Feelings & Personality
Feelings & Personality — 20 high-frequency words, with pronunciation, collocations, tricky words and four interactive exercises.
📌 Lesson contents
🎯 Lesson goal
Go beyond happy and sad 🧠. Twenty precise adjectives to describe character and mood, with the key difference between -ed adjectives (how you feel: bored) and -ing adjectives (what the thing is like: boring). Getting it wrong completely changes the meaning of the sentence. 🚀
🗂️ Word Bank
Tap 🔊 to hear the British pronunciation. The IPA transcription is under each word.
📖 Words in context
Two flatmates · tap a highlighted word to hear it.
Sara and Federica share a flat, and they could not be more different. Sara is outgoing, easy-going and endlessly generous; Federica is quiet, almost shy, but the most reliable person you will ever meet.
In the first month Federica felt overwhelmed by the noise and slightly anxious about her exams. Sara's music at midnight began to get on someone's nerves, and one evening she admitted she was frustrated. Sara, who can be extremely stubborn, was disappointed at first — then realised she had been a little selfish.
They agreed on rules. Now Federica is patient with the mess, Sara is more thoughtful about noise, and both are learning to cope with the other's habits. "When she passed her last exam," says Sara, "I was so relieved and honestly quite proud of her."
🔗 Collocations & chunks
Words are learnt in pairs, not alone: memorise the whole chunk.
| Chunk / collocation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| have a good sense of humour | be good at seeing what is funny | He has a great sense of humour. |
| keep calm | stay relaxed in a difficult moment | Keep calm and try again. |
| lose your temper | suddenly become very angry | He lost his temper completely. |
| be in a good mood | feel cheerful | She's in a good mood today. |
| bear a grudge | stay angry about something from the past | He doesn't bear grudges. |
| burst into tears | suddenly start crying | She burst into tears. |
⚠️ Tricky words
| English word | Real meaning ✅ | Watch out ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| sensible | showing good sense | Not the same as sensitive (= easily hurt) |
| annoyed | a bit angry | Not the same as bored (= not interested) |
| delusion | a false belief | Not the same as disappointment (= sad because hopes failed) |
| pretend | act as if something is true when it isn’t | Not the same as demand or expect |
🎚️ Register: when to use them
| Expression | Register | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| I'm gutted. | very informal (UK) | strong disappointment, among friends |
| I'm not very happy about it. | British understatement | often means “I’m very angry” |
| I'm rather disappointed. | neutral to formal | complaints, professional situations |
| I must express my dissatisfaction. | formal | complaint letters, written texts |
🚫 Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake ❌ | Correct ✅ |
|---|---|
| I am boring in this lesson. | I am bored in this lesson. |
| I am annoyed by this film. (= boring) | I am bored by this film. |
| I have fear of exams. | I'm afraid of exams. |
| She is very simpatic. | She is very likeable / nice. |
🎮 Vocabulary gym
Four ways to train the same 20 words. Your progress is saved on this device.
Tap the card to flip it.
Tap an English word, then its meaning. Eight pairs per round.
Complete the ten sentences with the right word. The 💡 hint helps you.
- She's confident and .💡 friendly and happy to talk to people
- He was too to speak first.💡 nervous with other people
- She's the most person I know.💡 you can always trust them
- My father is incredibly .💡 never changes his mind
- He's always been very .💡 loves giving things to others
- That was a rather decision.💡 thinking only about yourself
- You need to be with beginners.💡 able to wait calmly
- He gets a bit when he's tired.💡 his mood changes quickly
- She is but never ruthless.💡 wants to succeed
- My boss is surprisingly .💡 relaxed and not strict