Vocabulary practice

Fitting in
1 Put the types of people below in the correct column in the chart.

conformists   outsiders   people who do their own thing   people who follow the crowd
people who give in to peer pressure   people who stand out in a crowd   rebels

People who fit in People who don’t fit in

2 Complete each question with two or three words. Inlcude one of the words below in each
question.

common  crowd  peer  rebel  thing

1 A  Do you and your sister have much ?

B  Not really. We’re different people with different interests.
2 A  Do you think teenagers are influenced by ?
B  Yes, I do. How their friends and classmates see them is very important to teenagers.
3 A  Do all teenagers their parents?
B  Not all! But it is common for many teenagers to disagree with their parents’ rules.
4 A  Is it important to try to by wearing the same things as
everybody else?
B  Many people do – and it is OK to conform – but it is also good to stand out.
5 A  Do your friends usually do their ?
B  Yes, they do! They are all rebels and never do what other people want them to do.

Forming nouns from verbs

3 Complete the text with the noun form of the verbs in brackets.

Changing Schools
Changing schools mid-term can be an incredibly stressful
experience. Not only do we have to worry about the
1
(react) of our new classmates, and whether we
will fit in, but we also have to consider things we hadn’t previously
had to worry about, such as our physical 2
(appear). In these circumstances, our 3
(imagine) can get out of control and, on that first day, we might
misunderstand a facial 4 (express), or come to
the 5
(conclude) that everybody hates us just
because they aren’t talking to us. It is fair to say that the 6 (treat) of some
new students on their first day can be negative, but, in 7 (practice), and for
the most part, our new classmates are likely to show both 8 (understand) and
kindness. We should just relax and be ourselves.

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 Vocabulary practice

Influencing
4 Match the descriptions 1–6 with the words and phrases a–f.
1 “Andy refuses to do what anybody says!”
2 “Patrick is somebody I try to be like.”
3 “Penny always has an excuse for her behavior.”
4 “Jack is always telling people that they aren’t good at things.”
5 “Amy is good at persuading people not to do something stupid.”
6 “Joe is always honest and will always help.”
a talk somebody out of
b trust
c stubborn
d justify
e influential
f criticize

5 Complete the sentences with the verbs below.

admit  convince  criticize  justify  talk  trust

1 Danny says he didn’t commit the crime, but when he is questioned by the judge, I think he will
finally stealing the money.
2 It isn’t going to be easy to dad to buy me a motorcycle. He thinks they are
dangerous and cost too much.
3 I hate it when my friends what I wear – I know I’m not very fashionable, but
they should keep their opinions to themselves.
4 It is hard to Lucy when she’s always telling lies.
5 I have decided to buy a pair of really expensive designer shoes. Don’t try to
me out of it. I’m not going to change my mind.
6 You can’t spending all that money. You were supposed to save it for your
vacation.

6 Answer the questions with your own ideas. Write full sentences.
1 What do you have in common with your friends?

2 Have you been influenced by peer pressure? If so, in what way?

3 In what ways do you follow or stand out from the crowd?

4 Who do you trust the most and why?

5 Which celebrities are influential for you and your friends? Why?

6 Why can being stubborn sometimes be a good thing?

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