Hello, lovely.
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 because we want you to use high-level vocabulary and gorgeous grammar in your everyday life and in your IELTS speaking test.
Rory, how's your day today?
Oh, sorry, Maria.
I just got a text there.
I wasn't paying attention.
A text?
Are you living in a cave?
Oh, yeah.
Nobody uses text these days.
Oh, well.
Shall we talk about text messaging?
Yeah, we're going to talk about text messaging.
Nice.
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Yeah, sorry, we know how good you are at sales, but let's get on with the episode now, okay?
Rory, do you like texting?
Not really.
It's more of a necessity than something desirable.
I'd rather spend my time doing.
I'd rather spend my time studying or doing something productive like that.
It just seems like...
A bit of a waste of time, sometimes.
Well, despite the fact that it's a waste of time, it seems like I write them once every minute.
I think scarcely a day goes by when I don't write a text of some kind.
I wish I could take a day off from it, though.
Why do you send texts?
Well, usually it's responding to colleagues who have queries or for my friends and family send me messages a lot as well.
Sometimes I'll send them something to keep in touch just while I'm away or something like that.
Do you use any apps to write texts?
Well, actually quite a few, even though I'm a bit of a technophobe sometimes.
So I use WhatsApp for general chatting and Telegram helps me keep track of things related to the podcast.
All of our stuff is on there.
And we have a Telegram channel for the podcast as well.
And then I use Facebook Messenger just for speaking to people on Facebook.
And the same for Instagram direct messages, although that's also for talking to people who follow me on Instagram too, when they don't follow me elsewhere.
Do you text someone if they don't answer your phone call?
No actually, because they well, they can see that I called them.
They know that I was after them, so they'll get back to me when they can or if they can.
Do you prefer sending or receiving messages?
I suppose that depends on the content of the message.
I suppose it's nicer to be sent a text, isn't it?
It shows the other person is thinking about you and it's nice to be wanted, usually.
Do you always reply to a text message?
Most of the time, especially if it's somebody that I know.
I get some texts from random people and maybe spam from companies, so they don't usually warrant a reply really.
I think that's fair.
In what situations is making a call better than writing a text?
If it's urgent or an emergency, I think those are the leading factors in that process.
More casually, I prefer to speak to my parents over the phone.
It's like the olden days and you feel closer to people like that.
But generally it's usually better to write a text than to make a call because it's faster.
Is texting better than calling people?
I would say probably almost always, because all the information is there and you can see it, and you can also multitask at the same time as you're looking at a text message, for example.
So it's quite efficient and effective this way.
Also, there's no rush to make a decision.
Like in a phone call, someone is there live waiting for you to respond.
And that can be very pressuring and sometimes you can make the wrong decision.
So I would say that it's usually better to text than to call.
Have you ever received a confusing text message?
Not recently.
I think the closest thing I've had to something like that is when I get messages from random people with the wrong number.
But even then that's not confusing, because it's obviously easy to understand what the purpose is and what the problem is.
It's just not relevant to me.
No, I can't think of anything.
Sorry.
Do you receive texts with ads?
Oh, yes.
Most often from my phone service provider, but that's not very often.
It's more likely people will call you up with a scam or something.
But even then, that's not happened for a wee while.
So it's not so bad.
Rory, thank you very much for your answers.
Okay, first of all, let's make it clear.
Text messages and text messaging or texting, is it the same or not the same?
What?
We made a joke at the start of the podcast, like text messages, nobody texts anymore.
But we write messages on chat apps and using the internet, right?
So we should make this difference, like text.
Messaging is not the same as texting.
Oh, I see what you mean.
Well yes, I think people use them to mean different things these days, but you could probably use them interchangeably and people will understand what you mean.
I think, especially if the conversation is about text messaging, for whatever reason that might be, then it's okay.
Yeah, because we used to say send an SMS and you don't need any internet to send an SMS.
So an SMS short messaging service.
But you can send a text also like using your phone and network and you don't need any internet.
But now we say send a text, send a message or to text.
I enjoy texting or send a text, write a message, write a text, yeah?
I think I'd most commonly say message or write someone a message.
You don't say a text?
Write a text?
Not really.
I can't remember the last time I said something like that, but I definitely use the word message all the time.
So when we use this WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, we just say, write me a message.
Yes.
And we can write a message, we can respond, and you use this verb to respond to a message, right?
Yeah.
Respond is just like reply, although reply is, well, it's more common for starters.
Second of all, it's used in speaking and writing.
Can you say answer a message?
Yes, absolutely.
Yeah, so respond to a message, reply to a message, or answer a message.
And also we can use kind of a reply, like a swift reply, like a fast reply.
Yeah, I think answer... is less formal than respond.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And also it's less formal than reply or reply is more neutral.
I think reply is neutral.
Right.
Yeah, but also we can talk about making a call.
So we make a call or call somebody up on the phone.
Can you say like we share texts?
Well, you can, but usually that means that you show someone different the text like.
So someone sends you a text and then you show it to a different person and that's sharing the text mostly.
And you said that like writing text messages is a necessity.
Yes.
So it's like something that you need to do is a necessity, as opposed to something you want which is something desirable.
And then you've used a nice structure, I'd rather.
I'd rather do something.
What did you say?
Yeah, I think I said something like I'd rather spend time studying or doing something productive.
But Rory spends time texting away using WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger.
What else do you use?
Instagram?
Yeah, it's really bad.
How many texts a day do you send Rory?
Tell us the truth.
Oh, let's not ask that question.
How much time?
How much time?
I have no idea.
My phone would probably tell me the analytics if I checked them, but I don't, because I think it's probably Well.
First of all, it's not relevant, because it's just what you spend your time doing.
There's nothing that you can go back to do and change that now.
And second of all, it's already...
It would just create panic about nothing, really.
Listen, I'm sure that Rory's phone is exploding with text messages.
Is that what people say?
I thought people said your phone would be blowing up.
Oh, blowing up?
Hmm, okay.
My phone is blowing up with text.
Wow, blowing up.
That's really funny.
It sounds so weird to say.
But there you go.
No, but that's like a creative use of language.
Why not?
So you would like to take a day off?
I would, from texting.
And indeed, I think I might on Sunday.
Why not?
And you've used a nice one, queries.
So I answer my colleagues' queries.
What is a query?
Yeah, a query is like well, it's just like a Question basically, although question is more commonly used and query is more common in professional business contexts, which my colleagues exist in most of them.
Could you give us an example?
One of the teachers I work with had a query about how to teach online.
Yep.
So we send messages to keep in touch with our friends, and also our friends follow us on Instagram so they can send us a private message.
And Rory is a technophobe.
Yes, I am.
I don't like technology which is ironic because I have all of this technology around me, but I really don't want it.
I prefer not to have it.
Yeah, so if you are not keen on technology, you can say I'm a bit of a technophobe, so I don't like all this instant messaging thing.
Rory, you've used nice phrases.
I was after them and they go back to me.
They go back to you like they find you.
Oh, they'll get back to me.
So if you're after someone, that usually means that you're looking for them or you want to contact them in some way, and if they get back to you, then they answer or they reply.
Or you can, for example, write in your email, I'll get back to you on this.
Or I'll get back to you about it later.
Just make sure that you actually get back to them about something.
Yeah.
Yeah but, like you know, we tend to treat each text as if it's an emergency and we kind of like respond to texts very quickly usually.
Usually yeah, but people shouldn't.
They should chill out and take a bit more time to think about what it is they're going to say.
Um, i say this, i'm probably as guilty of this as everybody else.
You said that nice phrase, a collocation to warrant a reply.
Warrant, like a police warrant.
Basically, yes.
So, to warrant a reply is like to deserve a reply.
We need an example.
Well, usually when companies try to text you about something, they don't warrant a reply because it's just a scam or it's just advertising.
So you don't need to give them a reply.
It's not necessary.
It's not something that you should do.
Yeah, we can get messages with ads, advertising, advertisements.
Rory, you've mentioned two adjectives, efficient and effective.
So shall we go down this rabbit hole and explain the difference, efficient and effective?
So efficient is how, sorry, efficient is how many resources or how much time something uses.
If it uses less or fewer resources and time to achieve its result, then it's efficient.
And if it works very well, then it's effective.
If it doesn't work very well, then it's not effective.
So that's the difference between the two, in a nutshell.
Yeah, and what about text messages?
So writing...
Yeah, writing a text message is more efficient than calling because it takes less time and effort.
So it could be more effective if you give everyone all the information that they need.
If you don't, then it's not very effective because people have to send more text messages and spend more time on the situation.
Yeah, absolutely.
And you can make a decision, there's no rush, and it's less pressurizing.
Yes, or pressuring actually is another one.
Pressuring.
Yeah, pressure is like pressure, right?
There's no pressure, so you can take your time and reply to a text message. later.
Robbie, do you use emoticons, emojis when you write a message?
I try to, but I think a lot of people think the way I use them is old-fashioned.
We can also mention these words such as using the keypad.
Are you good at using the keypad?
How good are your typing skills?
Yes, we can.
And do you use shorthand or abbreviations?
For text messages?
Yeah.
Not really, no.
I used to, when you had to pay for text messages individually, but you don't, so you can just send like a full text and it's okay.
Maybe I'll use some abbreviations in a professional context, but it's very rare.
Hmm.
Okay.
So you wouldn't text something like ASAP as soon as possible?
We'd never send something like that.
That sounds really demanding and rude.
And when we make the distinction between calling somebody up on the phone or writing a message, can we say that?
Texting is poor at conveying subtle and complex information.
It's more straightforward for a straightforward message.
I think that's true in most cases.
Although some people are very good at conveying what they want in words.
So in most cases, yes, but sometimes people are good at this.
What about texting and driving?
Texting and driving has become a phenomenon.
In Russia, yeah.
Nowhere else in the world is that.
No, in the States.
The States.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The States, Rory.
It's crazy in the States.
Texting and driving.
They've introduced new laws about texting and driving in the states.
Well yeah, that's because it's dangerous.
But every like it's so funny because almost no one i know does this outside of russia, where everybody texts and drives i'm just like, oh my god, how is no one dead?
Well, people do die in car crashes, so you know it's such a bad idea.
And also Rory, we should mention this on the podcast.
Such a new thing as sexting.
No, we shouldn't.
We're not talking about that.
Let's move on.
It means sexually implicit messages are exchanged.
So sexting, because I think that our listeners should know, like new words, what's new in the language, and you know, so for them to be up to date.
Nobody needs to know that.
Just ignore, just ignore this.
Yeah, just ignore me.
All right.
Okay, shall we wrap up on such a high note?
If you're interested in any of the things we talked about today, don't send us a text message, but send us a message on Instagram, for example yeah, or on telegram.
We're using this instant messaging chat service service yeah, instant messaging service or like texting apps, chat apps.
So instagram, telegram.
Thank you very much for listening.
We hope that you've learned some good vocabulary about writing a text and messaging.
Bye Rory, do you like texting?
Not really.
It's more of a necessity than something desirable.
I'd rather spend my time doing.
I'd rather spend my time studying or doing something productive like that.
It just seems like... a bit of a waste of time sometimes.
How often do you write texts?
Well, despite the fact that it's a waste of time, it seems like I write them once every minute.
I think scarcely a day goes by when I don't write a text of some kind.
I wish I could take a day off from it, though.
Why do you send texts?
Well, usually it's responding to colleagues who have queries or for my friends and family send me messages a lot as well.
Sometimes I'll send them something to keep in touch just while I'm away or something like that.
Do you use any apps to write texts?
Well, actually quite a few, even though I'm a bit of a technophobe sometimes.
So I use WhatsApp for general chatting and Telegram helps me keep track of things related to the podcast.
All of our stuff is on there.
Have a.
We have a telegram channel for the podcast as well.
Um, and then i use facebook messenger just for speaking to people on facebook, and the same for instagram direct messages, although that's also for talking to people who follow me on instagram too, when they don't follow me elsewhere.
Do you text someone if they don't answer your phone call?
No, actually, because they, well, they can see that I called them.
They know that I was after them, so they'll get back to me when they can or if they can.
Do you prefer sending or receiving messages?
Well, I suppose that depends on the content of the message.
But usually, I suppose it's nicer to be sent a text, isn't it?
It shows the other person is thinking about you and it's nice to be wanted, usually.
Do you always reply to a text message?
Most of the time, especially if it's somebody that I know.
I get some texts from random people and maybe spam from companies.
So they don't usually warrant a reply, really.
I think that's fair.
In what situations is making a call better than writing a text?
If it's urgent or an emergency, I think those are the leading factors in that process.
More casually, I prefer to speak to my parents over the phone.
It's like the olden days and you feel closer to people like that.
But generally it's usually better to write a text than to make a call, because it's faster.
Is texting better than calling people?
I would say probably almost always, because all the information is there and you can see it, and you can also multitask at the same time as you're looking at a text message, for example.
So it's quite efficient and effective this way.
Also, there's no rush to make a decision.
Like in a phone call, someone is there live waiting for you to respond.
And that can be very pressuring.
And sometimes you can make the wrong decision.
So I would say that it's usually better to text than to call.
Have you ever received a confusing text message?
Not recently.
I think the closest thing I've had to something like that is when I get messages from random people with the wrong number.
But even then that's not confusing, because it's obviously easy to understand what the purpose is and what the problem is.
It's just not relevant to me.
No, I can't think of anything.
Sorry.
Do you receive texts with ads?
Oh, yes.
Most often from my phone service provider, but that's not very often.
It's more likely people will call you up with a scam or something.
But even then, that's not happened for a wee while.
So it's not so bad.
