Let's go back in time to last week and look at the conversation between Mr. Maru and Sparky:

Mr. Maru: How was the party Sparky?

Sparky: It was pretty good. Lots of people in one place makes me reserved.

Mr. Maru: Reserved? But, you are a really friendly person.

Sparky: I know, but in a crowd, I'm really reserved.

Mr. Maru: You mean shy?

Sparky: Mmm, I'm a little ashamed. I don't know if I'm shy or reserved.

Mr. Maru: You mean embarrassed?

Sparky: I give up.

Last week, we talked about shy and reserved. This week, let's talk about the difference between embarrassed and ashamed. These two words have very similar meanings.

Embarrassed

Embarrassed means that you look foolish in a group of people. You did something you didn't want to do, and now people are laughing at you or looking at you. You usually make a mistake, and this causes a problem.

I forgot my homework for class. I was so embarrassed.

He ran out of the kitchen and dropped a whole cake on the floor. He looked so embarrassed.

Ashamed

Ashamed means that you look foolish in a group of people, but you did something you wanted to do. You are guilty of doing something. It was not a mistake. You did something and someone caught you.

I drank all night. The next day, I had a big interview, but I couldn't answer the questions. I'm so ashamed.

I ate the last cookie. Jenny didn't have any cookies. I feel ashamed.

Be careful: I am ashamed. The situation is shameful. For example,

He wasn't able to walk after drinking. It was so shameful, but he didn't look ashamed.

Do you know the difference between embarrassed and ashamed? Let's take a quiz and find out:

Situation 1 -

You played video games all night with friends. You knew you had homework to do, but you didn't do it. The next day, your teacher asks for your homework. You tell him an excuse. Are you ...

A) embarrassed?

B) ashamed?

Situation 2 -

You had a little too much to drink. Your friend bought you a lot of drinks. You go to the bathroom and hit a waitress. She spills 4 beers all over your shirt and the floor. Are you ...

A) embarrassed?

B) ashamed?

Situation 3 -

You are late for a meeting. You run through the office. You don't see a glass door and slam into it. You pass out. A co-worker has to help you up. Are you ...

A) embarrassed?

B) ashamed?

Answers

1. B - You wanted to play the video games. You had a purpose. It is your fault you didn't do the homework.

2. A - You didn't want to drink so much beer. Your friend bought you drinks.

3. A - You didn't want to hit the glass. It was an accident.

I hope you enjoyed this Teacher Stumpers. If you have a Stumper, send me an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it I'll be happy to answer it for you.

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