Let’s get this party started by looking at the difference between “sound” and “noise.” Sometimes these words are interchangeable, but not always. A “sound” can be pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant – but “noise” is always either neutral or unpleasant.
I woke up to the of my wife playing the piano (pleasant). I could hear the of their voices in the other room (neutral). The fighting cats made . I can’t hear you; there’s a lot of . Could you call me back? (neutral). My car is making an whenever I turn on the A/C (unpleasant).
If a noise or sound is very strong, we can describe it as a – and if it is REALLY intense, then we can describe it as a . On the other hand, if we can barely hear it, then it is a or . There’s also a – when it seems that something is blocking the sound. Noise that doesn’t stop is called . You’ll hear this type of noise if your house is close to the highway, for example – you’ll hear the day and night. If you work in a factory, then you might hear the all day long. And if you live next door to college students, you’ll probably hear as they party every night.
Nature is full of noises, too – such as and . If you sit near the ocean, you can listen to the . When you’re in a remote, deserted area, you might hear the through the trees. And if there’s a storm, you’ll hear the – or be scared by a sudden thunderclap.
Now let’s talk about the absence of sound. There’s a difference between the words “quiet” and “silent.” “Quiet” means that there is very little noise, whereas “silent” means there is no noise at all.
You can emphasize the totality of the silence by saying that it was , or . When it begins to be silent, you can say that or , and then when a noise interrupts the silence, it or .