Advanced English Conversations (2) - Robert Allans, Matt Edie, A. Mustafaoglu 2020

Set 21 - Peace and quiet is hard to come by

Jane: When you have three kids, peace and quiet is hard to come by.

The house is always loud and I’m losing my mind sometimes!

Kathy: Are you? As a matter of fact, I used to have the same problem, but now it’s a thing of the past. Without further ado you’ve got to get up early even if you’re not an early bird. An hour of uninterrupted peace and quiet in the morning will work wonders for your life.

Jane: Alright! Although I’m not a natural morning person, but I’ll try. They just don’t want to get quiet. By the way; I’m no longer that calm person you know. Because of the constant yelling and screaming, I’m quickly losing my cool these days.

Kathy: Come on; all children are loud and boisterous. Don’t overblow it. I take my kids out for two or three hours to burn out the most energy. They get back home worn out and fall asleep right away.

Jane: Oh! When we are able to relax, it’s easier to keep some perspective about this crazy job called motherhood.

Vocabulary;

peace and quiet: tranquility and freedom from disturbance.

hard to come by: difficult to find.

lose one’s mind: to become exasperated; to go mad due to attempting a difficult undertaking or dealing with a challenging situation.

a thing of the past: something that no longer happens or exists.

without further ado: with no more delay.

work wonders: to produce excellent results or be extremely effective, especially unexpectedly.

lose one’s cool: to lose control; to lose one’s temper.

boisterous: (adjective) noisy, energetic, and cheerful.

overblow: to give excessive importance or value to.

worn out: (adjective) extremely tired; exhausted.

keep perspective: to see things in their proper relation/proportion to everything else.

Exercise;

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrases or words;

1. All I want on this vacation is some peace and .........., so I'm not bringing my phone, my laptop, or anything else that could even remind me of work!

2. You’ve to walk to get to the clinic. Buses are hard to .......... by in this area.

3. Well, gentlemen, if we're settled upon the terms of the agreement, then let's sign the contract .......... any further ado.

4. It's important to keep things in .......... and not dwell on one incident.

5. Saturdays and she was tired and .......... out with the cleaning, shopping, washing, ironing.

6. "There is no need for anxiety or for hype, " he said. "We should not .......... the death of one. "

7. It's amazing how the overhead lighting works .......... with this room—it's like an entirely new space.

8. In the school yard, a mother goose and her baby are separated by a .......... class of first graders.

9. Let me point out the whole thing to you. Don’t .......... your cool. Relax.

10. Everybody sends emails these days. Letter-writing has become a .......... of the past.

11. Millie was .......... her mind trying to prepare food and manage the front of the house, but thankfully she was able to hire someone to help.

1. quiet 2. come 3. without 4. perspective 5. worn 6. overblow 7. wonders 8. boisterous 9. lose 10. thing 11. losing