“Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill”
As a student of English, you’ve probably taken many exams! Imagine this: You have an exam tomorrow, and you are very nervous about it. Maybe, you forgot to study, or maybe, the material is very difficult. You start to get worried. You might even lose sleep. But the next day, when you take the exam, you realize that it is easy! You feel so much relief. You were scared for no reason. You were making a mountain out of a molehill.
We use the expression “make a mountain out of a molehill” to talk about a situation where we think something is a big problem, but it is actually a small problem. When we make a mountain out of a molehill, we get really upset about something only to find out that it is not such a big deal, after all. We usually feel happy and relieved when we realize out that our big, scary “mountain” is really just a tiny “molehill.”
Jordin is worried about talking to Dominique. Is she making a mountain out of a molehill? Find out in today’s lesson.
Dominique: I’ve been really impressed with your work here, Jordin.
Jordin: Thank you! I really love interning here. I have a question for you. I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill here, but I am a little nervous to ask you.
Dominique: I want you to feel comfortable being open and honest here, so ask away!
Jordin: So, everyone who works here kind of has something they love to do, right? Something they’re really good at. For example, Andy, he loves movies.
Andy_H: You have only yet begun to discover your power. Together, we will rule the galaxy as father and son. If only you knew the power of the dark side. What did you think?
Jordin: And Kelsey, she has her music. Sheila just loves her work so much. And you have this business, which is so cool.
Dominique: So, you don’t have that one thing you love?
Jordin: Well, I think I know what it is…
Dominique: Tell me! That’s great!
Jordin: I want to go back to school. I love learning.
Dominique: That’s a wonderful idea!
Jordin: But I still want to intern here. Is that OK?
Dominique: Of course, we can make it work.
Jordin: That is such a relief. I was so scared to ask you.
Dominique: It’s really not a big deal. We can work out the schedule. You really were making a mountain out of a molehill. So, do you know what you’re going to study?
Jordin: I’m interested in so many different things. I think starting back at school will help me decide which direction I want to go.
Andy_H: Join me, Luke. Together, we will rule the galaxy as father and son.
Jordin feels like everyone at the office has something they love. Andy loves movies. Kelsey loves music. Sheila loves her work. And Dominique runs her own business. Jordin tells Dominique that there is something she loves, too. She loves learning and going to school. However, she is nervous to let Dominique know about this. Jordin wants to go back to school, but she also wants to keep her internship.
Dominique thinks it is a wonderful idea for Jordin to go back to school. She says that there was no need for Jordin to be nervous about telling her. She was making a mountain out of a molehill. Dominique says that they can work with Jordin’s schedule so that she can study the things she wants and keep her internship.
What do you love to do? Have you ever made a mountain out of a molehill?
Tag Questions
Jordin asks Dominique, “So, everyone who works here kind of has something they love to do, right?” She uses a tag question.
Tag questions are one- or two-word tags added to the end of a statement to make a question. Tag questions give the other person a chance to reply to something that has been said. Although we can use different words to make tag questions, they all mean the same thing: “Do you agree?” or “Am I right?”
We can make tag questions with both positive and negative statements. Positive statements will always have negative question tags, and negative statements will always have positive question tags.
To make a tag for a positive statement, use the negative form of the first auxiliary verb + subject (or its pronoun), as in, “Jane has already seen the movie, hasn’t she?” or, “You are studying tonight, aren’t you?”
To make a tag for a negative statement, use the positive form of the auxiliary verb + subject (or pronoun), as in, “We didn’t eat very much, did we?” or, “He isn’t interested, is he?”
For sentences that do not have auxiliary verbs, use do, does, or did. Like other tag questions, make a negative tag for a positive sentence and make a positive tag for a negative sentence. For example, “They don’t have a car, do they?” or, “I forgot my lunch again, didn’t I?”
Tag questions can be used in past, present, or future tense, so it’s important to match the tense of the tag question to the tense of the original statement. For example, “We didn’t get very far, did we?” or, “They will be here, won’t they?”
Jordin uses the tag “right?” in her question. This is a special type of tag question that doesn’t connect with an auxiliary verb. She could have also used the tag “correct?” in the same way. She could have said, “So, everyone who works here kind of has something they love to do, correct?” These tags can be used with both positive and negative statements.
Which sentence uses a tag question correctly, “She likes cats, does she,” or, “She likes cats, doesn’t she”?