Your partner has always been forgetful. Yesterday you watched him ___ (search / searching) for his keys for twenty minutes, even though they were in his pocket the whole time. React: comment on this using have a memory like a sieve, rack your brains., A friend of yours grew up in a family where her parents were often absent for work. She still remembers the night she heard them ___ (argue / arguing) for hours about sending her to boarding school. Now, as an adult, she panics if her partner doesn't reply to texts quickly. React: comment on this using fear of abandonment, be rooted in, crave, constant reassurance, stem from., Your colleague never talks about problems at work. Last Friday everyone saw him ___ (snap / snapping) at a junior employee over a tiny mistake. React: comment on this using bottle up emotions, get out of hand, lash out., At a dinner party, a stranger you'd just met asked about your relationship status. You noticed the whole table ___ (go / going) quiet, waiting for your answer. React: comment on this using catch someone off guard, overly personal question, be put on the spot, tread carefully, deflect questions, Your neighbor keeps asking for details about your divorce. You watched her face ___ (light up / lighting up) every time you mentioned something new. React: comment on this using pry into smth, air dirty laundry, deflect questions, open a can of worms., Your grandmother refuses to see a doctor. You heard her ___ (say / saying) the exact same excuse to three different people this week. React: comment on this using have a stubborn streak, refuse point blank, call the shots., You bumped into an old classmate after ten years. Her name didn't ring a bell at first, but you watched her ___ (struggle / struggling) to remember yours too, and slowly it started to jog your memory. React: comment on this using to jog your memory, take you back to, ring a bell., Your friend just quit a stable job to start a completely new career, against her family's wishes. You watched her ___ (plan / planning) every detail for months before she finally handed in her resignation. React: comment on this using embark on, grapple with, meticulous, feasible., A close friend confided that her husband had been unfaithful. She caught him ___ (delete / deleting) messages from his phone late at night. React: comment on this using infidelity, aftermath, atone for., I wish you _ (stop) checking my Instagram just to see who I'm with. And I still remember _ (tell) you that, back in March, but you never listened React using: constant reassurance, looming fear, keep an eye on someone, He spent his twenties trying _ (get) back on the straight and narrow after years of hearing that he'd come to no good, and he still flinches slightly whenever an older relative brings up "how far he's come." He wishes they _ (just forget) that version of him existed at all. React using: get back on the straight and narrow, pigeonhole, contempt, resentment., His sister is always making everyone else's crisis about her within minutes, so the family has quietly stopped trying _ (call) her when something actually goes wrong. He admits he wishes she _ (just listen) once, instead of turning it back to herself, but he's stopped expecting it. React using: knack for, secondary gain, obnoxious, contempt., He grew up watching his mother start fights with the neighbors, never with the people who'd actually upset her. It took him years in therapy to notice he'd go on _ (do) the exact same thing with coworkers instead of his wife, and he wishes someone _ (point) it out to him sooner. React using: let off steam, deflect, pattern, leeway., She'd always been the one who picked up the slack for her brother growing up, covering for him, finishing his chores, making excuses to their parents. In her thirties, she finally told her therapist she wished she _ (not cover) for him so often, and that she still remembers _ (lie) to their parents on his behalf, more than once. React using: not pull your weight, enable, resentment, take in your stride, Their marriage counselor pointed out that they hadn't actually disagreed about money in months, they'd just stopped trying _ (bring) it up at all, each one privately convinced the other didn't see it their way. He admitted he wished she _ (just say) what she actually thought, instead of going quiet. React using: not see eye to eye, avoidance, resentment, get your wires crossed., He's been in and out of therapy for anger management since his twenties, and he still says the same thing every time: he doesn't remember _ (lose) his temper, only the aftermath, a broken plate, his kids' faces, the silence that follows. He wishes he _ (learn) to recognize the warning signs years ago, before it cost him so much. React using: outburst, get out of hand, wash over, atone for.

maria

by
Print
Embed

Leaderboard

Visual style

Options

Switch template

Continue editing: ?