S04 - 8 Holidays

Native English speakers answer questions about holidays from previous B2, C1, C2 and IELTS  exam papers.

Everyone loves going on holidays and it’s a very common topic in English exams so it’s essential to have some nice language for that. So you’re going to hear plenty of fantastic vocabulary as well as some great expressions, phrasal verbs and fancy grammar. 

We hear a few different accents from the UK, also the US, Australia and Ireland .

For classes or transcripts go to https://realexamenglish.com/

Music: Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Thanks to all of the contributors, including Matsy, Matt, Leah Ann, Stephanie, Loli, Richard, Ofordi, Emma and Leanne from the Beach Travel Wine podcast.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to the real exam English podcast, today’s episode is about holidays. Everyone loves going on holidays and it’s a very common topic in English exams so it’s essential to have some nice language for that. So you’re going to hear plenty of fantastic vocabulary as well as some great expressions, phrasal verbs and fancy grammar. 

We hear a few different accents from the UK, also the US, Australia and Ireland and remember you can access the transcripts for the podcast over on the website realexamenglish.com. As well as copies of everything said in the podcast you get exercises to practice vocabulary and grammar, which is a great way to get the most from the podcast and help you learn more effectively. So that’s realexamenglish.com

Righto, so let’s go with the questions for today:

What activities do you like to do when you are on holiday?

When I go on holiday, I like to go swimming. I like to explore the city, I like to eat nice food. I like to buy things from that country that I'm visiting. I like to go exploring. I like to take pictures and do things that I wouldn't normally do when I'm at home.

Ok, I reckon that one was pretty easy to understand, it was super slow and very clear. The English was quite simple too. I mean if this was for a B1 level exam then this would be a good answer but for anything higher than that we would expect the vocabulary to be a bit fancier and some more variety, rather than repeating I like so often. So let’s see if we can get any more detailed answers than that. 

What activities do you like to do when you are on holiday?

I like to be active on holidays. I don't, I wouldn't be one for going on holidays and sunbathing the whole holiday and reading a book. I like to walk, I like to explore whatever destination I'm in. I would like to try new activities like if there was water sports happening, I would try those, I would be open to all that sort of thing. I don't particularly like funfairs, roller coasters, that sort of thing. I am… yea I like doing all those sorts of activities if I'm, if I'm at a…..I like shopping as well, actually. Shopping is something I do like to do on holidays because I like to get things that maybe you can get at home and bring things home. 

Why do some people prefer camping to other kinds of holidays?

I would imagine they like the freedom to be in the outdoors. It's probably a cheaper way of going on holidays thany you know…you can probably go on more holidays than you could if you were renting a place. If you have your own big tent with all the accessories and if you go to good campsites with all the amenities, it can be quite a pleasant holiday. I would imagine that is why they would like to go. I don't particularly myself, that wouldn't constitute a holiday for me, but I would, you know…I don't want to be living in less luxury than I'm living in my own house when I go on holidays. But I would imagine that's why they want to go in there. And I suppose if you have pets, you can bring pets as well. You can bring dogs, you can bring, you know, for children, it's probably fun as well.

Ok, these answers have a bit more detail. A little bit repetitive again with “I like” but at least there was some variation, such as I´d like to try, I would be open to that sort of things, I don´t particularly like and this handy expression, I wouldn´t be one for sunbathing. That´s a handy was of saying what you don´t like, I wouldn´t be one for city breaks, I wouldn´t be one for partying. I wouldn´t be one for going on a cruise. Similarly, she said camping wouldn´t constitute a holiday for her, meaning it wouldn´t be considered a holiday for her. The format here is constitute a something. For instance, the high number of tourists constitutes a challenge for the local authorities. This would be great in a formal writing, like a report, and for sure it would work in an essay too. Like the arrival of artificial intelligence constitutes a dramatic change in the world of education. 

Apart from that we heard some classic holiday vocabulary, sunbathing, which is sitting in the sun to get a tan, water sports, which are activities like surfing and kayaking, and a funfair, which is a park with attractions, such as rollercoasters, as she mentioned. 

How important is luxury for you when you're on holiday? 

I have reached middle age so I require a minimal level of comfort and cleanliness and space and relaxation. I enjoy luxury, but the comfortable bed, the space and the cleanliness is most important to me. When I was much younger, I backpacked across Europe, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East and I didn't require any luxury at that point. I'd sleep on floors, I would sleep on the deck, I could just take my sleeping bag and put myself anywhere. 

What activities do you like to do when you are on holiday?

When I'm on holiday, if it's a relaxation holiday, I like to lounge and read and go swimming and go to the beach, preferably without too much sand and preferably not being too hot. When I'm on a holiday that's about adventure I like to learn about where I am, the history, meet new people, learn about different areas, different societies and different viewpoints.

Alright, so this lady has reached middle age, which is between 40 and 60 years old. She likes to lounge, which means to pass the time in a relaxed or lazy way, chilling basically. This is often used a phrasal verb too, to lounge around, like we spent our holidays lounging around the pool. She had another nice holiday verb, which was to backpack, she backpacked across Europe and the Middle East. This means to travel around from place to place, with just a backpack on your back, no suitcases! She would sleep in a sleeping bag, which is the big bag you sleep in when camping, or backpacking. Make note the way she uses would to talk about habits in the past, I’d sleep on floors, I would sleep on the deck. Nice grammar. 

If you would like to learn some more nice grammar in a friendly and positive environment then why not get in touch about group classes. They have a mix of students from different countries in the world, all with the same level, for more info check out realexamenglish.com

What activities do you like when you are on holiday? 

Well, our podcast is called Beach travel wine, so that gives you a pretty good idea. But what I like to on holiday Is just to get to know the local people, just walk around and explore a city by foot and also enjoy the local cuisine and try their wine. 

Who is the ideal person to go on holiday with?

The ideal person to go on holiday with is my husband. Just because we travel really well together, we have fun. You know, we know what each other likes to do. If we need to have time alone or you know do what we wanna do it's…he's great to travel with. 

So as mentioned, this lovely lady from Australia has a podcast called Beach Travel Wine so if you would like to have some extra listening practice about holidays, and in an Australian accent, then why not check out her podcast. You might hear some nice vocabulary and grammar, such as the cleft sentence she used in the first answer “what I like to do on holiday is get to know the local people”. A classic and an easy bit of advanced grammar to use. 

Do you like camping holidays?

I absolutely hate camping holidays. I avoid camping if I can. The only time I've done it is when I've gone to music festivals and there is no other choice. While I can sympathise with the viewpoint that it's nice to wake up in nature, I just absolutely hate the fact that you are forced to wake up when the sun starts shining. And no matter how warm or cold it is outside, you wake up sweating and that you can't…you're sleeping in a place where you can't stand fully upright. It is very much not for me. 

Clearly not a fan of camping then! She said no matter how warm or cold it is outside, you wake up sweating, meaning regardless of how warm or could it is. This is a nice structure to know, no matter how. So it’s no matter how, then adjective, the subject and then the verb. Like no matter how hard I try, I can´t do it. No matter how hungry I am, I can’t finish all of that pizza. No matter how cheap the holiday is, I still won’t go, it’s just not my cup of tea. You can also use no matter with a question word, like where, or what, or who. Like no matter where you are in Italy, you can find good pasta. No matter what I tried, I couldn´t get the phone to work. No matter who you are, you still need to be polite. 

Do you have any travel or holiday plans?

Not at the moment. I'm probably going to go to the UK at some point. I don't really go on holidays, I just turn up in countries and stay there for a while. I don't, I don't do….you know, I'm not one for sitting on beaches or going on package tours. I fancy somewhere I go there and I stay there and till I fancy going somewhere else pretty much. 

How important is luxury for you when you’re on holiday?

Not important at all, unless, like I said, unless I'm on a, on a long haul flight, then you know it would be nice one day to experience first class and a little bit of legroom, but luxury villas or luxury hotels? I don't go on, I wouldn't go on holiday to stay, you know, I wouldn't be in a hotel long enough to appreciate the luxuries of it, you know, I could have a luxury hotel down the road. If I go to another country then I want to see the country I think than…rather than stay in a fancy hotel. 

Really common phrasal verb in the first answer, I just turn up in countries. To turn up means to arrive or to put in an appearance at something. Like John turned up unexpectedly at the party last night. He said he’s not one for sitting on beaches, we already saw that expression today, see, it is handy. He mentioned package tours, which are the holidays when everything is organized for you, flights, hotel, food and so on. 

And then he said luxury is not important at all. At all here is used to emphasize, and is used after a negative phrase. Like English pronunciation is not easy at all. A nice alternative to this is whatsoever. Like luxury is not important whatsoever, or there is no connection whatsoever between the number of tourists that visit Ireland and the weather, it´s just not a factor. 

Do you think your hometown is a good place for a holiday?

I think my hometown is a great place for a city break, so if you want to do a sort of short-term holiday where you kind of come to London and you see bits and pieces and you see the sights, then it's great for that. But you know, you know, what do you want from a holiday? Would be my first question to you. If you're interested in culture and various things, I think it's a great place to come. If you want somewhere relaxing and scenic and full of nature, London isn't that so. I mean, we have fantastic parks and we do have nature and there are some beautiful buildings and things to see here, but it's not, you know, it's not full of countryside if that's what you want.

Some nice advice there about visiting London. As she said, it’s a great place for a city break. A city break is where you visit a city for a few days, usually for a weekend, or a long weekend, which is when you have the Friday or Monday off too. She talked about seeing the sights. So the sights in London would be Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster, etc. For these kinds of attractions the word sights is much better than monuments, which I sometimes hear Spanish and Italian speakers using. A monument in English is usually something made out of stone, to remember something or someone from the past, like a famous statue for instance. But something like the London Eye doesn´t fit into that category so you’d be better off calling it a famous sight. Got it?

Ok folks, that´s all the holiday chat for today. Hope you get the chance to go on holidays soon and do a bit of sunbathing or sightseeing, or just lounging around, whatever floats your boat.

And thanks very much for listening, all the best.

Trevor