ESL Podcast 354 - Being Scared
haunted - with ghosts and/or spirits in a location, such as inside a building
All the children on this street think that the old green house is haunted.
coward - someone who lacks courage and doesn't do something because he or she is very scared
Michelle is scared of the dark, and she's such a coward that she has to sleep with the lights on.
ghost - the spirit of a dead person that can be seen and heard by living people
Blake believes that he has seen the ghost of his grandmother, who died 15 years ago, walking around the old house.
to take any chances - to take a risk; to do something that may be risky; to do something that may cause problems or trouble
Ezekiel doesn't want to take any chances with his health during the flu season, so he washes his hands with hot water and soap every hour.
spooky - scary; eerie; frightening, creepy; strange and unusual, causing fear
The tree branch blew in the wind, making a spooky noise each time it hit the window.
goosebumps - small bumps that appear on one's skin when one is cold or scared
He was so cold that he had goosebumps all over his arms and legs.
to freak out - to become very scared in an unusual way; to act oddly, often because one is frightened
Laureline freaked out when her parents told her that she would go to a new school next year.
horror movie - a scary movie; a movie that is designed to frighten people
A Nightmare on Elm Street is a classic horror movie.
to dare (someone to do something) - to challenge or get someone to do something that is very frightening, embarrassing, or difficult
The girls dared each other to run around the house at night while wearing their pajamas.
to spend the night - to stay in a particular place for one night; to sleep somewhere for one night
For her birthday, Rachel invited four friends to spend the night at her house.
scaredy-cat - a person who is scared of everything; a person who has no courage
Don't be such a scaredy-cat! It's just a snake.
scared to death - extremely frightened and scared
Luca was scared to death when he found out that for the assignment, he would have to speak in front of all of his classmates.
to chicken out - to decide not to do something because one is too scared
The three friends were going to jump out of a plane with parachutes, but one of them chickened out at the last minute.
to change (one's) mind - to decide not to do something that one had been planning to do; to decide to do something differently than planned
Damian wanted to go to Oahu for vacation, but he changed his mind when he found out how expensive it would be.
to have the nerve - to have enough courage to do something; to be able to do something even though one is very scared or frightened
I didn't think you would have the nerve to lie to your parents about that!
brave - courageous; with courage; willing and able to do something, even though one is scared
It was very brave of you to have gone into that burning house to save the little girl.
famous last words - a phrase used to show that what another person has said is wrong and could have very serious consequences
Vicky said that the client would love our presentation. Famous last words! They hated everything we showed them, so now we have to start again from the beginning.