Feelings & Moods — B1 Essential Words
Ten essential B1 words (Feelings) with the complete apparatus: pronunciation, simple definitions, natural American examples, collocations, family, the common mistake and spoken usage — plus a 15-question practice quiz. Mark your status on every word.
nervous /ˈnɝː.vəs/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Worried or a little afraid about something that is going to happen, like a test or an interview.
Example: Tom felt nervous before his driving test.
Another example: She is always nervous when she speaks in public.
Collocations: feel nervous · nervous about · a nervous smile
Synonyms: anxious, worried
Antonyms: calm, relaxed
Word family: nervous (adj) · nervously (adv) · nervousness (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Say ’nervous about’ something: ’nervous about the exam’. In some languages a similar word means ’angry’ — in English, ’nervous’ never means angry.
🗣 In spoken American English: People say ’Don’t be nervous!’ to help someone relax. Having ’butterflies in your stomach’ means feeling nervous.
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing
embarrassed /ɪmˈber.əst/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Feeling shy or uncomfortable because you did something silly or wrong in front of other people.
Example: Jack was embarrassed when he forgot his lines on stage.
Another example: I felt so embarrassed when I called my teacher ’Mom’.
Collocations: feel embarrassed · embarrassed about · an embarrassing mistake
Synonyms: ashamed, uncomfortable
Antonyms: proud, confident
Word family: embarrassed (adj) · embarrassing (adj) · embarrass (v) · embarrassment (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Use ’embarrassed’ for how a person feels and ’embarrassing’ for the thing or situation: ’I was embarrassed’ / ’It was an embarrassing moment.’ Don’t mix them up.
🗣 In spoken American English: People laugh and say ’I was so embarrassed!’ about funny mistakes. A red face often shows it.
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing
disappointed /ˌdɪs.əˈpɔɪn.tɪd/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Feeling sad because something did not happen as well as you hoped.
Example: Emma was disappointed when the concert was canceled.
Another example: The team played well but lost, and the fans were disappointed.
Collocations: disappointed with · disappointed about · feel disappointed
Synonyms: let down, sad
Antonyms: pleased, satisfied
Word family: disappointed (adj) · disappointing (adj) · disappoint (v) · disappointment (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Use ’disappointed’ for the person who feels it and ’disappointing’ for the thing: ’I was disappointed with the movie’ / ’The movie was disappointing.’ Also say ’disappointed with/about’, not ’disappointed from’.
🗣 In spoken American English: The noun is ’a disappointment’: ’The trip was a big disappointment.’
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing
jealous /ˈdʒel.əs/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Feeling angry or unhappy because someone has something you want, or because the person you love gives attention to someone else.
Example: Sophia felt jealous when her friend won the prize.
Another example: He gets jealous when his girlfriend talks to other guys.
Collocations: jealous of · feel jealous · a jealous person
Synonyms: envious
Antonyms: content
Word family: jealous (adj) · jealously (adv) · jealousy (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Use ’jealous of’ a person or thing: ’jealous of her success’. Don’t say ’jealous from’ or ’jealous about him’ in this meaning.
🗣 In spoken American English: Friends joke ’I’m so jealous!’ when you show travel photos — it usually means ’I wish I was there too!’, not real anger.
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing
grateful /ˈɡreɪt.fəl/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Feeling thankful because someone helped you or something good happened.
Example: We are grateful to our neighbors for their help after the storm.
Another example: Lisa felt grateful for her friends and family on Thanksgiving.
Collocations: grateful for · grateful to someone · feel grateful
Synonyms: thankful, appreciative
Antonyms: ungrateful, thankless
Word family: grateful (adj) · gratefully (adv) · gratitude (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Use ’grateful for’ a thing and ’grateful to’ a person: ’grateful for the help’, ’grateful to my teacher’. The spelling has one ’l’: grateful, not ’greatful’.
🗣 In spoken American English: On Thanksgiving, families say what they are grateful for. ’I’d be grateful if…’ is a polite way to ask for help.
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing
lonely /ˈloʊn.li/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Feeling sad because you are alone and have nobody to talk to or be with.
Example: Grandpa Joe felt lonely after he moved to a new town near Nashville.
Another example: She lives alone, but she never feels lonely — her friends visit every week.
Collocations: feel lonely · a lonely place · lonely without you
Synonyms: isolated, lonesome
Antonyms: connected
Word family: lonely (adj) · loneliness (n) · alone (adj/adv)
⚠ Common mistake: ’Alone’ is a fact (nobody is with you); ’lonely’ is a sad feeling. You can be alone and happy, or lonely in a crowd of people.
🗣 In spoken American English: The famous song question ’Are you lonesome tonight?’ uses ’lonesome’, a poetic American word for lonely.
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing
confident /ˈkɑːn.fə.dənt/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Feeling sure about your abilities and not afraid to do something.
Example: After months of practice, Julia felt confident about the exam.
Another example: A confident speaker looks at the people and smiles.
Collocations: feel confident · confident about · a confident smile
Synonyms: sure, self-assured
Antonyms: nervous, unsure, shy
Word family: confident (adj) · confidently (adv) · confidence (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Use ’confident about’ for things: ’confident about the result’. Don’t confuse ’confident’ (sure of yourself) with ’confidential’ (secret).
🗣 In spoken American English: Teachers tell students ’Be confident!’ before a test or a speech. ’Self-confidence’ is the noun people build with practice.
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing
annoyed /əˈnɔɪd/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Feeling a little angry because something keeps troubling you or someone does something you do not like.
Example: Chris was annoyed by the loud music from the next room.
Another example: I get annoyed when people are late.
Collocations: annoyed with · annoyed by · feel annoyed
Synonyms: irritated, bothered
Antonyms: pleased, calm
Word family: annoyed (adj) · annoying (adj) · annoy (v) · annoyance (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Use ’annoyed’ for the person and ’annoying’ for the thing: ’I am annoyed’ / ’The noise is annoying.’ Say ’annoyed with a person’ and ’annoyed by/about a thing’.
🗣 In spoken American English: ’Annoyed’ is weaker than ’angry’. People roll their eyes and say ’That’s so annoying!’ about small problems.
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing
relaxed /rɪˈlækst/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Feeling calm and comfortable, without worry or stress.
Example: After a week at the beach in Miami, we felt relaxed and happy.
Another example: The café has a relaxed atmosphere — nobody is in a hurry.
Collocations: feel relaxed · a relaxed weekend · relaxed about
Synonyms: calm, at ease
Antonyms: stressed, tense
Word family: relaxed (adj) · relax (v) · relaxing (adj) · relaxation (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Use ’relaxed’ for people and feelings, and ’relaxing’ for things that make you calm: ’I feel relaxed’ / ’A hot bath is relaxing.’
🗣 In spoken American English: On vacation people say ’I just want to relax.’ A very relaxed person is called ’laid-back’ in informal American English.
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing
stressed /strest/ adjective B1 Feelings
Meaning: Feeling worried and under pressure because you have too much to do or difficult problems.
Example: David feels stressed at work because of the big project.
Another example: Students often get stressed before final exams.
Collocations: feel stressed · stressed out · stressed about
Synonyms: under pressure, tense
Antonyms: relaxed, calm
Word family: stressed (adj) · stress (n) · stressful (adj)
⚠ Common mistake: Use ’stressed’ for the person and ’stressful’ for the situation: ’I feel stressed’ / ’My job is stressful.’ In speech, ’stressed out’ is very common and means the same as ’stressed’.
🗣 In spoken American English: Americans often say ’I’m so stressed out!’ during busy weeks. Taking a walk is a common way to ’de-stress’.
Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing