USE OF ENGLISH Complete the text with the correct prepositions. All of the adjectives are in exercises 2-4.
A teenager in the UK, Danny Bowman, became addicted 1________ 'selfies' and spent up to ten hours a day taking around 200 photos of himself with his phone. This was a true case of addiction: it was harmful 2________ his education and his friendships and responsible 3________ several health problems. Experts are aware 4________ the condition and say it is becoming more and more common. Danny first posted selfies on Facebook when he was fifteen and soon became obsessed 5________ reading his friends' comments. Although he was pleased 6________ many of the things his friends wrote, he was also very sensitive 7________ criticism. Before long, he was feeling very dissatisfied 8________ his appearance. He took more and more photos of himself. His parents became very worried 9________ his behaviour. Because they were both
mental health nurses, they were familiar 10________addictions. They knew that Danny needed help. Now, after months of hospital treatment, Danny has been successful 11________ beating his addiction. But it's a growing problem, with many other cases similar 12________ Danny's.
SPEAKING Work in pairs. Tell your partner about something that you are (or have been)
1 successful in.
2 satisfied with.
3 good at.
4 angry about.
A: I was really successful in my recent music exam
Read the messages between a father and his son. Do you think the son was addicted to playing video games? Find evidence for your opinion.
A: Dad, I'm interested in playing video games, you know. However, you are always unhappy with that. You get curious about the types of game I play. You're afraid that I'll be addicted to it. You're worried about the amount of time I spend online. Although I'm a teenager, I'm aware of what I should do. I'm responsible enough for my studying. You see, I'm always successful at maths and English. I love you, Dad.
B: Dear my boy, I feel dissatisfied with your staying up late playing video games. I'm sometimes shocked at your words when I remind you to do homework. I know you're good at maths and English, but I think you need to spend more time playing sports. And don't be too sensitive to my advice. How about a game of badminton with me next Saturday evening? Lots of love.
Read the Learn this! box. Then underline these adjectives in the messages. Which prepositions follow them?
addicted aware curious dissatisfied good interested
responsible sensitive shocked successful unhappy worried
LEARN THIS! Adjective + preposition Many adjectives are followed by certain prepositions: in, at, of, with, etc. to be obsessed with/successful in /sensitive to something You need to learn these adjective + preposition combinations as they do not follow any rules. A good dictionary will tell you which preposition to use with which adjective. |
SPEAKING Work in pairs. Which of these activities do you spend a lot of time doing? How often do you do them?
• Checking your phone for messages
• Taking photos of yourself
• Browsing social networking sites
• Playing video games
