Is there an everyday sound you secretly love, or one that drives you up the wall?

A natural way to answer

I really enjoy the sound of a kettle starting to boil in a quiet kitchen; it feels comforting. On the other hand, the buzz of a phone vibrating on a hard table is something I find genuinely irritating.

Key phrases to use

• drives me up the wall — annoys or irritates you intensely“That constant tapping drives me up the wall.”
• tune it out — to deliberately stop noticing or paying attention to a sound or distraction“I learned to tune out the traffic noise outside.”