Objective Proficiency p 26. How Does the Weather Affect Your Mood? Speaking

Ex 1

Vocabulary

Weather

• Gloomy /ˈɡluːmi/ nearly dark, or badly lit in a way that makes you feel sad. Depressing. E.g. A gloomy room/atmosphere. It was a wet and gloomy day.

• Overcast: /ˌəʊvəˈkɑːst/ covered with clouds; dull. E.g. an overcast sky/ day. Today it will be dull and overcast. 

• Dull: (weather) not bright, with a lot of clouds. Overcast. E.g. It was a dull, grey day.

• Gale: an extremely strong wind. E.g. The gale blew down hundreds of trees. Gale-force winds (British English) It's blowing a gale outside (= a strong wind is blowing).

• The wind blows/ whistles/ howls/ picks up

• The rain falls/ comes down (in buckets/ sheets)/ pours down. E.g The rain was coming down in sheets (= very heavily).

• A storm is approaching/ is moving inland/ hits/ strikes/ rages

• Thunder rolls/ rumbles/ sounds

• Lightning strikes/hits/flashes

• Forecast/ expect/ predict rain/ snow/ a category-four hurricane

The weather improves:

• The sun breaks through the clouds 

• The sky clears/ brightens (up)/ lightens (up) 

• The clouds part/ clear.

• The rain stops/ lets up/ holds off 

• Let up to become less strong

• hold off (of rain or a storm) to not start. E.g. The rain held off just long enough for us to have our picnic.

• The wind dies down 

• The storm passes.

• The mist/ fog lifts/ clears   

Anger

Blow your top (British English) (North American English blow your stack) (informal) to get very angry. 

Blow up (at somebody): (informal) to get angry with somebody. Lose your temper. E.g. I'm sorry I blew up at you.

Flip your lid (informal) to become very angry and lose control of what you are saying or doing. Go mad. E.g. She'll flip her lid when she finds out.

Flip (out) (informal) to become very angry, excited or unable to think clearly. E.g. She finally flipped under the pressure. He completely flipped when he saw the mess in the kitchen. 

Go off the deep end:(informal) to suddenly become very angry or emotional

Hit the ceiling/roof: (informal) to suddenly become very angry.

Boil over (informal) to become very angry.

Lose your cool (informal) to become angry or excited. E.g. I lost my cool and shouted at them.

Keep your cool (informal) to remain calm in a difficult situation. E.g. He kept his cool on the convention floor when he was heckled by a young Republican.

Fly into a rage, temper, etc. to become suddenly very angry.

Fly off the handle (informal) to suddenly become very angry. E.g. He seems to fly off the handle about the slightest thing these days.

Go ballistic (informal) to become very angry. E.g. He went ballistic when I told him.

Bristle (with something) (at something) /ˈbrɪsl/ to suddenly become very annoyed or offended at what somebody says or does. E.g. His lies made her bristle with rage.

Rant and rave (disapproving) to show that you are angry by shouting or complaining loudly for a long time.

Lose your rag: to get very angry. E.g. Get up now, before I really lose my rag!

Happiness

On cloud nine (old-fashioned, informal) extremely happy.

Over the moon (informal, especially British English) extremely happy and excited. E.g. They're over the moon about their trip to Japan.

In seventh heaven extremely happy. E.g. Now that he's been promoted he's in seventh heaven.

Elated: / iˈleɪtɪd/ (at/by something) very happy and excited because of something good that has happened, or will happen. E.g. They were elated at the result. I was elated by the prospect of the new job ahead.

Ecstatic: / ɪkˈstætɪk / very happy, excited and enthusiastic; feeling or showing great enthusiasm. E.g. Sally was ecstatic about her new job.

Bubbly: /ˈbʌbli/ (informal) (of a person) always cheerful, friendly and enthusiastic. E.g. Julie's bright, bubbly personality. She is a lovely bright bubbly girl.

Effervescent: /ˌefəˈvesnt/ (of people and their behaviour) excited, enthusiastic and full of energy. Bubbly. E.g. a warm effervescent personality. Effervescent young people.

Vivacious: /vɪˈveɪʃəs/ (especially of a woman) having a lively, attractive personality. E.g. He had three pretty, vivacious daughters. Her vivacious and elegant mother. She was dark-haired and vivacious. A vivacious personality.

High-spirited: very lively and active. E.g. a high-spirited child. High-spirited behaviour.

Spirits [plural] a person's feelings or state of mind. E.g. to be in high/ low spirits. You must try and keep your spirits up (= stay cheerful). My spirits sank at the prospect of starting all over again. The team returned in high spirits (lively and cheerful)

Boisterous: /ˈbɔɪstərəs/ noisy, energetic, and cheerful. E.g. a group of boisterous lads. It was a challenge, keeping ten boisterous seven-year-olds amused. The children and the dogs raced out of the house to give me a boisterous welcome. A boisterous crowd.

Exuberant: /ɪɡˈzjuːbərənt/ full of energy, excitement and happiness. Sp desbordante de vida y entusiasmo. E.g. She gave an exuberant performance. An exuberant personality/ imagination. A picture painted in exuberant reds and yellows.

Ebullient: /ɪˈbʌliənt/ /ɪˈbʊliənt/ full of confidence, energy and good humour. Sp. lleno de vida. E.g. The Prime Minister was in ebullient mood. He was accompanied by an ebullient, talkative blonde. The ebullient Mr Clarke was not to be discouraged.

Exhilarated: /ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪd/ happy and excited, especially after physical activity. E.g.  She felt exhilarated with the speed. I felt exhilarated after a morning of skiing.

Uplifted: /ˌʌpˈlɪftɪd/ [not before noun] feeling happy and full of hope. E.g. Everyone left the meeting feeling uplifted.

Uplifting: /ˌʌpˈlɪftɪŋ/ making you feel happier or giving you more hope. E.g. an uplifting experience/ speech.

Enticing: /ɪnˈtaɪsɪŋ/ something that is enticing is so attractive and interesting that you want to have it or know more about it. Sp. tentador, atractivo. E.g. The offer was too enticing to refuse. An enticing smell came from the kitchen. The idea of two weeks in the sun sounds very enticing.

Captivating: /ˈkæptɪveɪtɪŋ/ taking all your attention; very attractive and interesting. Enchanting. E.g. He found her captivating. We spent a week relaxing on the captivating island of Capri.

Enliven: /ɪnˈlaɪvn/ to make something more interesting or more fun. To make someone more cheerful or animated. E.g. the wartime routine was enlivened by a series of concerts. The visit had clearly enlivened my mother.

Comforting: /ˈkʌmfətɪŋ/ making you feel calmer and less worried or unhappy. E:g. her comforting words. It's comforting to know that you'll be there. Hearing all the familiar sounds around the house was strangely comforting.

Subdued (of a person) /səbˈdjuːd/ unusually quiet, and possibly unhappy. Sp. apagado. E.g. He seemed a bit subdued to me. She was in a subdued mood. The reception was a subdued affair.

Downcast: /ˈdaʊnkɑːst/ (of a person or an expression) sad or depressed. Dejected. Sp. abatido, apesadumbrado, desalentado. E.g. A group of downcast men stood waiting for food. You mustn’t be downcast.

Despondent: /dɪˈspɒndənt/ (about something) sad, without much hope. Dejected. Sp. abatido, descorazonado. E.g. She was becoming increasingly despondent about the way things were going. There are times when it is hard not to feel despondent. She grew more and more despondent.

Dejected: /dɪˈdʒektɪd/ unhappy and disappointed. Despondent. Sp. abatido, desalentado. E.g. She looked so dejected when she lost the game. He stood in the street looking dejected.

Dispirited: /dɪˈspɪrɪtɪd/ having no hope or enthusiasm. Sp. desanimado, abatido. E.g. She looked tired and dispirited. She was determined to appear unworried in front of her dispirited family.

Dishearten: /dɪsˈhɑːtn/ to make somebody lose hope or confidence. Discourage. E.g. Don't let this defeat dishearten you. Disheartened (adj) E.g. a disheartened team.

Anxiety

Distressed: /dɪˈstrest/ upset and anxious. E.g. He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions.

Uptight: /ˌʌpˈtaɪt/ (about something) (informal) anxious and/ or angry about something. E.g. Relax! You're getting too uptight about it.

Get/ take a grip (on yourself) to improve your behaviour or control your emotions after being afraid, upset or angry. E.g. I have to take a grip on myself, he told himself firmly. Get a grip! (= make an effort to control your emotions.

Apprehensive: /ˌæprɪˈhensɪv/ worried or frightened that something unpleasant may happen. E.g. an apprehensive face/ glance/ look. E.g. I was a little apprehensive about the effects of what I had said.You have no reason to be apprehensive of the future. She was deeply apprehensive that something might go wrong.

Be on edge to be nervous, excited or bad-tempered. E.g. She was always on edge before an interview.

Edgy: /ˈedʒi/ nervous, especially about what might happen. E.g. She's been very edgy lately. After the recent unrest there is an edgy calm in the capital. I'm feeling a bit edgy about the exam tomorrow.

Jittery (informal) anxious and nervous. E.g.  All this talk of job losses was making him jittery. I felt jittery before going on stage.

Perfectionist: /pəˈfekʃənɪst/ E.g. he was a perfectionist who worked slowly.

Laid-back: calm and relaxed; seeming not to worry about anything. Easy-going. Sp. tranquilo, relajado, despreocupado. E.g. a laid-back attitude to life. She's very laid-back about her exams. He was being very laid-back about it all. She's always so laid-back about everything.

Easy-going: relaxed and happy to accept things without worrying or getting angry. E.g. I wish I had such easy-going parents!

Slapdash: /ˈslæpdæʃ/done, or doing something, too quickly and carelessly. Sp. descuidado, chapucero. E.g. She has a very slapdash approach to keeping accounts. A slapdash piece of writing. He gave a slapdash performance. She's a bit slapdash. He has a slapdash approach to work.