Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[stevenukd]

Dear Teachers,

1. I know it hurts, but just wait it out and things will get better.
- What does �wait it out� mean here?

2. He�s very easy to be pride / touchy. So don�t tease him anymore.
3.People who are often pride / touchy are often very difficult to succeed.

- Are 2 & 3 natural?

Thanks a lot to Teachers,

Stevenukd

[CP]

1. "Wait it out" just means to be patient and wait.

2. Not natural to say "to be pride" or "to be touchy." You could say,

"He's very touchy . . . ." or

"He's very proud . . . ."

3. The use of "touchy" would work here, but not "pride." Pride is the noun for the quality that proud people have maybe too much of. So one can never be pride, although one could be proud. Also, I would get rid of the first "often" in the sentence. So, "People who are touchy" or, better, "Touchy people . . . ."

By the way, "touchy" means "overly sensitive." "Touchy-feely" is a slangy word that describes someone who likes to get physically close to people, strangers and friends alike. The person who hugs you the first time you meet or sits very close and touches you often would be a touchy-feely person.

Now the end of the sentence, "are often very difficult to succeed," is also not natural. You could say "often find it difficult to succeed."
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