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Lesson 127 / Sound & reactions
5 phrases · 12 minutes · Look, listen and try.
Tune in, react to a story and adjust how it is told.
Match words to pictures →Play What is She/He doing? →
A randomly assigned, fixed male or female synthetic voice for each phrase or sentence · Slow playback at 0.7× preserves pitch.
She tuned in to the story programme at six.
She tuned in to the story programme at six.
We tune in every week to hear the next episode.
We tune in every week to hear the next episode.
Keep “in to” before a programme. This lesson is not about tuning an instrument.
Cambridge Dictionary · tune in
She cried out in surprise at the sudden sound.
She cried out in surprise at the sudden sound.
He cried out when the balloon burst.
He cried out when the balloon burst.
A sudden cry of fear, pain or surprise; it does not necessarily involve tears.
She realised someone was listening in on their conversation.
She realised someone was listening in on their conversation.
It is rude to listen in on a private conversation.
It is rude to listen in on a private conversation.
Here it means overhearing a conversation not intended for you. It can also refer to listening to a broadcast; context matters.
Cambridge Dictionary · listen in
She toned down the scary parts of the story.
She toned down the scary parts of the story.
We toned the colours down for a calmer cover.
We toned the colours down for a calmer cover.
Reduce the intensity of language, imagery or presentation. It is not limited to lowering a device volume.
She would not sit back while her friends did all the work.
She would not sit back while her friends did all the work.
We cannot sit back and wait for someone else to help.
We cannot sit back and wait for someone else to help.
This lesson emphasises failing to act when help is needed, rather than simply leaning back in a chair.
The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 133, 30, 79, 132, 118. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
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Sentences using suggestions are counted as needing more practice. Review schedule based on each phrase's meaning.
OBSERVE · UNDERSTAND · MATCH
Drag a wire from the dot beside a phrase to the dot beside its matching picture. You can also tap a phrase, then a picture. Drag again to change a pair before checking.
Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Vy tunes a radio to a storytelling programme, represented by a book in a sound bubble.
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Vy gives a startled cry when a puppet suddenly pops up behind a small stage.
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Vy notices another child listening secretly from behind a shelf while she talks privately with a friend.
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Vy softens a story illustration by changing a fierce sharp-toothed monster into a gentle one.
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Vy initially watches a friend clear the stage, then gets up to help instead of remaining inactive.
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Choose a phrase to begin.
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Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
Will you tune in to the storytelling programme tonight?
Will you tune in to the storytelling programme tonight?
Yes. I enjoy sitting back and listening to it.
Yes. I enjoy sitting back and listening to it.
Then I will tone down the music in the next room.
Then I will tone down the music in the next room.
“Tune in” means listen to a broadcast; “listen in” means listen to a conversation, sometimes without invitation. A public broadcast and a private exchange give different contexts.
Try answering before revealing the suggested answer. This practice is not scored.
The answers below are models. Other answers can also work if they preserve the facts, meaning and structure requested in the task.
A student follows a public radio broadcast. Next door, two people are having a private conversation.
Describe following the broadcast.
She tunes in to the radio programme.
Following a public radio programme is “tunes in to”, unlike eavesdropping on a private conversation.
Complete: Do not listen ___ on their private conversation.
in
“Listen in on” means eavesdrop; “do not” prohibits that action on the neighbours’ private conversation.
Ask for quieter music while listening.
Could you tone down the music while the programme is on?
“Tone down the music” requests lower volume to hear the programme, without necessarily switching the music off.
The usage comparisons are checked against the Cambridge Dictionary entries linked beside the compared expressions. The additional conversations and exercises are written for this course.
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