Ep #5: Describing Cities
Hello and welcome! You're listening to the Byron English Podcast, your go-to resource for mastering the English language. Today we're going to talk about cities and how we can describe them.
I don’t know about you, but have you noticed how often people describe places using the word ‘nice’? It seems that everywhere is ‘nice’ - “Have you been to Paris? It’s really nice.” Well, in this episode we’re going to find some better adjectives to describe a place, specifically, cities. I’m going to use an adjective, chaotic. Then I’m going to use an idiom, hustle and bustle. Let’s listen to an example.
I used to work in London, it was quite chaotic at times but I always loved the hustle and bustle. Another chaotic city is New York. There are people everywhere, cars honking their horns and drivers shouting at pedestrians. If you don’t like the hustle and bustle of a big city, it’s probably best to avoid New York.
Chaotic comes from the word chaos. If a place is chaotic it means there is confusion and a lack of organisation. It’s a great word to describe any busy city. We use the idiom ‘hustle and bustle’ to describe a large amount of activity, movement and work. Often in a noisy environment. It is a typical expression that you can use to describe a busy city, with thousands of offices.
If you’re looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the cities like London and New York, then maybe Wellington in New Zealand is the place for you. You can go hiking and enjoy a lot of picturesque views, and the city also has a thriving café culture.
We just mentioned two words there, picturesque and thriving. Picturesque is a great word you can use instead of beautiful, but you can only use it to describe a place, not a person or an experience. Thriving is an adjective which means growing, developing and being successful. As I just mentioned, Wellington in New Zealand has a thriving cafe culture.
Let’s use those two words in an example.
If you like long walks in the picturesque countryside, then Scotland is the place for you. However, it’s not just the picturesque countryside that makes Scotland so special. The city of Glasgow has a thriving music scene, and it’s a great place to see all the latest indie bands.
So, which city should you visit on your next holiday? I suppose it depends what you’re looking for. If you’ve always been interested in technology, then Berlin in Germany has a thriving tech scene.
However, for those of you looking for beauty, there are a number of picturesque cities in Italy such as Rome or Florence. But, maybe you want to escape the hustle and bustle and chaotic life of a city. // If that’s you, it’s probably better to find a quiet beach where you can swim and drink cocktails all day long.
That's a wrap for today's episode! Thank you for listening and don't forget to find us online at byronrome.com!
DA RICORDARE
In questo episodio vengono introdotti diversi modi di dire e concetti chiave:
Chaotic: Un aggettivo derivato da "chaos" (caos), usato per descrivere un luogo con confusione e mancanza di organizzazione.
Hustle and bustle: Un'idioma che descrive un'ampia quantità di attività, movimento e lavoro, spesso in un ambiente rumoroso.
Picturesque: Un aggettivo utilizzato per descrivere un luogo che è visivamente attraente, quasi come un dipinto, ma non usato per persone o esperienze.
Thriving: Un aggettivo che significa crescere, svilupparsi e avere successo.
