Anger. Speaking exercise

Angry man

In this English lesson we will be talking about anger, and looking at “the…the… comparatives”.

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned".
— Buddha

Everyone gets angry from time to time…some, obviously, more than others! Maybe some idiot parked in front of your car, or your partner talked at a crucial moment of your favourite TV show. Whatever the cause, people react differently to anger, and show their anger in many different ways.

Before we get started, here is a list of vocabulary that will help you talk about anger with your native English-speaking teacher in your conversation classes via Skype.

Angry girl

English Vocabulary related to Anger

• violence
• take a deep breath
• attack
• high blood pressure
• punch
• scream
• keep calm
• anger management
• temper
• domestic violence
• throw a tantrum

Grammar to use in your online English conversation class

The… the… comparatives

We use this structure to say that as one thing changes, another thing changes too.

Structure: The + comparative*, the + comparative*

*Comparative = bigger, easier, more difficult, less entertaining

Examples:

• The younger the child is, the more care they need.
• The longer you work, the more experience you gain.
• The more you eat, the more weight you gain.
• The faster you drive, the more petrol you use.
• The angrier you get, the higher your blood pressure gets.
• The bigger, the better!
• The more, the merrier!

Useful verb forms:

hit - hit - hit

throw - threw - thrown

take - took - taken

Common mistake:

X I become angry

√ I GET angry

Typical Pronunciation problem:
Angry = /'æŋgrɪ/
Hungry = /'hʌŋgrɪ/

What makes you angry?

Questions we will discuss in your online English conversation class:

• What causes anger?
• What makes you angry?
• When was the last time you got angry?
• What do you usually do when you get angry?
• Are there different types of anger?
• What are various ways people respond to anger?

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• Is anger ever justified? If so, how can we determine whether it is?
• Is anger ever a good thing? If so, when? Why?
• Are there better and worse ways to respond to your own anger?
• Do you think men and women show their anger differently?
• What are the physical effects of getting angry? (e.g blood pressure...)
• Is getting angry an effective way of dealing with problems?
• What are some better ways of dealing with problems?
• What are some effective ways of keeping calm?

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Practice reading and listening before your speaking with your native English-speaking teacher

This article looks at what what causes anger problems.

"Anger is often the result of emotional situations escalating and becoming out of control. Look at how children behave. They often get angry, throw tantrums, become hysterical when they…" read more...

And this short video gives you advice on how to control your anger, which will, in the longer term, help your physical health.

Do listening exercise on this video!

Speaking practice:

Now book your online English conversation class with one of our native English-speaking teachers to put into practice what you’ve learned in this lesson. Only by doing this will you improve the most important communication skill in English: speaking!

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