Read the article

What annoys you most in life? A new survey on annoying things had some interesting findings.

The report was divided into a number of categories. “Transport” came fairly high up in the list, with buses, trains and planes all capable of driving us up the wall. Some of the things we find most annoying about buses include missing a bus, especially after running to the bus stop, bus drivers with no change, and people in buses who crowd near the entrance, refusing to move down to the end of the bus.

The airport is another place that can really wind us up. Being hit by out-of-control luggage trolleys, or caught on the ankles by someone who can’t steer them properly is enough to make us see red. Getting in a slow-moving queue to check in our baggage when our flight’s about to leave is also enough to make our blood pressure soar. Delayed flights are obviously another annoyance, but airlines who refuse to keep us up-to-date with the latest travel information really rub us up the wrong way.

The train is also another source of annoyance. Blocked toilets, buffet cars with no sandwiches and irritating passengers who make loud mobile phone calls all appeared on the list, as did ridiculous excuses for delayed or cancelled trains, including classics such as, “We apologise for the delays, but the presence of leaves on the tracks is affecting normal service.”

The mobile phone is one gadget that’s guaranteed to irritate us at some point or another. Dead batteries, no coverage or getting cut off in the middle of an important call are all capable of driving us to the edge. But what really gets to us are those automated customer service calls that keep us waiting with irritating music.

The bank is yet another source of irritation. Excessive charges for accidentally overdrawing, cancelled cheques due to a lack of funds (despite having been a loyal customer for many years) and rude staff are all sure to make us hot under the collar, as is forgetting our PIN number when trying to take out money, or getting to grips with a bank machine that has just swallowed our bank card.

When it comes to words and expressions, we all seem to have our pet hates. People commenting on things that are blatantly obvious is one way to really drive us to distraction, with comments such as, “Did you know you’ve got a spot?” or “You look tired”. Other phrases such as, “Don’t worry, there are plenty more fish in the sea”, “It wouldn't have happened in my day”, and “I told you” can also make our blood boil, as can people asking, “Do you have a minute for a chat?” then taking up more than 20 minutes of our time.

So, what really annoys you in life?

3. Read the article again. Then, write the following words next to each idea:

Buses Airports Trains Mobiles Banks

1.Ridiculous excuses for delays.

Train

2. Cancelled cheques.

3. Being in a slow-moving queue.

4. Forgetting numbers.

5. Drivers with no change.

6. No coverage.

7. Blocked toilets.

4. Language focus. Verbs + Prepositions.

Look at this extract from the article, “We apologise for the delays,...” The speaker has used a verb (“to apologise”) and a preposition (“for”). Complete the sentences with the correct prepositions.

1. I’m thinking _________ leaving soon.

2. I’m waiting __________ the train.

3. I’ll pay _________ these drinks.

4. He looked ________ the children last night.