Hi everyone.
Welcome back to another English lesson.
I am Niharika, your English trainer.
Now, we all have different voices.
Each voice is different and unique.
Do you agree?
Hence, there are different English words
and phrases to describe them.
Now in in today's lesson, we will learn how to
use descriptive language to talk about the various characteristics of
someone's voice, such as pitch, tone and accent.
We will also discuss how to identify and
describe different types of voices, such as those
with high pitched, low pitched, deep nasally.
So let's get started.
The first one that I have for you is a small voice.
Now a small voice typically refers to a
voice that is soft or quite in volume.
Definitely not mine.
Well, it can also imply that the voice has
a lack of confidence or hesitation in the speaker.
So we have some examples for you so that
you know how to use this in your sentence.
He had a small voice, but his
words carried a lot of weight.
She tried to speak up, but her small voice
was drowned out by the others in the room.
He whispered the secret into her ears in a small voice.
Now remember, it could also be used in
a more figurative sense of speaking to indicate
an inner voice or inner intuition.
For example, I knew deep down it was the wrong
decision, but I couldn't hear that small voice inside me.
The small voice inside me told me
to stop, but I kept going.
Isn't it interesting?
So here is a way to describe a small voice.
Use this in your sentences.
Write these sentences in the comments and
I would love to read them all.
Moving on, we have another kind of
voice that is a shaking voice.
Now, a shaking voice typically refers to
a voice that is trembling or unsteady.
Someone could have a shaking voice due to
a strong emotion such as fear, nervousness or
maybe even sadness for that matter.
So here are a few examples
for you to understand better.
He tried to speak, but his voice was shaking with fear.
She broke down in tears and her
voice was shaking as she spoke.
He had a shaking voice as he delivered the bad news.
Her voice was shaking as she made the confession.
Now remember, it could also be used in a
more literal sense to indicate a physical trembling of
the vocal chords or the speaker's body.
Take a look at these examples. Here.
She has a cold and her voice was shaking due to chills.
He had a shaking voice caused by severe cold and cough.
Now, it's important to note that
a shaking voice can indicate variety
of emotions and even physical conditions.
So the context is key to
understand is the full meaning.
Someone might get offended.
So be a little careful.
Next up is a squeaky voice.
Squeaky voice typically refers to a voice that is high pitched,
thin and often associated with children like, you know how the
kids speak in a loud and a thin voice?
Hi, that's the squeaky voice for you.
Now here are a few examples.
He tried to sing, but his
voice was just a squeaky sound.
She was so nervous that her voice
came out as a squeaky whisper.
He had a squeaky voice when
he tried to speak in public.
Now, it could also be used in a more
metaphorical sense to indicate lack of confidence or assertiveness.
Like she had a squeaky voice
when she asked for a raise.
His voice were squeaky.
One unable to stand up for himself.
So that's how you can use
squeaky voice in your conversation.
Now, here is the next one, which
I totally love is a husky voice.
Yes, that's my favorite.
A husky voice typically refers to a voice that is low
pitched, rough, and often associated with a gravely or a raspy
quality as a speaker has a coarseness or cold.
Here are some examples for you.
She had a husky voice that made her sound seductive.
He woke up with a husky
voice after a night of partying.
The singer had a husky voice that added
a lot of character to his performance.
Now remember, guys, it could also be
used in a more metaphorical sense to
indicate lack of confidence or assertiveness.
For example, he had a husky
voice when he told the truth.
She had a husky voice when she confessed her love.
Now, please note that one can have a husky voice
for a variety of reasons, such as cold or because
of excessive smoking or even due to some medical condition.
Okay?
But that is a type of voice.
Up next I have for you is a gruff voice.
A gruff voice typically refers to a voice that
is low pitched, rough, and often associated with a
harsh or a gravely quality that can make it
sound unfriendly, abrupt, or even angry.
It could also indicate a person who speaks
in a court or an abrupt manner.
Here are a few examples for
you to understand this better.
He answered the phone with a
gruff voice still groggy from sleep.
The old man always had a gruff voice,
but it was just his way of talking.
Now, this voice could also be used
in a more metaphorical sense to indicate
lack of politeness or even patience.
For example, he had a gruff voice
when he was dealing with customer service.
She had a gruff voice when she
was giving instructions to her employees.
Now, one could have a gruff voice for many
reasons, such as stress, maybe they are in a
bad mood or even a medical condition.
So I hope this is clear to you.
Now, here is the next kind that is muffled voices.
Did you hear that?
Can you make out what someone is trying to say?
It's kind of blurred, right?
Well, that's muffled voice.
Muffled voice are voices that are not clear because
they are soft and they come from distance.
Muffled voices are soft and they're
obstructed because of walls or doors.
Now here are some examples.
The sound of muffled voices came
from behind the closed doors.
I could barely hear the muffled voices on
the other end of the phone line.
The music was so loud that the
singer muffled voice was barely audible.
The walls were thick, so the muffled voices of
the people in the next room didn't disturb us. Okay?
So I hope that's clear to you guys.
Next up is to slur your words.
Now to slur your word means to speak indistinctly or
in a way that makes it difficult for the others
to understand what you're really trying to say.
Now this can be because if you are under
influence of alcohol or drugs or probably you have
a speaking disorder or you have some physical condition,
that makes you to slur too much.
Now here are a few examples.
He had a stroke and couldn't
help but to slur his words.
The singer was so tired that he began
to slur his words during the concert.
Or that girl was so intoxicated that she
started slurring and one could not understand her.
Okay, so I hope these examples are helpful and
you are able to understand the difference between these
voices and how to use it in your conversations.
Okay, everyone, now let's talk
about accent, a broad accent.
Now a broad accent refers to a strong or a
pronounced accent that is typically of a particular regional area.
It is generally used to describe accents that
are easily recognizable and distinct from the standard
or neutral accent of a language.
For example, the Punjabi accent or the
South Indian accent or a Scottish accent
or a Spanish accent for that matter.
Now these are distinctive accents.
In short, a broad accent means a very strong accent.
Now this is how you could use in your sentences.
She had a broad accent that was unmistakably Indian.
His broad accent made it clear that
he was from the Deep South.
The character in the movie spoke with a broad accent that
was meant to be a parodi of a New York accent.
Now the next one that I have for
you is a trace of an accent.
Now this phrase is exactly the
opposite of the broad accent.
A trace of accent means to have
a slight or very subtle regional accent
that is not easily recognizable or distinct.
It is usually used to describe a person who speaks
a language that is not their first language, but it
has a hint of the fluency of their regional language.
Like really a hint of it.
Okay, absolutely opposite to broad accent, where broad accent
you can actually make out, but here you cannot.
Now he had a trace of accent that was hard to place,
but it was clear that he had spent some time abroad.
Despite living in United States for many years, she still
had a trace of an accent from her native country.
The news anchor had a trace of an
accent that was not easily recognizable, but it
made her speech sound more pleasant.
Here is an interesting phrase for
you, which is a stony silence.
Now, a stony silence refers to a
complete lack of response or reaction.
Often in a situation where a response is expected.
It is typically used to describe a situation when someone
is angry, upset or unresponsive and is not willing to
speak or engage in any kind of communication.
Now, that strange silence is called a stony silence.
Have you experienced that before?
Let's understand this better with some examples.
He met with a stony silence when
he tried to apologize for his mistake.
The room was filled with a stony
silence as the jury announced the verdict.
She was greeted with a stony silence when she
tried to start a conversation with her coworkers.
The crowd was in a stony silence as
the singer forgot the lyrics to the song.
Now, the last phrase that I have
for you is an eerie silence.
Now a silence that is
strange, unsettling or even frightening.
It is often used to describe a silence that is out
of the ordinary, such as silence in a dessert, or an
abandoned place like a ghost factory or a graveyard.
Or in a situation where noise is
expected but it is not present.
For example, in a construction building, you are sure
to hear workers and the noise of machines.
But guess what?
There's an eerie silence that is so strange, right?
Here are some more interesting examples for you.
The house was abandoned and there was an
eerie silence that made me feel uneasy.
The city was in an eerie
silence after the power went out.
The once bustling street was now in an eerie silence.
Not a soul in the night.
The graveyard had an eerie silence that made
me feel like I was being watched.
Well, from muffled to squeaky, from broad to
eerie, each voice tells us a unique story.
Now remember to listen closely and pay attention to voices around
you and the sounds around you, as it can reveal so
much about a person and the world around us.
So these were the ten different ways to talk
about the everyday sounds and voices that we hear.
I hope you learned something new today.
Now give this lesson a thumbs up
subscribe and share it with your friends.
And I shall see you when with a new lesson super soon.
Until then, keep learning and keep practicing English.
Thank you.