ESL Podcast 983 - Breaking Bad Habits

counselor - a person whose job is to provide advice and guidance, but without as much training as a psychologist

The school counselor helps students evaluate their options as they apply for college.

support group - a group of people who have similar challenges or problems and meet regularly to help each other

Ramiro met his new wife at a support group for single parents.

bad habit - something that one does repeatedly, without thinking about it and without being in control of it, and that has negative results or is harmful in some way

Snacking between meals is a bad habit, because it can lead to weight gain.

to break - to stop doing something; to no longer have a habit

How did you finally break your addiction to cigarettes?

to sign (someone) up - to enroll someone in a group or activity; to put someone's name on a list of participants

How many parents have signed their kids up for the volleyball team?

nail biting - the practice and bad habit of using one's teeth to make one's nails shorter, often as a result of being nervous or stressed

Meghan must be stressed about exams, because she's started nail biting again.

ragged - not smooth or even; uneven and irregularly shaped

Why are the edges of this piece of paper so ragged?

to smack (one's) gum - to make loud popping noises while chewing gum

Chewing gum is never appropriate during an important business presentation, but it's even worse if someone is smacking his or her gum.

in (one's) presence - with another person nearby; where another person can hear and see one's words and actions

He never uses bad words in his mother's presence.

to share - to talk about something with other people, especially to talk about one's experiences, feelings, opinions, or beliefs

Jeremiah has never shared his feelings about his mother's death.

to move on to - to go to the next person or the next task; to finish one thing and begin the next thing

Once this presentation is done, we'll finally be able to move onto the next assignment.

to tend to - to have a tendency; to often do something, especially without thinking about it

Jas tends to turn on the computer and check her email before she says "hi" to her co-workers in the morning.

to tap (one's) fingers - to hit one's fingers against a table or another surface repeatedly and rhythmically, making a small noise, especially when one feels bored or is concentrating on something

Jesse tends to think better when he's tapping his fingers, but all the other team members find it very distracting.

to crack (one's) joints - to move or bend a body part that connects two bones in a certain way so that it makes a loud popping noise

The chiropractor is really good at cracking patients' joints and making them feel better.

annoying - irritating; bothersome; making other people feel frustrated because they dislike something that is happening

I hate it when my little brother repeats everything I say. It's so annoying!

hair twirling - the practice and bad habit of taking a small section of one's long hair and moving it in circles repeatedly around one's finger, especially when one is bored or distracted

She seemed well qualified for the job, but we decided not to hire her because of all the hair twirling during the interview.

to interrupt - to speak when someone else is speaking, before he or she has finished; to not allow someone to continue what he or she is doing

We interrupt this television broadcast with an emergency weather report.