This lesson is suitable for intermediate-level learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz.
Learning notes
Different phrases you can use to express irritation:
- [It] gets under my skin
- [It] drives me up the wall
- [It] bugs me
Learning focus:
If something happens regularly or all the time, we use the present simple tense. There are a lot of examples in the text because this week we are talking about something that we regularly don’t like:
- Something that you really don’t like,
- Something that really annoys you.
- It really gets under my skin when people do that.
- That really bugs me too.
But if we want to stress that something happens all the time we can use the present keeps + verb + ing, that is the present simple of the verb to keep + verb + ing, as in:
it means that you keep talking about it for a long time (keep + talk + ing)
if your cat keeps scratching your new sofa (keeps + scratch + ing)
Colloquial expressions:
A ‘pet peeve’ is something that you particularly dislike
To go on and on about something means to talk about it for a long time
When someone just can’t help themselves it means that they are so excited or angry that they do something they shouldn’t do
I feel ya is an informal way of expressing an understanding of someone’s feelings
Vocabulary:
To annoy someone means to irritate them or make them feel grumpy. So something that is annoying makes you feel grumpy
Cranky means grumpy or easily annoyed
Transcript:
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
Hello everyone, it’s Gloria again! So, when I first heard of the expression ‘pet peeve’ I thought people were talking about their pets, you know very cute and lovely animals. But nope, it’s the opposite.
A 'peeve' is something that annoys you. Adding 'pet' just shows that it is specific to a person. It might be something that one person finds annoying but someone else thinks is okay.
For example, one of my pet peeves is people making loud noises and talking when I am trying to watch a movie in the cinema. I love movies, and I just find it so frustrating when people won’t let me enjoy the movie properly!! I didn’t pay to go to the movies to hear other people talking, so it makes me very cranky when they do because I can’t focus on the movie.
Cranky means irritated or annoyed, not quite angry. I also get cranky when I am hungry – but that’s another story!
But it’s not just me. Everyone has pet peeves, right? In this lesson you’ll learn how to talk about the things that annoy you – and maybe you’ll be less cranky after talking about it?
First, let’s listen to the dialogue. Allan and Claire are talking about their pet peeves over lunch, let’s hear what they have to say!
Allan
Oh no! How do people just forget to screw the lid back onto the sauce bottle properly?! It’s so annoying! Now, the sauce is all over my pants and the floor!
Claire
And you just don’t notice until it’s too late, right?
Allan
Yeah, it really gets under my skin when people do that. That’s one of my biggest pet peeves.
Claire
I feel ya. Do you know what really bugs me? It's when...
Allan
Wait!! Actually, when someone chews their food very loudly, That, is so annoying.
Claire
Really? Stuff like that doesn't bother me. But do you know what really drives me up the wall?
Allan
Do tell!
Claire
When someone just jumps in and starts talking over me when I am trying to say something.
Oops, I guess Allan just couldn’t help himself, that means he was so excited that he did something he shouldn’t do – he talked over Claire. He just really wanted to say what was on his mind.
I get it! I understand, but I agree with Claire. It’s one of my pet peeves, too.
I also understand how Allan felt when the sauce went all over him. The other day I broke the lid off a bottle of sauce when I was opening the fridge, and it went everywhere on the floor and my jeans, just like Allan. So, I agree with him when he says:
It’s so annoying!
What things annoy you? Another thing that I find really annoying is when people talk loudly on their phones next to me when I am having a meal in a restaurant. Why can’t they speak elsewhere! Just like Claire, I could say:
Yeah, it really gets under my skin when people do that.
You can say that something ‘gets under my skin’ to talk about something that always bothers you. For example, when puppies keep licking not just my hands but also my toes, I get so annoyed because I don’t know how to make them stop. Now, that really is a pet peeve because it’s a peeve, and it is caused by a pet – get it?
Ok, not the best joke! Anyway, Claire shows that she understands how Allan feels by saying:
I feel ya.
‘I feel ya’, short for ‘I feel you’ is an informal way to show you understand and agree with someone. Particularly if they are complaining about something.
Claire then says:
Do you know what really bugs me?
Just like bugs, or insects that might annoy you by buzzing around your head, when something or someone ‘bugs’ you, it means they irritate or bother you.
If you want to use a stronger phrase for something more extreme you can say what Claire did:
Do you know what really drives me up the wall?
If something ‘drives you up the wall’ it is so annoying that you feel like climbing the walls to get away from it. 'Drives' can also be used with phrases like 'drives me crazy' or 'drives me mad'. Generally, it’s used with negative emotions.
A big thank you to our educational consultant, Professor Lynda Yates, and the general public in Melbourne who agreed to share their own pet peeves.
Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire. Micky Grossman did the sound design.
