Language Activator – Nervous

nervous

.Bill looked nervous, and I could see his hands were shaking

nervous about

Many investors are nervous about their investments after the recent drop in the stock market

make somebody nervous

.It makes me nervous when you drive that fast

nervously

(adverb)

.He was pacing nervously up and down the room

nervousness

(uncountable noun)

She tried to hide her nervousness, but it was clear she wasn’t comfortable making the speech

tense

: so worried about something that you cannot relax, and you easily get angry or upset

?You seem awfully tense – why don’t you have a drink and try to relax

tensely

(adverb)

.Everyone waited tensely for the winner’s name to be announced

jumpy/jittery

very nervous so that you are unable to relax and are easily surprised by sudden sounds or movements

.The dogs are jumpy tonight – I wonder if there’s something outside

on edge

if someone is on edge or if their nerves are on edge, they are nervous and likely to become angry or upset very easily

As reports of robberies continued to appear in the press, the whole community was increasingly on edge

uneasy

nervous that something bad might happen, so that you feel anxious and unable to relax until the danger has passed

.There’s something I don’t trust about him. He makes me feel very uneasy

uneasy about

Rebecca was already beginning to feel uneasy about accepting the stranger’s offer of a ride

uneasily

(adverb)

.Boyd glanced around uneasily

?Do you think anyone is watching us

uneasiness

(uncountable noun)

.She looked at the clock with growing uneasiness – he was already two hours late

panicky

very nervous and anxious about something, especially when you are in a dangerous situation that you cannot control or change

.I began to feel panicky, sure that I was going to miss the train

:Practice

: Fill in the blanks with appropriate words

.N1. Is he really dead?’ Abe asked in a ………..voice
N2. It was the same …………..feeling he’d experienced that morning when he saw the police car outside
…………..N3. Jerry had had a hard day and his nerves were on
.N4. She was getting …………thinking about the trip
N5. I was feeling extremely …………..- all I wanted was to leave the bar as quickly as possible
.N6. I always feel ……………..after driving all day
.N7. Kelli was so ……………about her exam that she couldn’t sleep

:Answers

Panicky/ uneasy/ edge/ jumpy/ jittery/ tense/ nervous