English, baby!

Ring Tones

Date: May 10 2010

Themes: Tech

Grammar: You're vs. Your

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Intro

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When the telephone was invented, it’s hard to imagine that anyone thought that eventually, the latest hit song would play whenever you got a phone call. But anything can be a ring tone these days. A lot of people choose their favorite song for their ring tone, and others choose a funny sound like a whistle or a drum.

Ring tones can be a fun way to express yourself…or annoy people. When a phone or two or twenty starts blaring an obnoxious song or some other noise in public, it can be annoying. It certainly is to Devan, anyway, and she’s about to give Jeff a piece of her mind about cell phone ring tones.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Devan

Jeff

Jeff: So Devan, what’s your latest ring tone these days?

Devan: My latest ring tone? My ring tone is a ring. It’s a good old-fashioned telephone bring bring.

Jeff: Rotary phone...

Devan: I can’t stand ring tones. They drive me crazy.

Jeff: I’ve had my phone on vibrate or silent for almost a year now.

Devan: I just think it’s so obnoxious when you’re like in public, either you’re at a library or you’re on the subway, and someone’s phone starts playing a song really loud, and it’s like, I don’t want to hear your music, you know? And they’ll just like let it ring and ring and ring, and it’ll be like Lil Wayne blaring on their phone.

Jeff: That’s pretty grating. Especially when you’re tired and on your way to work.

Devan: Yeah. And it wears out songs, too. Like even if it’s a song that you like, if you have to hear it that many times, like every time your phone rings you have to hear that song, you get really sick of it.

Jeff: Yeah, I don’t understand how people can do that. What about your alarm clock on your phone, do you use it for an alarm clock?

Devan: I do.

Jeff: Is it the same as your regular ring tone.

Devan: It is. It’s just a regular ringing sound. I can’t handle waking up to the radio, because once again, if it’s a song that I like, but that’s what’s waking me up in the morning, I’m always gonna associate it with that, and it’s gonna make me mad.

Jeff: Yeah. It kinda turns it into a nightmare.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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You can make any song into a ring tone these days, but Devan just uses the basic ring tones that came with her phone. Even if her ring tone is a song Devan likes, hearing the song over and over again as a ring tone makes her get sick of the song.

Jeff agrees that ring tones can be annoying. He keeps his phone on vibrate or silent most of the time. Devan uses a simple ringing sound as her ring tone. She uses the same tone as her alarm clock.

You can make a ring tone out of anything these days. How do you pick your ring tone? Do you use songs that you like, or do you find that annoying like Devan?

Comments

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masiran

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i use ringtones on my cellphone and i pick my ringtone from a relaxing songs whit almost low volum and when i am alone or at home i use it but when i go out and in public I’ve my phone on vibrate or silent couse i think it's kind of private thing and maybe someone doesn't like hearing my ringtone

demmy00

Nigeria

i prefer using my phone for browsing and downloading of softwares,ratherthan using it to play ringing tones.luv u all

Marcelolic

Brazil

Humm I love music! And mainly,to my phone I usually picking heavy metal as ring tone…I have put songs from the following bands like Def Leppard,Rush,Joan Jett and Blind Guradian…The choose of your personal ring tone should be careful 'cause not always the song fits perfectly as a ring tone so it can became very annoying :P

Today my ring tone is the Blind Guardian music's called "Theatre Of Pain" I love this music :)

dhtt86

United States

i really dont agree with that cuz, i always had my phone on some kind of musics when i m at home or some private place. i agree with them about not turn ur cell tone too loud at public places. that belongs to manner

n.mahdizadeh

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

ringtones show your personality i think,so becareful about choosing your ringtone

shadows goldsmith

Syrian Arab Republic

voice call ringtone

ghith1980

Syrian Arab Republic

I'm fully supporting to jeff and devan

especially when you hear song on someone cell phone for many times… you just get sick of it

in fact I'm a technician and sometimes I play music for quality check… I just focus on songs that I already got sick of trying not to spoile songs that I really like

to me it is more about songs but I think it is kind of polite not to let cell phone play music on public or at least not loudly

candycandice

Sweden

I like to pick a ring tone that's a song I like, though my cellphone can't take in other songs, except the ring tones it already has.

If someones ring tone is playing a song I like, I won't find it annoying,but…if it's something that has a disturbing sound, like heavy-metal songs, I will dislike it.

rosendo

Mexico

jejejeje

supi

Azerbaijan

ya no ringtone

thewaytoyourhart

Hungary

I' ve just found out the most people like my ring tone I' ve choosed for myself, at least nobody has ever expressed their dislike even in the bus, train or in the street. and I dont care if sombody else's phone starts ringing and playing a weird song. It' s ur free choice we live in democracy.. (at least mostly)

mionfabian

Brazil

No ring tones… My cell phone is like me, totally self-contained…

I put that on vibrate mode everytime… I know that some calls I lost…

But I think, if I lost that ones, it's because I am in a crowded place or in a noisy room,

and if I received I couldnt talk clearly…

mionfabian

Brazil

No ring tones… My cell phone is like me, totally self-contained…

I put that on vibrate mode everytime… I know that some calls I lost…

But I think, if I lost that ones, it's because I am in a crowded place or in a noisy room,

and if I received I couldnt talk clearly…

munhozsoneca

Brazil

Sometimes the ring tone can be really annoying! Some people is non-sense about it!

In fact, I usually keep my cellphone in the vibrate mode. But sometimes when it is in the normal mode, I like to use one of my favorites musics as a ring tone.

For the alarm clock I usually use a relax song to wake me up!

Lubna Alyy

France

I like ringtones.I wish to use songs that I like as my ringtone,but I cannot find them,sadly.But instead I use ringtones that came with my mobile.In my new mobile that ringtones are boring and very few,like 5 or 6,out of them only like 2 or 3 are interesting.In my first mobile,the ringtones which I had were really interesting,now its no long my mobile phone,I gave that phone to someone else,but last night I downloaded all those ringtones in my current mobile through bluetooth,and am enjoying the sound whenever my mobile rings.. =D

termini

Poland

The quiter the ring tone the better. If your phone rings all the time it is very annoying to have ear-splitting and piercing tone.

thewaytoyourhart

Hungary

Because I' m a businessman I prefer using my cell phone for business purpose. I usually choose the laudliest ring tone from the huge offer. So it can make sure that I would probably notice it when i' m on the way, driving my car or sitting in a bus and never miss the call. Anyway there are a great deal of songs I love, but I let them listen to at home just for fun. One thing is work another is the entertainment..