A lesson for B1+ learners and higher. Ss will learn to talk about things that frustrate them without appearing too negative.

1. WORKSHEET BY OLYA SERGEEVA;RECORDINGS BY SHAUN SWEENEY AND DANIEL CHRISTOPHER 1
BEFORE WE BEGIN
Task 1a. Read the comic and guess the topic we’re going to talk about.
Source: dilbert.com
b. In pairs, brainstorm things that frustrate people.
c. Share with the class. Do people in your group get frustrated by the things you brainstormed?
Task 2a. Work in pairs.
Student A: Talk for a minute about one thing that frustrates you.
Student B: Listen to Student A and think about the following questions:
1. Do you share your partner’s feelings? Do you get frustrated by the same thing?
2. Does your partner sound very frustrated or do they soften their message a bit?
b. Change roles and repeat the task.
Task 3a. You’re going to listen to two speakers who talk about something that frustrates them.
Look at the pictures and predict what they might say.
b. Listen and answer the questions:
1. What frustrates the speaker? Do you get frustrated by the same thing?
2. Does the speaker sound very frustrated or do they soften their message?

2. WORKSHEET BY OLYA SERGEEVA;RECORDINGS BY SHAUN SWEENEY AND DANIEL CHRISTOPHER 2
Task 4a. Look at the sentences underlined in the transcript. Find sentences in which Dan
(1) ‘softens’ his message, to avoid sounding too negative ___, ___, ___
(2) introduces an example ___,
(3) uses vocabulary that expresses annoyance ___, ___, ___
(A) You know what I can’t stand? (B) And it may seem stupid, but it’s people who don’t leave the
room or - or move to the other side of the room or lower their voice when they take a phone call.
I just think “so we’ll all just stop talking so you can chat to your mate about something that is
completely meaninglessor - or” not meaninglessbut like just not important, it’sjust you’re chatting
away. I can understand maybe if it’s just one to one and someone says “oh I just need to take a call,
someone’s calling me”. Even two, even if there’s three people maybe, umm or - or whatever (C) but
the worst ones for me was when I was at university and there was someone that would come round
to watch a filmand there’d be eight of us watching a filmand then they would take a phone call
and everyone’s just thinking “brilliant! So none of us can actually listento this film.” (D) It was just
infuriating, umm and I can’t - I don’t – (E) I don’t get annoyed at stuff very easily, but I just thought,
“Why can you not see that you’re ruining this - a filmexperience for everyone else, it’s so easy to
just step out of a room”. And you’re obviously not watching the filmbecause you’re on the phone
so step out the room, take the call, come back in.
(F) It’s a very small thing people do but I just think, “Oh come on, umm, do us all a favour”.
b. Now analyze Shaun’s transcript in the same way. Find the sentences in which Shaun
(1) ‘softens’ his message, to avoid sounding too negative ___, ___
(2) introduces an example ___
(3) uses vocabulary that expresses annoyance ___, ___, ___, ___
(A) So this is just a little thing, really,but it does kind of wind me up a bit, when I'm away for work,
travelling and staying in a hotel. So I've just come back, actually, for a week and I saw this, you
know, this thing, 'what annoys you, what frustrates you', and I thought, those little coat hangers
you get that aren't proper coat hangers, cause they're worried you're gonna nick them from the
hotel - yeah, (B) it reallygets on my nerves.
(C) Especially if I've got to do a bit of washing or something and I've not got the spare money to get
the hotel to do it at their exorbitant rates, so I might, you know, wash my shirt or something like
that, and I want to hang it up to dry somewhere, and I can't use the hanger cause they've got (D)
those stupid little things on the end that mean that you can't take them out of the actual wardrobe
they're in.
(E) Yeah, I mean I should sort of relax about it, I suppose, but it's a bit annoying.
Task 5. Discuss these questions with a partner:
1. Did Dan and Shaun structure their monologues in the same way?
2. Did they use the same strategies to avoid sounding too negative?

3. WORKSHEET BY OLYA SERGEEVA;RECORDINGS BY SHAUN SWEENEY AND DANIEL CHRISTOPHER 3
Task 6. Copy useful expressions into the grid.
Introduction (a point)
Details/example
The ending
Useful expressions for expressing annoyance (sort them according to how strong the
feeling is):
[very strong feeling]

4. WORKSHEET BY OLYA SERGEEVA;RECORDINGS BY SHAUN SWEENEY AND DANIEL CHRISTOPHER 4
Task 7a. Play Tic Tac Toe in pairs. To take a square, say the expression.
E________ i_
You know wh___
I c___’_ s____?
It’s a very
sm_____ th___
people do but I
j____ th_____
It was j___
i________. It w____ me u_ a
b___
I don’t g____
a_____ at st___
e_____, but…
This is j___ a
l____ th____,
r____, but…
It re______
g_____ o__ my
n______
I sh_____ sort
of r______
a____ it, I
su______
It w____ me
u_ a b___
This is j___ a
l____ th____,
r____, but…
It may s____ a
bit st_____ but
You know
wh___ I c___’_
s____? Oh, c____ o__!
I sh_____ sort of
r______ a____
it, I su______
It’s a b__
a________.
It’s a very
sm_____ th___
people do but I
j____ th_____
I don’t g____
a_____ at st___
e_____, but…
b. Play Tic Tac Toe again – this time, to take a square, use the expression naturally (you may
need to say a sentence or more than one sentence).
It w____ me
u_ a b___
This is j___ a
l____ th____,
r____, but…
It re______
g_____ o__ my
n______
You know
wh___ I c___’_
s____?
It was j__
i___________
I sh_____ sort of
r______ a____ it,
I su______
It may s______
st_____ but…
It’s a very
sm_____ th___
p____ do but…
I don’t g____
a_____ at st___
e_____, but…

5. WORKSHEET BY OLYA SERGEEVA;RECORDINGS BY SHAUN SWEENEY AND DANIEL CHRISTOPHER 5
Task 8a. Think back to your monologue about a thing that frustrates you. What would you
change in terms of
(1) the structure
(2) the way you soften the message
(3) vocabulary?
Share with a partner.
b. Plan your monologue.
Notes
c. In new pairs, repeat Task 2.

6. WORKSHEET BY OLYA SERGEEVA;RECORDINGS BY SHAUN SWEENEY AND DANIEL CHRISTOPHER 6
Teacher’s notes
Main Aim:
By the end of the lesson, learners will be better able to talk about things that frustrate them, softening
their message to avoid sounding too negative.
Subsidiary aim:
Ss will practice structuring an extended monologue (introduction with softeners – example – summary
with softeners)
Target language: expressions for expressing annoyance (this winds me up / it’s infuriating / you know
what I can’t stand? / this gets on my nerves); expressions to soften your message (I should relax about it, I
suppose but,… etc)
Level: B1+ and higher
Time: 90 minutes
Materials:Worksheet for each learner; (optionally) cards for the board
Lead-in
3’
Focus the learners on the comic strip and elicit a few ideas what the topic is (frustration).
Task 1a Ask questions to guide the learners, e.g. how does the programmer feel? (angry)
A bit angry or very angry? (very) Do you think this is the first time this has happened (no).
So what’s the word that describes the feeling – being very angry about something that
happens again and again? (frustrated)
10’ (13’)
1b
Elicit one or two things that might frustrate people.
Allow 3 minutes to brainstorm in pairs. Group pairs together – SS compare the lists
they’ve come up to and discuss if the things on the lists frustrate everyone in the group.
First attempt to
deliver the
monologue
6’ (20’)
Task 2a
In new pairs, SS deliver monologues.
Option: you could ask the learners to use their mobile phones to make a recording of their
monologue
Focus on the
model
10’ (30’)
Task 3
Ss brainstorm ideas in pairs for a minute. WCFB – elicit and board some ideas.
Ss listen and check their ideas. Pair check. Play again, if necessary.
Key:
Speaker 1: frustrated by people who don’t leave the room during a phone call
Speaker 2: frustrated by small coat hangers in hotels, especially if he wants to wash his
clothes and hang them up.
Language
presentation
(MPF)
10’ (40’)
Task 4/5
Allow a minute to do Task 4a individually. Pair check,WCFB
Key:
Soften his message:B, E, F
Example: C
Annoyance vocabulary: A, D, E, F
Repeat for Task 4b.
Key:
Soften his message:B, E, F
Example: C
Annoyance vocabulary: A, D, E, F
Finally, ask the learners to discuss the questions in Task 5.
Suggested answers:
1. Generally, yes – intro, example, summary
2. Yes – they use ‘hedging’ expressions e.g. ‘this may seem stupid, but…’, ‘this is just a
little thing, but’
Task 6
10’ (50’)
Ask ss to copy the expressions into the grid. Pair check.
WCFB. If you printed out cards,distribute the cards among the
learners and ask them to come up to the board and place them in the
correct place.

7. WORKSHEET BY OLYA SERGEEVA;RECORDINGS BY SHAUN SWEENEY AND DANIEL CHRISTOPHER 7
Concept check vocabulary.
Suggested CCQs:
Which word means something that makes you extremely angry? (infuriating)
Which expression means ‘hate’? (can’t stand)
Which expression means ‘my mood changes because I see something annoying’ (it
winds me up)
Model and drill the pronunciation.
Key:
Introduction:
point
So this is just a little thing, really, but it does kind of
[annoy me / get on my nerves / wind me up a bit.
You know what I [can’t stand]? It may seema bit
stupid, but it’s…
Details/example
Especially if…
The words one for me was when I was…
Ending
It’s a very small thing people do but I just think…
I mean I should sort of relax about it, I suppose, but
it’s a bit annoying.
Useful expressions for expressing annoyance:
Mild feelings: it’s a bit annoying
Moderate feelings:
Those stupid little things..
Oh come on…
it winds me up a bit
it really gets on my nerves
Strong feelings:
You know what I can’t stand?
It was just infuriating
Controlled / semi-
controlled
practice
10’ (60’) Task 7
Ss do Task 7 in pairs.
Production
30’ (90’)
Task 8
Learners discuss how they’d improve their monologues in pairs. WCFB.
Allow 5 minutes of preparation time (if the learners are writing, monitor and help out with
language). Learners repeat Task 2 (once or if time permits, severaltimes, each time with a
new partner or as a mingling activity).
Monitor and provide delayed language feedback.