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Pleasure, Displeasure and Reassurance1 Choose the words and phrases used to express pleasure and displeasure: Cheer up. That’s marvellous!Don’t worry. That IS a bore! Let me try to say this correctly…! That’s great! That’s terrific! I can’t believe it. I’m shocked. That’s fantastic! Well, I like that! Try not to worry about it. Oh, bother! How annoying! I found it rather / very disappointing. Mind what you’re doing! Isn’t that annoying / infuriating / maddening! Well, to tell (you) the truth. That’s the limit / last straw! 2 Express pleasure or delight in response to the following statements / questions asked by a fellow-student: 1) Here’s a present for your birthday. And many happy returns. 2) Is this your watch? I found it in my room after the party last night. 3) Uncle Jack is coming for the weekend. I got an e-mail from him this morning. 4) We shan’t have classes on Saturday. We’re going to the Hermitage. 5) Try this. It’s English plum pudding. My mother made it. 6) We’ll take easy to day, shall we? Have a rest in the afternoon and in the evening we’ll got to the cinema. 7) This painting had been stolen twice and was only recently returned to the owner, who gave it to the museum. 8) We’d like to invite you to spend this weekend with us at our country cottage. 3 Think out responses to the statements ((disappointment, displeasure, regret, frustration): 1) I am very glad that this affair is completely finished. 2) You don’t need to have a sofa to sit on, you can manage without one. 3) What she told me was irrelevant to the subject we were discussing. 4) I have lost some weight. 4 Find a mistake in the following dialogue and correct it. Manager: Yes? Who is it? Tenant: It’s Donna from 206. I’ve a got a check for you. Manager: Oh, it’s you. Do you know it’s the fifth of the month? Tenant: Yes, Mr. Bradley. I am sorry, I know it was due on the first, but my grandma got sick and I was very happy to go out of town suddenly. 5 What would say in the following situations? Address your remark to a fellow-student, who tries to reassure you. 1) You think you’ve lost your passport. 2) A friend of yours is seriously ill. 3) You haven’t heard from your mother (who lives in another town) for several months. 4) You are going to an interview (for a job) tomorrow. 5) Your dog has run away. 6) You have more work than you can cope with. 7) Your car has broken down the day before your holiday. (You were planning to go camping with some friends). 8) Your leg has suddenly swollen up. 9) You have not been promoted (at work) as promised. 10) Your parents won’t allow you to have a party in your family flat. 6 Choose the best reaction to the following statements: 1 I’ve lost my train ticket. a) Oh, that doesn’t matter. b) I wouldn’t let that worry you. c) That’s too bad. 2 They say your father is very ill. a) Oh, bad luck! b) How terrible! c) It might have been worse. 3 I’m awfully sorry, Mrs. Briggs, but I’ve broken one of your tea cups. a) It might have been worse. At least it’s only one cup. b) How annoying! c) Oh, that doesn’t matter. d) Better luck next time. 7 Find a mistake in the following dialogue and correct it (use the phrases There’s no need to worry. Everything will be all right in the end. Try to look on the bright side (of things) etc.): Customer: Hi, my name is Chang Lee. Teller: How can I help you? Customer: I want to check my balance. Teller: OK. Can I have your account number, please? Customer: 381335. Teller: Your balance is $201. Customer: OK. And I asked my father to wire me some money. I’d like to know if it’s arrived. Teller: I’m happy to say that your account doesn’t show any deposits. Customer: Oh, no. I need to pay my rent tomorrow. What do you think I ought to do? Teller: Well, the computer’s a little slow today. Why don’t you come in again tomorrow? Or you can call us. Here’s the number. 8 Role play the following situations: a) Your friend has failed his exam. Try to reassure him /her that he / she can take it another time. b) The roof of the neighbour’s house is leaking. Try to reassure him that it’s not difficult to mend and it won’t take a lot of time and money. Regret and Worry, Sympathy and Consolation 1 Express regret at: 1) being unable to afford a car / a new DVD; 2) having very little free time for sports; 3) not knowing what to give to your friend for his birthday; 4) having been rude to your sister; 5) your friend’s winning first prize in a quiz; 6) your friend’s getting a very expensive present (a video recorder) from his mother; 7) your friend’s getting the job for which you both applied; 8) not having studied English hard enough at school; 9) your inability to accept an invitation to your friend’s party, as you are going to be very busy next week; 10) being unable to lend your friend the sum he is asking for (£100). 3 Express your worry about 1) your health; 2) having so much work to do; 3) the essay you’ve got to write; 4) the future; 5) losing your job; 6) your father’s illness; 7) your project being rejected; 8) having to stay at home all the summer; 9) your exams; 10) the children’s safety; 11) your interview with the employer; 12) your being made redundant 4 Respond to the following statements with expression of: A) Sympathy 1) Oh, I had a very bad night. The people in the next room were having a party till about four in the morning. 2) The plane was two hours late, so we had to wait for it. And when we were half way to Chicago, we were told that because of a heavy snowfall Chicago was closed and we were landing in New York. 3) I caught an awful cold last week. 4) I had such a terrible headache that I couldn’t sleep at all last night. 5) Our poor dog was run over last month. 6) We had very poor weather most of the time. It was the worst holiday I’ve had for years. B) Consolation 1) Oh, dear, we are going to be late again. 2) I’m sorry, Mrs. Carson, I’ve broken the vase which was on the table. 3) I’m sure I’ve failed the exam. 4) You know, we were burgled last night. They took all our money and valuables. 5) I’m afraid I’ve lost their telephone number. 6) My arm and my right shoulder are bruised: I had a car accident last Sunday. 5 Express sympathy or consolation in the following situations: 1) A friend missed his plane, coming to the airport just after his flight had taken off. 2) A friend’s father has died in an air crash. 3) A friend came to a small town on business without booking of the hotel, which turned out to be fully booked. 4) A friend has failed the exam. 5) A friend was mugged last night. The muggers took all the money he had on him. 6) A friend’s dog has died. 7) A friend is in trouble with his boss, as he is (the friend) is often late for work. 8) A friend has been given notice by his boss and will have to find a new job. 9) A friend slipped in the street and fell down, breaking his arm. 10) A friend has lost his wrist-watch. 6 Study the following example of ineffective communication andanswer the questions given below. Situation:Mary, a non-native employee and her American co-worker, Sara, are leaving work to go home. The two are friendly with each other, but they are not close friends. Sara notices that Mary seems upset about something, so she decides to ask her about it. Sara: “You seem upset about something. Is everything Okay?” Mary: “Everything’s fine.” Sara: “Are you sure? You look upset.” Mary: (Thinking. “Why is she asking me how I feel? She shouldn’t ask me so many questions”). “No, there’s no problem.” (She looks away). Sara: (Thinking to herself, “I’m just trying to help her and to show her that I’m interested in her.”) “Well, I hope everything’s okay. Remember, you can always talk to me.” Mary: (Thinking to herself, “Why should I talk to her?”) “Okay.” Sara: (Thinking to herself, “I hope she talks to somebody. She’ll feel better if she gets her feelings out.”) “See you tomorrow.” a) Analysis: Can you explain? 1 Why do you think that Mary said, “No, there’s no problem” when something was bothering her? 2 How do you think Sara felt when Mary didn’t want to talk to her? 3 Do you think Sara should continue to ask Mary to talk about her problems? Why or why not? 4 If you were in the same situation as Sara, would you try to get the other person to talk? How about with a close friend? Explain your answer. 5 How important do you think it is to “get things off your chest” (that is, to talk about problems)? Can you think of times when it is better not to talk about things? b) Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F): 1 Mary wanted to talk to Sara about the way she was feeling. 2 Mary told Sara how she was feeling. 3 Mary thought that it was okay that Sara was asking her questions. 4 Mary was too busy to talk to Sara. 5 Sara knew that she shouldn’t ask Mary questions. c) Read the followingcross-cultural interaction, which shows more successful communication between Sara and Mary. Why is it more successful? Act out a similar situation. Sara: “You seem upset about something. Is everything okay?” Mary: “Everything’s fine.” Sara: “Are you sure? You look upset.” Mary: “Well, something is bothering me, but I’m not used to talking about my feelings.” Sara: “You can always talk to me if you want. You might feel better if you do.” Mary: “Thanks, but in my culture we don’t usually talk about our feelings with others.” Sara: “That’s hard for me to understand, but I’m glad you explained to me. I hope you feel better soon.” Mary: “Thanks. I’m sure I will.” 7 Work in pairs. Take turns telling each other a story about an unpleasant event in your life. As one student speaks, the other should show interest by making eye contact, nodding, and using phrases of encouragement, sympathy and consolation from the box. 8 Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F): 1 When Americans are feeling sad or upset, most of the time they smile to hide their true feelings. 2 Some American parents teach their sons and daughters different things about expressing emotion (for example, they sometimes tell their sons not to cry, but do not tell this to their daughters). 3 It is unusual for Americans to express their anger directly to another person. 4 If you seem upset about something, an American will never ask, “What’s wrong?” 9 Culture puzzles: a) Read the situation and choose the appropriate explanation or explanations. There may be more than one possible answer. Situation:Kim is an immigrant living in the United States. She is talking to Judy, an American neighbour. Judy asks Kim if she plans to go to the neighbourhood picnic. Kim answers, “No, I won’t be going.” Smiling, Kim tells Judy, “Maybe you don’t know this, but my husband passed away last month.” Judy is surprised and saddened by the news and she expresses her sympathy. Later she thinks about her conversation with Kim. She felt that there was something strange about the conversation. Judy felt that there was something strange about her conversation with Kim because: a) An American woman whose husband had died recently would be wearing black clothing. b) Most Americans would not smile when telling sad news. c) An American would put a notice in the newspaper so that everyone would know about it. Discuss the following questions: 1 What do you think Kim’s smile meant? 2 In the U.S., the usual meaning of the smile is happiness or friendliness. What else can a smile mean? b) Read the situation and choose the appropriate answer. There may be more than one possible answer. Situation:Joe and Gary, both Americans, are friends. They have just run into each other at a store. Joe: “Hey, Gary. How’ve you been? (Joe is happy to see Gary. He slaps him on the back). Gary: “Oh, hi Joe. How’s it going? (Gary doesn’t seem happy to see Joe). Joe: “”Pretty good. Everything okay with you? It looks like something is bothering you.” Gary: “If you want to know the truth, I’m pretty angry at you.” Joe: “What did I do?” Gary: “Well, I heard that you went out with Jennifer two nights ago. You know I’ve had my eye on her for a long time.” What do you think Joe’s reaction will be? a) Joe will apologize many times and will promise not to go out with Jennifer again. b) Joe will say something like, “Wait a minute. You don’t own her. You’ve never been out with her before.” c) Joe will get angry with Gary because Gary got angry with him. Discuss the following questions and then do the role-play of the situation: 1 Could the situation with Gary and Joe occur in your country? 2 If so, what might Gary and Joe say to each other? Would Gary express his anger? Can you make a cultural generalization or does it depend on the person? 3 What would you say if you were either Gary or Joe? How would you express yourself? 10 Role play situations in an apartment building: Situation 1. a) Student A. You are a tenant in a large building. Your refrigerator has broken for the third time in less than six months. Call the manager to express your frustration and to tell him or her you also want the refrigerator replaced. b) Student B. You are a manager of a large building. You have one tenant who frequently complains about problems in his or her apartment. This takes up a lot of your time. Now the tenant calls you with a new complaint. You feel that this tenant should pay for the repairs because you think the tenant doesn’t take good care of the apartment. Situation 2. a) Student A. You are a music major in college. You love to play your CDs while you do your homework at night. The problem is that your downstairs neighbour goes to bed early and does not like your music. This neighbour complained once, and since then you have tried to be quieter at night. However, you refuse to stop listening to music. Now it is 12:30 A.M., and someone is knocking on your door. b) Student A. The neighbour above you plays loud music late at night. You wrote this neighbour a polite note about it, but the problem has not stopped. Now it is 12:30 A.M. and you cannot sleep because of the music. You are very frustrated. You go upstairs, knock on the neighbour’s door, and tell the neighbour you want the problem to stop.
Date: 2016-03-03; view: 784
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