ESL Podcast 654 - Talking About Sound and Volume

to turn (something) up/down - to increase or decrease the volume, especially of music or television

Could you please turn the TV up? I can't hear what the reporter is saying.

ear-splitting - hurting one's ears because something is extremely loud and/or high-pitched

When Raffi heard an ear-splitting scream in the middle of the night, he immediately called the police.

to concentrate - to focus all of one's attention on one thing, without being distracted by other things

Patrizia is having a lot of problems in her personal life and that makes it difficult for her to concentrate on her work.

to swear - to insist that one is telling the truth; to very strongly state that one is being honest

I don't know who ate the last piece of cake, but I swear it wasn't me!

volume control - a small dial or knob on a radio, stereo, television, or other piece of electronic equipment, touched to make something louder or quieter

This volume control is really sensitive, so even the gentlest touch makes a big difference in how loud the music is.

decibel - a measurement of how loud something is

The noise in a typical library is around 40 decibels, but the noise created by a jet airplane taking off is around 120 decibels.

high-pitched - with a very high sound, more like a soprano woman's voice than like a bass man's voice

Why do so many cartoon characters have annoyingly high-pitched voices?

squeal - a loud, high sound, often made when one is very happy or excited

Their home is always filled with squeals of laughter.

speaker - the part of a radio, stereo, or television set that produces noise

We had a great time sitting right in front of the speakers at the concert last night, but today my ears hurt and it's hard to hear anything.

grating - making an annoying, unpleasant sound; irritating; bothering someone; making someone angry and upset

The beeping sound at the grocery store every time someone buys something is really grating. I wouldn't want to work there.

banging - with a loud, heavy sound that lasts for a very short period of time, usually produced when two objects hit each other, or when one object falls

People say that bears are scared of banging noises, so it's a good idea to hit two sticks together when you're walking alone in the woods.

hammer - a tool with a wooden handle and a heavy metal top, used to hit nails and push them into a wall or a piece of wood

You'll need a hammer and a screwdriver to assemble this bookcase.

thumping - a loud, slightly muffled or distant noise caused when something falls or when two heavy objects hit each other

Whenever our neighbor practices the drums, we can hear the thumping noises in our home, even though we live one block away!

to lift weights - to try to build one's strength and/or the size of one's muscles by lifting heavy objects many times

Studies have shown that older people who lift weights a few times each week are less likely to break their bones in a fall.

moderate - of medium size or number; not too big and not too small; not too loud and not too quiet

We've seen a moderate decrease in the unemployment rate, but not as much as people were hoping for

quiet as a mouse - extremely quiet, not making any noise

Everyone became as quiet as a mouse, waiting to hear the important announcement.