Exercises C1 : Shades of emotion in English (answers)

These exercises will help you move beyond basic emotion words and use precise, sophisticated vocabulary to describe feelings, as explored in the course on shades of emotion in English.

→ See the course : Shades of emotion in English : complete course

Exercice 1 — Choose the Right Shade of Emotion

Choose the word that best fits the emotional nuance described in each sentence.

1. After years of hard work, she finally received her dream job offer. She felt ___ beyond words.
2. He looked at old photographs of his childhood home, now demolished, with a quiet sense of ___.
3. She was ___ when she heard the news that her closest friend had been in a serious accident.
4. After a long walk in the countryside, he sat by the fire feeling perfectly ___ with his simple life.

Correction

1. She felt elated beyond words, as elated describes an intense, soaring sense of happiness that fits a long-awaited achievement.
2. He looked at the photographs with a quiet sense of wistfulness, since wistful captures a gentle, reflective longing for something lost or past.
3. She was devastated when she heard the news, as devastated conveys an overwhelming sense of grief or shock far beyond ordinary sadness.
4. He sat by the fire feeling perfectly content with his simple life, since content describes a calm, satisfied sense of well-being rather than excitement.

Exercice 2 — Match the Emotion to Its Definition

Match each advanced emotion word with the sentence that best illustrates its precise meaning.

1. elated
2. content
3. devastated
4. wistful

Correction

1. She was elated when her novel was accepted for publication, feeling a surge of joy she had never experienced before.
2. He was content to spend his Sunday afternoon reading quietly in the garden, needing nothing more.
3. They were utterly devastated by the sudden loss of their family home in the fire, unable to process what had happened.
4. She grew wistful as she passed her old university campus, remembering the carefree years she had spent there.

Exercice 3 — Complete the Sentences with Precise Emotion Vocabulary

Fill in each blank with the most appropriate emotion word from the course (elated, content, devastated, wistful). Write the complete sentence in your answer.

1. The team was ___ after losing the championship in the final seconds of the match, and no one could speak for several minutes.
2. She smiled in a ___ way as she listened to the song that had played at her wedding twenty years earlier.
3. He was ___ with his modest apartment and his small circle of close friends — he had never wanted a lavish lifestyle.
4. The children were absolutely ___ when they discovered that school had been cancelled and the day was entirely their own.

Correction

1. The team was devastated after losing the championship in the final seconds of the match, and no one could speak for several minutes.
2. She smiled in a wistful way as she listened to the song that had played at her wedding twenty years earlier.
3. He was content with his modest apartment and his small circle of close friends — he had never wanted a lavish lifestyle.
4. The children were absolutely elated when they discovered that school had been cancelled and the day was entirely their own.