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Sounds: listen up! A
B
Adjectives indicating lack of sound and their collocations word
definition/explanation
example
silent
without noise or not talking; used for people and things that are perhaps unexpectedly or surprisingly quiet
They asked him several questions but he remained silent. The house was completely silent. silent films/movies [films made before sound was introduced]
quiet
without much noise or activity, or not talking much
It’s very quiet here at night. [no noise] I had a quiet day at work. [not much activity] My dad was a quiet man. [didn’t speak a lot]
noiseless
without noise (usually used as an adverb in formal or literary style)
He closed the door noiselessly behind him. [with no sound at all]
soundless
without sound (usually used as an adverb in formal or literary style to indicate an unexpected lack of sound)
The object vanished soundlessly into the night sky. Was it an alien spacecraft?
Verbs for describing specific noises The door slammed in the strong wind. [closed with a loud bang] My bike wheel is squeaking. I need to get some oil. [high, irritating noise] We could hear our neighbours’ favourite rock music pounding through the walls. [dull, beating sound] The old wooden door creaked as I opened it. [noise of friction of wood and/or metal] The sausages sizzled in the frying pan and smelt delicious. [sound made by frying] A shot rang out and the bird fell from the sky. [typically used for the sound of a gunshot] From our cottage, we could hear the waves crashing on the beach below. [loud, heavy noise, typically used for waves]
He always hoots/toots his horn to let us know he’s arrived. [sound made by a car horn] I could hear police car sirens wailing all last night. [making a rising and falling sound] She hammered at the door but nobody answered. [knocked very loudly and repeatedly]
C
Some adjectives for noise and silence There was an eerie silence in the old church. [rather scary] The noise of the aircraft engines was deafening. [extremely and painfully loud] He has one of those grating voices that gets on my nerves. [unpleasant, irritating] She let out a piercing scream and fled as fast as she could. [high noise that hurts the ears] Zara has a very high-pitched voice; it can be a bit irritating at times. [higher than most voices, like a whistle]
The recording was very faint, almost inaudible. [impossible to hear]
D
Some fixed expressions connected with noise and silence Everyone was so shocked and silent, you could have heard a pin drop. [there was total silence] Hey, you kids! Be quiet! I can’t hear myself think! [said when people are making too much noise] I need peace and quiet after a busy day at work. [calm and quiet period, after a noisy time] You’re as quiet as a mouse! I didn’t hear you come in at all. [very quiet indeed]
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English Vocabulary in Use Advanced
