxygen.
Yes, they also make carbon dioxide as well because they're alive.
But I think most people think they only make oxygen.
They make oxygen, carbon dioxide or CO2.
As for why we have plants at home, you said they are relaxing to look at.
Yeah.
Right.
They are calming.
Calming, they calm you down.
And they are decorative.
Yes.
Right.
Decorative meaning?
Like a decoration.
So it makes your house look nice.
And you said a nice thing.
It's as if you're inviting nature.
Yeah, and usually you invite something in if you want it to be in sight.
So make sure that you use that dependent preposition with it as well.
Invite someone in, invite something in, invite nature in.
Yeah.
And when you talk about your favorite plant or plants you have at home, you can be very specific.
Like a cactus is spiky.
Yes.
Right.
Or like a rubber plant has green leaves.
Right.
And needs several waterings.
A month?
Or maybe a week?
Don't ask me.
I'm not an expert.
I'm the plant killer here.
Yes, Rory is a plant killer.
Plant killer!
Okay.
Yeah, usually we have plants on our windowsill and they are in what?
What do you call this thing?
Plants living.
Oh.
Plants house.
Yeah, plant pots you put them in.
Pots, yes.
Or actually a container.
It could be also called a container or a pot.
You put your flowers in a vase of water.
So that's like usually taller, clearer.
It doesn't have any soil in it.
It only has water in it.
Yeah.
Rory, and one more question.
If you were a plant, what plant would you be?
Oh, I think I'd be a redwood tree.
They're the tallest trees in the world and I'd like to be tall.
What about you?
What kind of plant would you be?
I would be a flower.
Venus flytrap.
Yes, is it?
In Malaysia.
No, it's a joke.
No, I would be a rose.
Rory, when you talked about gardens, you mentioned a patch of land you have back in Scotland.
A patch?
Well, the patch of land is outside my house in Russia, but yes, a patch is just like a small piece of land.
Usually it's not very well maintained, although that's just my impression about it.
But back in Scotland, you have a front garden and a back garden.
Front, basically in front of the house, and a back garden.
It's good to have land.
Yes, it's good to have land.
So, dear listeners, go get some land.
Get some land.
Get some patches of land, everybody, and have a garden.
Oh, we can have a vegetable garden.
You could, or a vegetable patch. vegetable patch.
Usually in Russia people have vegetable gardens.
Yes.
Where we have all the potatoes, all the carrots.
What do you have in your gardens in Scotland?
You have a wooden decking?
Yeah, wooden decking is like planks of wood arranged so it's above the ground and it's like a platform people can stand on.
And also you have a shed.
I do have a shed.
Although a shed sounds really small and not very nice, but actually our shed is quite big and comfortable.
The last question was about cultivating plants.
So we can cultivate plants, we can grow plants, right?
So Rory basically has a reputation for being plant killer.
So Roy has no idea how to cultivate plants.
I do remember that I pour water on my plants and it's important to use that verb when we talk about liquids or water.
Before or after he killed it?
Ideally, before you kill your plant.
So always remember, pour some kind of liquid, not put.
That's not really a good collocation.
Or you just say like water, water plants.
Rory, thank you very much for your answers.
No problem.
And being honest with the world, admitting that you did kill some plants.
I'm never going to live this down.
But that plant is not going to live either.
Dear listeners, now you can listen to Rory's answers again and notice all the grammar and vocabulary he's just used.
Rory, do you like plants?
Oh, naturally.
We need them to live and they're very beautiful and quite relaxing to look at.
Do you know a lot about plants?
I know they make oxygen via photosynthesis, but I think that is about all.
Oh, no, I know a lot from high school, actually.
So, for example.
Plants make oxygen through photosynthesis and they are green because they have chlorophyll in their leaves.
This is like the color of the chemical that is inside of them.
And if I'm right, The chlorophyll is produced by chloroplasts.
These are like small organs inside the cells of the plant.
So, actually thinking about it, I know a little bit about it, but I wouldn't say I'm like a botanist or anything.
Wow, that was so nerdy, Rory.
It was.
I have many nerdy moments.
Have you ever had a plant?
I tried to have a plant once when I was in my 20s and it did not work well for me or the plant.
It kind of turned brown and I think it died.
Plant murderer!
I didn't mean to.
I was just a very irresponsible 20-year-old.
So, Rory, do you have a reputation for being a plant killer?
Well, no.
If I kept trying, I think I would have this reputation.
But now, no, I've learned my lesson.
Good for you, not so good for the plant.
Yes.
Would you give a plant as a present?
Oh, I have given the plant as a present, actually.
I gave one to my colleague, Daniel.
I bought him a cactus because I thought that that symbolized our relationship quite nicely, because it's spiky, but quite nice.
Did it have a flower?
It did have.
It had many flowers, actually.
Which represent you or Daniel or both of you together?
I think it represents our friendship.
It's beautiful.
Daniel, if you're listening, it's very cute.
Why do people like plants in the house?
I suppose it's because plants are quite calming.
You look at them and you feel relaxed.
They're also very decorative.
I think it's almost like you're inviting nature into your home.
It's really cool.
I like houses with lots of plants.
As long as they're looked after.
If you go into a house with lots of dead plants, then maybe you feel a bit depressed.
Do you have a garden?
I suppose.
In Russia, no.
The closest thing I have to a garden is the patch of land outside my window, but it's not very nice and it doesn't belong to me.
But back in Scotland, my house has two gardens.
We have a back garden and a front garden.
The front garden faces the sea and it's quite big.
It's filled with plants and trees.
It's really nice.
And the back garden has decking.
So it's like wooden decking.
And we have a small shed out there as well where we entertain people in the summer.
Do you know how to cultivate plants?
Um...
You pour water on them and you give them soil.
Like I say, I'm not much of an expert.
I've given up trying to work with plants, to be honest with you.
It's just too much effort.
I don't have the time and I don't think it's fair on the plants.
Dear listeners, thank you very much for listening.
Take care of your plants.
Don't be like Rory, alright?
Don't kill your plants, folks.
Yes, take care of them.
And take care of yourself.
Bye!
Bye!
I like our awkward goodbyes.
