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Visit our website, six minutes from BBC Learning English dot com. Hi, I'm Rob, and I'm Katherine. Welcome to the six minute vocabulary. Our subject for today is onomatopoeia, that means words that sound like the thing they mean. And Katherine and I will be trying to demonstrate some of these words today. Yes.

Like the sound that most people's phones make when they get text messages. We call that sound a beep. Beep. Yeah, that's onomatopoeia.

The word sounds like the thing it means.

Beep, beep, beep. Yes, I've got a message. Right.

OK, there are lots of examples of onomatopoeia in the English language and we'll take a look at some of them on today's show.

So let's start with a clip of Oliver, and he's talking about living in the city while you listen, try to answer this question.

How does Oliver feel about city life?

It's too noisy for me. All the cars zooming around and honking their horns, music blaring in shops, machines buzzing and bleeping.

Even at night, it isn't quiet. You can still hear the fridge humming and the rumble of the traffic outside.

And I wish I was far away from the city sleeping in a tent with no sound except the rustle of the wind in the trees.

Oh. So that's all of that. And we asked you how he feels about city life and Oliver said it's too noisy for him to know how he feels in London, say.

Anyway, here's another question. What words did Oliver use to talk about the sounds of the city in the daytime?

Listen again, all the cars zooming around and honking their horns, music blaring in shops, machines buzzing and bleeping. Lots of lovely vocabulary that Oliver talked about. Cars zooming around, zoom spelt z o m is a verb, which means to move very quickly, making a zooming sound zoom out.

Then he mentioned the cars honking their horns and a honk spelled h o and K is a lovely word.

It means a sort loud sound like a car horn makes honk honk at the way I.

OK next. Oliver talked about music blaring the verb to Blair. That's b l a r e means to make a loud unpleasant sound like music. That's much too loud blaring. You got teenage kids.

Rothblatt They'll be blaring that music soon enough.

OK, and Oliver also mentioned machines beeping and buzzing. Now a bleep bleep bleep. That's one b l double epi is a short high sound.

Which electronic devices make something like this? Bleep bleep bleep sounds like a heart monitor.

If I could add a buzz.

That's Buzz is a low continuing sound like machines and some insects make.

Yes, but fact they're being here now.

The sounds of the city don't stop even at night. Here's Oliver again. You can still hear the fridge humming and the rumble of the traffic outside. So he can hear the fridge humming the word home h u m describes a low continuous sound and. Is different from a bus. It is. Can we listen to your home and your bus?

Why not? OK, here we go. And buzz your fridge and your baby. That's right, yes, in that order, Oliver also spoke about the rumble of the traffic out in the street. Now a rumble r u m b l e is a bit like a buzz, but there's a difference.

Buzz buzz continues without changing, but a rumble goes up and down like the wheels of a truck on rough ground going. Run, run, run, run, run, run, run.

You carry in rumbling OK, finally, Oliver spoke about the sound of the wind in the trees.

Listen out for the word he used then.

I wish I was far away from the city sleeping in a tent with no sound except the rustle of the wind in the trees. Russell describes the sound of the wind, a Russell is a soft, dry moving sound. It's spelt r u s t e and in pronunciation the T is silent.

So it's Russell, Russell, Russell, Russell.

Quite nice sound, really. Thank you. Yeah. Six minutes vocabulary from BBC Learning English, dot com and our subject today is onomatopoeia words that sound like the thing they describe. And it's time for a quick question one.

Rob, what sound does a car horn make easy?

It's a honk question to what sound does a fridge make? And it hum.

And the last question, what sound does the wind make in the trees?

The correct answer is Russell. And that's the end of today's quiz. Well done to you at home if you've got them. All right.

And before we go, here's an idea to help you remember new vocabulary, choose one of your favorite songs in your first language and write some new words for it in English.

Yes.

And then practice singing your song. It will help you to remember the new words.

There's more about this at ABC Learning English dot com.

Join us again for more six minute vocabulary. Bye bye.

Bye. But. Silent nights are the toughest, and right now someone near you may feel that all hope is gone. It could be a stranger or the person right beside you. But one phone call, one person who understands could give them the help and hope they need. Please go to create a story and give whatever you can to ensure that suicide prevention services are free and available for anyone who needs them tonight and every night this Christmas. Peter, ending suicide.

Beginning hope.