Sounds Our Body Makes 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♂️ English Vocabulary with JenniferESL

Have you ever been part of a large audience?

Have you noticed that even when everyone is trying to be quiet during a speech or a

performance, there's never really silence, right?

Why?

Because people make noises.

We can't always help it. Our body makes noises. And let's face it...

Some noises are more embarrassing than others.

Let's go over some of the sounds our body makes.

We cough when something gets stuck in our throat.

We cough when we're sick. We cough when there's something in the air.

When I was a girl, I was taught that you should cover your mouth whenever you cough.

Later the advice changed. Now we're told that you should use your arm. the crook of your arm.

This leaves your hands free of germs, so you can safely shake hands with others or touch things like doorknobs.

Cough is a verb and a noun. I can't stop coughing.

When you have a cold, you might have a stuffy nose and a bad cough.

Do you know how to get rid of a bad cough?

People also cover their mouths when they sneeze.

We can use achoo to represent the sound of a sneeze.

Sneeze is a verb and a noun.

Cold air makes me sneeze.

This is true.

I have a loud sneeze. I got it from my father.

So what do you do about a loud sneeze?

Well, you can say, "Excuse me" if your sneeze interrupts someone.

But it's actually good manners for those around you to say, "Bless you" after you sneeze.

The full expression is "God bless you," but most people just say, "Bless you."

Whether you're religious or not, saying bless you is just a ritual expression.

It's a way of wishing someone good health.

Do you have a loud sneeze?

When you sneeze, do you sneeze only once or do you usually sneeze a few times?

I mentioned a stuffy nose before.

When you have a stuffy nose, it's hard to breathe freely through the nose. And so you might sniff a little

until you find a tissue.

Sniff is a verb and a noun.

If you have a runny nose, you definitely need a tissue.

That's when you need to wipe and blow your nose every two minutes.

It's awful.

If you have a runny nose,

you still sniff.

Lots of sniffs can become sniffling. Sniffle is a verb and a noun.

Sometimes people talk about having the sniffles...when they have a bad cold and their nose is runny.

You might sniffle during a sad movie.

You're trying to hold in your tears. You hold in everything, but you can't help but sniffle a little.

Do you sniffle and cry when you watch a sad movie?

One of the most annoying sounds made with the nose is snoring.

Snores a verb and a noun.

My husband snores.

His snoring disturbs my sleep.

A loud snore can wake me up out of a deep sleep.

Does anyone in your family snore?

There's one more sound we can make with our nose. It's a sound that could either be funny or rude.

Have you ever heard someone snort?

It's a loud kind of breathing through the nose.

We often associate snorting with animals, like pigs.

Some people snort when they laugh. I don't usually snort, but let me try.

Sometimes people snort in a rude way to show that they have a low opinion of something.

Snort can be a verb or a noun.

Besides pigs, what other animals snort?

Let's move back to sounds we make in our throat. What's this?

I'm clearing my throat.

Sometimes we clear our throat because there's something preventing us from talking clearly.

Other times we clear our throat to get someone's attention.

When or where might you signal someone by clearing your throat?

Here's a rather unpleasant sound.

That's a groan.

Groan can be a noun or a verb. A groan expresses frustration,

anger,

displeasure...something negative. It's a deep sound in our throat comes out of our mouth.

In what kind of situation might a child groan?

Okay. Here are two sounds that might be confused.

We might gulp out of fear. Gulping is a loud swallowing motion.

Burping can be loud or soft. It comes from the stomach.

Babies burp after eating.

We might burp after eating a large meal.

Gulp and burp are two more words that can be verbs or nouns.

When you burp you should say, "Excuse me."

Many people try to cover their mouths or keep their mouth closed when they burp to keep it quiet.

But there are other people and there are many children who think that burping is funny.

They think it's hilarious. In fact, they have burping contests.

I've known people who've tried to say the whole alphabet while burping. Can you imagine burping the alphabet?

Do you think burping loudly is funny or disgusting?

Somewhat similar noise is hiccuping, like this.

What do you do if you can't stop hiccuping?

Note that hiccup is both a verb and a noun.

We can also talk about the hiccups.

Having the hiccups. I have the hiccups.

Do you know a good way to get rid of the hiccups?

A list of bodily sounds would not be complete without farting.

This sound can be a source of embarrassment for many people, but, again for children, it can be quite hilarious.

There are plenty of kids who think it's funny to make fart sounds.

Farting is an everyday word for passing gas. Fart is both a verb and a noun.

In recent years, the expression "brain fart" has gained use in conversation.

If you can't think straight, if you can't recall information easily,

you're having a brain fart.

But don't use this expression in polite company, okay?

Have you ever had a brain fart at a really bad time?

Here are two sounds you should recognize.

Tsk tsk is how we represent this clicking sound.

A tsk tsk sound

expresses that we don't like something, we don't approve of something, or perhaps we feel sorry for someone.

As in...

That's too bad.

This clicking sound is made with our tongue against the roof of our mouth.

In contrast, if we use both of our lips,

we get a smacking sound. We smack our lips.

We might smack our lips after eating something messy, like chocolate.

When else do people smack their lips? Here's a hint: think of ladies putting on makeup.

Now let's contrast two breathing sounds. First, a gasp.

It's a strong intake of breath. We gasp in surprise.

Second, a sigh.

It's the opposite. It's a long gentle exhale.

Sigh and gasp...again, we have two words that can be verbs or nouns.

I heard a gasp of surprise. I gasped in surprise.

I heard him sigh. He sighed in relief.

When might someone sigh in relief?

There's an action that we do when we're tired. It produces a sound that could be very quiet or very loud.

What am I doing?

I'm yawning.

They say if you see someone yawn, it's hard not to yawn yourself.

Do you think yawning is contagious?

Yawn can be a verb or a noun.

Please cover your mouth when you yawn.

She let out a big yawn and stretched her arms.

Sometimes our stomach grumbles and the sounds can be quite loud.

If your stomach is grumbling and people around you hear, you can say, "Excuse me."

You can also joke and add something like, "I guess I'm hungry."

Or "I guess my stomach knows it's almost lunchtime."

People make some sounds on purpose. Do you know anyone who likes to crack their knuckles?

The sound of someone cracking their knuckles makes me wince in discomfort, but some people like doing this.

Some people even crack their necks.

Do you crack your knuckles?

Let's end with two fun sounds: hum and whistle. Do you know the difference?

We hum with our lips closed. We usually hum when we're happy or bored.

We whistle with our lips in a tight circle.

Some people can whistle a whole song.

We whistle when we're happy, or we can also whistle to get someone's attention.

Some people know how to whistle through their fingers.

Can you whistle very well? Do you know how to whistle through your fingers?

It's time to wrap up.

If you have a study partner,

you can practice by asking each other my questions. If you're studying alone,

choose three of the questions and post your ideas in the comments.

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