Idioms with hand, skin and boneall skin and bones | save sb's skin | a bone of contention | in sb's hands | make no bones about | go hand in hand | close at hand | jump out of sb's skin |
Describing changechange over time, adjust | evolve, adapt | completely change, become different | transform, reform | change for the better | improve, enhance, progress, alter | change back to a former state | restore, reverse, revert | influence something | determine, shape |
Phrases describing changechop and change | make great strides | pull sb's socks up | back to square one | move the goalposts | turn the corner | turn upside down | go from strength to strength |
Belonging and alienationassociation | isolation | loyalty | attachment | rapport | rejection | marginalization | disaffection | exclusion | segregation |
Literary devicespersonification | repetition | oxymoron | imagery | rhetorical question |
Linking wordscause | because of, due to | effect | result in, as a result, consequently, lead to | contrast | while, even though, however | addition | that said, furthermore, in addition |
Describing reactionsdazed | distraught | stumped | bewildered | flustered | disorientated | befuddled | baffled |
Conformity and nonconformitystep up to the mark | go with the flow | bow down to | take the initiative | go against the grain | buck the trend | spur into action | turn a blind eye | follow sb's lead | bury one's head in the sand |
Crime and justiceacquit (of) | convict (of) | detain (for) | exonerate (from/of) | implicate (in) | release (on bail) | remand (in custody) |
Verb and noun suffixesabsolve | absolution | acquit | acquittal | confess | confession | convict | conviction | defend | defendant | indict | indictment | jeopardize | jeopardy | penalize | penalty | plead | plea | prosecute | prosecution | testify | testimony |
Adverbs: type and positionsentence adverbs | sadly, incredibly, clearly, naturally, luckily | frequency | annually, daily, usually | degree | a bit, relatively | place and time | everywhere, always, immediately | manner | sadly, incredibly, calmly, naturally, dismally | focus | nearly, hardly, only, barely, even |
| | Word analysisforaging for food | self-sufficient | the trappings of success | flat-packing | assembly line | ethos | pipe dream | key indicators |
Phrases to do with moneylive beyond means | struggle to make ends meet | be stripped for cash | fritter away | live on the breadline | poverty-stricken | splash out on | squander |
Banking and insurancestanding order | contactless card | current account | direct debit | sort code | premium | liability | no-claims bonus | comprehensive policy | third-party |
Collocations: advertisingset up | a display / a company / an advertising agency | conduct | market research / a survey / market analysis | launch | a product / an advertising campaign / an investigation | make | a deal / a loss / a profit | gain | market share / experience / access | boost | sales / profits / productivity | outstrip | supply / rivals / inflation | manipulate | our minds / public opinion / data |
Retailpoint of sale | merchandise | line | loss leader | outlet | seconds | pop-up | supplier |
Describing trendssoar | surge | rocket | escalate | tumble | slump | dip | plummet |
Verbs expressing cause and effectcause | result from, attribute | effect | generate, give rise to, trigger, account for, bring about, perpetuate |
Expressions with brainthe brains behind | pick the brains (of) | brainwave | brainchild | brainwashed | scatterbrained | brain-teasers | rack the brains |
Lexical twinsaccomplish | pull off | conquer | get over | install | put up | recite | reel off | ascertain | find out | conduct | carry out | transmit | pass on | collaborate | team up | impede | hold up | discern | make out | attribute to | pin on | cease | give up | resolve | clear up | revolutionize | turn around |
Memoryrecall | recollect | remember | memorize | remind | reflect on | reminisce | commemorate |
Adjectives describing intelligence and abilityreceptive | musical | introspective | intrapersonal | dexterous | bodily kinaesthetic | observant | naturalistic | discerning | spatial | intuitive | interpersonal | methodical | logical-mathematical | articulate | linguistic |
Abilities and traitsdexterity | dexterous | curiosity | curious | agility | agile | ingenuity | ingenious | diligence | diligent | modesty | modest |
Word analysisbrogue | a strong accent | bilious | bad-tempered, full of anger | kerbstone | unsophisticated, without trraining or experience | gutter | the bad social conditions | have a jaw | have a chat |
Comparison and contrastanalogy | analogous | contradiction | contradictory | correspondence | corresponding | disparity | disparate | divergence | divergent | homogeneity | homogeneous | inerchange | interchangeable | varience | variable/varied |
Verb patternsVerb + inf with to | afford, agree, appear, continue, expect, happen, hope, need, plan, prefer, refuse, seem, start | Verb + obj + inf with to | allow, ask, encourage, expect, help, inspire, invite, remind, teach, tell, want | Verb + obj + -ing | avoid, discuss, dislike, enjoy, imagine, prevent, recommend, spend | Verb + obj + prep. + -ing | apologize for, congratulate on, consent to, criticize for, insist on, succeed in | Both to + inf and -ing | begin, continue, hate, intend, memorize, prefer, propose, start | Depends on meaning | forget, go on, like, regret, remember, stop, try | Verb + obj + inf | let, make | Perception verbs | feel, hear, notice, see, watch | Verb + -ing | admit, avoid, deny, discuss, dislike, enjoy, finish, imagine, practise, recall, recommend, resent, suggest |
Phrases with road, path, track and wayon the right track | come a long way | paths cross | stop dead in one's tracks | lose track of time | smooth the path | the end of the road | on the road | make one's way | further down the road | a long way off | hit the road |
Verbs of movementchug, accelerate, glide, hurtle, pull up, advance, prowl, creep, stride, stroll |
Road traffic accidentscollide | skid | hit head-on | jackknife | shed its load | overshoot | swerve | write off | shatter |
Commonly confused adjectivesdefinite - sure or certain | definitive - the best or most extreme | compulsive - irresistibly interesting | compulsory - that must be done | historic - important in history | historical - connected with the past | notable - deserving of attention | noticeable - easy to see | alternate - occurring in turn repeatedly | alternative - able to be used instead of sth else | technical - relating to the use of machinery | technological - relating to the practical use of scientific discoveries | economic - connected with money | economical - providing good value for the money spent |
Phrases for expressing emphasiswell and truly | ever so | by far | no wonder | for months on end | without doubt |
Nouns formed from phrasal verbsoutlook, outcome, downpour, outbreak, upbringing, uprising, backdrop, downfall | run-up, setback, crackdown, hold-up, let-down, washout |
Geographylatitude, longitude | prime meridian, the equator | the northern / southern hemisphere | the tropic of Cancer / Capricorn | the Antipodes, the Pacific Rim, the Subcontinent |
Emphasizing adjectivesrestrictive adjectives | chief, exact, foremost, major, sole, specific, only, main, principal | intensifying adjectives | absolute, entire, extreme, sheer, total, utter |
| | Compound modifiersall-consuming | work / passion / state | feel-good | movie / story / factor | long-term | objective / prognosis / employment | long-lasting | battery / effect / relationship | rose-tinted | glasses / lens / view | seven-year | itch / campaign / romance | much-respected | idea / person / type of love | hotly disputed | subject / theory / claim |
Defining loveeuphoria | infatuation | obsessive-compulsive disorder | devotion | compromise | amity | loyalty | narcissism |
Head and heart metaphorswear one's heart on one's sleeve | have a change of heart | take to heart | don't have the heart to | use your head | level-headed | keep your head | have an old head on young shoulders |
Relationshipshave a soft spot for sb | wrap sb around your little finger | live in each other's pockets | get on each other's nerves | have sb to lean on | drive a wedge between ppl | be at sb's beck and call | get on like a house on fire |
The property marketrent | contract | estate agent | notice | landlord | deposit | letting agent | mortgage | lease | tenant |
The language of wartrigger revolts | pledge allegiance | drum up support | betray the cause | rally the troops | sack a town | wage a war | rout the enemy |
Collocations - life and fatedecide one's fate | acquire a reputation | hold an appeal | spark a storm | be the making of sb | regain one's status | forge an identity | immerse oneself in sth |
Synonyms and antonyms: describing artintellectual | highbrow | lowbrow | elaborate | intricate | primitive | fascinating | echanting | repellent | captivating | intriguing | dreary | comprehensible | transparent | impenetrable | offensive | provocative | unobtrusive | peculiar | whimsical | conventional | dull | uninspiring | evocative |
Phrases for doing the right or the wrong thinghit the nail on the head | be spot on | strike the right note | swallow your words | get off on the wrong foor | fall wide of the mark | back the wrong horse | bark up the wrong tree |
Describing artcanvas | brush stroke | theme | medium | genre | motif | palette | silhouette | perspective | tone |
Describing musicsurging | soothing | brisk | freneitc | sluggish | raucous | ethereal | lilting | ambling | catchy | jarring | jaunty | mellow | menacing | soppy | thundering |
Prefix pairsoverrated | underachiever | predate | post-industrial, post-war | foreshadow | backdrop | monorail | multifaceted, multifarious | pro-democratic | anti-Semitic | subway | superstructure |
Building metaphorsopen doors | glass ceiling | by the back door | hit the roof | building block | lay the foundations | drive up the wall | come up against a brick wall |
Adverb collocationslavishly decorated | enthusiastically received | brilliantly conceived | bitterly disappointed | eagerly anticpated | hugely influential | intensely private | utterly appalled | simply enchanting | profoundly moving | immediately obvious | highly controversial |
Citiesstand-alone building | building site | slum tenement | congested thoroughfares | urban infrastructure | sewage system | city dwellers |
Emphatic adjectivesunprecedented | scarce | chaotic | impoverished | squalid | acute | abundant | stark |
Problems and solutionsplight | crisis | pitfall | remedy | quick fix | panacea | tackle | alleviate | resolve |
Idioms: problems and solutionshave the upper hand | take the bull by its horns | a no-brainer | throw cold water over | fight an uphill battle | a storm in a teacup | up in arms against | fall into the trap |
Word analysisassert | endeavour | commence | inflict | yield | seize | desist | fasten |
Big issuesprinciple - principal | antisocial - unsocial - unsociable | migrant - immigrant - emigrant | illicit - elicit | human - humane |
Synonyms: endurance sportsaficionado | devotee | torment | anguish | fortitude | tenacity | depletion | deficiency | handicap | hurdle | fatigue | exhaustion | tranquility | serenity | compulsion | preoccupation |
Quantity phrases with ofpinch of salt | lapse of time | ray of hope | crumb of comfort | wall of silence | grain of truth | torrent of criticism | strip of land |
Obsessionsgo cold turkey | get your fix | have a weakness for | adventure junkie | kick the habit | a slave to | take a fancy to | live and breathe |
Nouns + prepositions: addictionsreliance, insistence, dependence, restriction | on | aversion, menace, susceptibility, addiction | to | conformity, fixation, association, obsession | with |
Medical metaphorsendemic (corruption / problem / poverty / racism) | ailing (economy / bank / company / business) | agonizing (wait / decision / choice / process) | chronic (shortage / problem / lack / unemployment) | terminal (decline / crisis / damage / decay) | diagnosis | recovery | prognosis |
Idioms: sportacross the board | race against time | par for the course | win hands down | a level playing field | neck and neck | in the running | set the pace |
Vague languagesomewhere around ... | more or less | ..., or thereabouts | something like ... | ... or so | ...in round numbers | in the region of ... | give or take ... |
Colour Idiomswhite- / blue- collar worker | get the green light | a golden opportunity | a grey area | in the red | out of the blue | a purple patch | raise the white flag | red tape | with flying colours |
Geometry objectslines | arc, radius, ray, spiral, tangent | shapes | crescent, ring, ellipse, lozenge, polygon | solids | cone, cube, cylinder, pyramid, sphere |
The universeatmospheric | celestial | cosmic | galactic | gravitational | lunar | planetary | solar | stellar | terrestrial |
Euphemismsgetting on a bit | go down with sth | golden years | hard of hearing | in reduced circumstances | of advanced years | of limited means | underprivileged | visually impaired |
The workplacecareer ladder | holiday entitlement | human resources | job application | pension scheme | recruitment agency | redundancy payment | sick leave | the public sector | zero-hours contract |
Phrases with end(be) at your wits' end | light at the end of the tunnel | meet an untimely end | (be) no end (to sth) in sight | on the receiving end of | spell the end for | the beginning of the end | the end is nigh |
Word analysisface | the truth, a choice, the facts | induce | sleep, drowsiness, a change | boost | tourism, productivity, the economy | arouse | interest, anxiety, suspicion | exhibit | symptoms, self-control, a picture | devote | energy, effort, resources | foster | learning, a sense of community, unrealistic expectations | scrutinize | the small print, the bill, a performance |
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