English, baby!

Fear of Heights

Date: Mar 28 2008

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

You’re reading this on a computer, so you’re probably sitting in a chair. Take your feet off the ground. Feels pretty safe, right? Now think about how you would feel if you’re feet were dangling over the edge of a cliff, if your chair was right up against the edge.

It would be pretty scary. But why? You’d be no less stable than you are right now. How often do you just up and fall out of a chair? Almost never. So why would you worry at the edge of a cliff?

But that’s not how fear works. It isn’t logical. No matter how much you tell yourself that you’re safe at the top of a tall ladder or near the edge of a roof, something in your gut tells you you’re not safe.

Watch this video of Marni and Devan hanging out on the fire escape. They’re clearly safe, but Marni starts to get scared because she has a fear of heights.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Devan

Marni: Wow. We are…This is really cool, but we are really up here.

Devan: I think it’s great.

Marni: Do you? I have to be honest with you. I am afraid of heights. This is kind of freaking me out a little.

Devan: Really?

Marni: Yeah, a little.

Devan: Are you afraid that you’re going to…fall!

Marni: Yeah I am! Let’s not do that again.

Devan: I wonder, like, if you fell from a really, really tall distance, like from the Empire State Building or something, would you die while you were falling, like from the pressure, or would you not die till you hit the ground if you fell from that high?

Marni: These are questions that I hope I never have to answer. But I freak out. I love the view, but I get really freaked out about losing my balance…

Devan: You lose your balance, get woozy when you’re up this high?

Marni: Yeah. And I’m just gonna tumble over and die.

Devan: I’ve never had that problem. I love being up high. But my mom, we went on a hike on a mountain one time and we had to call the fire department to get her down because she got so freaked out that she just sat there and we had to call the fire department.

Marni: Kind of like a lost kitten.

Devan: Yeah. Because it’s a lot easier to get up than to get down. Once you get up that high…you just trek up, but once you’re up there, you’re just kind of stuck.

Marni: Yeah. OK, I think I need to go in. All this talk of fear of heights is making it worse.

Devan: Uh, the window broke so you’re going to have to climb…

Marni: You’re funny. OK. I’m going in.

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3

Go Super to Ask Ebaby! teachers your questions!

The iTEP^® test

Sponsored by

Schedule an iTEP^® test and take the official English Practice Test.
Take Now >

Discussion

Marni and Devan are eight floors up on the fire escape. It’s a cool place to hang out but it makes Marni nervous because she’s afraid of heights.

Devan teases her a little, shoves her lightly and asks if she’s afraid of falling. Marni asks her not to do that again.

So Devan decides to get a little more subtle. She starts talking about what it would be like to die falling from a building.

Devan has never had a fear of heights, but her mother’s fear was so bad that she had to be brought down from a mountain top by the fire department! Sometimes going down is scarier than coming up.

Nonetheless, Marni decides it’s time to get off the fire escape. Devan jokes that the window is broken so they’ll have to climb to the roof.

What’s the highest place you’ve ever been? Was it scary or fun?

Comments

1 through 20 of 107
Next >
1 2 3 ... 6

S01142923

Malaysia

I’m always afraid of height. One time I was on a ski lift with my feet dangling. As soon as I looked down and saw how high I was at, I started to cry my eyes out.

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

Height is a fear sometimes, its a success sometimes,

Many people is afraid of hights physically ,but on the other hand, They want to be high places in their work life as career. :)

and people isnt afraid when They look at heights, they are afraid when they look at the ground from heights..:)

people is very interesting..many of them dont want to live in the high buildings, but they want to live on the clouds ,especially nine clouds.:))

NightiNgale

Sudan

even thinking of it makes me feel dizzy , I lose my balance and stumble when I stand on a table or go up a ladder.

tumbili

Germany

The highest place I’ve ever been was on the mountain “Zugspitze”, which is the highest mountain in my country. And fortunately I’m not afraid of heights. I like having a great view and looking down and see everything so little. I think it is a pity when you are scared of heights because then you can’t do things like that. But in my opinion it is normal to have fears, although it isn’t logical and not useful to have them. I for example hate using the elevator as I think I could be stuck in there.

julito

Argentina

Samirah, oops!! a recurrent dream, what past experience it might be hidden in your subsconcious that come up to the surface on your dreams.

samirah

Saudi Arabia

i often dream of falling down from a tall distance .hhhh

winter_sonata_nw

Egypt

I actually have this fear of heights . when I get up tall bulildings, I just cant look out of window,because I get freaked out and woozy and I start to think that I am gonna tumle over. That is so bad and does not allow me to look at views from heights, but I just cant stop it.

wishtolearn

El Salvador

i must admit it : i am afraid of heights too….. especially at night… it just freaks me out!

Ahshan

China

It is funny to tease somebody who is in fear of something

aunglawkeeshein

Myanmar

I was afraid of heights when I was little and cried loud when my Uncle took me there to the edge of the top and did pee-pee ha ha ha. And now it's still going on me but not that do pee-pee anymore …...

jessie li

China

This reminds me of my shame experience.we have a training program on jumping a 1.1meters distance at the 10 meters high from the groud.i think it's so easy when i stand on the earth ,when it's my turn ,i just dangle over and timid much.finally i jumped ,it's actually so easy ,maybe next time i can jump without hesitation

lanekey

China

I am enjoy to stay on a high place as peak,so i can have a bird’s eye view of anything,that’s very beautiful.

ola3

Ukraine

I'm amfraid of hights too

odnoo

Mongolia

I'm not scared of heights. It's cool, I like it.

Eder30

Brazil

I'm not afraid of heights. Actually, I like it a lot because it makes me feel free.

Dafi

Malaysia

its fun to have been in the high place that you can see the view especially at night you can see the light,windy and so on honestly it totally freak me out .i am afraid of heights, the highest place i have ever been is SOGO shopping mall in Malaysia its totally freaking me out hehe

zoe-mk

South Africa

Wow they are so brave to get that high.As when you look down, you feel loke your going to fall.

3lf1k

Latvia

I think , I lost balanse

wangbaoqiong

China

I think it's people's instinctive reaction when you are standing on an height that beyond your balance system can bear it.But falling from the height is very exciting,too!When your mood is so low,it;s a proper way to releasing presure and 热viveing yourself again。