THE FLATMATES

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THE FLATMATES
Language point:
Being happy and sad


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The Flatmates – Being happy and sad

You can see this language point online at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/2009/05/090526_fm_198_lp.shtml


Lighten up!
Dr Laver tells Alice to lighten up. He means she should relax and that she shouldn’t
take herself so seriously.

1. Oh, lighten up! It was only a joke!
2. She’s getting very boring. She should stop working so hard and lighten up!

Get a life!
This is an informal phrase to say to someone if you think they’re being very boring, and
you want them to do more exciting things.

1. You’re staying in and studying on a Saturday night? Get a life!
2. He works twelve hours a day. I told him he should get a life!


Cheer up!
Say this to someone if you want them to feel happier about things.

1. Cheer up! I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you think.

You can cheer someone else up by doing something nice.

2. He bought her a plant to cheer her up.

Or, of course, you can cheer yourself up.

3. I was feeling a bit sad, so I went out for lunch to cheer myself up.


Look on the bright side
If you look on the bright side, you try to find something good in a bad situation.

My work trip has been cancelled. I'm disappointed, but, looking on the bright side, it
means I won't miss my friend's party.


Happiness phrases
These phrases mean to feel happy.

1. I was so happy on my wedding day; I felt like I was walking on air!
2. He was over the moon when he won the award.

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Sadness phrases
These phrases mean to feel a bit sad or unhappy.

1. He was a bit down in the dumps because he'd had a bad day at work, so he
decided to go out for a drink with his friends.

2. We felt a bit low after our friends left London.

A stronger phrase is to be beside yourself. If you are beside yourself with a very
strong emotion, you are almost out of control.

1. She was beside herself with grief when her father died.

2. I was so angry at what he said I was beside myself!



Vocabulary:
a professional distance
not being too friendly with colleagues at work

in everyone’s best interests
to everyone’s advantage

raise the alarm
to make people aware that there is something wrong


Would you like to try an online quiz about this language point? Go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/2009/05/090526_fm_198_quiz.shtml


Or you can download the quiz from:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode198/fm_quiz_090526.pdf


For more information about this language point go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2009/04/090409_6min_happiness.shtml







THE FLATMATES
Quiz:
Being happy and sad





BBC Learning English – The Flatmates
The Flatmates © BBC Learning English
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http://www.bbclearningenglish.com/

The Flatmates – Quiz – Being happy and sad

You can try the quiz online at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/2009/05/090526_fm_198_quiz.shtml


For each of the six questions choose the correct answer.


1. You work too hard. Get ..!
a. the life
b. a life
c. life
d. a lift


2. They don't look happy. Why are they so down … the dumps?
a. on
b. an
c. of
d. in


3. I bought her some chocolates to …
a. cheer up her
b. cheer her up
c. cheer her on
d. say cheers


4. He was only joking. ..!
a. Light up
b. Lighten
c. Lighten up
d. Lighten in


5. I passed the exam! I'm ..!
a. over the moon
b. on the moon
c. walking on the moon
d. in the moon


6. She was … when she lost her job; it made her really upset.
a. over the moon
b. walking on air
c. beside her
d. beside herself
BBC Learning English – The Flatmates
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The Flatmates – Quiz – Being happy and sad

Answers

For each of the six questions choose the correct answer.

1. You work too hard. Get ..!
a. the life – Wrong – You need a different article (a, an, the).
b. a life - Correct - Get a life is a phrase we can use to tell someone to stop
being so boring.
c. life - Wrong - You need an article (a, an, the) here.
d. a lift - Wrong - You need a word that looks very similar but means something quite
different!


2. They don't look happy. Why are they so down … the dumps?
a. on – Wrong – You need a different preposition (e.g. at, in, by, on).
b. an – Wrong – You need a preposition (e.g. at, in, by, on) here not an article (a, an,
the).
c. of – Wrong – You need a different preposition (e.g. at, in, by, on).
d. in – Correct – Down in the dumps means to feel depressed or sad.


3. I bought her some chocolates to …
a. cheer up her – Wrong – Think about the word order.
b. cheer her up – Correct – This means that you want to make her happy.
c. cheer her on – Wrong - If you cheer someone on you encourage them. You need a
different preposition (e.g. by, in, up) here.
d. say cheers – Wrong – This is what we say when we have a drink.


4. He was only joking. ..!
a. Light up - Wrong - This is a phrasal verb meaning to light a cigarette. You need a
different phrasal verb.
b. Lighten - Wrong – The correct answer is a phrasal verb, so you need to add a
particle (e.g. on, in, up) here.
c. Lighten up - Correct - It means not to take life so seriously.
d. Lighten in - Wrong - You need a phrasal verb with a different preposition. (e.g. on,
at, up).


5. I passed the exam! I'm ..!
a. over the moon – Correct – I'm really happy!
b. on the moon! – Wrong – You need a different preposition here (e.g. at, through, in,
over).
c. walking on the moon – Wrong – You need a phrase that means to be really happy.
d. in the moon – Wrong – You need a different preposition (e.g. at, through, in,
over) here.

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6. She was … when she lost her job; it made her really upset.
a. over the moon - Wrong - This means to be really happy. You need a phrase that
means the opposite.
b. walking on air - Wrong - This means to be really happy. You need a phrase that
means the opposite.
c. beside her - Wrong - You need a reflexive pronoun (yourself, himself, herself).
d. beside herself - Correct - This means she was so upset she was almost out
of control.