📙 Part 2: Describe an indoor or outdoor place where it is easy for you to study 

You should say: when it was, what it was, who you showed it to, how you showed it, and explain how you felt about it.

This episode's vocabulary

• To power through (something) (phrasal verb) - to continue in a strong and determined way until the end of something, even when this is difficult.
• Layout (noun) - the way that something is arranged.
• To set (something) up (phrasal verb) - to prepare something for use, especially by putting the different parts of it together.
• To put (something) together (phrasal verb) - to put the parts of something in the correct places and join them to each other.
• Accoutrements (plural noun) - the equipment needed for a particular activity or way of life.
• Standing desk (noun) - a desk at which you stand rather than sit.
• Ergonomic (adj.) - relating to the design of furniture or equipment which makes it comfortable and effective for people who use it.
• Soundproofing (noun) - special material put in a room or building in order to prevent sound from passing out of or into it, or the act of putting in this material.
• Plastering (noun) - the job or activity of spreading plaster on walls or ceilings in order to make the surface smooth.
• Lightness (noun) - the state of being light.
• Ample (adj.) - more than enough.
• At (your) ease (phrase) - relaxed.
• To crack open a book (idiom) - to open a book in order to study or read.
• To crack on (phrasal verb) - to start or continue doing something, especially more quickly, or with more energy after a pause.
• Ultimately (adverb) - finally, after a series of things have happened.
• Man cave (noun) - a part of a house, or a small building near a house, where a man can go to get away from the other people in the house and do the things he wants to do.

Questions and Answers

R: Well, I quite like to sit in my office when I feel the need to power through some homework or, well, it's better to say research, isn't it? That's more grown up, and it's a pretty simple affair, to be honest with you, just a desk and a chair in my home, although I really like the layout of the room and the way I have everything set up in there, it was actually one of the first things I ever put together when I moved into my new place, since I was still working at the time and everything was coming together, so it made sense to work on this first. Originally, it was a bedroom with the usual accoutrements, but then I had that all taken out and replaced with just the standing desk and the ergonomic chair. And some soundproofing. That's unrelated to studying, but it's useful for my work. The desk is at a 90-degree angle to the window so I can look out of it when I need to rest my eyes or just take a break from all the working or studying I happened to be doing at the time. This was all done at the start of the year after the main renovation and plastering was done, the walls were painted Magnolia, just to take advantage of the lightness of the room. And again, it's got ample lighting and I don't have anything distracting on them, although I think this will change in time. I think the main reason I feel so at ease in there and really get into the studying mindset is the feeling that it's what the space is for, and it's been designed with this express purpose in mind. It almost feels natural to just go in, open up a site for further study, or crack open a book and, well, crack on with whatever I meant to be looking at or doing. Even though it's not completely finished, now all the main things have been done. It's just this ideal space for me to work and study in. And so, well, when it is ultimately finished, it will be even more ideal for this kind of thing.

M: And what about your family and friends? Do they like this place?

R: Oh, they are banned from entering. This is my space. It's my man cave.

Discussion

M: So dear listener, the question, describe an indoor or outdoor place where it is easy for you to study. You can describe a place indoors, inside, maybe your office, your study. A special room at home where you study. Maybe you study in the kitchen or in your bedroom. Or an outdoor place, a place outdoors. Maybe it's a park or a forest or a bench in the park where it's easy for you to study. Okay?

R: It's funny though you don't really think of people studying in a park, at least not in my country, but that's probably because the weather is so changeable.

M: Yeah, but these days, many people study or work in a park, if, like, the weather is fine. So why not? Also, for example, different cafes, like co-working spaces, they have their verandas outside, you know? So you can start it off with, I quite like to sit in my office, and my office, meaning in my flat, I have a special room, and it's my office. Sometimes it's called a study. So I have got a study in my flat or in my house. A study is a room, dear listener. So I study in my study. It's crazy. I power through some homework or research in my office. Power through something.

R: Yes, but that just means to make a big effort to get something done or finished.

M: And I've got a desk in my office, so not a table, but a desk to study on. A chair. So like nothing special. I like the layout of the room. So I like the design and shape of the room. I have everything set up in there. So everything is set up, my furniture, my computer, my technology, maybe the light is set up. I moved into my place, I moved into this new place, and my office was the first thing I put together.

R: Even before the bedroom.

M: Oh, wow. Okay. So when I moved in my office was the first room I put together. Like put together, you organized your study, or you organized your office first, or you organized a special place where you study in your flat. So you put it up, you set everything up. Which word did you use? Something like a...

R: Oh, accoutrements are just part of...

M: What?

R: They're just the things that you would expect to have with something. It is, well, it's originally French, but it's also a word in English. It just means an additional item of clothing or equipment.

M: Accouterments. Dear listener, how crazy is this? Accoutrements. Accoutrements, usually plural, are the equipment needed for a particular activity or a way of life. Whoa, Rory, could you give us another example?

R: Well, I don't wear any accoutrements because my fashion sense is very simple.

M: Okay. So you can say that I've got a desk in the office, or there was a desk in there, but I replaced it with a standing desk. Okay? So now, when Rory is studying, he is, you know, like, like a horse. He's just like, he's studying and standing up. Okay? So a standing desk. So you stand and you kind of, you use this desk. And you can say that I often replace certain things, and I have an... What kind of chair do you have?

R: An ergonomic chair. How can you not know what an ergonomic chair is? It'll do in your back. So, it's designed for efficiency and comfort at work. That's what ergonomics means. A chair can be designed this way, a mouse, a keyboard, anything you need to work.

M: I have an ergonomic chair, and I have some good soundproofing because I record things for my podcast. So I have a good sound system. I have a good microphone. My camera is super new, and everything's useful for work.

R: However, that will not be useful probably for describing where most people work. But what will be useful is just when you're describing things, and then you just say, it's unrelated to studying, but it's useful for something else. So this kind of digression is something that advanced level and native level speakers do.

M: I can look out of the window when I study. so look out of the window. I need to rest my eyes. So when you work or study, you usually need to rest your eyes. So you can say, when I need to rest my eyes, I look out of the window.

R: And you will need to do that if you're studying using a computer. So you can talk about resting your eyes.

M: So like to take a break from working. What is plastering?

R: Well, plastering is just what's used to cover the bare walls in the house to make it more presentable, and then you paint over that. You wouldn't paint on bare walls, because that would... I just think it's not a very good idea. I think it damages the brickwork. Now you might not want to talk about the plaster, but you could talk about the wallpaper in a room that you study in, if it's a room.

M: Yeah, dear listener, you can say that I had this room renovated after plastering, and all the walls were painted white. All the walls were painted black.

R: Magnolia. The world's most boring colour.

M: Magnolia?

R: Magnolia is just the colour of the flower Magnolia. It's a very basic colour to have for wall and it's in every room of my house, apart from my bedroom, because I am basic.

M: So it's kind of like a beige colour.

R: Light beige, perhaps.

M: So you can say that all the walls were painted white to take advantage of the lightness of the room, okay?

R: But the lightness of the room is just how bright it is and how the light comes in, how much light comes in.

M: A very good word is ample. Ample means more than enough, like you have an ample opportunity to study in this room. Like more than enough. Ample. C1, advanced. Ample evidence. More than enough. Ample opportunity.

R: Is it only C1?

M: Yeah. C1. should be C2, huh?

R: Oh, wow. I thought it should be more, yeah.

M: For example, there is ample space in my study, in my office. Like more than enough, dear listener. Even if you have a small office, or you don't have an office at all, you can say, well, I've got ample space to study. And here, Rory used this word about lighting. So first of all, we say the lightness of the room, and then we have the ample lighting. Lighting meaning like lamps and like the light not from the window, but from electricity. Right, Rory? Or everything? Lighting is everything.

R: Lighting is everything. That sounds like a design slogan. Lighting is everything. So yes, it could refer to the light coming from outside, or it could refer to light which is artificially provided.

M: And the task is to talk about a place where it's easy for you to study. So to paraphrase this, you can say, I feel so at ease. So to feel at ease, like it is easy for me to study. I don't have any difficulties. Or you can say I feel at ease. Relaxed. At ease, or ease?

R: At ease, I think. That's how I would say it.

M: Yeah. I feel completely at ease. I feel comfortable, right? Everything is comfy. My chair is comfy. And I really get into the studying mindset. So when I'm there, when I'm in this place, I get into... Get into something. I really get into the studying mindset, you know, like this studying mood, when you kind of like sit down, and then you kind of okay, yeah, now I'm gonna study. Bum, bum, bum. And you start studying. And what do I say? I sit at the desk? I sit by the desk?

R: It could be... Well, if you sit by the desk, it's like you're not sitting there with the express purpose of using it. It's just next to you. Whereas if you're sitting at the desk, you're there for a reason, but the desk is by the window, it's near the window. So this space has been designed for me to study in. Okay? Crack on. So you go in the office, you sit down and you crack on. Meaning what? Like you start studying?

R: Yeah, you just get on with the work.

M: Yeah. Get on with your work, start doing your work, or, like, um, meaning, studying. And you can say that, oh, the place is so good and welcoming. So it feels natural to just go in, open up a site, or open your laptop, or open my laptop and crack on with whatever I need to study. But also, you say, like, crack a book?

R: Open. Crack open a book. Open a book.

M: Crack open a book. Yeah, dear listener, so... Like, you know, like we crack a joke, we make a joke, we crack open a book. We open a book.

R: You can even notice that I laughed slightly because I was repeating the word crack, but in a different way.

M: And you can say that I can get all the things done in this place. So this place is ideal for me to get things done. To get things done? Well, to study, to finish an essay. Well, to do all the work I need to do. So I usually get things done. Hey! Rory, what helped you to organize this answer?

R: I just followed the task, really. And perhaps I spent a bit too... Well, not a bit too much time, but a lot of time describing what it's like. And then as for when I go there, I didn't mention it too much, but obviously I go there when I need to study. However, as long as you talk about some of the things, not necessarily all of them, and they're all connected to the topic, then it's fine.

M: Excellent! Dear listener, what about your place where it's easy for you to study? Again, if you don't have this place, imagine, imagine that you have a house, and imagine that you have a study in your house. Okay? Just lie. Imagine that you have a standing desk or this ergonomic chair. Imagine you have an aquarium, a fish tank in your study, and a massive library. You know, like we sometimes watch in films.

R: Alternatively. Most people study in libraries. So most of the words we use here could be used to describe a library. Some people study in their homes. So you could describe a different room in your home in a similar way.

M: Or, for example, oh, you know, like, it's easy for me to study in the kitchen, because every time I get distracted, I have my fridge, so I can, you know, I can have a snack, have dinner, have lunch, so I can live in the kitchen studying. Yeah, dear listener. So make your choice, all right? And we'll get back to you in our next episode. Bye!

R: Bye!

Make sure to subscribe to our social media to see some of the “behind the scenes” stuff:

Our Instagram: bit.ly/instagramswi

Our Telegram: bit.ly/telegramswi