COURSE: CONVERSATION

CLASS 27
Fears and
 Are there certain weather conditions that scare people? What are they?


Why? Phobias
Are you afraid of flying?
 Are you afraid of ghosts?
 Are you afraid of giving a speech in public?
 Are you afraid of going to the dentist?
 Are you afraid of heights?
 Are you afraid of scary movies?
 Are you afraid of the dark?
 Are you afraid to die? Why?
 Are you afraid of getting old? Why?
 Are there any numbers that people are afraid of in your culture?
 Do you fear certain insects or animals? Why?
 Do you know anyone with a phobia?
 Do you like horror movies?
 Do you think young children should be allowed to watch horror movies?
 How do you react when you see something frightening?
 Is there any person you are afraid of?
 Were you afraid of the dark as a child?
 What animal do you think is the most scary?
 What are some things which many people are afraid of? Why are they afraid
of them?
 What is the scariest movie you have ever seen?
 What is your biggest fear in life? Are you afraid that it might come true?
 What kinds of things make you nervous?
 What was the most frightening experience you've had?
 When you were a child, what things were you afraid of?
 Do you ever have nightmares (bad dreams)?
 What are they about?
 How often do you have nightmares?
 Have you ever seen any reality TV shows where people face their fears for
money?
 Would you ever face one of your fears for money?
 Have you overcome any of your fears?
 Are you afraid of being ill? What disease are you most afraid of? Why?
 Do you believe people can be cured of phobias by hypnosis?
 Are you afraid to fly?
 -Are you afraid to ride a motorcycle?
 -Are you afraid of death, of dying?
 How do you cope with your fears?
 How often do you feel afraid?
 How would you help someone to get over their fear?
 What facial expressions accompany fear?
 Are you afraid of germs?
Look at the following clip and complete the chart:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsr8JsUr6kU

Scientific Name Explanation Cause Symtoms

Complete the following web with words/phrases related to “Fear”

Fear

Complete the sentences with one of the words from above

1. I got scared to   when a stranger with his

hands inside the pockets of his coat approached me.

2. I saw a white flying object hanging in the sky yesterday. It was

neither a plane nor a bird. Could it have been a UFO (unidentified flying
object)? I get goose   every time I tell people
about it.

3. Melanie broke into   when she realized she

left her passport at home. Her plane was about to take off in an hour.

4. My blood   when I heard about a shooting in

a local school.

5. Just the sound of the dental drill was enough to send

chills  .

6. Someone’s heavy breathing and loud footsteps made me jump out

 .

7. Jami is afraid of heights. She was shaking

like   when she was crossing the bridge a
hundred meters up from the river.

8. He looked like   when the policeman asked

him about his whereabouts on that day.

9. The accused turned as white as  and was

really shaking when the witness was giving her testimony.

10. My hair stood   when I realized this huge

bulldog was unleashed! 
Read the following text and answer the questions:
13 of the most unusual phobias

From the fear of clowns to the fear of yellow thousands of phobia

sufferers are tormented by the most unusual things.
From the Telegraph

1) Xanthophobia – fear of the colour yellow

Sufferers of xanthophobia may fear anything yellow, including the sun, daffodils
and yellow paint. In its most aggressive form xanthophobic symptoms may include
an overwhelming fear of even the phrase yellow.

2) Turophobia- fear of cheese

Sufferers of Turophobia usually associate cheese with a traumatic memory. From

cheddar to mozzarella turophobes often have to run away if they so much as see a
slice of cheese. Some may fear one type of cheese while others may fear cheese
altogether.

3) Somniphobia- fear of falling asleep

Somniphobia comprises often irrational and excessive fear of sleep. Somniphobes

may fear falling asleep because they associate going to bed with dying. It may also
result from a feeling of lack of control or from suffering repeated nightmares.
Somniphobics may also fear losing time while sleeping.

4) Coulrophobia – fear of clowns

Coulrophobia is a relatively common phobia, and usually present in children

according to various surveys. The 'scary clown' has often been used in popular
culture, for example in the form of the Joker in Batman comics and film
adaptations. Coulrophobia has some celebrity sufferers- namely Daniel Radcliffe
and Johnny Depp. Depp said of his clown fear: "it’s impossible, thanks to their
painted-on smiles, to distinguish if they are happy or if they are about to bite your
face off."

5) Hylophobia- fear of trees

Hylophobia involves an irrational fear of wood, forest, or trees. It is often caused by

exposure to films and fairy tales which involve scary woods in childhood. Many
sufferers don't grow out of the phobia and any walk in a scenic setting can trigger
anxiety. Hylophobes suffer extreme anxiety when they simply think about a wood.

6) Omphalophobia- fear of the navel

Omphalophobia is the fear of bullybuttons. Sufferers are afraid to have their
bellybuttons touched, or to touch another person's belly button. The fear is often
linked with the belly button's association to the umbilical cord and a mother's
womb. Omphalophobes can be repulsed just by seeing or thinking about a belly
button

7) Nomophobia- fear of being without mobile phone coverage

The name for the phobia of being without mobile phone coverage was coined five
years ago after researchers discovered the phenomenon. According to recent
surveys, more than half of people in the UK suffer from it. The phobia is brought on
by the fear of losing signal, running out of battery or even losing sight of a mobile
phone.

8) Ombrophobia- fear of rain

Ombrophobes have an abnormal fear of rain which can cause severe anxiety
attacks. It is thought to be triggered by a number of factors, including the fact that
children are often told not to go out in the rain because it will make them ill. Rain is
also often associated with depression.

9) Papaphobia- fear of the pope

The fear of the pope or the papacy is uncommon. It is closely related to

Hierophobia (the fear of holy individuals or sacred things). It is also related to
hagiophobia which is an exaggerated or irrational fear or dislike of saints and holy
things. The fear is often triggered by a trauma associated with the pope.

10) Uranophobia- fear of heaven

Sufferers of uranophobia fear the sky and the afterlife. It can be triggered in
religious believers who fear the idea that they will be judged after life.

11) Pogonophobia- fear of beards

The term pogonophobia has been used since the 1850s to describe a strong fear
of beards. Earlier this month presenter Jeremy Paxman accused the BBC of
suffering from pogonophobia after he was criticised for presenting Newsnight with
a beard.

12) Trypophobia- fear of holes

Sufferers of trypophobia fear objects with small holes. It is not yet considered an
official phobia, although thousands of people are reported to suffer from it.
According to new research trypophobics associate holes with danger. Examples of
feared objects include honeycomb, sponges and any plant with small holes in it.
Symptoms of Trypophobia range from nausea and itchy skin to full blown panic
attacks.

13) Triskaidekaphobia- fear of the number 13

Many people are superstitious about the number 13 but few have a fully fledged
phobia. It is closely associated with the fear of Friday 13. Sufferers take great care
to avoid using, or doing anything related to the number.

1. Which phobia could be related to camembert?

2. Which phobia could be related to Santa?

3. Which phobia could be related to god?

4. Which phobia could be related to the sun?

5. Which phobia could be related to technology?

6. Which phobia could be related to the forest?

7. Which phobia could be related to the circus?

8. Which phobia could be related to nudity?