Wake up and smell the roses!

Sleep is such a common topic across IELTS listening, reading, writing and speaking. It could help improve all parts of your IELTS score if you take some time to learn some new vocabulary related to sleep, mornings and evenings.

Let’s look first at some vocabulary and then try out the practice activities and links underneath!

Be sure to avoid the mistakes that most students make on writing by signing up for my exclusive IELTS Ebooks here on Patreon.

 

Here is the tapescript in case you couldn’t understand some of it:

I just got out of bed and this is what my hair usually looks like in the morning – you can call it ‘bed head’ ‘yeah that’s a bed head’ when your hair is messed up – when your pillow is your hairdresser – to sleep in is to sleep late that’s different from a sleepover which is a group of kids who get together ‘so how was the sleepover? we had an adult sleepover’ and a sleepover is different from a night in – a night is when a group of friends usually adults hang out together watching movie – ‘we can have a girls night in’ – if you don’t sleep well you can say I was tossing and turning all night ‘I was tossing and turning – try not to toss and turn’ a person who’s a night owl is someone who likes to stay up late ‘we’re both night owls I think’ you can also call them a night person as opposed to a morning person or an early bird because as you know the early bird gets the worm – enjoy the rest of your day – have a good night’s sleep – comb your hair before you go out unless if you’re a guy in which case it doesn’t really matter!

 

 

SLEEP

‘I slept like a log.’

This means that you slept very well, deeply.

‘I was tossing and turning all night.’

The opposite – you didn’t sleep well at all.

‘He’s a real night owl.’

He likes to stay up late at night.

Early bird gets the worm.’

If you get up early then you will get better opportunities than other people.

Rise and shine sleepy head!’

Get up, lazy!

‘Why don’t you try sleeping on it?’

Think about a problem/decision for another day and then make up your mind.

‘I slept like a baby.’

Same as sleeping like a log – sleeping really well.

‘Time to hit the hay.’

Time to go to sleep.

Have a lie in.’

Sleep late in the morning.

‘I slept in like the lazy piece of trash I am.’

Same as having a lie in. ‘Lie in’ is a UK expression and ‘sleep in’ is for Americans. It means to sleep late, usually on the weekend.

‘Time to turn in.’

TIme to go to bed.

‘He went out like a light.’

Went to sleep right away.

Couldn’t sleep a wink all night.’

Unable to sleep at all.

‘Get your beauty rest – you need it.’

Sleep so that you look beautiful and don’t have bags under your eyes.

‘I just dozed off for a second, officer!’

Fell asleep for a little bit. Don’t do this while driving!

 

MORNINGS

‘I’m asleep in the wee hours of the morning.’

The early hours of the morning.

‘I get up at the crack of dawn.’

I get up early – at around 6 am when the sun comes up.

‘The sunrise is gorgeous.’

The rising of the sun is beautiful.

‘I want to get an early start tomorrow.’

I want to get up early in the morning.

‘I got up at an ungodly hour to catch the plane.’

A very early hour like 3 or 4 or 5 in the morning.

‘The morning light woke me up.’

The sun at dawn.

‘It will take all morning.’

Use up all the hours of the morning.

‘I’m not a morning person or a night person – I’m barely a person at all!’

I don’t like to get up early (or stay up late).

 

EVENINGS

‘In the middle of the night, I woke up screaming.’

Very late at night.

Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite…’

Sleep well.

‘The sunset isn’t so gorgeous.’

The falling sun is ugly.

‘I’m a night person.’

I like to stay up late at night.

‘They are like night and day – total opposites!’

Completely different personalities – opposites.

‘I had a one night stand last night – it was ok.’

Sleep with someone for one night – the opposite of a long-term relationship.

‘Time to call it a day.’

Time to go to bed.

‘I’m gonna have an early night.’

I’m going to go to bed early.

‘I’m gonna spend the night in.’

Not going to go out tonight.

‘In the dead of night, Santa Claus breaks into your house.’

Very late at night.

Night after night, I can’t sleep.’

Every night.

‘Let’s go out for a night on the town.’

Go out and party.

 

If you have nothing better to do with your time, I also explained all of this vocabulary in a Live Lesson on my Facebook account. Watch it here:

 

 

 

To practice the vocabulary above, comment below and I will correct your answers:

 

1. Do you go to bed and get up at the same time every day?

2. What do you usually do in the mornings?

3. What is the perfect evening for you?

 

Remember to use the vocabulary above in your answers!

ASAP Science Links

This is one of my favourite YouTube channels for learning about science. They talk really quickly but you can slow the video down or use the visuals to help watch. Here are some ideas for how you can watch them.

How Much Sleep Do You Actually Need?

What If You Stopped Sleeping?

The Scientific Power of Naps

Why Are You Always Tired?

 
 

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