[ti:'You're Giving Me the Creeps!'] [ar:Anna Matteo] [al:Words and Their Stories] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories. [00:11.29]Americans can sometimes begin a sentence with the words "You're giving me." [00:18.30]This expression usually describes a person's reaction [00:22.60]to a surprise or to something unpleasant. [00:26.19]First, let's look at an example from the world of business. [00:31.33]What if you are asked to speak to a group of important customers -- [00:37.22]people who depend on your product or services? [00:41.37]You prepare for your speech, but you still have concerns [00:46.75]about how you will perform in front of the group. [00:50.90]Minutes before the speech, you might tell a friend that you have "the jitters." [00:57.49]This means you are worried. [01:00.67]Even experienced performers can get the jitters, especially before a big event. [01:08.09]Now, let's talk about your neighborhood. [01:11.67]What if a stranger lives in a house near your home? [01:15.80]The man does not appear normal. [01:19.05]He may talk to himself, and even raise his voice at imaginary things. [01:25.79]He makes you very nervous, even fearful. [01:30.15]So, you might say "I get the creeps every time he walks by. [01:35.87]" Or you could say, "That guy gives me the creeps." [01:40.73]The willies are a lot like the creeps. [01:44.99]You get the willies when you have a nervous feeling, [01:49.11]like when you are in a forest and hear something unusual. [01:54.09]These sounds give you "the willies." [02:01.78]Having a nervous feeling can also mean [02:05.90]something or someone is giving you "the heebie-jeebies.". [02:11.40]You might say "I got the heebie-jeebies when I saw him looking at me." [02:16.84]Also, it is a fun word to say - heebie-jeebies. [02:22.62]Sometimes your body shows you what you are feeling [02:26.84]in the form of tiny bumps on your skin called "goosebumps." [02:32.48]Goosebumps can appear when you are nervous, excited or even very cold. [02:39.10]In American English, you might say "I get goosebumps every time I think about it" [02:46.05]or "It gives me goosebumps." [02:49.40]Butterflies are small, often beautiful insects. [02:53.72]But they can also be a nervous feeling you get in your stomach, [02:58.64]often before a performance of some kind. [03:01.93]You might say "I am looking forward to playing, [03:05.92]but I must admit I've got butterflies in the pit of my stomach." [03:11.04]Sometimes, when a person likes another person romantically, [03:16.16]they may say she or he gives them butterflies. [03:20.64]They are excited at the thought of being with that person. [03:25.14]Finally, some Americans, when frightened, may use the expression, [03:30.97]"you almost gave me a heart attack!" [03:33.91]But they are not really having a heart attack. [03:37.13]They just mean they were so scared that their heart might have stopped beating. [03:42.84]A mother who sees her child fall from a tree might say the experience [03:49.31]"almost gave me a heart attack!" [03:53.03]In other words, the fall frightened her very badly. [03:57.39]So if someone says they have the jitters, try to help them calm down. [04:03.56]Tell them to take a few deep breaths. [04:06.55]If you are told you are giving someone the creeps or the willies or the heebie-jeebies, [04:13.37]it might be a good time to consider making some changes. Try not to be so unusual. [04:21.64]If a person tells you that you give them goosebumps or butterflies, [04:26.77]it means they like you -- a lot. So, stay the way you are. [04:32.92]In your language how do you say someone is giving you the creeps, [04:38.28]or the willies, or the heebie-jeebies? [04:41.54]And do you have things like goosebumps or butterflies in the stomach? [04:45.81]Let us know what these words are in the comments section! [04:49.31]Christopher Jones-Cruise wrote this report in Learning English. [04:53.79]I'm Anna Matteo. [04:55.55]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com