Describing feelings and emotion 2

This lesson focuses on common expressions and idioms for describing emotions in professional and social contexts. You will learn how to choose expressions by intensity and register, and how to respond empathetically.

• Learn idiomatic expressions for different intensities (e.g., relieved vs devastated).
• Distinguish formal and informal ways to describe feelings in the workplace.
• Practice appropriate responses and phrasing for colleagues and clients.

Choose an expression that fits both how strong the emotion is and the situation.

• Use formal expressions (delighted, pleased) in emails, reports, and meetings.
• Use neutral expressions (concerned, relieved) in most professional conversations.
• Use informal idioms (over the moon, gutted) only with colleagues you know well.

Think: intensity (mild → strong) + register (formal → informal)

Watch for these universal errors when describing feelings:

• Confusing adjective and adverb forms (e.g., 'I felt badly' vs 'I felt bad' depending on meaning).
• Using informal idioms in formal communication (tone mismatch).
• Mixing intensifiers incorrectly (e.g., 'very devastated' sounds odd; choose 'devastated' alone).
• Incorrect word order in responses (e.g., 'I me feel sad' — maintain S + V + complement).
• Overusing 'very' for all intensities instead of choosing a stronger adjective.

Focus on form (adjective vs adverb), register, and clear word order.