How do you behave in a swimming pool? 6 Minute English

Rob: Hi, I'm Rob and welcome to 6 Minute English,

where we talk about an interesting topic and

six items of related vocabulary.

Neil: And I’m Neil… And today we’re

talking about wetiquette! What’s that, Rob?

Rob: I have no idea!

Neil: Well, you won’t find wetiquette

in many dictionaries – it actually

means ‘swimming pool etiquette’.

W-etiquette – get it?

Etiquette is a set of rules for how to

behave in social situations.

And wetiquette is a

set of dos and don’ts to keep

things calm in the water.

Rob: Dos and don’ts are also rules

telling us how to behave.

So things like ‘No running

by the pool’ or ‘No diving in

the shallow end’. Am I right?

Neil: Yes and no, Rob. Those are

traditional swimming pool rules.

But wetiquette covers

slightly different things.

Rob: OK, well before we get to those,

I have a question for you, Neil.

According to the US Water Quality

and Health Council, how many

people admitted to not showering

before using the pool? Is it…

a) 7%, b) 17% or c) 70%.

Neil: Well, I’m going to be optimistic

and say 7%, Rob.

Rob: So I take it you do always take

a shower before swimming, Neil?

Neil: Correct. Taking a quick shower

is such an easy thing to do,

and it stops all that horrible sweat and

bacteria getting in the pool water!

I can’t understand

why some people don’t do it!

Rob: I can see it’s making you quite

hot under the collar - and

that means angry.

Let’s listen to swimming specialist,

Jenny Landreth, talking about

what annoys her.

Jenny Landreth: I'm very keen on my

wetiquette in the pool.

Interviewer: It's that thing where people

can get quite cross about, which is:

Do you go around clockwise or anticlockwise?

Do you overtake or not?

Jenny Landreth: People need a rule.

We need to observe the rules

of the pool and I'm very keen on that.

Most other swimmers will suffer from

lane rage if people are in

the wrong lane of the pool.

And don’t know how to observe

the rules of that lane.

Interviewer: Lane rage – you mean

if you’re a kind of slow swimmer and

you dare to go in the fast lane?

Jenny Landreth: Well, I hate to say it,

but it is quite often that gentlemen

quite often misjudge their speed and

think they’re slightly faster than they are.

Interviewer: Ah! The male ego here!

Jenny Landreth: They quite often don’t

like it if there’s a woman swimming faster

than them. So very often they’ll go

in the slightly faster lane and

should be gently encouraged

by wetiquette to get in the correct lane.

Interviewer: Know your speed.

Jenny Landreth: Yes.

Rob: That was Jenny Landreth – a

swimming specialist – talking about the

things that annoy her about other

people in the pool.

Neil: Yes. Jenny doesn't like it when

people are slower that they should be

for the fast lane.

Older men, like you, Rob.

Rob: Neil, how dare you!

Yes, Jenny gets 'lane rage'.

Neil: Lane rage! Where swimmers get

hot under the collar when there’s

a slow swimmer in the fast lane.

Rob: Swimming lanes are the vertical

sections of a swimming pool that

are often labelled as ‘fast’, ‘medium’,

and ‘slow’. Do you know your speed, Neil?

Neil: Yes – I’m fast.

Rob: Are you sure you are not

misjudging your speed?

Do you think you might actually be

a medium-fast swimmer?

Neil: To misjudge means to guess

something wrongly. And our ego is the

idea we have of ourselves –

with regards to how important

we feel we are. And to answer

your question, Rob, no,

I’m definitely fast.

Rob: Are there other things swimmers

should be aware of in the pool?

Neil: Yes – if somebody taps

your foot, it means they

want to overtake you.

Rob: Overtaking means to pass

another person travelling

in the same direction because you

are going faster than them.

Neil: I hate it when swimmers overtake me!

Rob: Really, Neil? Is that your

male ego talking?

Neil: No, not at all – I just hate

getting splashed.

Rob: I see. Well perhaps now is

a good time to move on and hear

the answer to today’s quiz question.

Remember I asked: How many

people admitted to not showering before

using the pool? Is it…

a) 7%, b) 17% or c) 70%?

Neil: I said 7% and I hope I’m right.

Rob: Well, I’m afraid you’re wrong, Neil.

It’s actually ten times that amount –

it’s 70%! The 2012 US report from

Water Quality and Health Council

found that around 70% of people

do not shower before taking

a swim in the pool – adding to

the number of germs in the water.

Neil: Perhaps swimming pools should

start fining people who don’t

take a shower? That might

make a difference. Now, let’s go

over the words we learned today.

Rob: Yes, the first one is ‘dos and don’ts’,

which are rules telling us how to

behave in a particular situation. For

example, “What are the dos and don’ts

of meeting the Queen?”

Neil: Good question – Is the correct

etiquette to call her Your Highness

or Ma’am? Are there

certain subjects you shouldn’t

talk about?

Rob: Do you shake her hand

or curtesy?

Neil: These are things you need

to know – or else the Queen

might get ‘hot under collar’ -

that’s our next word, and

it means angry!

Rob: “Both politicians got hot

under the collar and

insulted each other.”

Neil: OK – number three is ‘lanes’ –

which are the vertical sections

of a swimming pool that are

often labelled as ‘fast’, ‘medium’,

and ‘slow’.

Rob: “Our British Olympic gold medallist

is swimming in lane one.”

Neil: Our next word is ‘misjudge’

which means to guess something

wrongly. For example,

“I’m sorry I misjudged you, Rob.

Please forgive me.”

Rob: Oh alright then, Neil. But don’t

misjudge me again OK?

Next up is ‘ego’ – which is our

sense of how important we are.

Neil: “Losing the race was

a huge blow to her ego.”

Rob: And our final word is ‘overtake’ –

which means to pass another person

travelling in the same direction

because you are going

faster than them.

Neil: “I don’t enjoy overtaking

big lorries on the motorway.”

Rob: Neither do I, Neil.

Now one of the don’ts of this

show is not talking for more than

six minutes. So

it’s time to say goodbye!

Neil: But please visit our Twitter,

Facebook and YouTube pages

and tell us what makes you

hot under the collar!

Rob: And remember – you can

explore our website:

bbclearningenglish.com, where

you'll find guides to grammar,

exercises, videos and articles

to read and improve your English.

Bye bye!

Neil: Goodbye!