Vocabulary

blazing adj.

emerging adj.

emerge v.

complain v.

to complain about smth.: Lots of people have complained about the noise.

to complain that: He complained that his boss was useless and he had too much work.

to complain to smb.: If the service was so bad why didn’t you complain to the manager?

to complain of smth.: She’s been complaining of a bad back recently.

complaint n.

to make a complaint to smb.: I’ve made a complaint (= formally complained) to the police about the noise.

a complaint about: We’ve received a complaint from one of our listeners about offensive language.

Interminable adj.

spat n.

to have a spat with smb. about smth.: She was having a spat with her brother about who did the washing up.

adolescent n., adj.

adolescence n.

reject v.: When she was sent to boarding school, she felt as though her parents had rejected her.

rejection n.: He never asked her to marry him out of fear of rejection.

make (it) up v.: We often quarrel but we always make it up soon after.

first-hand (firsthand) adj., adv.: It’s not firsthand information, so I don’t know if you can completely believe it. / I heard her news firsthand. (= directly from her)

Compare:

second-hand adj., adv.: It was a second-hand report, based on what his friends had told him.

huffy adj.: I told her she’d made a mistake and she got huffy with me.

emotion n.

to express emotions: Like a lot of men, he finds it hard to express his emotions.

to be overcome with emotion: My mother was overcome with emotion and burst into tears.

Word combinations:

the dust settles

to express emotions with each other

to update one’s relationship

to enrich the relationship

one’s new developing self

a sickening feeling in one’s stomach

at its most challenging

at intervals

at a time

to be aged between 12 and 15

to take repair steps

to blow up (a row) over smth.

Exercises

1. Comprehension. Answer the following questions:

1. Why do teenage girls, according to Dr. Apter, need arguments with their mother?

2. What are the common reasons for rows?

3. How often do mothers and their teenage daughters have quarrels? Is the situation the same with adolescent boys?

4. Is there a chance that mothers and daughters who often ague will have a good relationship in the future?

5. What are Dr. Apter’s conclusions about mother-daughter relations based on?

6. What was the age range of the girls she studied?

7. How many rows did she witness?

8. Who is usually the first to start making it up after a row?

9. What conditions are important for a close relationship between a mother and a daughter?

2. Vocabulary. Find words and expressions that are used in the text to mean:

1. the time at which someone should stay at home

2. a short unimportant quarrel

3. a noisy quarrel

4. if this happens after an argument the situation becomes calmer

5. to make something more modern and suitable

6. extremely unpleasant and causing you to feel shock and anger

7. difficult, testing your ability or determination

8. to try to find ways to be reconciled

9. in comparison