63 Sounds: listen up

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D 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

noiseless without noise (usually used as an adverb in formal or literary style) soundless without sound (usually used as an adverb in formal or literary style to indicate an unexpected lack of sound) 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] He closed the door noiselessly behind him. [with no sound at all] 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]

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]

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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Fill the gaps with appropriate forms, adjectives or adverbs, of the words silent, quiet, noiseless or soundless. Only silent may be used more than once. 1 This luxury car prides itself on its almost engine. 2 It’s very difficult to find a place to live nowadays, even in the countryside. 3 Charlie Chaplin’s films are as funny today as they were in the 1920s. 4 The great bird flapped its wings and rose into the evening sky. 5 The women kept up a protest in front of the laboratories.

Write a sentence which could come immediately before the following sentences, using verbs from the box and the word(s) in brackets, as shown.

slam pound creak crash sizzle ring out toot squeak wail

1 (door) The door slammed loudly.

The wind must have blown it shut. 2 (shot)

Somebody was firing at the birds on the lake. 3 (door)

It was very old, made of oak and difficult to open. 4 (music, walls)

It was as if the musicians were playing in our bedroom. 5 (chicken, frying pan)

The sound and the smell made me even more hungry. 6 (rusty door hinges)

I think they need some oil. 7 (horn)

I looked out of the window and saw her car parked outside. 8 (waves)

It was wonderful to be so near the sea. 9 (police sirens)

There must have been an accident, or perhaps a robbery.

Which adjective can describe the following? The first letter is given.

1 An extremely loud noise, e.g. very loud music d 2 A strange, almost scary silence e 3 A high noise that hurts your ears p 4 A harsh, irritating kind of voice g 5 A voice that has a similar tone to a whistle h 6 A whisper that is almost impossible to hear i -p

Complete these expressions.

1 It was so quiet you could have . 2 I’ve had some noisy, hectic days with all those kids, now I’m looking forward to some .

3 Turn that music down! I can’t 4 I don’t even notice that Will is in the flat sometimes. He’s