Aims:
·To decode
meaning through context
·To use
immediately, so as to integrate them into the existing language battery
·To raise
awareness of how much idioms are used in English
·To talk
about personal feelings and experiences
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Activity
One
Speaking (describing feelings, recounting stories, vocab recycling/feed-in)
Read the questions below and
answer them with your partner(s). Make
sure you give lots of details about the situation, e.g. place, person/people, reason
for the situation, feelings, what happened, etc.
Questions:
Read the situations below and
score them 1-7 in terms of how annoying you find them. (1 = not annoying…7
extremely annoying).
When someone won’t stop talking.
When someone won’t tell you what is wrong.
When someone tells everyone that they have achieved something special.
When someone continuously says and/or does things that annoy you.
When two children constantly argue about unimportant things.
When someone stubbornly refuses to change their position on something and/or won’t accept that they are in the wrong.
When a friend doesn’t invite you to a party or meal with other mutual friends.
When someone says something that they shouldn’t and it causes problems for you.
When you are trying to do something, but it keeps going wrong.
When you try to tell people something important, but no one is interested in listening to you.
When someone won’t tell you what is wrong.
When someone tells everyone that they have achieved something special.
When someone continuously says and/or does things that annoy you.
When two children constantly argue about unimportant things.
When someone stubbornly refuses to change their position on something and/or won’t accept that they are in the wrong.
When a friend doesn’t invite you to a party or meal with other mutual friends.
When someone says something that they shouldn’t and it causes problems for you.
When you are trying to do something, but it keeps going wrong.
When you try to tell people something important, but no one is interested in listening to you.
Phrases
to use when discussing the above situations:
“I find it really/so annoying when…”
“It really annoys me when…”
“It’s really annoying when…”
“I find it quite annoying when…”
“It’s quite annoying when…”
“I find it a little annoying when…”
“It annoys me a little when…”
“It’s a little annoying when…”
“I don’t find it (at all) annoying when…”
“It doesn’t annoy me
(at all) when…”
Example:
“I
find it so annoying when someone makes a simple task complicated and..."
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Activity
Two
Matching (Literal & Idiomatic Phrases)
Read the sentences and then match them to the synonym idiomatic phrases.
1.
Not being invited to Bob’s
party next Saturday has really annoyed me.
2.
My brothers used to argue constantly when they
were growing up.
3.
Good lord.
Michael never stops talking.
4.
I hate it when my partner has a problem, but won't talk to me.
5. I do wish
my colleague would stop telling everyone about winning the annual golf
tournament. It’s so boring and no one is
vaguely interested or impressed.
6.
My brother needs to admit that he is (in the)
wrong, but he won’t. He’s terrible when
it comes to saying he’s made a mistake.
7.
My brother told our mother that I broke her brand
new laptop by spilling water on it. Now
she is furious with me. Why did he have
to tell her?
8.
How difficult can it be to send a fax? Dan has been fiddling with the paper and
machine for three quarters of an hour.
9. I told my
neighbours not to dig under their house, but they didn’t listen to me. Now, unfortunately, the whole world can see right
into their front room from the street.
10. It really annoys me when my partner speaks with his
mouth full. I find it totally
disgusting. I’ve tried telling him not
to do it, but that only seems to encourage him.
Each time he does it, I get more and more annoyed.
11. If you keep on annoying Bob, he will probably shout at you. He might even throw something.
11. If you keep on annoying Bob, he will probably shout at you. He might even throw something.
Idiomatic Phrases
A. to be as stubborn as a mule
B. to make a meal of something
C. to clam up
D. to blow your own trumpet
E. to wind someone up
F. to fall on deaf ears
F. to fall on deaf ears
G. to get on someone’s nerves
H. to put someone’s nose out of joint
I. to fight like cat and dog
H. to put someone’s nose out of joint
I. to fight like cat and dog
J. could talk the hind legs off a donkey
K. to drop someone in it
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Activity
Three – Listening (Matching)
You will hear a number of short
dialogues. Before you do that, read the
information on the cards. Discuss with
your partner what situations you might hear.
Click on the links to listen to the audios. After, say the phrase you think matches each situation. Write them down in order and after you have listened to all ten recordings, go to the bottom of this page and check your answers.
A1: http://www.screencast.com/t/ccpjURG2
A2: http://www.screencast.com/t/Q23wdodkSa
A3: http://www.screencast.com/t/VJ9NCS8jqT
A4: http://www.screencast.com/t/wlm6y8mic
A5: http://www.screencast.com/t/yy7kPB63h
A6: http://www.screencast.com/t/1zWqC4VE
A7: http://www.screencast.com/t/zCehsb4dfR4E
A8: http://www.screencast.com/t/CYsB50UCce
A9: http://www.screencast.com/t/ASFm1eb4Y
A10: http://www.screencast.com/t/oiMto7ja
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Activity
Four – Speaking (semi-controlled)
Discuss the following questions
with your partner(s). Give examples when
telling stories and describing people.
Make sure you use the idioms when talking! Good luck!
Questions:
1.
Do you know anyone who could talk the hind legs
off a donkey?
2.
Why do some people clam up in stressful
situations?
3.
Why is it that some siblings fight like cat and
dog?
4.
Have you ever dropped a sibling, friend or
colleague in it?
5.
Who do you know who is as stubborn as a mule? What
do you do when they are like that?
6.
If someone
is making a meal of a simple task, do you leave them to it, make sarcastic
comments or try to help?
7.
Is it okay for people to blow their own trumpets
when they succeed at something?
8.
How do you deal with people when they are getting
on your nerves?
9.
Do you worry about putting other people’s noses
out of joint?
10. Do you listen to unwanted advice
or does it fall on deaf ears?
Useful
Links:
http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/10-idioms-describe-feeling-good-or-bad
http://sayfun.me/students-stuff/expressing-feelings-in-english/english-idioms-related-to-feelings/
http://youtu.be/q6RYan76feA
http://sayfun.me/students-stuff/expressing-feelings-in-english/english-idioms-related-to-feelings/
http://youtu.be/q6RYan76feA
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Answer
Section
Activity
Two – Matching (Literal & Idiomatic Phrases)
Read the sentences and then match them to the idiomatic
phrases.
1.
I am really annoyed about not being invited to Bob’s
party next Saturday.
(Not being invited to Bob's party next Saturday has really put my nose out of joint.)
2.
My brothers used to argue constantly when they
were growing up.
(My brothers used to fight like cat and dog....)
3.
Good lord.
Michael never stops talking.
(Michael could talk the hind legs off a donkey.)
4.
I hate it when my partner has a problem, but won’t
talk to me about it.
(I hate it when my partner clams up when he has a problem.)
5. I do wish
my colleague would stop telling everyone about winning the annual golf
tournament. It’s so boring and no one is
vaguely interested or impressed.
(I do wish my colleague would stop blowing his own trumpet.)
6.
My brother needs to admit that he is (in the)
wrong, but he won’t. He’s terrible when
it comes to saying he’s made a mistake.
(He's as stubborn as a mule.)
7.
My brother told our mother that I broke her brand
new laptop by spilling water on it. Now
she is furious with me. Why did he have
to tell her?
(Why did he have to drop me in it?)
8.
How difficult can it be to send a fax? Dan has been fiddling with the paper and
machine for three quarters of an hour.
(Dan is making a meal of sending it / a fax.)
9. I told my
neighbours not to dig under their house, but they didn’t listen to me. Now, unfortunately, the whole world can see
right into their front room from the street.
(, but my advice fell on deaf ears.)
10. It really annoys me when my partner speaks with
his mouth full. I find it totally disgusting. I’ve tried telling him not to do it, but that
only seems to encourage him. Each time
he does it, I get more and more annoyed.
(It really gets on my nerves when my partner...)
Idiomatic Phrases
A. to be as stubborn as a mule
B. to make a meal of something
C. to clam up
D. to blow your own trumpet
E. to fall on deaf ears
F. to get on someone’s nerves
G. to put someone’s nose out of joint
H. to fight like cat and dog
I. could talk the hind legs off a donkey
J. to drop someone in it
Activity
Three – Listening (Matching)
A1: She should stop winding him up before he loses his temper.
A2: She really is as stubborn as a mule.
A3: She has really dropped him in it.
A4: Well, I bet that's put her nose out of joint.
A5: Talk about blowing your own trumpet!
A6: Wow! He could talk the hind legs off a donkey.
A7: It's clearly getting on his nerves.
A8: All they do is fight like cat and dog.
A9: Why is he making such a meal of it?
A10: It's not healthy to clam up like that.
