Crowded Places
Which places in your city are crowded? How do you feel in these crowded places? Have you ever felt comfortable in a very crowded place?
Vocabulary
  • Anxious (adj.) — worried because you think something bad might happen.
  • Intimidating (adj.) — making you feel nervous, frightened, or less confident.
  • Rush hour (noun) — the time when a lot of people are travelling to or from work and so roads and trains are very busy.
  • Borderline overcrowded (analogy) — This is just an analogy because it usually gets very crowded when you cross borders and stand in a line to get your passport checked.
  • To overwhelm (verb) — If a feeling or situation overwhelms someone, it has an effect that is too strong or extreme.
  • To frequent (verb) — to go to a place often.
  • To make your way through smth (verb) — to move somewhere slowly and with difficulty.
  • To have smth done (verb) — when we talk about someone doing something for us which we ask or instruct them to do. It emphasizes the process/action rather than who performs it.
  • Jammed/Packed (adj.) — very crowded with people or things.
  • Like sardines in a can (idiom) — to be very tightly or snugly packed together, especially in a small space.
  • A throng (noun) — a large group of people.
  • A rammy (noun) — according to Rory, it is a mass of people jammed into one place. Only used in Scotland.
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Questions and answers
Maria: Rory, which places in your city are crowded?

Rory: I suppose it depends which city you mean, because in Moscow there are usually throngs of people, but obviously not at the moment because it’s the quarantine and we have self isolation. But usually there are lots of us. And in my hometown in Dundee, there isn’t usually a ton of people in open spaces like parks or at the beach even when it’s sunny, although I suppose in some clubs it can be a real rammy.

Maria: Why are those places so crowded?

Rory: In the case of Moscow, I imagine it’s because it’s a major world capital with literally millions of people. I can’t remember how many people there are live here. It’s something like 15 million. So that’s a lot. It doesn’t matter how widespread your city is, it’s still going to be quite crowded. By contrast, Dundee is a university town. We’ve got two universities and they have a lot of students. I imagine that’s why the bars and clubs are always full of people, but probably why the libraries aren’t as frequented as they are there. At the same time, it’s got a big working class population. So the local neighborhood pubs must be quite as packed. Well, people are having a drink after a long day, I suppose.

Maria: How do you feel in these crowded places?

Rory: Usually I don’t mind them. As long as I can make my way through them. But it’s always a pain when there’s a big crowd and you need the bathroom or you have to wait for a drink or something like that and you have to wait for ages.

Maria: Have you ever felt comfortable in a very crowded place?

Rory: Like I say, it’s not normally a problem for me, but if I had to choose, I wouldn’t be in a place that is borderline overcrowded. First of all, I like having my personal space respected. And secondly, there is always an element of danger in these things.

Maria: If I were to ask you to describe a crowded place that you’ve been to. What would you say?

Rory: Oh, there’s a club in my hometown. I’m not sure if it’s still open, though, but it’s almost completely underground. And because of that, the space is quite limited. So it’s filled up with people really quickly. And that would be the image that comes to mind. So everyone has their backs against the wall or they’re sort of crushed in this crowd while they’re waiting to dance or at the bar. But you can’t really dance and you can’t really get a drink. I have no idea why it’s so popular.

Maria: Rory and last question. So about like three months ago, if we go back to, let’s say January, a happy new year. Could you imagine that the most crowded place would be like our home, our flat, our house? No stadiums. No concert. Nothing.

Rory: Well, I suppose our houses are the closest thing we get to being in a crowded space now, although even for me now, I only live with one other person. So it’s not so much of a crowd. But no, I definitely could note have imagined that that would be the case now.
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