Daily English 1293 Types of Body Noises

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:08
Explanation begins at: 3:02
Normal Speed begins at: 16:05

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,293 – Types of Body Noises.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,293. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

[start of dialogue]

Ann: I’ve had it. Jim has got to go!

Milo: Go? He’s my best friend. I told him he could stay here until he got back on his feet. He’s not in your way, is he?

Ann: He doesn’t have to get in my way for me to know he’s in the house all the time. He snores so loudly I can hear him from our bedroom. He’s constantly hiccupping and wheezing, too.

Milo: Well, the guy can’t help it if he snores, hiccups, or wheezes.

Ann: But he can help snorting when he laughs and whistling all the time. And he constantly cracks his knuckles and it’s driving me up the wall.

Milo: Those are bad habits. You know it’s hard to break bad habits.

Ann: And what about his burping all through dinner and farting in the living room? That’s disgusting!

Milo: Okay, I’ll talk to him. I’m sure he’s not aware he’s doing most of these things. He’s always lived alone.

Ann: Really? I wonder why.

[end of dialogue]

Ann begins our dialogue by saying to Milo, “I’ve had it.” When someone says they “have had it,” he means he is no longer able to tolerate or allow something. When a situation becomes so difficult or so impossible for someone that the person no longer wants to deal with it – no longer wants to, we would say, “put up with it” – that person might say that he’s “had it.” Another phrasal verb we use in this situation is “to be fed (fed) up.” If someone says, “I’m fed up,” he means he’s angry. He’s mad and he doesn’t want to put up with, or tolerate, a situation any longer.

Ann has a problem with Jim. She says, “Jim has got to go,” meaning Jim must leave. Milo says, “Go? He’s my best friend.” So, Jim is Milo’s best friend. Milo continues, “I told him,” meaning I told Jim, “he could stay here until he got back on his feet.” So, Milo has told his friend Jim that Jim could live at his house “until he got back on his feet.”

Usually we use that expression “to get back on your feet” when you have been in a difficult situation and you need time before you can go back and do the things you normally do. It may be that you were ill, that you were sick, or perhaps you lost your job and don’t have any money. Both of these would be cases where you might need to get back on your feet, by either getting well or getting a job.

Milo says that Jim is “not in your way, is he?” He’s asking Ann if Jim is in her way. “To be in someone’s way” (way) means to be preventing another person from doing what that person wants, either because you are physically in the same space that person wants to be, or perhaps you are getting in the way or bothering the person because you are preventing that person from doing what he wants.

Ann says that Jim “doesn’t have to get in my way for me to know he’s in the house all the time. He snores so loudly,” Ann says, “I can hear him from our bedroom.” So, Ann and Milo are a couple living together, and we have Jim, the friend, living in the house also. But Jim “snores” (snores). “To snore” means to make a loud noise when you are sleeping, usually with your nose and mouth. That would be snoring. I sometimes snore. That’s what my wife tells me, anyway. I’m not sure it’s true, though. I don’t think it is. I’ve never heard myself snoring so I don’t think I actually do.

But Jim definitely does because Ann can hear him from her bedroom – that is, where she and Milo sleep. Ann says that Jim is “constantly hiccupping and wheezing, too.” To do something “constantly” means all of the time or repeatedly, over and over again. It’s often used nowadays to mean simply a lot, so much so that it seems as though it is happening continually, or without interruption.

“To hiccup” (hiccup) is to make a noise, without wanting to, that sounds a little like a cough but usually is a higher pitch and is something that goes on for a certain number of minutes, perhaps, or even longer. It’s not something that people want to do, but it’s something their body does “involuntarily,” we would say. You breathe in suddenly and it makes a noise. That’s “to hiccup.”

“To wheeze” (wheeze) is to breathe in, making a very loud sound. Often this happens when you are sick, when you have some sort of illness in your lungs, the parts of your body that take in air and expel or breathe out air. If you smoke a lot, sometimes you may also wheeze. Milo says, “Well, the guy can’t help it if he snores, hiccups, or wheezes.” When we say someone “can’t help it,” we mean they have no power over that situation. They can’t change that situation.

Ann says, “But he can help snorting when he laughs and whistling all the time.” “To snort” (snort) is to make a loud noise when you are breathing in, but more with your nose than with your lungs. It’s sort of like snoring, but you do it when you are awake. Some people do it sometimes when they laugh. Sounds a little like a pig, actually. In fact, that is the way we describe the noise of a pig, “to snort.”

Jim snorts when he laughs and whistles all the time. “To whistle” (whistle) means to make a sound with your mouth, usually one that is high-pitched. This is whistling. Well, that’s not very good whistling but you get the idea. Ann says that Jim is always whistling, “and he constantly cracks his knuckles and it’s driving me up the wall,” she says.

“To crack (crack) your knuckles (knuckles)” means to make a loud sound or noise by pushing your fingers into the flat part of your hand. Your “knuckles” are the parts of your hand where the fingers meet the rest of your hand, what we would call the “palm” (palm) of the hand. “To crack your knuckles” means to make a noise with the bones in your hands. I can’t do it myself, at least not willingly, not voluntarily, though as I grow old, other bones in my body begin to crack.

It’s driving Ann up the wall. “To drive someone up the wall” means to make someone crazy. It’s an expression that is used to mean to bother or annoy someone. Milo says, “Those are bad habits.” A “habit” (habit) is something you do all the time or something you do without thinking about it very much. A “bad habit” would be something that is not good for you that you do all the time.

Milo says, “You know it’s hard,” or difficult, “to break bad habits.” “To break a bad habit” means to stop doing something that is bad for you. Smoking cigarettes is a bad habit and you should probably break your bad habit, at least if you want to live long. Though not everyone who smokes dies from smoking, but a lot of people do – enough so that it’s probably a good idea. Ann says, “And what about his burping all through dinner and farting in the living room? That’s disgusting.”

“To burp” (burp) is to make a loud noise allowing air to escape from your stomach, often because you have eaten something and you have what is called “gas” (gas). It’s not a very pleasant sound. Here’s an example, not by me. The verb “to fart” (fart) is definitely an informal one. A more polite way might be saying “to pass gas.” It basically is making a loud noise when the gas, instead of going through your mouth and out your mouth, I should say, goes out, well, the other end of your body. I won’t give you an example of that.

In both cases, Ann is correct in saying that it’s often considered “disgusting” (disgusting). Something that is “disgusting” makes other people sick or uncomfortable. It’s something that is considered very unpleasant or not nice. Milo says, “Okay, I’ll talk to him. I’m sure he’s not aware he’s doing most of these things. He’s always lived alone.” Milo doesn’t think Jim is “aware” (aware). “To be aware” means to know something is happening, to know what is going on. The reason is that Jim has always “lived alone,” lived by himself.

Ann says, “Really? I wonder why.” Ann is making a joke. She knows why Jim has probably always lived alone because no one wants to live with him. He has all of these strange body noises he always makes.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Ann: I’ve had it. Jim has got to go!

Milo: Go? He’s my best friend. I told him he could stay here until he got back on his feet. He’s not in your way, is he?

Ann: He doesn’t have to get in my way for me to know he’s in the house all the time. He snores so loudly I can hear him from our bedroom. He’s constantly hiccupping and wheezing, too.

Milo: Well, the guy can’t help it if he snores, hiccups, or wheezes.

Ann: But he can help snorting when he laughs and whistling all the time. And he constantly cracks his knuckles and it’s driving me up the wall.

Milo: Those are bad habits. You know it’s hard to break bad habits.

Ann: And what about his burping all through dinner and farting in the living room? That’s disgusting!

Milo: Okay, I’ll talk to him. I’m sure he’s not aware he’s doing most of these things. He’s always lived alone.

Ann: Really? I wonder why.

[end of dialogue]

A good habit to have is to listen to the scripts written by our wonderful scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse. It will definitely improve your English if you do.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

Glossary

to have had it – to be fed up; to not be able to tolerate something anymore; to demand that something stop

* Rafael always leaves his dirty dishes in the sink, but I’ve had it! I’m not going to clean up the kitchen for him anymore.

to get back on (one’s) feet – to recover from an illness or a difficult situation so that one can be independent again

* The doctors said it might take a few weeks for Jane to get back on her feet after the surgery.

in (one’s) way – using the space that someone else would like to have; not giving another person enough room or freedom to feel comfortable

* There are too many people in the kitchen. We’re all getting in each other’s way.

to snore – to make a loud noise through heavy breathing while one is sleeping

* Even with earplugs, Xiomara can hear her husband snoring throughout the night.

constantly – continually; all the time; often; repeatedly

* As a teenager, Mateo was constantly hungry because he was growing so quickly.

to hiccup – to involuntarily (not wanting to) make a series loud sounds as the area above the stomach suddenly moves and causes one to breathe in, making a strange noise that sometimes sounds like a cough

* The speaker was really embarrassed when he started hiccupping during this speech.

to wheeze – to breathe in a very loud way as if one cannot get enough air

* By the time Rogelio reached the 400th step, he was wheezing loudly.

to not be able to help – to be unable to control something; to have no power over how something happens

* We can’t help it if customers no longer want to buy our old products. We need to develop new and better ones.

to snort – to make a loud noise through the nose while breathing in, like the noise of a pig, especially when one is laughing

* The children crawled on their hands and knees and snorted, pretending to be pigs.

to whistle – to make a high-pitched, musical sound by forming one’s lips into a small “o” shape and blowing air through them without using one’s voice

* Those construction workers sometimes whistle at pretty women as they walk by.

to crack (one’s) knuckles – to make a loud popping noise by pushing one’s fingers down and into the palm (flat part) of one’s hands

* Some piano players crack their knuckles because they think it helps to relax their fingers so they can play notes more quickly.

to drive (someone) up the wall – to make someone feel crazy; to bother and annoy someone

* Alba is driving me up the wall with all of her criticism and unwanted advice!

bad habit – something that is not good, but that one does often without even thinking about it

* It’s so hard to break bad habits, like biting your fingernails or twirling your hair.

to burp – to make a loud noise by allowing gas to escape from one’s stomach through one’s mouth, often with a bad smell

* Eating spicy food often makes Bruce burp.

to fart – to make a loud noise by allowing gas to escape from one’s anus (where solid waste leaves the body), often with a bad smell

* Once I made the mistake of eating beans for breakfast, which made me fart all day.

disgusting – very gross, making other people feel sick and uncomfortable; extremely unpleasant

* Why are you putting ketchup on your fried chicken? That’s disgusting!

aware – with knowledge; knowing that something is happening

* I wasn’t aware that Celia was dating Michael. Have they been hiding their relationship from everyone at work?

Comprehension Questions

1. Which of these smells bad?
a) Wheezing
b) Snorting
c) Farting

2. Which of these actions can a person control?
a) Snoring
b) Hiccupping
c) Cracking knuckles

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

to get back on (one’s) feet

The phrase “to get back on (one’s) feet,” in this podcast, means to recover from an illness or a difficult situation so that one can be independent again: “After the divorce, Jackie needed a few months to find a job and an apartment and get back on her feet.” The phrase “under (one’s) feet” means in the way, or being present in a way that prevents someone from doing what he or she wants: “How can you clean your house with all these cats and dogs under your feet?” Finally, the phrase “to land on (one’s) feet” means to end up in a good situation due to luck: “Bruce is going through a tough time now, but I’m sure he’ll land on his feet.”

constantly

In this podcast, the word “constantly” means continually, all the time, or often: “The neighbor upstairs is constantly playing the drums, even late at night when we’re trying to sleep.” The word “constant” can mean unchanging or remaining the same: “Most car experts recommend trying to drive at a constant speed to reduce the amount of gasoline you use.” When describing a person, “constant” means loyal and reliable: “Her cousin was her constant companion when she was growing up.” Finally, the phrase “a constant stream of (something)” means a steady supply: “We were pleasantly surprised by the constant stream of customers on the first day we opened the store.” Or, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a constant stream of income without needing to work?”

Culture Note

Famous A Cappella Pop Artists

“A capella” music refers to singing without “accompaniment,” or without instruments that are playing at the same time. Both “soloists” (singers who sing by themselves) and small groups sing a capella, and some of them have “risen to fame” (become famous).

Bobby McFerrin is probably America’s most popular a capella singer. His best-known song is “Don't Worry, Be Happy,” which became the “number-one” (top; most popular) “pop hit” (well-liked song in popular music) in 1988 and won the Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year in 1989.

Born in 1950, Bobby McFerrin has a “unique” (unlike anything else) musical style. He was so “committed” (focused on making something happen) to developing his style that he tried not to listen to any other singers for two years so that he would not “imitate” (copy) their style. He is known for singing “fluidly” (quickly and smoothly) even while making big “jumps” (movements) in “pitch” (how high or low a note is). He also uses his mouth and “chest” (the front part of one’s body, between the stomach and the neck) to make “percussive” (related to drums) sounds.

The most famous American a capella group is probably Pentatonix, based in Austin, Texas. The five singers “came to prominence” (became well known) by participating in a TV show called The Sing-Off. The group has complex “arrangements” (music compositions that involve different singers or instruments) and they use “vocal percussion” (using one’s mouth and voice to make drum-like sounds). Mostly they perform pop music, but their music is influenced by many different “genres” (types of music) including reggae, hip hop, and even classical music.

Comprehension Answers

1 - c

2 - c