Summary
We don’t always like what we hear and probably wish we’d never heard it – how do we express our dislike for something? Jiaying is about to find out as Neil expresses his displeasure for the idea for this Christmas party!
Transcript
Jiaying
Hello. Welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Jiaying.
Neil
….and hello, I’m Neil.
Jiaying
Hey, Neil, have you heard what Roy has planned for our Christmas party this year?
Neil
Oh no, not axe throwing again!?
Jiaying
Maybe not. We did it last year. This year we’re doing karaoke at our Christmas party. Roy is already practising singing some songs by Ariana Grande!
Neil
I do not like the sound of that!
Jiaying
What’s wrong? Do you not like the sound of Roy’s singing?
Neil
No! I mean, I don’t like the idea of doing karaoke. When you ‘don’t like the sound of something’, it means you don’t like something you have been told or read about.
Jiaying
I’ve got it. Well, hopefully, Neil, you’ll like the sound of these examples!
Examples
We’ve been told to start work an hour earlier – I do not like the sound of that.
I don’t like the sound of that new shopping centre – it’s going to increase the amount of traffic around here.
I didn’t like the sound of Enrique’s camping trip – it involved walking ten kilometres with our tents!
Jiaying
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English and we’re hearing about the expression ‘not like the sound of something’, which means you ‘don’t like something you have been told or read about’. So, Neil, why don’t you like the sound of doing karaoke?
Neil
I can’t sing.
Jiaying
Don’t be boring – it could be fun! Maybe you could do a duet with Roy?
Neil
I definitely don’t like the sound of that!
Jiaying
Hmm, it’s impossible to please everyone at the Christmas party. Maybe we should just have a meal together and talk to each other?
Neil
Now, I do like the sound of that. Right I’m off…
Jiaying
Where are you going?
Neil
To book that table at the restaurant. Bye.
Jiaying
Bye, Neil.