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Football fans braving the rain.

Learning Vocabulary: It's raining cats and dogs!

Learning Vocabulary: It's raining cats and dogs!

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich talk about rain. It rains quite a lot in the UK so we have a lot of words and phrases connected to rain. Do you know the phrases 'torrential downpour' and 'raining cats and dogs'? Your task this week is to answer three questions about rain in your country. Don't forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess, too. Enjoy!

Transcript

If the listening was a bit difficult, you can listen again and read the transcript at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

Opening - It’s raining cats and dogs!

Jack: Hey, Rich. How are you doing? Have a good weekend?

Rich: Great thanks, I went away.

Jack: Nice. How was the weather?

Rich: It was lovely - glorious sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky.

Jack: You got lucky, it was horrible here. It didn’t stop raining all weekend.

Rich: Not at all?

Jack: Not really. It went from drizzle to bucketing it down then back to drizzle again. There might have been a couple of hours when it was just cloudy and damp, but I didn’t want to risk being caught in a shower.

Rich: It’s only rain.

Jack: I hate rain.

Rich: I love rain.

Jack: Why?

Rich: There’s not that much rain where I live so when it rains it’s good for the land, good for the plants, good for the animals and for the reservoirs. I like going out in the rain and getting wet, too.

Jack: Yeah, well it rains too much where I live if you ask me.

Rich: Don’t be grumpy. It’s good for football too. When it rains and the ball skids off the grass, I love that - it makes for a really fast and exciting game. And you can do fantastic slide tackles too!

Jack: Yeah, but if there’s too much rain the match might be postponed.

Rich: Don’t be so grumpy. Here - I’ve got a joke about rain. Do you want to hear it?

Jack: Go on then, if you must.

Rich: Why did the man use ketchup in the rain?

Jack: I don’t know. Why did the man use ketchup in the rain?

Rich: Because it was raining cats and hot dogs.

Jack: Nooo! That’s sooo bad!

Welcome -  It's raining cats and dogs!

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich

Jack: and I’m Jack

Rich: and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast

Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.

Jack: What’s happening this week, Rich?

Rich: In this week’s podcast, we’re going to talk about the weather and more specifically - rain.

Jack: There are lots of different words for rain and how we describe some of the things which rain causes. 

Rich: I suppose there are so many words because rain is something that affects everyone; from footballers to farmers.

Jack: So, we have lots of vocabulary for you to learn and in this week’s task we ask you to tell us how rain affects people in your country in different ways.

Rich: Don’t forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have this week’s football phrase for you to guess, too.

Topic Focus

Rich: You are going to listen to a short role play. While you listen, we want you to answer three questions.


Jack: Question one: Where are we going? 

Rich: Question two: What have I forgotten?

Jack: And question three: Why are we disappointed?

Roleplay

Jack: It’s absolutely chucking it down. I can hardly see through the windscreen.

Rich: Come on we can park here. It’s not far to the ground. Have you got a brolly?

Jack: No, my coat’s got a hood but you’re going to get soaked!

Rich: Hold on! I’ll use this book - an English textbook - nice and big. Shall we wait a couple of minutes and see if the rain slows down?

Jack: No, come on. It’s already ten to three. We’ll miss the kick off. Watch out for those puddles!

Rich: Jeez! I’m absolutely drenched. Where is everybody?

Jack: I don’t know. Here, I’ll go and ask that old bloke over there.

...

Rich: What’s going on?

Jack: He says that the match has been called off due to torrential rain. He says the pitch is waterlogged - it’s like a swimming pool.

Rich: Great! We should have checked that before.

Jack: Come on, back to the car. It’s only drizzling now.

Language Focus 1

Rich: In the roleplay, we both got very wet because of the rain. Let’s look at some vocabulary connected to rain.

Jack: At the beginning, I said it was chucking it down. This is an informal phrase that means it’s raining very heavily. There are similar phrases you can use here with the same meaning.

Rich: You could say, ‘it’s throwing it down’, ‘it’s bucketing down’ or ‘it’s pouring it down’ which have the same meaning. We often add absolutely here for extra emphasis, ‘it’s absolutely pouring it down outside’.

Jack: You can also use the idiom ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ but, to be honest, I’m not sure that many people use this idiom any more, I think it’s a bit old-fashioned.

Rich: It’s a shame because it is a great idiom!

Jack: So all of those are informal phrases to mean it’s raining heavily. One phrase that we used, ‘torrential rain’  is a bit more formal.

Rich: This phrase also means very heavy rain but it’s more common in newspapers and on the TV when describing bad weather. 

Jack: A weather forecaster might say something like ‘torrential rain and thunderstorms have hit the east coast of the USA causing damage to many buildings’.

Rich: The word ‘downpour’ is also more common in the media. A downpour is usually heavy rain that happens suddenly. The most common collocations are ‘heavy downpour’ or ‘intense downpour’.

Jack: Another type of rain that starts suddenly is a ‘shower’. The important thing to remember is that ‘showers’ are sudden and happen over a short period of time.

Rich: You can have ‘heavy or light showers’ ‘wintry showers’ which means it’s snowing or ‘scattered showers’ which means will fall in over some parts of a piece of land and not on others, and finally you can have ‘isolated showers’ which is connected to time. It means it will be mainly dry with some showers occasionally.

Jack: There is another type of rain, too. The type we get in the UK a lot - drizzle. It’s the type of rain I hate the most. It’s light rain that lasts a long time. All day sometimes.

Rich: Yes, it can be annoying and maybe stop you from doing what you want to do. When we talk about light rain some people also say it’s spitting which is when it is starting to rain.

Language Focus 2

Rich: So we’ve looked at some words to describe different types of rain and now we’re going to look at some of the words that are caused by rain that we used in the roleplay.

Jack: I told Rich to watch out for those puddles.

Rich: My little boy loves to jump in muddy puddles!

Jack: Puddles are the small pools of water left behind on the ground after it has been raining. I don’t know why but I think it’s a fantastic sounding word. Puddles. 

Rich: A word I don’t like is waterlogged because it makes me think of football matches being called off or cancelled.

Jack: That’s right. When it rains too much football pitches become waterlogged. There is too much water on them, they become flooded and you can’t play.

Rich: Flooded is a more general word. A house can be flooded or a city or area when there are torrential downpours for a long period of time.

Jack: The opposite of this is a drought. A drought occurs when there is no rain for a long time. Droughts and the lack of water are a big problem that affects a lot of countries.

Rich: Going back to the roleplay, you might remember that I didn’t have a brolly. A brolly is an informal word for umbrella. 

Jack: This meant that Rich got wet. There are different ways to say that you are wet.

Rich: I was very, very wet so I used the words ‘soaked’ and ‘drenched’. Both of these adjectives mean to be very wet and again you can add ‘absolutely’ to add more emphasis. ‘I’m absolutely drenched’.

Jack: Two nice idioms here are ‘I’m soaked to the skin’ and ‘soaked to the bone’ which also mean very, very wet.

Rich: Finally, there are some words that mean a little wet but these are usually used to describe things rather than people. Your clothes might be damp if you spill some water, you might need to keep soil moist if you want to grow some types of plant or the air might be humid if you live near the coast or in a hot, wet place.

Task

Rich: Your task this week is to tell us about rain in your country.

Jack: We want you to answer these three questions.

Rich: Question one: How often does it rain in your country?

Jack: Question two: Is too much rain or too little rain ever a problem in your country?

Rich: Question three: Have you ever needed to change your plans because it rained?

Jack: Answer as many of the questions as you want in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Football Phrase

Rich: Have you got a football phrase for us this week? 

Jack: Yes, I have, but first, last week’s football phrase. The phrase was to be given your marching orders. The phrase means the same as to be given a red card or to be sent off. The phrase can also mean to be sacked or fired from your job and was originally used in the army to describe the instructions soldiers were given when they had to march from one place to another.

Rich: Not many of you got it last week but well done to Lakerwang from China, Acicala from Spain,  Zaid from India, Kwesimanifest from Ghana and Ahmed Adam from Sudan who did get it right!  What’s this week’s phrase, Jack?

Jack: This week’s football phrase is *********** *****. When this happens football matches have to be postponed or called off because there is too much water on the playing area. We might hear someone on the TV say ‘match postponed due to a *********** *****’.

Rich: We used both these words in this week’s podcast but not this exact phrase which should make things easier for you.

Jack: Right, that’s all we have time for this week! Don’t forget to write your answers to the task in the comments section below.

Rich: And make a guess at our football phrase. Bye for now and enjoy your football!

Vocabulary

How much did you understand?

In the podcast, Rich and Jack used some words and phrases that might be new for you. Do you know the words in bold?

When it rains the ball skids off the grass and you can do fantastic slide tackles!

Have you got a brolly?

My coat has a hood so I won't get wet.

There were a few more tricky words and phrases in the podcast. Do you know what they all mean? Try the activity below, then, listen to the podcast again to hear how we used the words. This can really help your understanding.

Activity 1

Activity 1: In this activity, try to match the words and phrases to their definitions. All of the words were in this week's podcast.
Can you match the words to their definitions?

Manchester City fans prepared for the wet weather.

Language

Describing Rain

In this week's podcast, Jack and Rich spoke about rain. There are many words and phrases to describe rain. Let's start by looking at how we describe the strength of rain and how long it lasts.

Heavy rain:

Look at these three sentences from the podcast. All of them describe heavy rain but two of them are informal and one is more formal. Which phrase is commonly used in more formal situations?

It’s absolutely chucking it down. I can hardly see through the windscreen.

It went from drizzle to bucketing it down then back to drizzle again.

Torrential rain and thunderstorms have hit the east coast of the USA.

Light rain:

Here are two ways to describe light rain. One of them describes rain that is persistent (that won't go away), which word do you think it is?

It went from drizzle to bucketing it down then back to drizzle again.

Come on, let's go out. It's only spitting.

Showers:

Showers are short periods of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet or hail) and you often see and hear the word in weather forecasts. Look at these sentences taken from weather forecasts. Do you know what the phrases in bold mean?

The morning will be a mixture of sunshine and showers today.

There will be heavy showers in the morning but it will brighten up in the afternoon.

It will be mainly dry throughout the country with a few isolated showers in the north.

It will be a cold and windy start to the day with wintry showers in the afternoon. 

Take a look at the following activity. Can you choose the right weather word?

Activity 2

Activity 2: In this activity, try to remember some of the words connected to rain that Jack and Rich introduced in the podcast.
Can you write the correct word?

It's often a good idea to take a brolly to the match.

Vocabulary

Getting wet

If we're outside and it rains, we often get wet, unless we have a hood on our coat or a brolly with us. Some people where wellington boots or wellies on their feet so they can walk through the puddles without a problem. But, rain often catches us without these items and we get wet. We often complain about how wet we get in the rain. Look at these sentences:

I'm absolutely drenched.

I'm totally soaked.

I'm soaked to the skin.

All three of these sentences describe someone that is very, very wet. When we describe something as a little wet we are usually describing things rather than people. We tend to describe things differently depending on the item or its consistency:

You need to keep soil moist if you want to grow lots of green vegetables.

The cloth needs to be a little damp to wipe the table.

That sandwich is a bit soggy. I don't want to eat it.

It's hot and humid in a rainforest. 

Take a look at the next activity. Can you choose the right words for each gap?

Activity 3

Activity 3: In this activity, try to match the synonyms of wet that are most strongly associated with each object.
Can you match the word to the item?

You need a good brolly in Manchester!

Quiz

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Can you guess this week's football phrase?

Task

Rain in your country

This week's task is to answer three questions about rain. Try to use some of the vocabulary you have learned in this podcast.

  1. How often does it rain in your country?
  2. Is too much rain or too little rain ever a problem in your country?
  3. Have you ever needed to change your plans because it rained?

Write your answers in the comments section below and make a guess at this week's football phrase.

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Comments

hsn's picture
hsn
12/10/2021
TR
5525
points

Task
• In the north region of my country it rains so much. Not as a drizzle but like bucketing down.The weather is humid and the soil is always moist. It’ possible to grow many sort of plants.
• In some regions like south east drought is problem it rains a little during the year.
• I generally stay at home when it.s raining. On the business days I don’t call off my plans.
Phrases
• I prefer sliding on the snow rather than slipping on ice or driving a car that skidding .
• I like conversations with old blokes without not debate.
• Puddles are very useful to clean the mud under your shoes. You don't have to take off them it's enough to rub them to the ground-:)
• After water being spilled, damp clothes disturb me.
Note
• I remember that when a light showers started, the crowd that are listening to a politician in the square became scattering.Then he shouted to them "No bullets are raining. Stay and listen to me-:)
• Here , for drizzle rain, literally we say "It is drenching a fool-:)"


hsn's picture
hsn
12/10/2021 13:42
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5525

Task
• In the north region of my country it rains so much. Not as a drizzle but like bucketing down.The weather is humid and the soil is always moist. It’ possible to grow many sort of plants.
• In some regions like south east drought is problem it rains a little during the year.
• I generally stay at home when it.s raining. On the business days I don’t call off my plans.
Phrases
• I prefer sliding on the snow rather than slipping on ice or driving a car that skidding .
• I like conversations with old blokes without not debate.
• Puddles are very useful to clean the mud under your shoes. You don't have to take off them it's enough to rub them to the ground-:)
• After water being spilled, damp clothes disturb me.
Note
• I remember that when a light showers started, the crowd that are listening to a politician in the square became scattering.Then he shouted to them "No bullets are raining. Stay and listen to me-:)
• Here , for drizzle rain, literally we say "It is drenching a fool-:)"

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
30/05/2020
TR
6510
points

This week's football phrase is ( to be water-locked )


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
30/05/2020 17:22
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

This week's football phrase is ( to be water-locked )

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
30/05/2020
TR
6510
points

It's usually rains in Autumn , Winter and Spring and it sometimes rains in Summer here in Turkey generally and Izmir in particular

I think it's not that much to be drenched or soaked to the bone in most times of the year but in Winter , it may cause some problems and delay some plans


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
30/05/2020 17:21
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

It's usually rains in Autumn , Winter and Spring and it sometimes rains in Summer here in Turkey generally and Izmir in particular

I think it's not that much to be drenched or soaked to the bone in most times of the year but in Winter , it may cause some problems and delay some plans

Alana
06/05/2020
AR
1
points

Yes, a lot of times. I usually travel by bus and when it's raining, in order to don't get soaked while walking to the bus stop, I call for a taxi and sometimes I cancel my activities.


Alana
06/05/2020 03:35
Argentina
Manchester City
1

Yes, a lot of times. I usually travel by bus and when it's raining, in order to don't get soaked while walking to the bus stop, I call for a taxi and sometimes I cancel my activities.

RafaelRC's picture
RafaelRC
22/09/2018
BR
663
points

Correct me
Here in Brazil the weather depends a lot of the region. Brazil is really large and the often of the rains varies for each region. For exemple: at the north the weather is hot but ♦ rains a lot too.
In the northeast of Brazil there are some regions with semi arid weather, where ♦ is drought and the poor rains is a problem.
In the south there are some cities that ♦ snow in the winter.
I live in the southeast, Minas Gerais state, here ♦ rains in the summer and the winter is dry.

Too much or too little are problems here, but I believe ♦ too little rain is worst. Big cities has much problens with floods when ♦ ♦ bucketing it down or ♦ ♦ heavy showers, but when ♦ don't rain for a long period we have problems with reservoirs and lack of water.

I needed ♦ change my plan last week, I wanted to go to Cocais Waterfall, but the water was cloudy and drizziling, so then I choose ♦ stay at home and watch a good film.


RafaelRC's picture
RafaelRC
22/09/2018 17:02
Brazil
Arsenal
663

Correct me
Here in Brazil the weather depends a lot of the region. Brazil is really large and the often of the rains varies for each region. For exemple: at the north the weather is hot but ♦ rains a lot too.
In the northeast of Brazil there are some regions with semi arid weather, where ♦ is drought and the poor rains is a problem.
In the south there are some cities that ♦ snow in the winter.
I live in the southeast, Minas Gerais state, here ♦ rains in the summer and the winter is dry.

Too much or too little are problems here, but I believe ♦ too little rain is worst. Big cities has much problens with floods when ♦ ♦ bucketing it down or ♦ ♦ heavy showers, but when ♦ don't rain for a long period we have problems with reservoirs and lack of water.

I needed ♦ change my plan last week, I wanted to go to Cocais Waterfall, but the water was cloudy and drizziling, so then I choose ♦ stay at home and watch a good film.

Rich's picture
Rich
24/09/2018
ES
594
points

Nice to hear about the weather in Brazil and some of the problems caused bu the weather.

Can you try to change the words in red and add a word where I have put the ♦ symbol.

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team


Rich's picture
Rich
24/09/2018 16:36
Spain
Liverpool
594

Nice to hear about the weather in Brazil and some of the problems caused bu the weather.

Can you try to change the words in red and add a word where I have put the ♦ symbol.

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team

RafaelRC's picture
RafaelRC
04/10/2018
BR
663
points

Thanks about the help!!! I'll try fix it.
Here in Brazil the weather depends a lot of the region. Brazil is really large and the often of the rains varies for each region. For exemple: at the north the weather is hot but ♦ always rains a lot too.
In the northeast of Brazil there are some regions with semi arid weather, where ♦weather is drought and the poor rains is a problem.
In the south there are some cities that ♦ there is snow in the winter.
I live in the southeast, Minas Gerais state, here ♦there are rains in the summer and the winter is dry.

Too much or too little are problems here, but I believe ♦ that too little rain is worst. Big cities has much problens with floods when ♦ ♦there are bucketing it down or ♦ ♦(??) heavy showers, but when ♦(?) don't rain for a long period we have problems with reservoirs and lack of water.

I needed ♦to change my plan last week, I wanted to go to Cocais Waterfall, but the water was cloudy and drizziling, so then I choose ♦to stay at home and watch a good film.


RafaelRC's picture
RafaelRC
04/10/2018 02:15
Brazil
Arsenal
663

Thanks about the help!!! I'll try fix it.
Here in Brazil the weather depends a lot of the region. Brazil is really large and the often of the rains varies for each region. For exemple: at the north the weather is hot but ♦ always rains a lot too.
In the northeast of Brazil there are some regions with semi arid weather, where ♦weather is drought and the poor rains is a problem.
In the south there are some cities that ♦ there is snow in the winter.
I live in the southeast, Minas Gerais state, here ♦there are rains in the summer and the winter is dry.

Too much or too little are problems here, but I believe ♦ that too little rain is worst. Big cities has much problens with floods when ♦ ♦there are bucketing it down or ♦ ♦(??) heavy showers, but when ♦(?) don't rain for a long period we have problems with reservoirs and lack of water.

I needed ♦to change my plan last week, I wanted to go to Cocais Waterfall, but the water was cloudy and drizziling, so then I choose ♦to stay at home and watch a good film.

Richard J's picture
Richard J
20/09/2018
EC
2846
points

Hi there,
Well, specific in my country there are two seasons summer and winter, in winter there are lots of rains with short and long periods of time even it can rain during days but anyway in the city where I live it rains even in summer, it can be a sunny day and suddenly it gets cloudy and rains and something more in winter the weather can get so cold 8° or 5° I know in other countries this is not cold but here in my country this is very cold.


Richard J's picture
Richard J
20/09/2018 14:15
Ecuador
Liverpool
2846

Hi there,
Well, specific in my country there are two seasons summer and winter, in winter there are lots of rains with short and long periods of time even it can rain during days but anyway in the city where I live it rains even in summer, it can be a sunny day and suddenly it gets cloudy and rains and something more in winter the weather can get so cold 8° or 5° I know in other countries this is not cold but here in my country this is very cold.

Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
20/09/2018
SD
2903
points

Correct me l.

Although the scarcity of rainfall is a major complain, it is not as big ♦ concern as torrential rain in our country. And that's because unlike too much rain which results in catastrophic disasters such as widespread devastation and death tolls, too little rain can be coped with. It's peaceful!

In northern and some areas of eastern Sudan, too little rain is always a niggling issue. Farmers and cattle owners are not happy when there's not enough rain. For farmers it means the now-planted crops are less likely to grow well. For cattle owners, grass is becoming less and less, and they are now forced to pay for fodder in order to keep these mouths fed.

In the opposite directions of the country, people of rural areas have constantly complained about how too much rain is causing problems. Heavy downpours sometimes result in the low-laying areas being flooded, thus, hundreds of houses being damaged and tens of citizens losing their lives. But it's not just houses that are affected, heavy rain also causes some of the main roads to be blocked leading to travel on land becoming very difficult.

At the end of the day, too little rain is not something to worry about as long as there are no life losses. And also if the amount of rain became less than usual in a certain area or rain didn't come on time, people would have to pray, then it'd (Insha Allah) rain. People would get their annual share!


Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
20/09/2018 10:28
Sudan
Liverpool
2903

Correct me l.

Although the scarcity of rainfall is a major complain, it is not as big ♦ concern as torrential rain in our country. And that's because unlike too much rain which results in catastrophic disasters such as widespread devastation and death tolls, too little rain can be coped with. It's peaceful!

In northern and some areas of eastern Sudan, too little rain is always a niggling issue. Farmers and cattle owners are not happy when there's not enough rain. For farmers it means the now-planted crops are less likely to grow well. For cattle owners, grass is becoming less and less, and they are now forced to pay for fodder in order to keep these mouths fed.

In the opposite directions of the country, people of rural areas have constantly complained about how too much rain is causing problems. Heavy downpours sometimes result in the low-laying areas being flooded, thus, hundreds of houses being damaged and tens of citizens losing their lives. But it's not just houses that are affected, heavy rain also causes some of the main roads to be blocked leading to travel on land becoming very difficult.

At the end of the day, too little rain is not something to worry about as long as there are no life losses. And also if the amount of rain became less than usual in a certain area or rain didn't come on time, people would have to pray, then it'd (Insha Allah) rain. People would get their annual share!

Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
25/09/2018
SD
2903
points

First of all, thanks a million for you tireless work in helping us improve our English teacher, Rich. I'm extremely happy to have my messages corrected. That's helps a lot.

1- issue
2- managed
3- in
4- victims/fatalities

◆ it's not as huge concern as torrential rain. ???

Please, let me know if I'm right.


Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
25/09/2018 09:06
Sudan
Liverpool
2903

First of all, thanks a million for you tireless work in helping us improve our English teacher, Rich. I'm extremely happy to have my messages corrected. That's helps a lot.

1- issue
2- managed
3- in
4- victims/fatalities

◆ it's not as huge concern as torrential rain. ???

Please, let me know if I'm right.

Rich's picture
Rich
24/09/2018
ES
594
points

Some work for you to do on this one, Ahmed Adam. Can you try to correct the word in red?

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team


Rich's picture
Rich
24/09/2018 16:27
Spain
Liverpool
594

Some work for you to do on this one, Ahmed Adam. Can you try to correct the word in red?

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team

Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
20/09/2018
SD
2903
points

Correct me.

The rainy season here in Sudan differs from one region to another in terms of season duration and the amount of rainwater. Some areas have rain for all the whole year round, while others hardly experience any rainfall in the entire year. It also varies from drizzle, to heavy showers, to torrential rain across the country.

In the southern region  the south, for example, it rains for approximately three quarters of the year. July and August in particular, are the months in which it's absolutely bucketing it down. This means no blue, but grey skies for almost the whole year.

In the far north, however, the weather is mainly dry and rain occurs on very rare occasions -- mostly a few isolated showers in July. No wonder this is the region hit by the highest levels of droughts in our country.

The rainy season always begins in July countryside. However, Port Sudan, a coastal city in the eastern region located next to the Red Sea and the city where I live, is the only exception as the first raindrops of the year hit the ground in November. Autumn lasts for two or three months at the most and there's not much rain here as it's only wintery showers???.


Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
20/09/2018 08:12
Sudan
Liverpool
2903

Correct me.

The rainy season here in Sudan differs from one region to another in terms of season duration and the amount of rainwater. Some areas have rain for all the whole year round, while others hardly experience any rainfall in the entire year. It also varies from drizzle, to heavy showers, to torrential rain across the country.

In the southern region  the south, for example, it rains for approximately three quarters of the year. July and August in particular, are the months in which it's absolutely bucketing it down. This means no blue, but grey skies for almost the whole year.

In the far north, however, the weather is mainly dry and rain occurs on very rare occasions -- mostly a few isolated showers in July. No wonder this is the region hit by the highest levels of droughts in our country.

The rainy season always begins in July countryside. However, Port Sudan, a coastal city in the eastern region located next to the Red Sea and the city where I live, is the only exception as the first raindrops of the year hit the ground in November. Autumn lasts for two or three months at the most and there's not much rain here as it's only wintery showers???.

Rich's picture
Rich
24/09/2018
ES
594
points

Hi Ahmed Adam

I've made a few corrections above. I wasn't sure about the final sentence. Please excuse my ignorance about the weather in Port Sudan, but does it ever snow there? I was wondering about your use of wintry showers.

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team


Rich's picture
Rich
24/09/2018 16:22
Spain
Liverpool
594

Hi Ahmed Adam

I've made a few corrections above. I wasn't sure about the final sentence. Please excuse my ignorance about the weather in Port Sudan, but does it ever snow there? I was wondering about your use of wintry showers.

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team

Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
25/09/2018
SD
2903
points

Hi teacher, Rich. Hope you're well.
Thanks for the valuable assistance as usual.

I thought if it rained for short periods of time, then it could be described as showers. And since it rains here in (winter), I thought the phrase wintery showers would be suitable in this case.

You're telling me that this phrase is only used with snowy weather?


Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
25/09/2018 09:19
Sudan
Liverpool
2903

Hi teacher, Rich. Hope you're well.
Thanks for the valuable assistance as usual.

I thought if it rained for short periods of time, then it could be described as showers. And since it rains here in (winter), I thought the phrase wintery showers would be suitable in this case.

You're telling me that this phrase is only used with snowy weather?

lakerwang
19/09/2018
CN
337
points

1. You know, it's a large territory in China. There're various climates which depends on different areas. In general, the further you go east or north, the wetter it is and the more rain you will see.
2. Yes, too much rain and too little rain are all a big problem for specific areas or time.
3. I don't usually need to change my plans unless it's pouring it down.
The phrase is "*********** *****".


lakerwang
19/09/2018 15:52
China
Chelsea
337

1. You know, it's a large territory in China. There're various climates which depends on different areas. In general, the further you go east or north, the wetter it is and the more rain you will see.
2. Yes, too much rain and too little rain are all a big problem for specific areas or time.
3. I don't usually need to change my plans unless it's pouring it down.
The phrase is "*********** *****".

Aminrad11's picture
Aminrad11
19/09/2018
CA
10
points

1: my home country is so wide and it expans through north tonthe south and west to the east, it depends the location where you are talking about, for instance the weather in the northen part of my country is mixture of mist and rains, the former is due to evaporation and latter is caused by the bunch of cloudes that you can experiance during the 9 months of the year especially August to September, in this area you can experiance around 200 rainy days, heavy shower , spitting and isolated shower are more common in that area, for instance you could start your day with the mixture od sunshine and shower, then it became spitting and then ended up with torrential rain that makes you fell seaked to your bone , in the sothern parts, nevertheless, its absolutely reverse , you could have the year with even 10;rainy days that makes you feel your are living in a desert.

2: absolutely lack of rain, i would certainly argue that the lack of rain and due to scarcity in percipitation we are experiance a lot of pain and especially farmers and farming sector are suffering in this regards.

3: i would say a lot, for instance i do remember during one of our football matches, the weather forcat showed there was nothing out there and we could have our match in a proper condition, right after the reffere blow the start whistle , weather became spitty and then change to torrential rain and then changed to heavy shower and pouried it down and then ended up with drizzeling, we didnt well-prepared so we decided to suspend the match to the another suitable time.


Aminrad11's picture
Aminrad11
19/09/2018 15:08
Canada
Manchester City
10

1: my home country is so wide and it expans through north tonthe south and west to the east, it depends the location where you are talking about, for instance the weather in the northen part of my country is mixture of mist and rains, the former is due to evaporation and latter is caused by the bunch of cloudes that you can experiance during the 9 months of the year especially August to September, in this area you can experiance around 200 rainy days, heavy shower , spitting and isolated shower are more common in that area, for instance you could start your day with the mixture od sunshine and shower, then it became spitting and then ended up with torrential rain that makes you fell seaked to your bone , in the sothern parts, nevertheless, its absolutely reverse , you could have the year with even 10;rainy days that makes you feel your are living in a desert.

2: absolutely lack of rain, i would certainly argue that the lack of rain and due to scarcity in percipitation we are experiance a lot of pain and especially farmers and farming sector are suffering in this regards.

3: i would say a lot, for instance i do remember during one of our football matches, the weather forcat showed there was nothing out there and we could have our match in a proper condition, right after the reffere blow the start whistle , weather became spitty and then change to torrential rain and then changed to heavy shower and pouried it down and then ended up with drizzeling, we didnt well-prepared so we decided to suspend the match to the another suitable time.

Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
18/09/2018
BR
615
points

As Brazil is the 5th bigger country in terms of surface area, climate depends on the region.
1. By summarizing, in the North there is an equatorial climate so it rains a lot and there is no real dry season. On the other hand, Northeast has a semiarid climate, where it rains very little and droughts are often. Over Central Brazil rainfall is more seasonal, like a savanna climate. In the South the climate is subtropical, with cool winters and wintry showers during the night in the highest areas. Where I Iive, in São Paulo State (southeast), rain falls along the year, but they are more intense in Summer (dezember to march).
2. Ultimately, I think it is too little rain the problem in my country, at least in my region, although torrential rains are too problematic during Summer.
3. Before I get a car, showers were a real problem while I was walking to the university or to the stadium without a brolly. By the way, brollies are forbidden inside stadiums here in Brazil.

I think the phrase is "*********** *****".


Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
18/09/2018 19:49
Brazil
Tottenham Hotspur
615

As Brazil is the 5th bigger country in terms of surface area, climate depends on the region.
1. By summarizing, in the North there is an equatorial climate so it rains a lot and there is no real dry season. On the other hand, Northeast has a semiarid climate, where it rains very little and droughts are often. Over Central Brazil rainfall is more seasonal, like a savanna climate. In the South the climate is subtropical, with cool winters and wintry showers during the night in the highest areas. Where I Iive, in São Paulo State (southeast), rain falls along the year, but they are more intense in Summer (dezember to march).
2. Ultimately, I think it is too little rain the problem in my country, at least in my region, although torrential rains are too problematic during Summer.
3. Before I get a car, showers were a real problem while I was walking to the university or to the stadium without a brolly. By the way, brollies are forbidden inside stadiums here in Brazil.

I think the phrase is "*********** *****".

elghoul's picture
elghoul
18/09/2018
DZ
3988
points

Football phrase, flooded pitch.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
18/09/2018 15:35
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

Football phrase, flooded pitch.

elghoul's picture
elghoul
18/09/2018
DZ
3988
points

In Algeria my great country there is a cross line from East to West between  the Sahel which is well moistered land with over 400 centimetres of water during a year and the great dry country which is mostly the Sahara desert and the dry high plaines. In this huge desert it often happen to spend years without rain and all of a sudden there is flooding and the oueds became devastating.

In Algeria the most disturbing issue due to weather are snow falls which can stop trafficking in the roads and posponing football matches.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
18/09/2018 13:56
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

In Algeria my great country there is a cross line from East to West between  the Sahel which is well moistered land with over 400 centimetres of water during a year and the great dry country which is mostly the Sahara desert and the dry high plaines. In this huge desert it often happen to spend years without rain and all of a sudden there is flooding and the oueds became devastating.

In Algeria the most disturbing issue due to weather are snow falls which can stop trafficking in the roads and posponing football matches.

Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
18/09/2018
SD
2903
points

It's been two weeks since I last learnt new vocabularies and phrases. Honestly, I've been counting days and hours for the activities to restart on PSE, and that's not a surprise because I'm addicted to your website! Nice to hear from you again teacher Jack & teacher Rich and of course, glad to be back and to be able to interact again with fellow PSE fans on the website.

Unlike previous FIFA weeks, the international break this time had a different flavour. With the introduction of UNL, I'm sure lots of you enjoyed a handful of exciting games involving Europe elites in the space of six days. Thanks to those who came up with the League A idea!

This week's football phrase has to be a '*********** *****' I'm sure.


Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
18/09/2018 08:11
Sudan
Liverpool
2903

It's been two weeks since I last learnt new vocabularies and phrases. Honestly, I've been counting days and hours for the activities to restart on PSE, and that's not a surprise because I'm addicted to your website! Nice to hear from you again teacher Jack & teacher Rich and of course, glad to be back and to be able to interact again with fellow PSE fans on the website.

Unlike previous FIFA weeks, the international break this time had a different flavour. With the introduction of UNL, I'm sure lots of you enjoyed a handful of exciting games involving Europe elites in the space of six days. Thanks to those who came up with the League A idea!

This week's football phrase has to be a '*********** *****' I'm sure.

milos
18/09/2018
RS
2663
points

1.It depend which season is.It can be Torrential rain in the spring,and in the autumn it can be some light drizzle which I don t like.
2.Too much rain can be problem,especialy Torrential rain.It could cause a lot trouble even the flood.
3.I have changed my plans many times,due to rain.The Weather Forecast can be precise but the nature can sometime be unpredicted.
I think that football phrase is ***********.


milos
18/09/2018 07:35
Serbia
Manchester United
2663

1.It depend which season is.It can be Torrential rain in the spring,and in the autumn it can be some light drizzle which I don t like.
2.Too much rain can be problem,especialy Torrential rain.It could cause a lot trouble even the flood.
3.I have changed my plans many times,due to rain.The Weather Forecast can be precise but the nature can sometime be unpredicted.
I think that football phrase is ***********.

BillyBelgutei's picture
BillyBelgutei
17/09/2018
MN
288
points

A1: Not too much to compare with tropical countries. Because there are 4 seasons.
A2: Yes, lack of grass, because of poor raining, is real problem in my country. half of the Mongolians are still nomadic people who feed and graze cattle/domestic animals/ all over the year. Therefore, good pasture and nutritious grass are demanded to winter with no loss of cattle.
A3: I think yes. But I can't remember exactly, perhaps loss wasn't harmful if it happens.


BillyBelgutei's picture
BillyBelgutei
17/09/2018 11:57
Mongolia
Chelsea
288

A1: Not too much to compare with tropical countries. Because there are 4 seasons.
A2: Yes, lack of grass, because of poor raining, is real problem in my country. half of the Mongolians are still nomadic people who feed and graze cattle/domestic animals/ all over the year. Therefore, good pasture and nutritious grass are demanded to winter with no loss of cattle.
A3: I think yes. But I can't remember exactly, perhaps loss wasn't harmful if it happens.

sabanoleg
17/09/2018
UA
2337
points

I think the week's phrase is"*********** *****"


sabanoleg
17/09/2018 11:04
Ukraine
Arsenal
2337

I think the week's phrase is"*********** *****"

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
17/09/2018
UA
4408
points

In Ukraine weather changes through the country. In western regions, summer is humid and rainy with drizzles but it became drier when you move southwards or eastwards - summer droughts occasionally happen there. Wintry showers and heavy frost are often through the territory (except south regions). Most notable weather change that I noticed in recent years is a very short spring. It may be snow at the beginning of April and then sudden warn with +30 degrees at the end of April and all along through the May.


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
17/09/2018 11:00
Ukraine
Watford
4408

In Ukraine weather changes through the country. In western regions, summer is humid and rainy with drizzles but it became drier when you move southwards or eastwards - summer droughts occasionally happen there. Wintry showers and heavy frost are often through the territory (except south regions). Most notable weather change that I noticed in recent years is a very short spring. It may be snow at the beginning of April and then sudden warn with +30 degrees at the end of April and all along through the May.

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
17/09/2018
UA
4408
points

I think that the phrase is a '*********** *****'


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
17/09/2018 10:01
Ukraine
Watford
4408

I think that the phrase is a '*********** *****'

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1mobeckham6510
2Alex_from_Ukraine6278
3hsn5525
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4768
6Liubomyr4408
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia71478
2Ukraine33300
3Spain28277
4Serbia27289
5Brazil23896
6Albania20578
7Vietnam19939
8Turkey19810
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United141846
2Liverpool110282
3Chelsea88559
4Arsenal85717
5Manchester City56951
6Tottenham Hotspur19169
7Newcastle United10457
8West Ham United7454
9AFC Bournemouth4454
10Crystal Palace4240

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Skills: Listening

Language: Words and phrases connected to rain

Task: Talking about rain in your country