Episode 87

EPISODE 87
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

READING COMPREHENSION 

 

SADNESS

Dear Sara,

It has been a week since you left me on that rainy Sunday and I am writing this letter to tell you that I miss you very much (= I would like you to be here). I remember when we met in 1998 – we were so happy! Now, without you, I feel so lonely (= bad because I’m alone) and melancholic. You have broken my heart, darling (= you made me feel bad because you told me you don’t love me and left me). I must tell you that I have been crying my eyes out as never before (= informal idiom meaning to cry a lot) and the tears (= the water drops falling from your eyes when you cry) do not seem to finish. When you were here, I was happy and optimistic, now I’m feeling blue (= informal word meaning sad and pessimistic). Are you happy alone or are you feeling gloomy (= sad and pessimistic) like me? Will you ever come back to me?

More contexts for the new words: 

• When I saw her yesterday, she was all in tears. (=she was crying a lot) 
• She told me the truth with tears in her eyes.

 

EXERCISE 1 

Decide if the statements below are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. When you have a broken heart, you have to go to hospital.
2. When you cry, tears come from your eyes.
3. When you’re sad, you feel black.
4. Many people feel lonely when they are alone.
5. You can cry your eyes out while chopping an onion.
6. If you feel gloomy, it means you have a cold.

 

ENGLISH IN USE  

 

Let’s look at prepositions used with time expressions. 

It has been a week since you left me on that rainy Sunday.
I remember when we met in 1998. 

We use on with days of the week and dates: 

on Monday
on 6th April
on my birthday 

We use in with years, months, seasons and times of the day: 

in 2007
in June
in the summer
in the afternoon

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP 

 

A/ Have you found a job yet?
B/ No. SAD TO SAY, knowing the right people is more important than having the right qualifications.

‘Sad to say’ is used when talking about something that makes you unhappy.

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. If something makes you very unhappy, it TEARS you APART.

It tears me apart to know that I lost that job because of being late.
It would tear me apart if something I said made you upset.

2. If you are PUT OUT, you are annoyed.

I was really put out when I didn’t get the job.
He seemed a bit put out that we hadn’t invited him to the party.

 

EXERCISE 2

Match the sentence halves.

1. Sad to say, a. to see you crying like this.
2. It just tears me apart b. the ring was never found.
3. She was feeling extremely put out c. by his impolite behaviour.

 

 

NEWS

 

SAD

Are you feeling melancholy in autumn? Do you have problems waking up early in winter? Would you like to spend all cold and dreary days in bed? If so, you’re not the only one. You seem to be suffering from SAD, which stands for the Seasonal Affective Disorder. 

The reason for this medical condition is not clear, but apparently it is connected with shortage of daylight. As our body is not exposed to the sun long enough, it cannot produce all the substances that make us feel happy. As a result, we feel depressed and we lack energy.

What’s the solution? It’s simple. Wait until spring!

 

GLOSSARY 

– dreary – making you feel bored or unhappy
– suffering from – having the problem of
– stands for – means
– affective – emotional
– disorder – an illness or medical condition
– shortage – too little

 

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