STRESS

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 STRESS!
Introduction

WHAT IS STRESS?
We generally use the word
"stress" when we feel that
everything seems to have
become too much - we are
overloaded and wonder
whether we really can cope
with the pressures placed
upon us.

How dangerous do you think stress is?

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 STRESS!
Introduction

The Top Ten Biggest Causes of Stress

1. Death of a Loved One- Even if a death is anticipated, such as with a prolonged
illness, those people who loved the individual can experience extreme stress.
2. Childhood Trauma- People who are sexually, psychologically, and/or physically
abused, or who have been abandoned while young, may carry these stresses into
adulthood.
3. Divorce- All the aspects of a divorce, from personal to financial to loss of family
and friends, contribute to these forms of stress.
4. Finances- Although this is easily understood as a stress factor, bankruptcy and
mortgage foreclosures seem to increase the human stress levels even more.
5. Employment- Those who are employed may find their work, hours or
co-workers cause stress, while those who are not employed find their
circumstances without income and the job searching process also cause stress.

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 STRESS!
Introduction
The Top Ten Biggest Causes of Stress
6. Poor Health- The medical crisis or being ill, escalating medical costs, terminal
illness, becoming incapacitated, not having medical insurance, and not having access
to medical services all contribute to causing stress.
7. Personal Relationships- If there are troubling issues with family, extended family,
partnerships, friends, children, or lovers, these are all large contributors to stress
levels.
8. Chronically Ill Child- The parents, family, and friends of chronically ill children all
experience stresses caused from circumstances surrounding the child’s illness, and
the personal and financial obligations derived from the chronic illness.
9. Pregnancy- Infertility, lack of a relationship when wanting children, adoption,
premature births, unplanned and/or unwanted pregnancies, complications during
pregnancy, and pregnancies caused from sexual abuse and rape are high human
stressors.
10. Danger and Fear- People who live in war zones, crime infested areas, and in
isolated communities can experience daily stressors that accumulate over time,
while others who are victims of personally invasive crimes, such as cyber bullying
and identity theft, are also at risk for high stress levels.
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 STRESS!
Vocabulary Exercise

How are these words related to stress?

psychiatrist pressure depression

fatigue bills responsibilities

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 STRESS!
Speaking Exercise

The following words are effects of stress. Talk about them.

EFFECT ON YOUR BODY

cramps headache nail biting

EFFECT ON YOUR BEHAVIOR

eating too much drug abuse frequent crying 5

 STRESS!
Speaking Exercise

The following words are effects of stress. Talk about them.

EFFECT ON YOUR THOUGHTS

AND FEELINGS

anger restlessness sadness

Do you think stress have physical effects?

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 STRESS!
Vocabulary

The Evil Things That

Too Much Stress
Can Do to You

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 STRESS!
Speaking Exercise

Give answers to common questions.

1. Do you think stress can be avoided?

2. Are you stressed at the moment?
3. What stresses you out?
4. What is a good way to get rid of stress?
5. Is learning English stressful?
6. Is life becoming more or less stressful? Why?
7. Who stresses you the most?
8. What stresses you about walking in the streets?
9. Do you think technology is stressful?
10. How dangerous do you think stress is?

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 STRESS!
Speaking Exercise

HOW TO TREAT STRESS?

Discuss the words below.

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 STRESS!
Reading

M: You look tired.

F: No, I’m fine. Just a bit busy is all. I’m
under a real pressing deadline and I still have
lots to do. But then I’ll be okay.
M: That’s what you said last week and week
before. Why don’t you take a little break for
a while?
F: Because I’m under a real pressing deadline
and I still have a lot to do.
M: That’s why you need to take a break. If you just keep going at it
like this, you’ll just become less efficient. Your every effort will be
counterproductive, and the harder your work the further behind
you’ll get, and of course even more frustrated and more tired.
F: I know what you’re saying, but I can’t stop now. I’ve got to finish
this. When it’s all done, maybe I can relax then. But not now.
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 STRESS!
Reading

M: Why don’t you just take a little walk with me and we can talk about
something else except business? It’ll do you a world of good.
F: Look, it’s late and I’m tired, and I have too much to do tonight to waste
any more time. I know you, mean well, but I’m really terribly busy, if you
don’t mind.

COMPREHENSION
1. What is the cause of her stress?
2. According to the man, what will happen to
her if she continues what she is doing?
3. Why is it necessary to do something
about stress?
4. What is the proposed treatment?
5. Do you think it will work in this case?
6. Did she listen to the man? Why or why not?

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 STRESS!
Speaking Exercise

Talk about the kinds of stress these people are likely to suffer:

employees employers children

students single handicapped

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 STRESS!
Speaking Exercise

Talk about the kinds of stress these people are likely to suffer:

husband elderly wife

jobless stock investor drivers

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 STRESS!
STRESS IN ENGLISH

STRESS

In English we come across monosyllabic words - words having a

single syllable (e.g: go, eat, say, right), disyllabic words - words having
two syllables (e.g: away, table, pencil, English), and polysyllabic words -
words having three or more than three syllables (e.g: examination,
conversation, simulataneous). I speech, some syllables are uttered with
greater foce than others. That is, one syllable in that word gets this extra
force calles ’stress’. We mark this stress in front of the stressed syllable
thus: - a’way, im’portant.

1. Monosyllabic words with one one syllable are stressed.

(but normally they do not carry stress marks in dictionaries because the
stress is on the one and the same syllable).

e.g: farm, struck, saw, floor, reach, work, lose.

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 STRESS!
STRESS IN ENGLISH

STRESS

2. Disyllabic words may have the stress on the first syllable

or on the second syllable.
Stress on the first syllable :
’visit, ’city, ’recent, ’knowledge, ’solar.
Stress on the second syllable :
to’day, a’wake, a’round, re’port, de’mand, su’pport.

3. Polysyllabic words gave the stress on any one of the syllables

Stress on the first syllable :
’popular, ’telegram, ’atmosphere, ’mechanism, ’grandfather.
Stress on second syllable :
in’volvement, la’boratory, a’rrangement, ex’periment, in’terpreet.
Stress on the third syllable :
availa’bility, communi’cation, under’stand, integ’ration.
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 STRESS!
STRESS IN ENGLISH
STRESS
4. Some polysyllabic words may have two stress marks.The one
which is more forcible is called Primary Stress and it is marked
by [’].The other stress is less forcible. It is called Secondary
Stress and it is marked by [,].
e.g: ex,ami’nation - ,civili’zation - res,ponsi’bility.

5. Some nouns have stress on the first syllable. But the stress
shifts to the second syllable when the same word is used as a verb.
NOUN VERB NOUN VERB
transport trans’port object ob’ject
progress pro’gress content con’tent
subject sub’ject increase in’crease
contract con’tract desert de’sert
record re’cord protest pro’test
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 STRESS!
STRESS IN ENGLISH
STRESS
4. Some polysyllabic words may have two stress marks.The one
which is more forcible is called Primary Stress and it is marked
by [’].The other stress is less forcible. It is called Secondary
Stress and it is marked by [,].
e.g: ex,ami’nation - ,civili’zation - res,ponsi’bility.

5. Some nouns have stress on the first syllable. But the stress
shifts to the second syllable when the same word is used as a verb.
NOUN VERB NOUN VERB
transport trans’port object ob’ject
progress pro’gress content con’tent
subject sub’ject increase in’crease
contract con’tract desert de’sert
record re’cord protest pro’test
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 STRESS!
STRESS IN ENGLISH

STRESS

6.The stress pattern may vary when a root word is used in different
parts of speech. Thus we say - de’mocracy. But the stress changes to the
third syllable in - demo’cratic.

’politics - po’litical; pho’tography - photo’graph.

Stress on the first syllable

’rally ’stubborn ’handicap ’fatal
’residence ’popular ’bargain ’notion
’privilege ’kidnap ’creature ’boundary

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 STRESS!
STRESS IN ENGLISH

STRESS

Stress on the second syllable

ma’chine im’portant to’morrow a’ppoint
to’day de’part a’wake com’panion
a’live po’lice re’ject de’fend

Stress on the third syllable

fragmen’tation inte’llectual ortho’paedic
parti’cipate limi’tation metho’dology
gene’rosity insin’cere insig’nificant

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 STRESS!
STRESS IN ENGLISH

Choose the correct answer

1. Which of the following jobs has the stress on the firs syllable?
A. Biologist B. photographer C. psychiatrist D. secretary

2. Which word sound different?

A. Debt B. fret C. treat D. sweat

3. Which word sound different?

A. Mother B. bother C. brother D. another

4. Which word sound different?

A. Hot B. knot C. taught D. what

5. Which words does not rhyme with the others?

A. Through B. sew C. due D. do
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 STRESS!
STRESS IN ENGLISH

For each question, choose the syllable that is stressed.

1. Can you pass me a plastic (PLAS / TIC) knife?

2. I want to take a photography (PHO / TO / GRA / PHY) class.
3. China (CHI / NA) is the country where I was born.
4. Please turn off the television (TEL / E / VI / SION) before you go out.
5. I can't decide (DE / CIDE) which book to borrow.
6. Do you understand (UN / DER / S TAND) this lesson?
7. Sparky is a very happy (HAP / PY) puppy.
8. It is critical (CRI / TI / CAL) that you finish today.
9. My Grandpa wears an old-fashioned (OLD / FASH / IONED) coat.
10. There is a lot of traffic (TRAF / FIC)on the highway today.

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 STRESS!
Reading Exercise
A new report reveals that going on summer holiday may be more stressful
than working. The study, by the UK’s Institute of Leadership and Management
(ILM), questioned 2,500 of its members about attitudes towards long summer
breaks. It found forty per cent of managers do not come back from a holiday feeling
relaxed. A worrying finding was that many workers came back from a holiday more
stressed than when they left. Many in lower- and upper-management positions
actually work while they are on vacation. The researchers discovered that 80 per cent
of those surveyed answer work-related e-mails, around 50 per cent make and take
business-related phone calls and 10 per cent go into the office. Over 90 per cent of
managers worried about returning to hundreds of e-mails.

Information technology and the weakened global economy are the main causes of
managers being unable to de-stress while on holiday. Penny de Valk, chief executive
of the ILM, said: "Gone are the days when people cut off contact with work for a
fortnight over the summer and made a complete break. While technology means that
it is easier than ever to work remotely, it also makes it extremely hard to switch off.
Uncertain economic times also mean that many UK employees are keeping one eye on
their job at all times, when what they really need is time away from the office to rest
and re-energise.” The study also revealed that on average, it takes two days and
seventeen hours into a holiday to totally unwind. Ten per cent of managers said it
took them up to a week to fully get into holiday mode.
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 STRESS!
Reading Comprehension

Comprehension Check: TRUE OR FALSE

1. New research shows it is less stressful to take no holidays.

2. Around four in ten managers do not find holidays relaxing.
3. Very few managers answer e-mails while they are on vacation.
4. Hundreds of managers worry about returning to ninety e-mails.
5. Long flights and packing suitcases are the biggest causes of stress.
6. The article says it is harder for people to totally disconnect for 2 weeks.
7. Many British workers worry about job security while on holiday.
8. It takes the average worker over 48 hours to get into holiday mode.

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 STRESS!
BRAINY QUOTES
Explain the Quotes.

I get irritated, nervous, very

tense or stressed, but never bored.
Catherine Deneuve

To do what you love can Everybody’s going

sometimes be stressful
Tony Braxton
Some years ago there was a
study to discover the most
stressful occupation. It turned
out not to be the head of a
large business, football
manager or prime minister, but
rather: bus driver
Jonathan Sacks
through a lot of stress
these days, no matter
how well off you are and
how many advantages you
have, it’s a stressful time
in everybody’s lives.
Chris Frantz
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 STRESS!
Conversation

1. What was the most stressful time of

your life?
2. Can stress be a positive thing? How?
3. How do you interact with others when
you are under a lot of stress?
4. When do you feel most stressed?
5. Do you think technology eases stress or
brings stress on?
6. What’s the difference between stress
and anxiety?
7. Do you think most married people feel
stressed because of their spouse?
8. What is more stressful, raising children or
having a job?

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 STRESS!
Useful Expressions

bare your soul to (someone) = to reveal your innermost

thoughts and feelings to them.
e.g. Mike couldn’t keep things to himself any longer. He decided to
bare his soul to his friend.

bear the brunt = the one who suffers the most when
something bad or unpleasant happens
e.g. When things go wrong, his assistant always has to bear the
burnt of his anger.

bent out of shape = you become annoyed or upset about

something that is usually not that important or cannot be
avoided
e.g. Don’t get gent out of shape if you’re delayed. We’ll wait for you.
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 STRESS!
Useful Expressions

beside yourself (with emotion) =you lose your self-control

because of the intensity of the emotion your are feeling
e.g. He was beside himself with grief when he lost his son.

carry the torch for= you have strong feelings for someone
with whom your do not or cannot have a relationship
e.g. He’s been carrying the torch for Julie since their college days,
before she married Ted.

cheesed off =they are annoyed, bored or frustrated.

e.g. Jenny is absolutely cheesed off with her job.

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Tongue Twister

a big black bear bit a big

black bug and the big
black bug bled black
blood

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THE END