Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

“Annoying Things” ESL Discussion Questions

I. Social Annoyances
1. What do you find most annoying when using social media?
2. How do you feel about people talking loudly on their phones in public?
3. What’s the most irritating habit someone can have?
4. How do you deal with people who interrupt when you’re speaking?
5. What behaviors do you find rude in public settings?

II. Daily Irritations
6. What’s something annoying that happens often during your day?
7. How do you handle it when someone cuts in line?
8. What is something that bothers you in traffic?
9. How do you manage when people are late to meetings or appointments?
10. What small daily inconvenience do you wish you could eliminate?

III. Work-Related Annoyances
11. What’s an annoying thing coworkers do in the office?
12. How do you feel about unnecessary meetings?
13. What do you dislike most in professional emails?
14. How do you react to people not pulling their weight on a team project?
15. What office habits do you think should be avoided?

IV. Household Annoyances
16. What’s annoying about sharing a space with others (like in a home)?
17. How do you deal with loud neighbors?
18. What household chores do you find most bothersome?
19. How do you feel when people don’t clean up after themselves?
20. What’s the most frustrating thing about home maintenance?

V. Technological Annoyances
21. What tech issues drive you crazy?
22. How do you handle slow internet connections?
23. What do you find most frustrating about using smartphones?
24. How do you feel about apps with too many notifications?
25. What’s the most irritating thing about new technology?

VI. Personal Space and Boundaries
26. How do you feel when strangers stand too close to you?
27. What do you do when someone reads over your shoulder?
28. How do you handle it if someone borrows your things without asking?
29. What do you think about people who overshare personal information?
30. How do you set boundaries with people who are too intrusive?

VII. Public Behavior
31. What actions do you think are disrespectful in public transportation?
32. How do you feel about people who litter?
33. What’s your pet peeve at restaurants?
34. How do you respond to someone jumping the queue?
35. What public behaviors do you think need more attention and correction?

VIII. Etiquette and Manners
36. Why is it important to say “please” and “thank you”?
37. What kind of manners do you expect at the dinner table?
38. How do you react when people don’t apologize after making a mistake?
39. What’s something you wish everyone would do to be more polite?
40. How can someone be more considerate of others in shared spaces?

IX. Travel and Commuting
41. What’s the most annoying part of commuting?
42. How do you handle delays in public transportation?
43. What annoys you about airport security?
44. How do you deal with uncomfortable seats on long journeys?
45. What behavior bothers you the most when traveling?

X. Shopping and Services
46. What do you dislike about shopping in stores?
47. How do you feel about pushy salespeople?
48. What’s your biggest complaint about customer service?
49. How do you handle poor service at a restaurant or store?
50. What do you wish stores would do better?

XI. Media and Entertainment
51. What annoys you about modern movies or TV shows?
52. How do you feel about clickbait on the internet?
53. What’s frustrating about trying to find something good to watch?
54. How do you react to spoilers for movies or series?
55. What’s the most irksome trend in entertainment?

XII. General Annoyances
56. What common phrase or word do you find annoying?
57. How do you feel about noisy eaters?
58. What’s annoying about staying in hotels?
59. How do you react to people who are always negative?
60. What general behavior do you think society could improve on to be less annoying?

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