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We may say, for example,

May I show you my favorite painting by Monet?

Tomorrow, I will show my grandmother my dance recital video recording.

where 'show' means to cause one to see something visual.

However, I can't think of an English verb to cause someone to hear or listen to something auditory, as in,

May I show you my favorite composition by Debussy?

Tomorrow, I will show my grandmother my clarinet recital audio recording.

The word 'show' in the above sentences seems to mean that I intend to present written sheet music or display a digital audio file on a screen.

But if I intend for one to listen to a piece of music (or anything auditory), is there a single verb which can replace the word show in the above sentences?

The most concise verb phrase I've thought of (aside from using 'listen' as a command, i.e., "Listen to this composition.") is:

May I have you listen to my favorite composition by Debussy?

Tomorrow, I will have my grandmother listen to my clarinet audio recording.

But I would prefer a single verb, if one exists.

Decapitated Soul
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EricRobertBrewer
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3 Answers3

5

In cases where you're having the person listen to an audio recording or something musical, the verb play is appropriate.

For example,

May I play you my favorite composition by Debussy?

would be fitting if you want to either play a recording of the piece, or if you're sitting at a piano and want to play it yourself. This phrasing works for any audio recording, since starting the playback of a recording is just "playing" it - you could "play someone a speech", "play someone a recording of birdsong", or "play someone the sound of a motorcycle", so long as they are all recorded sounds.

For things that are not recordings or musical, "play" doesn't fit. If you want to show off the sound of your new motorcycle in person, for example, you don't "play someone the sound of the motorcycle". In this case, show could be used for non-visual stimuli, as "show" most generally just means "display or allow to be perceived". One could show their anger through the tone of their voice or the words they choose, even if they are speaking over the telephone, so "show" does not strictly imply a visual phenomenon. So, you could say:

I'd like to show you the sound of my new motorcycle.

although this does sound a little odd to me. Other phrasings with "show" sound a bit more natural, such as:

Let me show you what my motorcycle sounds like at full throttle.

perhaps because it doesn't have the unusual phrasing of "showing a sound", but instead "shows what it sounds like". At any rate, you can't go wrong by rephrasing to use a more auditory-oriented verb, such as:

I'd like you to hear my new motorcycle.

Nuclear Hoagie
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  • I will play my recording for my grandmother. – Lambie Jul 10 '20 at 20:23
  • "I'd like to play you ..." or "I'd like you to hear ..." is probably the most natural phrasing. I have heard people use "serenade" (in verb form), but usually in an ironic or comical way. – Tyler N Jul 10 '20 at 20:28
  • "I'd like you to listen to..." is probably the closest to "I'd like to show you" in most cases. In particular we often say this to a technician or mechanic when a piece of equipment is making a strange noise as in "I'd like you to listen to my motorbike, there's an odd rattle when it gets up to 3000 revs." – BoldBen Jul 10 '20 at 21:05
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A verb very closely linked to show, but which works better than show for sounds in the example sentences, is demonstrate:

[Merriam-Webster]
1 : to show clearly
    // demonstrate a willingness to cooperate
    // must demonstrate mastery of the subject matter in order to pass the class
    // The police demonstrated calm restraint during the riot.
2 a : to prove or make clear by reasoning or evidence
       // crowded classrooms that demonstrate the need for more schools in the area
2 b : to illustrate and explain especially with many examples
       // demonstrate a procedure
3 : to show or prove the value or efficiency of to a prospective buyer
    // demonstrate a new kitchen gadget

The example sentences in the question become the following:

  • May I demonstrate my favourite composition by Debussy [to you]?
  • Tomorrow, I will demonstrate my clarinet audio recording [to my grandmother].

In cases where show doesn't fit demonstrate does. In fact, it's intransitive use is often more natural than that of show.

Note that just as show is not limited only to vision, demonstrate is not limited only to sound.

Jason Bassford
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  • To demonstrate something typically has an instructive, illustrative, or exemplary purpose, none of which apply here. One might demonstrate a Debussy composition in order to set an example of what it sounds like (for others to play), or to show contrasts among 19th century composers, but just playing a recording for someone because you like it isn't really a demonstration. The first definition "to show clearly" is normally showing the existence of something, rather than anything about whatever it is you're demonstrating - one does not need to demonstrate that Debussy exists. – Nuclear Hoagie Jul 13 '20 at 13:36
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It may be instructive to read this related question and its answers.

A photograph 'depicts' its object. Is there a comparable verb for audio recordings?

Jim Mack
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