Colours
What colour would you like to paint your bedroom? Is colour, very important to you when you are buying something? Are there any colours that have a special meaning in your country?
Vocabulary
  • Shades (noun) - a type or degree of a colour.
  • Eye-catching (adj.) - very attractive or noticeable.
  • The spectrum (noun) - the set of colours into which a beam of light can be separated, or a range of waves, such as light waves or radio waves.
  • Stand out (phrasal verb) - to be very noticeable.
  • Pastel purple - one of these colours:
  • Garish colours (adj.) - unpleasantly bright colours.
  • Show off (phrasal verb) - to behave in a way that is intended to attract attention or admiration, and that other people often find annoying.
  • Lurid (adj.) - (especially of a description) shocking because involving violence, sex, or immoral activity.
  • Sticks out (phrasal verb) - to be very easy to notice: he certainly sticks out in a crowd.
  • Take something for granted (idiom) - to never think about something because you believe it will always be available or stay exactly the same: I took it for granted that I would find the perfect job.
  • A mishmash (noun) - a confused mixture: The new housing development is a mishmash of different architectural styles.
  • Colour scheme (noun) - a combination of colours that has been chosen for a particular room.
  • The décor (noun) - the colour, style, and arrangement of the objects in a room.
  • Vivid (adj.) - vivid descriptions, memories, etc. produce very clear, powerful, and detailed images in the mind.
  • The fit (noun) - the way that something fits: these shoes are a perfect fit. The trousers were a good fit but the jacket was too small.
  • A whole load of - a lot of something, often something unpleasant.
  • Fit the mold - to be similar to other people or things or to what is usual: he didn’t exactly fit the mold of a typical headteacher.
  • Tartan (noun) - a pattern of different coloured straight lines crossing each other at 90 degree angles, or a cloth with this pattern:
  • Off the top of my head (idiom) - from the knowledge you have in your memory.
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Questions and answers
Maria: What's your favourite color?

Rory: Oh, I love all things navy blue. That's one of the darker shades of blue. I think it's more original and eye-catching than black. Since you can... Well, since people have to look more closely at the person wearing it to understand exactly what color it is. And then on their further analysis, that's where you can start a conversation with them, which is quite fun. So definitely that one.

Maria: Do before light or dark colours?

Rory: Definitely colours on the darker side of the spectrum, as evidenced by my wardrobe. Although, someone said recently that I stand out better in lighter colours, which is why I have this pastel purple t-shirt for special occasions. But I think darker colours suit me better since I have darker features, which is unusual for a Scottish person, but it is something that I can take advantage of.

Maria: Are there any colours, you dislike?

Rory: Um, not really. Maybe like really garish colours if I'm pushed on the question. Especially on clothes or cars or houses. Um, it's like people are trying too hard to show off and get attention. It's much better to be understated in my opinion, although that could just be because I'm more interested in people's ideas than their appearances.

Maria: Did you use bright colours when you were a child?

Rory: Well, I didn't. My parents did. They used to make me wear all kinds of loud and lurid colours, which probably explains my attraction to darker colours now! It's just me being reactionary as an adult.

Maria: Are colours important to you?

Rory: It's not something that sticks out at the forefront of my mind... At least not very often. I would miss them if they weren't there. People sort of take them for granted, I suppose. But it's not... Like if I if you ask me to list everything that's important in my life, color would not be in the top ten.

Maria: What's the color of your home?

Rory: Well, it's a bit of a mishmash right now, actually. The hallway is rather conservative in terms of, like, browns and beiges. And yet my room and the bathroom are much brighter! For the former it's like, lime green on the walls, and for the latter it's sea blue. I didn't make any of these decisions, of course, because I rent my apartment. But it's quite funny when I look at it now.

Maria: What colour would you like to paint your bedroom?

Rory: I think the walls would be dark with white on the ceiling. I used to live with someone who had this colour scheme in their bedroom and I remember it being very relaxing, so I quite like the idea.

Maria: What colour do you think is good for rooms?

Rory: Depends on the purpose! For rooms filled with activity like the kitchen or the living room, probably brighter colours to complement the décor, for example. If it's a quieter space, like a bedroom, then probably something much less vivid... maybe something darker.

Maria: Is colour, very important to you when you are buying something?

Rory: Well, if we talk about clothes, it's probably almost as important as the fit. Although, this doesn't really add time to the... Well to the time I spend shopping, because it's not exactly difficult to find clothes in dark colours, especially not in Russia. For everything else it's not particularly relevant as long as whatever it is I'm buying works. Though, I'm unlikely to buy something bright pink since it doesn't really much my personality and it's a bit girly, probably.

Maria: What colours do people in your country like to wear?
Rory: I don't think there're really limited in that way. My best guess would be - it's a seasonal thing. So people wear darker colours in the winter and lighter ones in the summer. But there's a whole load of colours to choose from if you don't fit the mould in that particular way.

Maria: Are there any colours that have a special meaning in your country?

Rory: I suppose blue and white are the national colours, and then whatever colours are in the family tartan or football team colours... Those things are quite important. I can't really think of anything else off the top of my head.
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