“Body Language”
A. Match each verb to an appropriate object:
1) bite…
2) blow…
3) cry…
4) drag…
5) grit…
6) point…
7) prick up…
8) raise…
9) take it on…
10) tear…
a) …the chin
b) …your ears
c) …your eyebrows
d) …your eyes out
e) …your hair out
f) …your heels
g) …the finger
h) …your nails
i) …your nose
j) …your teeth
B. Check your answers below (Soluzioni:
A), then decide which of the expressions describe what you might do in the
following situations:
1) Criticising (perhaps judgmentally)
someone else
2) Expressing surprise or disapproval
3) When you are extremely upset
4) When you are feeling nervous
5) Accepting loss or misfortune with
courage and without complaining
6) When you are playing for time
7) When you have a cold
8) In a state of desperation or extreme
anxiety
9) When you have to deal determinedly with
pain or a difficult situation
10) When you hear something that arouses
your interest.
C. Use the expressions to complete the following
sentences (in some cases you will need to adapt the form of the verb and/or the possessive adjective):
1) Have you got a tissue? I need to
_________________________ .
2) A lot of business leaders are _________________________
as a result of the enormous damage the Brexit referendum result is starting to cause.
3) He always _________________________ when
he is watching his team play.
4) It’s very easy to _________________________
but I think most people would have done the same in his situation.
5) Her dog died this morning and she has
been _________________________ all day.
6) I really admire her: everything has
gone wrong for her these last few months but she has just _________________________
and got on with it.
7) She _________________________ when she
realised they were talking about her.
8) My feet were killing me on the last
part of the hike but I just had to _________________________ and keep going.
9) The bank manager _________________________
when he heard what we were planning to use the money for but he approved the
loan anyway.
10) While the rest of Europe is keen to
start Brexit negotiations, the UK is in no hurry and is _________________________
.
Soluzioni:
A.
1) bite your nails; 2) blow your nose; 3) cry
your eyes out; 4) drag your heels; 5) grit your teeth; 6) point the finger; 7)
prick up your ears; 8) raise your eyebrows; 9) take it on the chin; 10) tear
your hair out
B.
1) point
the finger; 2) raise your eyebrows; 3) cry your eyes out; 4) bite your nails;
5) take it on the chin; 6) drag your heels; 7) blow your nose; 8) tear your
hair out; 9) grit your teeth; 10) prick up your ears
C.
1) blow my nose; 2) tearing their hair
out; 3) bites his nails / cries his eyes out (if he supports Inter); 4) point
the finger; 5) crying her eyes out; 6) taken it on the chin / gritted her
teeth; 7) pricked up her ears; 8) grit my teeth; 9) raised his eyebrows; 10)
dragging its feet
