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Phobias

Phobias

Date: Oct 30 2009

Grammar: Count and Noncount Nouns

Intro

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What’s scary about flowers? Nothing, unless you happen to suffer from anthophobia, a fear of flowers. But flowers aren’t nearly as terrifying as clouds if you have nephophobia, a fear of clouds.

Most phobias aren’t rational fears, like being afraid of getting sick or experiencing pain. A phobia is an extreme fear of something simple that most people don’t find frightening at all. Some of the most common phobias include fear of heights (acrophobia) and fear of spiders (arachnophobia). But some phobias are much more bizarre, like fear of knees (genuphobia), fear of poetry (metrophobia), or fear of the color yellow (xanthophobia).

If all these big words ending in phobia are giving you logophobia (fear of words), don’t worry. Phobia names come from Latin or Greek and are difficult to remember and pronounce. They sound like gibberish to most native English speakers, too!

Listen to Marni and Ella talk about what scares them the most.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Ella

Ella

Marni:  I was wondering if…this might be a sensitive subject, but do you have any phobias?

Ella:  What don’t I have a phobia of? I have lots of phobias actually. Water is one of them. But my most recent encounter with my phobia is my fear of butterflies. It’s actually called lepidopterophobia.

Marni:  Wow. That’s quite a word.

Ella:  But yeah, phobias are very real, you know?

Marni:  They absolutely are. I have a few myself. I’ve got a little bit of arachnophobia, fear of spiders.

Ella:  Have you ever thought about hypnosis or some type of encountering, where you face the fear to get over it?

Marni:  Yeah, I feel like I do that a little bit because I have a fear of heights. Like when I fly and things I feel like I’m sort of conquering my fear. But no, I’ve never felt like I need to invest any money or time into actually…I don’t feel like it impairs my life.

Ella:  Exactly. It’s just like, you avoid it. I don’t go to meadows or any type of forests. Or water, I just stay on land. It all works out. I don’t need to pay money to get over my fear.

Marni:  Yeah. Well, you might have to face it someday. Water…you know, the earth is 3/4 water.

 

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Discussion

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Ella has some strange phobias, including fear of water and fear of butterflies. Marni’s phobias, fear of heights and fear of spiders, are more common.

There are different ways of trying to get over your phobias. Some people try hypnosis, where someone puts you to sleep and then tries to send you psychic messages to not be afraid anymore. Other people try facing their fears. For instance, if you have a fear of heights, you might try climbing a mountain or standing atop a very tall building. When nothing bad happens to you, you might realize that your fear is irrational.

Neither Marni nor Ella has ever tried any of these methods. They think it is fairly easy to live with their phobias. But Marni thinks that Ella might have to try to conquer her fear of water eventually.

Do you have any phobias? What is the best way to get over your fears?

 

Comments

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Chaarker324

Åland Islands

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09:42 AM Sep 15 2015 |

Ngubo Sixtus

South Africa

what a great subject. now i know what phobias means.

02:46 AM Jul 26 2012 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

Anja, Kodija, spiders are more than good news, it’s much more. This is the link ;)


http://www.asktheexterminator.com/spiders/Spider_Superstitions.shtml

01:26 AM Jul 26 2012 |

Klodija

Klodija

Ukraine

well, u know I prefer to believe this superstition to ease mixture of shock and fear)))

02:32 PM Jul 25 2012 |

1 person likes this

ola33

ola33

Japan

By Ukrianian traditions, a spider can’t be killed – bad luck. A spider is a messenger. See a spider, wait for good news. You can’t shoot the messenger. )

12:38 PM Jul 25 2012 |

Klodija

Klodija

Ukraine

I don’t like spiders too, and believe me don’t fancy the idea of Facing my, irrational ,to some extent, fear..but here is the paradox, the day I see It something good happens (I mean good news or stuff like that)

12:31 PM Jul 25 2012 |

1 person likes this

rameike

Germany

i have a phobia in spiders….

01:28 PM Apr 16 2012 |

khaethe

khaethe

Philippines

i have phobia in  rats and snakes ..and i dont think i could overcome it because they’re creepy

01:02 PM Apr 16 2012 |

1 person likes this

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

Anja, I could not even read your story properly after I heard the words: “I once shared the shower with one of those creatures”. Story shockes me so much.


Probably, if I were you I would be dead instantlyLaughing

12:48 PM Apr 16 2012 |

1 person likes this

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

Thanks for the picture, Olya.


 I love birds so much. The owl, crow and eagle are the most honorable kinds of birds on my opinion.

12:23 PM Apr 16 2012 |

1 person likes this

ola33

ola33

Japan

Thank you, Lesya. They’re usually besides lakes. Here, you’re always in a car and there’re hawks, bald eagles, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrel and… embrace yourself, Lesya, Turkey Vultures. They all kind of pushed the city pigeon back. And there’re wild one instead of them. And it’s better for me. Have a look at Turkey Vulture. Ooh, huge bird.


12:17 PM Apr 16 2012 |

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

“The world is full of bizzare creatures..including us human beings  ;)” absolutely agree with your words, Anja


 “Blattophobia” is a phobia of the cockroaches. The Madagascar hissing Cockroach is a nightmare for me. The very photo of this creation gives me the creeps. Thanks to God that I live in the country where these huge cockroach don’t live. 


Olya, all my sympathy to you, because pegions are everywhere in every country and there is no way for you to escape from them. You literally forced to meet them from time to time.

11:59 AM Apr 16 2012 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

Yes, Anja, it’s all in your brain, as they say, but when you can’t control it, who will help you. Back in Russia,  we lived in an appartment and there, on the stairs, from time to time was a lonely sick pigeon. Oh, my, I couldn’t reach my door, it stopped short for me because that poor little fella was on my way. I had to wait a neighbor for help. Yeah, weird, but it’s life—what can you do with those phobias :)) To take it cheerfully, embrace it and ask ” Phobia, are you still here”... ” Sure I’m!” Laughing

11:28 AM Apr 16 2012 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

I have a birdphobia. And it has its roots, back in my in my very very young years, while I was sleeping somebody put an eagle’s wing beside me, as a joke. When I woke up, I bumped into that wing and there was a rustle of those feathers that really scared me. 


And I tried to conquer a phobia. The whole village was waiting for an hour for me getting a minuture chicken. I embraced oneself, but every time when I was going to touch, something stopped me. Phobia cannot be controled.


But I love spiders. They are ,like owls, good news for me. All the other fears are ok, but pegions, please, stay away, Ugh :)

10:57 AM Apr 16 2012 |

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

АNJA, I found this lesson at random today.


It was a surprise to see your comment here especially that your phobia lives in the harmony with mine :D


I also have “arachnophobia”.  I have a fear to the small or middle size spiders. It is strange, I have absolutely no fear to the big and fluffy spiders which can be a pet for many people.


I have got  ”Blattophobia”. :(


Generally, I don’t like all kinds of insects except of batterfly and  damselfly :( It is so-called “insectophobia”. 


I have got a “nyctophobia” as well.


I have never tried to overcome these phobias. I don’t know the way how to do it. Actually my phobias are not so strong and they don’t spoil my life too much 

08:50 AM Apr 16 2012 |

samantha410

Colombia

when I was little I had not phobias. but now I have acrophobia and is getting worse everytime, i would like to get over it.

02:58 AM Jan 27 2010 |

1 person likes this

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

Hehe is known that everyone has a kind of phobia…I'm not different! I have a typical phobia,Aracnophobia! I hate big spiders! hahaha I simply thought it really disgusting! hehe Another phobia that a feel a little is heightsphobia,I have a bit fear of height :P

02:00 PM Nov 07 2009 |

Artien

Artien

Indonesia

I’m so so phobia with CROCKOACH. Only just listen people say of crockoach name or imagine that thing make me feels frightened n shudder.

12:39 AM Nov 06 2009 |

mmniaam

Poland

I have ophidiophobia – a fear of snakes.

Snakes are creepy!

04:18 PM Nov 05 2009 |

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