Why did you get angry?

To get angry or annoyed is part of our daily life. We often get involved in situations that make us lose our cool.

Our face changes, we get red with rage and if there's fierce anger, we freak out, go nuts or go spare and we blow up.

We get angry, mad or we become furious..., when someone makes us angry.

When you are a bit angry you can use the following adjectives: upset, peeved, miffed, irked, irritated...

Examples:
My neighbour is upset because her leak still hasn't been fixed.
Joe was a bit miffed because the coach didn't let him play.

When you are very angry you can use the following adjectives: really angry/annoyed, quite irate, mad, very cross, furious, livid, fuming, seething, pissed off....

Examples:
It's not the best time to talk to the boss. He is fuming.
Why are you mad at me? It wasn't my fault.

Other useful expressions related to getting angry are:

1. To rub somebody up the wrong way. (To unintentionally annoy someone by what you say or do)
His behaviour really rubs me up the wrong way.

2. To drive someone up the wall. (To annoy or irritate someone)
Could you stop tapping on the table? It's driving me up the wall.

3. To lose your temper/rag. (To become really angry)
My brother kept teasing me and I finally lost my rag.

4. To blow a fuse. To fly off the handle. (To suddenly become extremely angry)
When my mum saw the mess we had made in the kitchen she blew a fuse.

5. To be at the end of your tether. (To be so angry that you can no longer deal with a situation)
I've had to babysit three naughty children. I'm at the end of my tether!

6. Be up to here. (To be very angry because of a situation or a person)
I'm up to here with your moaning.

7. Get to. (To annoy or upset someone)
Your comments are getting to me.

8. Wind somebody up/Get up someone's nose. (To make someone very angry)
It really winds me up when someone interrupts me when I'm talking.

Being often angry is not good and it leads nowhere, but it is a feeling that is part of our human condition and therefore, it is inevitable that at some point this feeling will appear. If you have to express how angry you are in English use the words and expressions we have shown you.