When we talk about annoyance, we are referring to when something annoys or irritates us. We have already looked at different ways of expressing happiness, anger and tiredness. Now let’s take a closer look at annoyance:
Annoy
It really annoys me when people whistle as they work.
Bother
Does it bother you when I put my feet on the sofa?
Irritate
My brother irritates my sister all the time; it is just his age I guess.
Anger
It angers me when you constantly ask me for money.
Irk
My singing really irks my wife.
Vex (formal)
I feel vexed all the time at the moment. What vexes you?
Find something + adjective
Do you find it annoying when people speak while the teacher is explaining things?
I find this song really irritating.
Make someone angry/cross
This whole situation makes me feel really cross as I can’t do anything about it.
Get on someone’s nerves
My workmate really gets on my nerves; I´m not sure why.
Drive someone up the wall
What drives you up the wall more than anything else?
Rub someone up the wrong way
The waiter in that restaurant rubs me up the wrong way; he seems really rude.
Practice questions:
- Do your parents ever irritate you?
- Is there anything bothering you at the moment?
- What really gets on your nerves?
- Who in the world is the person who most annoys you?
- What drives you up the wall?
