Vocabulary related to Emotions

to feel uptight/ anxious
I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm really feeling really uptight about things at work.

to take a toll

Actually, my stress at work is also taking its toll on my family life.

to have no patience for something

I have no patience for my coworkers

to go ballistic

Sometimes, I just go ballistic and start yelling at them!

to control one's emotions

I know I should control my emotions, but I can't help myself!

to be at the end of one's rope

I've tried everything, and now I'm at the end of my rope.

to get a grip

My manager just tells me to get a grip or I'll lose my job.

to blow off steam

Let's go out tonight. I need to blow off a little steam.

Aggravations and Amusements

Explain how you would react to the following situations. Focus on describing how you might feel in case and how you would respond.

·You accidentally lock your car with the keys inside.

·You have been taking an English conversation class and during one activity you accidentally make a mistake that makes everyone laugh including the instructor.

·You are running to catch a bus. The driver pulls away, just as you reach the door.

·You are out shopping and you make eye contact with someone you know quite well, but they just walk past you without saying a word.

·You get home after a long day only to find that there is nowhere to park your car.

·You are having a nice conversation with your friend on the subway, when an elderly man tells you an angry voice that it is a public place, and you are disturbing him by speaking too loudly.

·You are having dinner with a friend when someone at the next table suddenly collapses on the floor.

·You are on a crowded subway and a seat becomes available right in front of you. As you turn around to sit down, a speedy middle-aged woman darts into the vacant seat.

Feelings and Emotions Discussion:

1. Are you embarrassed when you are praised in front of other people? What do you usually do when this happens? What do you usually say?

2. Who is the most emotional person you know? Give an example of their behavior to explain why you think this way?

3. Are you good at hiding your emotions or do you wear your heart on your sleeve?

4. What was the most disappointing day of your life?

5. Do you hold grudges? Are you still angry about something somebody did to you in the past?
6. When was the last time you forgave someone for something bad they did to you?

7. Do you think men and women experience emotions differently? Can you understand the opposite sex's emotions?

8. Have you felt pity for someone? What were the circumstances?

9. What do you think is the most powerful emotion? (love, hate, jealousy, envy, etc) Why do you think so?
10. What is the most frightening thing that's ever happened to you? What do you dread the most?

11. What is the worst kind of pain (toothache, backache, mental anguish etc) Do you have a high tolerance for pain?

12. At what time of the day are you in your best mood? Why?

13. What would make you feel really happy these days? Why?

14. Do you think animals have emotions? What emotions do you think they have?

15. Do you anyone who is grouchy? Describe some of their actions.

16. When was the last you were really upset? What happened?

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At one time, offices were the epitome of formality where bosses were addressed as "Mr." or "Mrs." and you wore only suits or dresses. Now, many workplaces have a business casual dress code with even more casual Fridays, and the bosses -- who go by their first names -- are your Face book friends.

Employers relaxed the rules to enhance workplace attitudes. If you're on the phone or on the computer all day, it doesn't matter if you're wearing a tie. At least you'd think so of course, as with all things good, too much can be detrimental. How can you have a relaxed, casual environment while still maintaining your professionalism?

Friendships are commonplace in all jobs. They exist between colleagues and sometimes between employees and their bosses. Try as you might, switching from friendship to professional mode while you're on the clock can be difficult. For the sake of your office, however, you might want to try harder. "We spend so much of our day at work that people often forget where the line between work and personal life should be drawn," says Roberta Chinsky Matuson, president of Human Resources Solutions. "Discussions regarding what you did last night and with whom are not necessarily conversations one should be having at work." what you say to a close co-worker can be overheard by many other people in the desks or cubicles within earshot. Even if no one else hears, you could be talking to the wrong person in the first place. You might be close with your boss, but giving information that could undermine your reliability or professionalism can harm your career down the road when it's time for a promotion.

Your words, appearance and behavior are three key factors in gauging whether work has become too casual. The use of expletives, overly familiar terms (calling someone by [his or her] first name or a nickname when few others do), using common slang deemed inappropriate for work communication or failing to use appropriate jargon for your particular work context. The obvious wardrobe error is dressing down too much, including jeans and belly-revealing shirts, not to mention showing a lot of cleavage or tattoos and piercings. When it comes to grooming, the rules are pretty much common sense: Keep the style and color appropriate to your field and bathe on a regular basis. And Lastly, Your behavior: "This could include too much socializing at work, socializing that is perceived as too personal and too often getting inside another person's personal space, which for most Western cultures is about arm's length.

VOCABULARY: discuss and give the meaning of the highlighted words.

ARTICLE DISCUSSION:

· Do you think it is appropriate for a workplace to have a strict dress code? Why and why not?

· When do you think should an employer and employee draw the line in a business environment? And will there be an advantage and disadvantage for doing so?

· According to the article, what are the no- no’s in a workplace attitudes?

· Do you think it is inappropriate or appropriate to be close to your boss?

· What are the standards of measure to determine whether work has become too casual?

· Do you have this kind of situation in your office? And if so, does it really affect the workplace environment?

IDIOMS:

Dressed to the nines - if you are in your very best clothes, you're dressed to the nines.
Dress to kill - when someone is dressed to kill, they are dressed very smartly.
Dress someone down - If you dress someone down, you scold them.

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