Enhancing Your IELTS Speaking Skills: Unlocking the Language of Emotions

- Feelings and How to express them

A fundamental aspect of the IELTS Speaking test is expressing feelings. As candidates, we often find ourselves searching for the right words to accurately convey our emotions, particularly when recounting personal experiences or answering cue card questions. 

In Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test, where discussing experiences and preferences takes center stage, having a rich vocabulary for expressing feelings can greatly enhance your ability to articulate your thoughts effectively. 

Moreover, as many cue cards and Part 2 questions include the sub-question "How did you feel?", mastering the language of emotions becomes paramount to achieving success in the speaking component of the IELTS exam.

Hope the given list helps you express your emotions better...

Happiness:

• Joy, delight, elation, ecstasy, contentment
• Over the moon, on cloud nine, thrilled to bits, walking on air
• Jump for joy, be in high spirits, be overjoyed, have a whale of a time, be gung-ho, be full of beans, be on cloud nine

Sadness:

• Sorrow, grief, melancholy, despair, desolation
• Down in the dumps, feeling blue, heartbroken, devastated
• Cry one's eyes out, be in a funk, be downhearted, feel like a wet blanket

Anger:

• Rage, fury, indignation, resentment, wrath
• Seeing red, boiling mad, beside oneself with anger, in a temper
• Blow one's top, fly off the handle, hit the roof, be steamed up

Fear:

• Anxiety, terror, apprehension, dread, panic
• Scared stiff, on edge, trembling with fear, in a cold sweat
• Freak out, have butterflies in one's stomach, be petrified, get the jitters

Anxiety:

• Worry, apprehension, unease, concern, fear
• Nervous, anxious, uneasy, stressed
• Be on edge, have butterflies in one's stomach, be in a state of anxiety, feel a knot in one's stomach

Love:

• Affection, adoration, passion, devotion, infatuation
• Head over heels, smitten, madly in love, lovey-dovey
• Fall for someone, have a soft spot for, be swept off one's feet, be crazy about

Surprise:

• Astonishment, amazement, disbelief, shock, wonder
• Taken aback, gobsmacked, speechless, blown away, shocked, astonished
• Catch someone off guard, knock someone's socks off, come as a bolt from the blue, leave someone open-mouthed, be taken by surprise, have one’s jaw drop, be amazed to the core

Disgust:

• Revulsion, repulsion, loathing, abhorrence, aversion
• Sickened, nauseated, turned off, repelled
• Make someone's stomach turn, be fed up to the back teeth, feel like throwing up, find something distasteful

Excitement/Enthusiasm:

• Thrill, exhilaration, frenzy, anticipation, eagerness, elation, passion, zeal, fervor
• Pumped up, thrilled to pieces, electrified, on pins and needles
• Be on cloud nine, be keyed up, be all wound up, be on tenterhooks, be on the edge of one's seat, be buzzing with excitement, have a spring in one's step, be fired up, be brimming with enthusiasm

Guilt:

• Remorse, regret, shame, self-reproach, contrition, repentance, sorry
• Conscience-stricken, guilty as sin, full of regrets, ashamed to the core
• Have a guilty conscience, feel like a heel, be eaten up with guilt, carry a burden of guilt, have pangs of regret, feel a deep sense of remorse, wish one could turn back time

Jealousy:

• Envy, resentment, covetousness, suspicion, rivalry
• Green-eyed monster, burning with envy, eaten up with jealousy, possessive
• Be green with envy, have a chip on one's shoulder, be in a pissing contest, be jealous as hell

Pride:

• Satisfaction, self-esteem, arrogance, self-importance, dignity
• Bursting with pride, puffed up, walking tall, haughty
• Take pride in, have an inflated ego, hold one's head high, swell with pride

Hope:

• Optimism, aspiration, expectation, longing, faith
• Keeping one's fingers crossed, hopeful, full of anticipation, optimistic
• Pin one's hopes on, be in high hopes, cling to hope, see the light at the end of the tunnel

Boredom:

• Tedium, monotony, ennui, indifference, weariness
• Fed up, bored to tears, sick and tired, yawning
• Be bored out of one's mind, be in a rut, be jaded, nod off

Embarrassment:

• Humiliation, mortification, shame, self-consciousness, awkwardness
• Red-faced, embarrassed to death, feeling small, sheepish
• Make a fool of oneself, want the ground to swallow one up, be in an awkward position, cringe with embarrassment

Gratitude:

• Appreciation, thankfulness, recognition, indebtedness, acknowledgement
• Grateful, thankful from the bottom of one's heart, beholden, obliged, appreciative
• Count one's blessings, be deeply grateful for, owe someone a debt of gratitude, show one's appreciation, express heartfelt thanks, immense appreciation

Confusion:

• Perplexity, bewilderment, disorientation, puzzlement, muddle
• Mixed up, in a fog, at a loss, all at sea
• Be in a muddle, have one's wires crossed, be in two minds, feel like a fish out of water

Loneliness:

• Isolation, solitude, abandonment, desolation, emptiness
• Alone in the crowd, feeling lonely as hell, forsaken, cut off
• Feel like an outcast, be a loner, suffer from solitude, be starved of companionship

Disappointment:

• Frustration, letdown, disillusionment, regret, dissatisfaction, crushed, disappointed, heartbroken, devastated
• Gutted, disappointed to the core, underwhelmed, crestfallen
• Let someone down, be a bitter pill to swallow, fall short of expectations, feel like a kick in the teeth, feel like a punch in the gut, have one’s hopes dashed, be left high and dry, be bitterly disappointed

Relief:

• Comfort, ease, alleviation, respite, relaxation
• Breathing a sigh of relief, relieved beyond words, unburdened, lighter
• Take a load off one's mind, be off the hook, get out of a tight spot, find solace

Curiosity:

• Inquisitiveness, fascination, interest, intrigue, thirst for knowledge
• Itching to know, curious as a cat, burning curiosity, eager
• Have a nose for, be curious about, be dying to find out, have a thirst for knowledge

Frustration:

• Irritation, annoyance, exasperation, vexation, anger
• Feeling stuck, fed up, aggravated, impatient
• Get on one's nerves, drive someone up the wall, be at the end of one's tether, be infuriated

Awe:

• Wonder, amazement, admiration, reverence, astonishment
• Speechless, awestruck, amazed, mesmerized
• Be in awe of, stand in awe, take one's breath away, leave someone spellbound

Confusion:

• Bewilderment, perplexity, disorientation, puzzlement, uncertainty
• Baffled, confused, disoriented, lost
• Be in a muddle, have one's wires crossed, feel like a fish out of water, be in a fog

Nostalgia:

• Longing, wistfulness, sentimentality, yearning, reminiscence
• Sentimental, nostalgic, homesick, reminiscent
• Feel a pang of nostalgia, long for the good old days, have a sentimental longing, be flooded with memories