Don't 'Lose Sleep' Over Work with These Phrases
Exercise 1
Warm-up
Have a short conversation based on the questions below.
1. Can you think of a time when work made you really stressed? What happened?
2. If you could do anything and get paid for it, what would it be?
Exercise 2
Vocabulary
massive
Tính từ
ˈmæsɪv
extremely large
The line for the drive-thru is massive!
annoyed
Tính từ
əˈnɔɪd
slightly angry
My sister gets annoyed easily and often yells at me.
tear
Động từ
ter
to remove by pulling
We had to tear up the carpet in the living room after it was damaged in the flood.
control
Danh từ
kənˈtroʊl
the power to decide or affect how something is done, how someone behaves, etc.
The Democratic Party took control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm
elections.
break down
Cụm động từ
breɪk daʊn
to lose control of one's feelings
She broke down in tears during the press conference.
Exercise 3
Reading Practice
Don't 'Lose Sleep' Over Work with These Phrases
Even if you love your job, you probably get stressed out sometimes. Maybe you've had to finish
a massive project without a lot of time, or had a task that was too difficult to do alone. Here's
some vocabulary to help you talk about your work stress!
We all know that stress can make you think about a problem so much that you can't sleep at
night. So if you're very worried about something — like an important interview or meeting —
you might say you are "losing sleep over it."
The phrase, "Don't lose sleep over it" is also a common way to say, "Don't worry about it."
When you have a problem at work and just don't know what to do, you could say you are "at a
loss." And when not being able to find a solution starts to make you really annoyed, it might
make you feel like you want to "tear your hair out."
If a problem continues for too long, you could find yourself at a "breaking point." This is when
you no longer feel like you have control over a situation or how you feel — and you are going to
"break down" because of the stress. When that happens, it's really important to ask for help!
You should care about your work, of course, but it's not a good idea to "run yourself into the
ground." That means to make yourself really tired by doing too much work. When you're tired,
mistakes happen more often, giving you even more problems to lose sleep over!
Exercise 4
Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences.
1. I've tried everything I can think of to fix the issue and I'm completely ______ .
2. Karen always forgets to turn her computer off before she leaves at the end of the day. It
makes me want to ______ !
3. I know things are stressful at work right now, but try not to _____ .
4. John had to take a vacation because he was reaching his ____ with the job.
5. Dan is extremely passionate about his job but tends to _____.
6. Matt ____ in tears after realizing he deleted the entire document by mistake.
Bộ Đáp Án (Câu hỏi 1-6)
• run himself into the ground
• lose sleep over it
• tear my hair out
• breaking point
• broke down
• at a loss
Exercise 5
Discussion
Have a discussion based on the following questions.
1. What are the most stressful aspects of your work?
2. When was the last time your team reached breaking point with a problem?
3. Who do you find most helpful at work when you're at a loss?
4. Do you know anyone who tends to run themselves into the ground?
5. Which of your friends and family has the most stressful job?
6. Do you have any complaints about your workload?
7. Is there anyone at your workplace you'd describe as a workaholic?