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Reading Worksheet

Taking the Pressure Off

B1 Modals of Advice: should, ought to, had better (and should have) Mental Health and Wellbeing 25 minutes
Before You Read

Discuss these questions with a partner before you read.

  • Do you ever feel stressed? What usually causes it?
  • What do you do when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed?
  • Do you think it is easy to talk about stress with colleagues or friends?
  • Have you ever worked so hard that you felt completely exhausted? What happened?
Key Vocabulary
Word Definition Example
burnout (n.) a state of extreme physical and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged overwork or stress Marco suffered from burnout after working 70-hour weeks for two years.
boundary (n.) a limit that you set on what you accept or do, especially at work You ought to set clear work boundaries so that your job does not take over your life.
distinguish (v.) to recognise and understand the difference between two things It helps to distinguish between problems you can control and those you cannot.
consistent (adj.) happening regularly, in the same way, without change If stress is consistently affecting your sleep, you should speak to a doctor.
normalise (v.) to make something seem ordinary and acceptable, rather than unusual or shameful We should normalise talking about mental health in the workplace.
unmanageable (adj.) too difficult or overwhelming to deal with successfully If your workload feels unmanageable, you ought to tell your manager.
Reading Text
Magazine Article ~285 words

Taking the Pressure Off: How to Manage Stress

Stress is one of the most common health issues in the modern workplace. A recent survey found that more than 60% of working adults say they feel stressed most of the time. So what can we do about it? We spoke to a psychologist and two people who have experienced burnout.

Dr Amara, a psychologist who works with corporate clients, says the first step is understanding your stress. "People who are stressed should try to identify the source first — where exactly is the pressure coming from? You ought to distinguish between stress that is controllable and stress that isn't. If you can't control it, worrying about it only makes things worse. You shouldn't try to solve everything at once — it's overwhelming." She adds: "If stress is consistently affecting your sleep, you had better speak to a doctor. Don't wait until the situation becomes a crisis."

Marco, 34, recovered from serious burnout two years ago. "I should have taken a holiday six months earlier — I was completely exhausted by the time I finally stopped. I shouldn't have ignored the warning signs. I thought I was just tired, but I was burning out. Now I tell everyone: you ought to set work boundaries before you feel burned out, not after. Once you're in burnout, recovery takes a long time."

Priya, 28, manages stress differently now. "We should normalise talking about stress at work — it's not a weakness. You shouldn't feel ashamed of struggling. If your workload is unmanageable, you ought to tell your manager. Be direct about it. And you had better not wait until you're in crisis — the earlier you speak up, the better."

Dr Amara has a final thought: "Managing stress isn't a sign of weakness — it is wisdom. We should all learn to ask for help sooner rather than later."

Notice the Grammar

Look at these sentences from the text: 'You should try to identify the source.' / 'You ought to set work boundaries.' / 'You had better speak to a doctor.' / 'I should have taken a holiday earlier.' What do all these sentences have in common? What is the difference between them? Which one is about the past?

1 Reading for Gist

Answer these questions in a few words.

  1. What is the main topic of this article?
  2. How many people share their views in the article?
  3. What is the main message at the end of the article?
2 Reading for Detail

Write short answers based on the text.

  1. According to Dr Amara, what should you do first when you feel stressed?
  2. What does Dr Amara say you had better do if stress is affecting your sleep consistently?
  3. What does Marco say he should have done six months earlier?
  4. What does Priya say you ought to do if your workload is unmanageable?  a) Work harder to finish the tasks quickly. b) Tell your manager directly. c) Take a day off without permission. 
  5. According to Priya, why shouldn't you wait until you are in crisis?
3 True, False, or Not Given

Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given).

  1. More than half of working adults say they feel stressed most of the time.
  2. Marco ignored the warning signs of burnout because he was lazy.
  3. Dr Amara believes you should try to solve all your problems at once.
  4. Priya says people should feel comfortable talking about stress at work.
  5. Marco's burnout recovery took exactly three months.
4 Vocabulary in Context

Answer these questions about words from the article.

  1. What does 'burnout' mean in this article?  a) A fire that goes out quickly. b) Extreme exhaustion caused by long-term stress and overwork. c) Feeling bored with a job after many years. 
  2. Marco says he 'ignored the warning signs'. What does this mean?
  3. Find a word in paragraph 4 that means 'too difficult to deal with successfully'. 
  4. Priya says 'we should normalise talking about stress'. What does 'normalise' mean here? Write your own explanation.
5 Grammar in Context

Complete these activities about modals of advice.

  1. Find examples in the text and write them below: (a) a 'should' sentence, (b) an 'ought to' sentence, (c) a 'had better' sentence, (d) a 'should have' or 'shouldn't have' sentence.
    a) should:  b) ought to:  c) had better:  d) should have / shouldn't have: 
  2. Marco says 'I should have taken a holiday six months earlier.' Did he take a holiday? What feeling is he expressing?
  3. Which sentence gives the strongest advice with a sense of warning?  a) You should speak to a doctor. b) You ought to speak to a doctor. c) You had better speak to a doctor. 
  4. Rewrite these ideas using the correct form. (a) 'Marco didn't set limits early enough — it was a mistake.' → 'Marco ___ set limits earlier.' (b) 'Priya ignored the warning signs — that was wrong.' → 'Priya ___ ignored the warning signs.'
  5. Write three pieces of advice for someone who is feeling stressed at work. Use 'should', 'ought to', and 'had better'. Then write one 'should have' or 'shouldn't have' sentence about a past mistake of your own.
Personal Response — Discuss with a partner

Discuss with a partner. Share one idea with the class.

  1. Which piece of advice in the article do you find most useful? Why?
  2. Is it easy or difficult to talk about stress in your culture or workplace? Why do you think that is?
  3. Think of a time you felt very stressed. What did you do? What should you have done differently?

Answer Key

Taking the Pressure Off — B1 — Modals of Advice: should, ought to, had better (and should have)

Exercise 1 — Reading for Gist

  1. How to manage stress and avoid burnout.
  2. Three: Dr Amara (a psychologist), Marco, and Priya.
  3. Managing stress is wisdom, not weakness — we should ask for help sooner.

Exercise 2 — Reading for Detail

  1. Identify the source of the stress — find out exactly where the pressure is coming from.
  2. Speak to a doctor.
  3. Taken a holiday.
  4. b)
  5. The earlier you speak up, the better — waiting makes the situation worse.

Exercise 3 — True, False, or Not Given

  1. T — The text says 'more than 60% of working adults say they feel stressed most of the time.'
  2. F — Marco says he thought he was just tired — not that he was lazy. He was working very hard.
  3. F — The text says 'You shouldn't try to solve everything at once — it's overwhelming.'
  4. T — Priya says 'We should normalise talking about stress at work' and 'You shouldn't feel ashamed of struggling.'
  5. NG — The text says recovery from burnout 'takes a long time' but gives no specific duration.

Exercise 4 — Vocabulary in Context

  1. b)
  2. He did not pay attention to the signs that something was wrong — he saw the signals but chose not to act on them.
  3. unmanageable
  4. To make something seem ordinary and acceptable — so that people don't feel unusual or ashamed for talking about stress.

Exercise 5 — Grammar in Context

  1. (a) Any example: 'People who are stressed should try to identify the source.' / 'We should normalise talking about stress at work.' / 'We should all learn to ask for help sooner.' (b) 'You ought to distinguish between stress that is controllable and stress that isn't.' / 'You ought to set work boundaries before you feel burned out.' / 'You ought to tell your manager.' (c) 'You had better speak to a doctor.' / 'You had better not wait until you're in crisis.' (d) 'I should have taken a holiday six months earlier.' / 'I shouldn't have ignored the warning signs.'
  2. No, he did not take a holiday. He is expressing regret — looking back at a past mistake and wishing he had done things differently.
  3. c)
  4. (a) should have. (b) shouldn't have.
  5. Answers will vary. Check: should/ought to/had better + base infinitive for present/future advice; should have / shouldn't have + past parti

Notice the Grammar — suggested answers

Accept any five correct examples from the article that use the target grammar. Students should be able to explain why the grammar is used in each case.

Personal Response

Answers will vary. This section is for spoken discussion or short written response. There are no single correct answers.