20 Behavior Collocations in Context

Read carefully this text where you will find behavior collocations in context and then complete the quiz.

When I was a teenager, I was painfully shy (extremely shy). I loved reading books, and I had a vivid imagination (had a creative and colorful imagination). My best friend had a more outgoing personality (she liked to be friendly and sociable) and a good sense of humor (ability to make other people laugh). Unfortunately she was also brutally honest, and sometimes her comments hurt my feelings (made me sad, upset, or angry). 

Although I was fiercely loyal to her, she showed her true colors (revealed her true personality) when she played a prank (did a trick) that humiliated me in front of the class. I bore a grudge (continued feeling angry) against her for years afterwards. Now that I look back on it, I can see that she had low self-esteem (she considered herself inferior) and a bit of a mean streak (a “streak” is a tiny bit of someone’s personality). 

I’ve come out of my shell (become less shy) since those days; I have a thicker skin (I’m less sensitive to criticism) and it doesn’t bother me when people speak their minds (say exactly what they think, without considering the effects of the words on others). 

My biggest flaw is that I have a tendency to be arrogant – some say I have a superiority complex (consider myself superior to others). I’ll admit that it is hard for me to swallow my pride (stop being arrogant) and recognize when I’ve been mistaken about something. My resolution for the New Year is to make a more concerted effort to put others first (consider the needs of other people more important than my own). 

Do you know any other collocation or expression related to behavior? Share with us! Keep on task learning 25 more feeling collocations in context or 30 family collocations in context or more collocations in context.

Quiz

Circle the best word to complete each sentence with the right behavior collocation in context: 

1. A lot of successful entrepreneurs have not only a bright / lucid / vivid imagination, but also the willingness to work hard. 

2. He really hurt my emotions / feelings / senses when he called me an idiot. 

3. His superiority belief / complex / tendency makes him impossible to work with because he won’t listen to suggestions. 

4. I had to chew / eat / swallow my pride and apologize to Janet for overreacting to her criticism. 

5. I like to date men with a great feel / sense / touch of humor. 

6. In some cultures, it’s considered very rude to say / speak / talk your mind. 

7. It’s good to get / put / set others first, but not at the expense of your own well-being. 

8. Most people who work as comedians have very outgoing / tendency / upcoming personalities. 

9. My brother is brutally / carefully / painfully shy, but I’m trying to encourage him to come out of his case / shell / skin. 

10. My daughter gets along with her classmates, but she has a competitive spot / streak / strip when it comes to academics. 

11. My husband forgives other people very easily; he’s not one to bear / hurt / swallow a grudge. 

12. She would never cheat on her husband; she’s angrily / brutally / fiercely loyal to him. 

13. The kids were suspended for playing a grudge / prank / streak on the teacher – they put a live snake inside her desk. 

14. Working with a therapist has helped me overcome my problems with deep / low / small self-esteem. 

15. You need to develop a fatter / harder / thicker skin; you can’t let every little comment upset you. 

To keep on improving your speaking skills, have a look at this post on savvy synonyms for overused words in speaking.

Answer Key

Circle the best word to complete each sentence with the right behavior collocation in context: 

1.A lot of successful entrepreneurs have not only a vivid imagination, but also the willingness to work hard. 

2. He really hurt my feelings when he called me an idiot. 

3. His superiority complex makes him impossible to work with because he won’t listen to suggestions. 

4. I had to swallow my pride and apologize to Janet for overreacting to her criticism. 

5. I like to date men with a great sense of humor. 

6. In some cultures, it’s considered very rude to speak your mind. 

7. It’s good to put others first, but not at the expense of your own well-being. 

8. Most people who work as comedians have very outgoing personalities. 

9. My brother is painfully shy, but I’m trying to encourage him to come out of his shell. 

10. My daughter gets along with her classmates, but she has a competitive streak when it comes to academics. 

11. My husband forgives other people very easily; he’s not one to bear a grudge. 

12. She would never cheat on her husband; she’s fiercely loyal to him. 

13. The kids were suspended for playing a prank on the teacher – they put a live snake inside her desk. 

14. Working with a therapist has helped me overcome my problems with low self-esteem.