Colloquial English : Expressing Emotion

Here’s a quick five minute activity focusing on multiword verbs and idiomatic expressions which you could use with a more advanced class as a filler at the beginning or end of the lesson. The activity focuses on the topic of emotions, so it could also be fed into a lesson on that topic.

If you’re a non-native speaker you can also use it to check out your own understanding of more colloquial language!

Expressing Emotions : Multiword Verbs and Colloquial Expressions

A. Can you match the emotions and the colloquial phrases and multiword verbs which express them?

1. If someone really annoys you, they …
2. If you get so excited that you exaggerate you ..
3. If you stop feeling angry or upset you ….
4. If something makes you feel better, it ….

5. If something really depresses you it ….
6. If you completely lose your temper you …

a. freak out

b. gets you down

c. get to you

d. calm down

e. get carried away

f. perks you up

B. After you check your answers, use the expressions in the following sentences. You’ll need to put verbs and pronouns in the appropriate form.


1. I hate it when there’s someone with an mobile phone and you can hear music or something.. It really .....................................................
2. My mother really ..................................... when she saw the state of the house and realised we’d had a party while she was away. It took her about three weeks to ................................

3. I don’t like my job much. My boss is really critical and there are times when it ............................................... a bit.
4. I had a really heavy cold and felt dreadful. But when my boss told me I was going to be promoted it ...................................considerably!
5. Don’t ..................................and think you’re a wonderful driver just because you’ve passed your test!


Answers :

A) 1c 2e 3d 4f 5b 6a

B) 1. gets to me 2. freaked out / calm down 3. gets me down 4. perked me up 5. get carried away

Acknowledgements

Photo provided under Creative Commons Licence by Ana Omelete via flickr