On our way out: Only a third of Britons now wish to stay in the EU

BRITONS are more than ever turning away from the EU with just one in three claiming they would vote to stay in the bloc, according to a poll.
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On our way out: Only a third of Britons now wish to stay in the EU

BRITONS are more than ever turning away from the EU with just one in three claiming they would vote to stay in the bloc, according to a poll.
Continue reading

How to express shock in English

It is sometimes difficult to say how you feel in unexpected situations, such as natural disasters, especially when you feel sad. Here's a list of some common expressions to help you express shock and disbelief.

Shock

I was shocked to hear…
The news came as a complete shock.
We're all in complete shock.
Everyone's reeling from the shock of…
It happened out of the blue.
Who could have predicted it?
I (just) can't get over ….
We were completely taken aback by…
I was just stunned by…

Disbelief

I just can't believe…
It's unbelievable.
I / You just can't imagine…
Words can't describe… (how I feel about / the terrible devastation etc)
There's no way it could have happened.

Saying how bad something is

It's so awful.
It's terrible / What terrible news.
It's a tragedy.
It's a catastrophe (pronounced "ca – tas – tra – fee" with the stress on "-tas")
This is the worst thing that could have happened.

The after effects

Here are some words and phrases that we often use to talk about the immediate or long-term effects of a natural disaster or other sad event.

to come to terms with = to accept: "It will take us a few months to come to terms with what's happened."

to assess the damage = to find out the extent of the damage: "Surveyors are assessing the damage done to buildings."

to provide emergency relief / emergency assistance: "International organisations are providing emergency relief."

to give moral support = to sympathise with the victims: "We can only give them our moral support."

to learn the lessons = to learn from something: "We hope the government will learn the lessons from the earthquake and spend more money on research."

to be better prepared: "Monitoring will help us be better prepared in the future."

See also Talking about the news in English for more useful phrases for commenting on news stories.

How to express shock in English

It is sometimes difficult to say how you feel in unexpected situations, such as natural disasters, especially when you feel sad. Here's a list of some common expressions to help you express shock and disbelief.

Shock

I was shocked to hear…
The news came as a complete shock.
We're all in complete shock.
Everyone's reeling from the shock of…
It happened out of the blue.
Who could have predicted it?
I (just) can't get over ….
We were completely taken aback by…
I was just stunned by…

Disbelief

I just can't believe…
It's unbelievable.
I / You just can't imagine…
Words can't describe… (how I feel about / the terrible devastation etc)
There's no way it could have happened.

Saying how bad something is

It's so awful.
It's terrible / What terrible news.
It's a tragedy.
It's a catastrophe (pronounced "ca – tas – tra – fee" with the stress on "-tas")
This is the worst thing that could have happened.

The after effects

Here are some words and phrases that we often use to talk about the immediate or long-term effects of a natural disaster or other sad event.

to come to terms with = to accept: "It will take us a few months to come to terms with what's happened."

to assess the damage = to find out the extent of the damage: "Surveyors are assessing the damage done to buildings."

to provide emergency relief / emergency assistance: "International organisations are providing emergency relief."

to give moral support = to sympathise with the victims: "We can only give them our moral support."

to learn the lessons = to learn from something: "We hope the government will learn the lessons from the earthquake and spend more money on research."

to be better prepared: "Monitoring will help us be better prepared in the future."

See also Talking about the news in English for more useful phrases for commenting on news stories.

Word of the Day: wreck

If something is badly damaged, it might be a wreck. This word is usually used as a noun or as a verb.

• My car is a wreck, but it still runs.
• Tony drives a wreck to work.

A wreck can also be a person who is physically or emotionally in bad condition:

• What happened to you? You look like a wreck.
• Tanya was a nervous wreck as she waited to see her test results.

In the next set of sentences, the word "wreck" is a verb:

• Tigist wrecked her car. She has to get it fixed.
• Jorge wrecked his back playing football. He has to see a doctor.
• The girl is wrecking her reputation by hanging out with drug addicts.

The words "wrecked" and "wrecking" can be used as adjectives:

• Wrecked buildings are scattered throughout the city of Detroit.
• A wrecking ball knocked down the house so that a new one could be built.

Word of the Day: wreck

If something is badly damaged, it might be a wreck. This word is usually used as a noun or as a verb.

• My car is a wreck, but it still runs.
• Tony drives a wreck to work.

A wreck can also be a person who is physically or emotionally in bad condition:

• What happened to you? You look like a wreck.
• Tanya was a nervous wreck as she waited to see her test results.

In the next set of sentences, the word "wreck" is a verb:

• Tigist wrecked her car. She has to get it fixed.
• Jorge wrecked his back playing football. He has to see a doctor.
• The girl is wrecking her reputation by hanging out with drug addicts.

The words "wrecked" and "wrecking" can be used as adjectives:

• Wrecked buildings are scattered throughout the city of Detroit.
• A wrecking ball knocked down the house so that a new one could be built.

Talking About Fear in English

There are many words and expressions in English for talking about fear.

Words

afraid: "Are you afraid of the dark?"
frightened: "I'm frightened of spiders."
scared: "He's scared of making mistakes."
feel uneasy: "I felt a bit uneasy when I walked home in the dark."
spooked: "My cats are easily spooked before a thunderstorm."
terrified: "She was absolutely terrified when she heard the noise."
petrified: "The building began to shake and we were all petrified."

Expressions

a terrifying ordeal
send shivers down my spine
give me goosebumps (goosebumps are when you skin has little bumps on it= poner la carne de gallina)
make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up (dogs also do this when they are scared)
scare the hell out of me: dar pavor, aterrorizar,  Ex: Moreover, if you happen to be suffering from dental phobia, where the idea of visiting a dentist's surgery scares the hell out of you, you will be glad to learn that 'do it yourself' dental veneer kits exist.
 be scared shitless / shit scared (British slang – vulgar): extremely frightened; "he was scared shitless"
be bricking it (British slang – vulgar)
frighten the life out of me
shake with fear
jump out of my skin

Examples of how to talk about fear in English

One of the best horror films I have seen is "The Blair Witch Project". It tells the story of a terrifying ordeal in the woods of northern USA. Some of the scenes in the film sent shivers down my spine, especially the one when the students run out of the tent in the middle of the night. When they go back, one of the guy's rucksack has been emptied. When that same guy goes missing the next day, it gives you goosebumps.

There are some fabulous sound effects, especially the ones of the wind blowing and howling. When you hear the crying voices at the end of the film, it will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Perhaps the scariest part of the film is at the end, when you see one of the surviving students literally shake with fear in the corner of the basement. It certainly frightened the life out of the girl when she saw him, and I jumped out of my skin at the end when the camera stopped filming. The film scared the hell out of me for weeks afterwards, and I'm ashamed to say that I wouldn't go into an empty room in the house unless there was someone there with me.