Nancy: Any advice would be helpful. I can't help Lizzie when I'm not there.
Peggy: Try this: When she's in a tricky situation, have her text you a special code word.
Nancy: And the code word means she needs help?
Peggy: Yes. When she texts you the code word, you can call and make an excuse for her to come home.
Nancy: Did you do that with your kids?
Peggy: Yes. When my son encountered negative peer pressure, he would text me.
Nancy: That's a good tip, Peggy. Peer pressure is so awful.
Peggy: Well, not always. Peer pressure can be positive.
Nancy: How so? (In what way?)
Peggy: A few years ago, I helped my son devise a study group with his friends.
Nancy: Oh?
Peggy: I set up an area in my home with snacks, and kids came over.
Nancy: How is that positive peer pressure?
Peggy: As they studied, they started encouraging each other to do better. They pushed one another to be more diligent and focused.
Nancy: Hmm. I wonder if I could do something like that.
Peggy: Give it a try! Peers are the biggest influence in your teen's life. Try to make it a good influence!
Nancy: Thanks, Peggy!
Info Cloud
Garrett: Hi friends, welcome to info cloud. Hey, how are you, Rex?
Rex: Uhh. I didn't get enough sleep last night. An old friend called me for help on dealing with a tricky situation at work.
Garrett: I see. Let's talk about the phrase "tricky situation." A tricky situation is a problem or issue that is difficult to deal with and needs careful attention.
Rex: This phrase is a commonly used collocation. The adjective "tricky", which means difficult or complicated, and the noun "situation" for a set of circumstances are often used together.
Garrett: Yeah, we can say: Henry's wife and mother-in-law do not get along, but live the same house. It is a tricky situation.
Rex: That would be a tricky situation indeed. A similar phrase to tricky situation is sticky situation. Both of these phrases mean you have a problem that is not easy to fix.
Garrett: Friends, how do you deal with tricky situations? Most of us will face tricky situations at one time or another. May we have the wisdom and tack to deal with them wisely.
Language Lab
tricky adj.
something that is tricky is difficult to deal with or do because it is complicated and full of problems
- Pat is in a tricky situation because two of her friends are mad at each other and talk to her about the other one.
- Learning to ride a bicycle can be tricky for kids, especially when they are just starting out.
- Trying to find your way on narrow, winding streets in a part of town you don't know is very tricky when you're a tourist.
awful adj.
very bad or unpleasant SYN terrible
- The movie received such awful reviews that very few people went to see it in the theaters.
- Lucas made the awful mistake of leaving his presentation materials at home and delayed the meeting by an hour.
- The heavy rain and strong winds made for an awful day at the beach.
devise v.
/dɪˈvaɪz/
to plan or invent a new way of doing something
- The entire team felt that the plan Adam had devised would help them sell more products.
- Brad devised a method to make learning math fun for his students.
- The diet devised by Britt's doctor helped her lose a significant amount of weight.
diligent adj.
/ˈdɪlədʒənt/
someone who is diligent works hard and is careful and thorough
- It is not always the smartest people who do the best at their jobs, but the most diligent.
- The marketing team was very diligent in preparing for their afternoon presentation.
diligently adv.
- Barbara worked diligently on her French homework because a test was scheduled for early the following week.
