10 English Phrases for Unacceptable Behaviour

Did you know that “It’s not on” and “It’s  not on” have completely different meanings?

While “Are you kidding me?”  

could be a playful question or an indication  that the speaker is really annoyed.

Hello everyone, Anna here, and today  we are exploring different ways to  

say “you’re behaviour is unacceptable, mate”.

Now hang on, see that right there is  also a really weird British thing.

When we're really angry with someone,  

we have the word ‘mate’ on the end of a  statement, even though ‘mate’ means friend.

“That's not very friendly. Is it mate?”

As always get your pen at  the ready to make some notes.

Or you can pause the video and download the free  notes and worksheet that I've prepared for you.

Just click on the link in the description.

Tell me where to send the notes,  and I will forward it to your inbox.

Okay, so let's start with “Are you kidding me?”

‘Kidding’ means joking.

We use this phrase when we cannot  believe what we're seeing, or hearing.

Or when we don't want it to be true.

“Are you kidding me? I parked in a parking bay and  I paid to park, why have they given me a ticket?”

Next, “You’re out of order”  or “That’s out of order.”

This phrase means that someone's behavior or  words are unacceptable, offensive or upsetting.

“Look sis, I just wanted to borrow your  lipstick. I didn't ask you because you  

were busy, so I just got it out of your bag.”

“You shouldn't ever go into someone's  

handbag without asking. Besides that  lipstick looks ridiculous on you.”

“Hey, that's out of order... that’s just mean.”

A similar phrase is “You’re out of  line”or “You’re way out of line”

This means that your behavior is not appropriate.

It's not what's expected.

“My supervisor said that I  shouldn’t expect a promotion  

anytime soon because I’m useless  - that’s what she said anyway.”

“Really, that is completely out of line,  you should file a complaint about her.”

“What do you think you are doing?”

When someone is doing something  that is surprising and unacceptable,  

you can say, “What do you think you're doing?”

This is different to “What are you doing?”

Which is a genuine inquiry.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“I am doing my English homework.”

“What do you think you are doing?” is used when  

you can see exactly what they're  doing and you do not approve.

“Hey, what do you think you are doing?”

“Ermm my English homework.”

“You are suppose to be in class.”

“Oh shoot.”

If you feel really annoyed by  someone's unacceptable behavior,  

then you can add emphasis to the  phrase by adding the word ‘on earth’.

“What on earth do you think you are doing?”

If someone is out of line?

Like if your teenage daughter starts being  rude to you, then you could remind them of  

their place in the pecking order by  saying, “Who do you think you are?”

It's a way of reminding them that this is not  an acceptable thing for them to say or do.

“Ah, morning everyone.”

“Jane, it's 9:45”

“Yes, it is, and I am in  desperate need of a coffee,  

so if you don't mind grabbing me a  cappuccino while I check my emails.”

“I'm sorry?”

“Get me a coffee.”

“Who do you think you are? I am  your superior, not the intern.”

Very similar to that phrase is “Who  do you think you're talking to?”

It's like you're asking them,  

“Do you think that you're better than me?  More senior, more experienced than me?”

“Mom, I wanna see my mate. So you're  going to drive me to Danny's house and  

then you're going to give me 20  quid so I can go to the cinema.”

“Who do you think you're talking to?”

One of my favorite phrases on  this list is “How dare you!”

This phrase has been around for a very long time,  

and I'm sure you would find many examples  of it being used in black and white films.

“I'm sorry, Mary. I don't love  you. I could never love you.”

“How dare you!” (slap)

But this phrase is not archaic.

We do use it in modern English, and it means “I  

can't believe you were brave  enough to do such a thing.”

How dare you?

How did you dare to do or say that?

“Babe, we need more biscuits.”

“No, there’s a tin full in the kitchen”

“Nope, I have eaten them all.”

“You’ve eaten them all, and  you didn’t save any for me?”

“Sorry.”

“How dare you! They were my  special Birthday biscuits.”

And similar to that phrase  is, “You’ve got a nerve.”

Again, you are pointing out how brave someone  is to dare behave in such an unacceptable way.

“Knock knock”

“Danielle?”

“Hi, can we talk?”

“You’ve got a nerve coming  in here after what you did.”

I hope you found this lesson useful  and my presentation acceptable.

Until next time, take care and goodbye.