EMOTIONS

IELTS Study
Emotions
Primary Secondary

§ Love § Excitement
§ Happiness § Confusion
§ Surprise § Embarrassment
§ Anger
§ Sadness

Feelings Positive vs Negative

 Advanced Word Choice

Instead of “happy”, try saying For “happy about”, try using

§ content § glad
§ pleased § pleased
§ ecstatic /ɪkˈstæt.ɪk/ (very happy) § delighted
§ elated /iˈleɪ.tɪd/ (very happy) § thrilled (to bits)
 Advanced Word Choice

Instead of “angry”, try saying For “sadness”, try using

§ cross § down (in the dumps)
§ irate /aɪˈreɪt/ § low
§ vexed § blue
§ despondent
Other words meaning “confused”

◦ perplexed

◦ flabbergasted

◦ baffled

◦ puzzled

◦ bewildered
 Mental health and Mental well-being
How do you keep your mental well-being? The following phrases can be useful to answer this question:

Similar questions: ü Improve your mental health

Improve your mental well-being
Ø How do you tackle mental health problems?
ü Build a sense of self-worth
Ø How do you handle mental health problems?
Boost self-confidence
Ø How do you cope with mental health problems? Raise your self-esteem
Build a sense of purpose
Get a feeling of purpose
ü Provide emotional support
Connect with others
Share positive experiences
Idioms to talk about Feelings
◦ To be in the mood to do/for doing = to feel like doing something

◦ To have mood swings = your mood changes a lot (negative)

◦ To be in low spirits = to be sad/mildly depressed

◦ To feel down in the dumps = to feel depressed and miserable

◦ I am feeling under the weather = feeling sick, feeling off-colour (slightly ill)

◦ To be on an emotional roller coaster = to be experiencing lots of different emotions (negative)

◦ To be on a high = to be happy and excited

◦ I feel out of sorts = I don’t feel myself = don’t feel comfortable or happy

◦ I am tickled pink = to be very happy or amused

I adopt a growth mindset
I stay away from toxic people
I indulge in an activity I enjoy, like cooking HOW YOU
COPE WITH
I take difficulties in my stride = I don’t worry too much YOUR
I take problems with a pinch of salt = I don’t worry too much MENTAL
WELL-BEING?
I keep myself busy
I get engaged in a number of daily activities
 ◦ What did you do this morning?
◦ What will you do in the evening?
◦ What helps you feel happy?
◦ How often do you feel stressed?
Part 1 ◦ Where do you go if you feel sad?
◦ If you could do an activity to feel excited,
what would you do?
◦ Have you ever felt terribly frightened?
 Describe a person you know who shows their
feelings very openly. You should say:

◦ Who this person is

Part 2 ◦ How well you know this person
◦ How you feel about this person
◦ And explain why you think this person shows
their feelings so openly
Part 3
◦ What are some of the different ways people show their feelings?
◦ Do you think that children show their feelings more often than adults do?
◦ Do you think women and men express their emotions in different ways?
◦ What might be some negative aspects if one is too open with their feelings?
◦ Do you think people are more open about their feelings now than they were in the past?
◦ How might a person’s life improve if they were better able to express their emotions?
◦ Why do you think many employers try to recruit staff who are sensitive to co-workers’ feelings?
◦ Do you think it’s true that most people use emotion to make decisions, not logic?
◦ How do you feel about the idea that great leaders need emotional maturity more than they need intelligence?