U6

Harold’s working to bring about changes in the industry. It can bring about serious consequences.

Football is 'the continuation of war by other means' (G. Orwell)

We don't have any means to live here. They are out of means.; You can use different means of transport in our city.

He attended several of the fringe meetings at the conference. Fringe area of studies. These activities are very much on the fringe of their global operation.

We spent the day lazing around on the beach.

We are suffering from the shortage of food. There is a shortage of vaccinations in Africa. The recent shortage of money made us suffer.

Few observers believe that the treaty will bring a lasting peace to the region.

His is considered a notable in his environment.

It was an embarrassing defeat; You will never defeat me. We were defeated in this battle.

The Second World War broke out in 1939.

The cease-fire of 23 January is extremely fragile and only really exists on paper.

Cease trying to do more than you can. According to their orders, we must cease construction of the project immediately. The whispering ceased when the curtain went up.

Meanwhile in Spain, the Civil War rages out of control. The war rages around me.

The castle was under siege for three months.

I asked him to track my biological mother down. The police still hasn't tracked the murderer down

Fortunately, there were no fatalities.

He said that Allende's government in Chile was overthrown by the army and the CIA in 1973.

He seized my hand and led me to his room. The jealousy seized my mind. The police seized his gun. He was seized in his own house.

They seized control of the country

A military coup is not a way out of a crisis.

He won a motorcycle rally. She attended an anti-government rally. He made many promises at his presidential rally. (wiec prezydencki)

Tickets are selling well for the group's upcoming concert tour.

the topic is newsworthy

We acknowledge the common threat of nuclear proliferation, particularly from Iran. Here we have a proliferation of scar tissue on his body.

The bullet went through muscle tissue.

He was a benevolent old man and wouldn't hurt a fly. She smiled benevolently at me.

With one blow of the knight's axe, he clove the rock in twain (= into two pieces).

The ancient ivy cleaved to the ruined castle walls. People in the remote mountain villages still cleave to their old traditions.

Clare was wearing a low-cut dress that showed off her cleavage.

The last straw was when the company fired most of the managers. (full: the last straw breaks the camel's back)

I reckon she'll come. She was widely reckoned (to be) the best actress of her generation.

Some kids were teasing him, trying to pick a fight.

My brother is always teasing me. Don't tease the bear, it can kill you.

After accident, he was rushed to casualty

I call these clauses very revengeful clauses.

There will be a human rights clause in the new agreement.

"Well, he didn't invite me to his party so I'm certainly not inviting him to mine!" she said petulantly. Skilful player but incredibly sulky and petulant.

She brought along a couple of sulky kids who didn't say a word the whole time.

auxiliary verb, ~ staff, ~ nurse, semi-skilled auxiliaries

She jogs after work to let off steam.

Somehow we got our wires crossed because I'd written the 23rd in my diary and Jen had the 16th.

I accidentally tripped over the suitcase.

don't take offence

The soldiers laid siege to (= started a siege of) the city. The castle was under siege for months.

She turned a sharp, fierce look upon him., they were engaged in a fierce price war, Our competition is fierce.

Their lawyer, a big gun from Detroit, commissioned a bunch of surveys to show that their products met the state's standards.

You should pursue your research. Don't be afraid to pursue your goals. If you keep on pursuing me, I will call the police. They are aggressively pursuing voters

I'm on a tight budget this month. He said he was late because of his tight schedule. My plane seat was too tight...

the rota of household chores, weekly rota

to slam the door

Our neighbours are very inconsiderate - they're always playing loud music late at night.

You will appoint me your private secretary. We appointed the date for our wedding.

We have just received the information about the forthcoming conference. Her forthcoming novel is expected to become an instant bestseller.

They had words yesterday evening

He went over your head and complained about you to the manager.

You won't get anywhere throwing around baseless accusations.

~ of raindeer, ~ of people; Her concert herded thousands of people; He herded the sheep to the farm.

Will you help me write my memoir?

I remember my first encounter with a smartphone. Our encounter was an unpleasant surprise.

~ soldiers / troops, ~ money; ~ words; ~ from the project, ~ from the competition

crawling soldier, crawl into bed, crawling car, crawling kid, crawling caterpillar

The Treaty of Lisbon was initially known as the Reform Treaty.

The Russian chess team routed all the rest. The battle/election was a complete and utter rout.

She sat through the whole meeting without uttering a word.; utter confusion/misery/chaos utter nonsense/rubbish/drivel The meeting was a complete and utter waste of time. Lying back in the hot bath was utter bliss.

... all these phrases which, by the way, are drawn from news articles over the last week.

In the previous job I was confined to doing only one thing. Let's confine our discussion to the matter in question, please! Please confine your use of the phone to business calls.

I know it's a cliché, but the birth of my son was the happiest day of my life.

unsung hero, Many of her achievements went unsung until after her death.

terminally ill

There is a rift between what he says and what he does. The marriage caused a rift between the brothers and they didn't speak to each other for ten years.

I'm torn between family and work

He looked at them with contempt. I could hear the contempt in her voice.

Ali was a pugilistic virtuoso.; His pugilistic friend threatened us with physical violence.

My boyfriend scrapped in front of a club.

Nelson Mandela is revered for his brave fight against apartheid.