Sounds Be careful to use the right verb with sound. listen If you deliberately try to hear something, use the verb listen. I was listening to a CD while I was waiting for Mike. Listen! There’s that strange noise again! hear If you receive or become aware of sound, use the verb hear. Suddenly, I heard a voice outside.
The following sentences contain words describing the loudness of a sound. Loud sounds are at the top of the list and quieter sounds are at the bottom. For more information, look in the dictionary for the words in bold.The word in brackets tells you the part of speech of the word in bold.
The winning goal was met with a deafening (adjective) roar. They were woken by a loud (adjective) bang like a gun going o Those dogs were making a terrible racket (noun) last night. The students held a noisy (adjective) demonstration. There was so much traf?c noise (noun) that he couldn’t sleep The sound (noun) of voices came from upstairs. Inside the church it was quiet (adjective) and peaceful. Her voice sounded faint (adjective) and distant. The court was silent (adjective) as the men walked in.
Smells The verb smell can mean different things: – to become aware of a smell: I can smell gas! – to have a particular smell: This milk smells bad. – to try to breathe in the smell of something: Smell these ?owers. There are several words in English meaning a smell. Some refer to pleasant smells while others are used for unpleasant smells. The following list shows pleasant smells at the top and less pleasant smells at the bottom. For more information, look in the dictionary for the words in bold.The word in brackets tells you the part of speech of the word in bold.
Good ---|-- There was a wonderful [aroma] (noun) of fresh coffee. |-- The roses filled the air with their sweet [fragrance] (noun). |-- I love the [smell] (noun) of wood smoke.
Neutral-|-- The air was filled with the [scent] (noun) of damp earth. |-- There was a [smell] (noun) of fresh paint. |-- Pure water is completely [odourless] (adjective).
|-- Pick up your [smelly] (adjective) socks and put them in the washing machine! |-- Your clothes [stink] (verb) of cigarettes! Bad ---|-- The [stench] (noun) coming from the toilets made me feel sick |-- Len [reeks] (verb) of alcohol. |-- The room had a stale [odour] (noun) of cigarettes and beer.
