Memorize the definitions

Dreams

Answer the following questions

• How do you feel when you have nightmares?
• Do you have a tendency to share your dreams with other people?
• Do you believe in prophetic dreams? Have you ever had one?
• Are you able to interpret dreams? Do you know anyone who can?
• What do you think of slumber parties? Have you ever thrown one?

Read the text

Dreams and nightmares

IRIS is like my former wife in that when she sleeps she sometimes has violent dreams. She thrashes around in bed during the night and wakes in the morning drenched with sweat, the nightgown sticking to her body. And, like my former wife, she wants to tell me her dreams in great detail and speculate as to what this stands for or that portends. My former wife used to kick the covers off in the night and cry out in her sleep, as if someone were laying hands on her. Once, in a particularly violent dream, she hit me on the ear with her fist. I was in a dreamless sleep, but I struck out in the dark and hit her on the forehead. Then we began yelling. We both yelled. We’d hurt each other, but we were mainly scared. We had no idea what had happened until I turned the lamp on; then we sorted it out. Afterward, we joked about it − fistfighting in our sleep. But we tended to forget about that night.

Once I woke up in the night to hear Iris grinding her teeth in her sleep. It was such a peculiar thing to have going on right next to my ear that it woke me up. I gave her a little shake, and she stopped. The next morning she told me she’d had a very bad dream, but that’s all she’d tell me about it. I didn’t press her for details. I guess I really didn’t want to know what could have been so bad that she didn’t want to say.

What are the manifestations of nightmares? How can people react to them? What would you do in such a fix (if you were a husband)?

Memorize the highlighted words and phrases.

Cite in context

1. violent dreams
2. “…thrashes around in bed…”
3. drenched with sweat
4. “…the nightgown sticking to her body…”
5. to tell dreams in great detail
6. to speculate
7. to stand for
8. to portend
9. to kick the covers off
10. cry out in one’s sleep
11. to lay hands on smb
12. “…hit me on the ear with her fist…”
13. a dreamless sleep
14. “…struck out in the dark and hit her on the forehead…”
15. yelling
16. to hurt each other
17. “…I turned the lamp on…”
18. “…sorted it out…”
19. fistfighting
20. “…grinding her teeth in her sleep…”
21. “…I gave her a little shake…”
22. “…press her for details…”

Retell the text

Memorize the definitions

A nightmare is a very frightening dream

To thrash around - move in a violent and convulsive way

Drenched - completely wet

To stick – to adhere or cling to a substance or surface. E.g. The plastic seats have stuck to my skin.

To speculate – to form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence. E.g. My friends speculate about my private life.

To portend – to be a sign or warning that something, esp. something momentous or calamitous is likely to happen

To kick – to strike or propel forcibly with the foot

To hit – to bring one's hand or a tool or weapon into contact with (someone or something) quickly and forcefully. E.g. The woman hit the mugger with her umbrella.

Scared – fearful; frightened

To grind (ground, ground) - rub or cause to rub together gratingly. E.g. He keeps me awake at night, grinding his teeth.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 897