Learning English

Poor Thomas has been attacked by the green-eyed monster, so let's look at the meaning and modern use of the phrase.

To do

Watch this short extract from the animation to help you remember what the narrator said, and then do the quiz to check you understood.

รับฟังเสียงพร้อมทำแบบฝีกหัด

Now have a go at this quiz. Look at the transcript if you need extra help.

Well done. Before you move on to learn some more colourful idioms, have a look at the language note below.

Language note

The punctuation has changed from Shakespeare's original the green-ey'd monster. These days it is usually written without an apostrophe: the green-eyed monster.

The phrase green-eyed monster can be used in various ways:

We can use it with the passive form of verbs like bite or attack:

• She was bitten by the green-eyed monster
• He was attacked by the green-eyed monster

We can use it with the active form of verbs like attack and get:

• The green-eyed monster attacked me
• The green-eyed monster got me

We can use it with the noun attack:

• I had an attack of the green-eyed monster.

It is also commonly used with the verb rear - which means to lift something up - and ugly head

• The green-eyed monster rears / reared its ugly head 

Next

We have learnt that the colour green is often associated with jealousy, but what emotions are the colours blue and red associated with? What does it mean if you see red or if you feel blue?

Go to the next page to find out the answer and to learn more colour idioms to make your friends green with envy.