Emotions/feelings running high

[retro]

Hi

I've heard that Emotions/feelings are running high can express love, anger, fear, and excitement but don't know what context it fixes.

Would you check my sentences if they're OK?

Emotions/feelings were running high:
1.
a. when Susie and Pete met again after a separation of two weeks.
b. as they danced

2.
a. when it came out that the government had broken its promise of lower tax.
b. when the referee had disallowed Liverpool's goal.

3.
a. as parents awaited news of their children trapped during the school shooting.
b. on board when the plane started to shake.

4.
a. at the airport as the fans welcomed the World Cup winning team.
b. when the country had been declared independent.

[Tdol]

1b- This would be 'emotions' for me- 'feelings' tend to convey anger, etc.

[BobK]

People tend to use 'feelings are running high' when someone is angry (as Tdol said), and they are trying to 'lighten up' the situation. For example, in a meeting where several people have been getting angry, someone might say 'I can see feelings are running rather high. Why don't we have a break for coffee, and leave this issue until next week - so that people can sort things out in private?'

b

[retro]

Originally Posted by BobK

People tend to use 'feelings are running high' when someone is angry (as Tdol said), and they are trying to 'lighten up' the situation. For example, in a meeting where several people have been getting angry, someone might say 'I can see feelings are running rather high. Why don't we have a break for coffee, and leave this issue until next week - so that people can sort things out in private?'

b

Should it always involve the 'trying to lighten up the situation' like in your sentence or mine (2-3 a., b.) without it are fine too.

Anyway, are they all grammatically correct?

[BobK]

Originally Posted by retro

Should it always involve the 'trying to lighten up the situation' like in your sentence or mine (2-3 a., b.) without it are fine too.

Anyway, are they all grammatically correct?

Not always, but it usually refers to anger/bad temper/frustration.

your examples:

2.
a. when it came out that the government had broken its promise of lower tax. Maybe OK if this is the last in a string of broken promises. Grammatically fine.
b. when the referee had disallowed Liverpool's goal.
Likewise - possibly. Better would be: 'Feelings were running high by the time of the decision. But when the referee disallowed Liverpool's goal, they finally boiled over.' Another idiom common in sport commentaries is 'tempers were frayed' [fraying is what a rope does when the strands or fibres become unwound].

3.
a. as parents awaited news of their children trapped during the school shooting.
Grammatically OK, but it would suit the context only if the parents were angry at something (maybe bad communications with the authorities, lack of information, police incompetence in overlooking the risk - something like that.)
b. on board when the plane started to shake.
Grammatically fine, but unsuitable here - no anger.

Your grammar is good (even that past perfect could be OK), but I don't believe 'feelings were running high' is right in these cases.



b

[retro]

Originally Posted by BobK

a. when it came out that the government had broken its promise of lower tax. Maybe OK if this is the last in a string of broken promises. Grammatically fine.

b. when the referee had disallowed Liverpool's goal.

Likewise - possibly. Better would be: 'Feelings were running high by the time of the decision. But when the referee disallowed Liverpool's goal, they finally boiled over.' Another idiom common in sport commentaries is 'tempers were frayed' [fraying is what a rope does when the strands or fibres become unwound].

I chose the Past Perfect to show that it was the goverment's action that brought about the anger of people and it was the referee's decision that made the fans angry. Is it wrong?

If one promise was broken (which government would stop lying anyway ), should we use the Simple Past?