Emotions! We all have them. Sometimes, they drive us crazy, while other times they make us feel amazing. Sometimes they are subtle and other times they can be particularly intense. Naming and categorising our feelings is the first step to dealing with them. Do your students know how to do this in English? Here are a couple of activities to practice this incredibly useful ability!

1. 1
What’s written all over your face today?
Emotions! We all have them. Sometimes, they drive us crazy, while other times they make us feel
amazing. Sometimes they are subtle and other times they can be particularly intense. Naming and
categorising our feelings is the first step to dealing with them. Do your students know how to do this
in English? Here are a couple of activities to practise this incredibly useful ability!

2. 2
How do the below situations make you feel?
I feel …
when …
I see someone I haven’t seen in a long
time
it’s a Monday morning
I’m watching a horror film
I’m doing my homework
I have to wake up early in the morning
I’m late for my bus
my best friend forgets my birthday
I’m walking alone on a dark night
someone gives me a present
I have to speak in front of my class
it’s Christmas
a black cat crosses my path
I’m at a party
the teacher asks me something I don’t
know the answer to
Happy Sad Frightened
Surprised Embarrassed Angry
Bored Irritated

3. 3
There are many ways of verbalising our feelings and sometimes, we need to use an idiom
to emphasise their intensity.
Look at the idioms below and decide which emotions from page 2 you could use them to
express.
Idiom Emotion
To hit the roof
Jaw drops
To have your heart in your mouth
To be hopping mad
To be on top of the world
To fly off the handle
To be struck dumb
To cry your eyes out
To be over the moon
To be bored to tears
To make your blood run cold
Now, fill in the gaps with one of the idioms above:
1. When Susan found out her daughter was lying to her, she .
2. Jack’s when the winner of the contest was announced. He
couldn’t believe it!
3. Alice has been ever since she got engaged.
4. John when his girlfriend left him. I’ve never seen him so
sad!
5. Victoria’s when someone knocked on her door very late at
night.

4. 4
Answers:
Idiom Emotion
To hit the roof Anger
Jaw drops Surprise
To have your heart in your mouth Fear/anxiety
To be hopping mad Anger
To be on top of the world Happiness
To fly off the handle Anger
To be struck dumb Surprise
To cry your eyes out Sadness
To be over the moon Happiness
To be bored to tears Boredom
To make your blood run cold Fear
1. When Susan found out her daughter was lying to her, she hit the roof / flew off the
handle / was struck dumb/ was hopping mad.
2. Jack’s jaw dropped when the winner of the contest was announced. He couldn’t believe
it!
3. Alice has been over the moon/on top of the world ever since she got engaged.
4. John cried his eyes out when his girlfriend left him. I’ve never seen him so sad!
5. Victoria’s heart was in her mouth when someone knocked on her door very late at night.