Practice English Vocabulary B1 Exercises – Laughing and crying

A. Match to make dialogues.

A   ‘Oh, yes. Nothing ever upsets her.’

B   ‘I know. She always makes me laugh.’

C   ‘Well, maybe I should apologise, then.’

D   ‘Maybe she’s had some bad news.’

E   ‘I think it’s because she’s won some money.’

F   ‘Yes. She’s definitely angry about something.’

G   ‘Yes, she always says ‘thank you’.’

B. Circle the correct word.

1   My grandfather had a very strong bully / character and everyone respected him.

2   Have you noticed that Caroline has started to behave / regret a bit strangely recently?

3   Dad has been under a lot of feeling / stress at work, so try not to annoy him.

4   Whenever I try to react / tell a joke, I can never remember it!

5   My attitude / emotion towards life is that you should enjoy yourself and not worry too much about the future.

6   After three weeks of rain and wintry weather, we were all starting to feel a bit miserable / upset.

C. Complete using a phrasal verb in the correct form to replace the words in bold.

1   You’ll have to …………………… . I can’t hear what you’re saying. talk more loudly

2   Let’s try to …………………… Jimmy …………………… by having a surprise party! make happier

3   Could you please tell the children to ……………………? I’m trying to sleep! stop making a noise

4   If you’re upset, try taking long, deep breaths to …………………… . become calmer

5   Roger first …………………… from home when he was only thirteen years old. escaped by running

6   After drying her eyes, Molly …………………………………………telling us why she was so unhappy. continued

7   And then the man said … oh, …………………… a second! I’ve forgotten the ending to the joke! wait

8   …………………… and get ready or we’re going to be late. be quicker

D. Complete using the phrases in the box.

1   We moved to a new town and I like it here a lot, but …………………… I miss my old friends.

2   Kate found Peter …………………… and asked him what was wrong.

3   I didn’t like Ted …………………… but after a while I realised that he was a really nice person.

4   Rob and Christine’s parents didn’t approve of their relationship, so they had to meet …………………… .

5   I’ve told that joke …………………… ten times and everyone always laughs at it!

6   Alfie seemed quite happy, …………………… failing the exam.

E. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap.

Charlie Chaplin

During the First World War, at a time when there was lots of (1) …………………… (HATE) in the world, one man did more than anyone else to spread (2) …………………… (HAPPY). That man was the (3) …………………… (COMEDY), Charlie Chaplin. Audiences around the world watched his films and each new one caused a lot of (4) …………………… (EXCITE). Chaplin created the character of the little tramp and people (5) …………………… (SYMPATHY) with this poor man. Up until then, film comedies had been (6) …………………… (NOISE) and very fast. Although they were fun and (7) …………………… (ENERGY), the audiences became (8) …………………… (BORE) with seeing the same situations. Chaplin produced a different kind of comedy. It was slower and more (9) …………………… (EMOTION). His films both made people laugh and touched their (10) …………………… (FEEL). Even today, his films are enjoyed by many people of all ages.

F. Write one word in each gap.

Hans:   Hello?

Sam:   Hans? It’s Sam.

Hans:   Oh, hi, Sam! How are you?

Sam:   I was thinking about the exam next week. I’m a bit nervous (1) ……………….. it, to be honest.

Hans:   So am I. But you? I’m surprised (2) ……………….. that. I thought you studied a lot.

Sam:   I do. But my parents put so much pressure on me that I’m scared (3) ……………….. failing.

Hans:   I don’t think you should be frightened (4) ……………….. failure. Just you wait. In a month’s time, I’ll be congratulating you (5) ……………….. passing with flying colours!

Sam:   I guess you’re right. I’m sure I’ll look back and laugh (6) ……………….. myself. Anyway, what have you been doing today?

Hans:   Me? Oh, you know, a bit of revision …

G. Each of the words in bold is wrong. Write the correct word.

1   Look at Jenny! She’s either happy from her exam results, or she’s won the lottery! ………………….

2   Jodie and Marshall are splitting up because they’re tired from arguing so much. ………………….

3   There’s no need to be embarrassed in crying. Everyone does it. ………………….

4   Kathy was ashamed with herself for stealing the money. ………………….

5   Debbie is sorry on what we said to you, and so am I. ………………….

6   Have you heard the joke for the man with a frog on his head? ………………….