Phrase bank

Sufia Soha

04 Jan 2026 — 44 min read

Part 2: CAUSATION & CONSEQUENCE

Expressions that describe why things happen and what results.

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
1	bring about	bring about ___	noun	The new policy brought about major changes.
2	lead to	lead to ___	noun	Stress can lead to health problems.
3	result in	result in ___	noun	The mistake resulted in a huge loss.
4	give rise to	give rise to ___	noun	The scandal gave rise to widespread protests.
5	stem from	stem from ___	noun	His anger stems from childhood trauma.
6	boil down to	boil down to ___	noun	It all boils down to money.
7	come down to	come down to ___	noun	Success comes down to hard work.
8	account for	account for ___	noun	This accounts for the delay.
9	contribute to	contribute to ___	noun / V-ing	Lack of sleep contributes to poor focus.
10	be due to	be due to ___	noun	The cancellation was due to bad weather.
11	be down to	be down to ___	noun	Their success is down to teamwork.
12	thanks to	thanks to ___	noun	Thanks to her, we finished on time.
13	owing to	owing to ___	noun	Owing to the rain, the event was postponed.
14	on account of	on account of ___	noun	He left on account of his health.
15	as a result of	as a result of ___	noun	As a result of the merger, jobs were cut.
16	in light of	in light of ___	noun	In light of recent events, we must reconsider.
17	in view of	in view of ___	noun	In view of the circumstances, I understand.
18	set off	set off ___	noun	The comment set off a heated debate.
19	spark off	spark off ___	noun	The arrest sparked off riots.
20	trigger off	trigger off ___	noun	The smell triggered off old memories.
21	touch off	touch off ___	noun	His remarks touched off controversy.
22	bring on	bring on ___	noun	Stress brought on his illness.
23	end up with	end up with ___	noun	We ended up with nothing.
24	wind up with	wind up with ___	noun	He wound up with a broken arm.
25	amount to	amount to ___	noun	All his efforts amounted to nothing.
26	add up to	add up to ___	noun	The evidence adds up to one conclusion.
27	make for	make for ___	noun	Good communication makes for a healthy relationship.
28	call for	call for ___	noun	This situation calls for patience.
29	pave the way for	pave the way for ___	noun	Her research paved the way for new treatments.
30	lay the groundwork for	lay the groundwork for ___	noun	They laid the groundwork for future success.
31	set the stage for	set the stage for ___	noun	The meeting set the stage for negotiations.
32	sow the seeds of	sow the seeds of ___	noun	This decision sowed the seeds of conflict.
33	plant the seeds of	plant the seeds of ___	noun	She planted the seeds of doubt in his mind.
34	play a part in	play a [adj] part in ___	adjective + noun	Luck played a big part in his success.
35	play a role in	play a [adj] role in ___	adjective + noun	She played a key role in the project.
36	have a bearing on	have a bearing on ___	noun	This has no bearing on the final decision.
37	have an impact on	have an [adj] impact on ___	adjective + noun	Technology has a huge impact on education.
38	have an effect on	have an [adj] effect on ___	adjective + noun	Diet has a direct effect on energy levels.
39	take a toll on	take a toll on ___	noun	The job took a toll on his health.
40	take its toll	take its toll (on ___)	noun (optional)	Years of stress have taken their toll.
41	backfire on	backfire on ___	noun (person)	His plan backfired on him.
42	blow up in my face	blow up in [my/his/her] face	possessive	The whole thing blew up in my face.
43	come back to haunt	come back to haunt ___	noun (person)	That mistake came back to haunt him.
44	catch up with	catch up with ___	noun (person)	His past finally caught up with him.
45	pay the price for	pay the price for ___	noun / V-ing	He's paying the price for his arrogance.
46	suffer the consequences of	suffer the consequences of ___	noun / V-ing	They suffered the consequences of poor planning.
47	face the consequences of	face the consequences of ___	noun / V-ing	You must face the consequences of your actions.
48	bear the brunt of	bear the brunt of ___	noun	Workers bore the brunt of the cuts.
49	fall victim to	fall victim to ___	noun	She fell victim to a scam.
50	be at the root of	be at the root of ___	noun	Insecurity is at the root of his behavior.

Part 3: TIME, SEQUENCE & DURATION

Expressions about when, how long, and in what order things happen.

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
1	in no time	in no time	—	She finished the task in no time.
2	in the long run	in the long run	—	It will pay off in the long run.
3	in the short run	in the short run	—	It might hurt in the short run.
4	for the time being	for the time being	—	Let's leave it for the time being.
5	at the time	at the time	—	I didn't realize it at the time.
6	at this point	at this point	—	At this point, I'm too tired to care.
7	at some point	at some point	—	We all fail at some point.
8	at one point	at one point	—	At one point, I almost gave up.
9	from time to time	from time to time	—	I still think about it from time to time.
10	time and again	time and again	—	He made the same mistake time and again.
11	once in a while	once in a while	—	I treat myself once in a while.
12	every now and then	every now and then	—	We meet up every now and then.
13	every so often	every so often	—	Check in every so often.
14	on and off	on and off	—	They've been dating on and off.
15	off and on	off and on	—	It's been raining off and on all day.
16	all along	all along	—	I knew the truth all along.
17	all the while	all the while	—	She smiled, all the while hiding her pain.
18	as of now	as of now	—	As of now, nothing has changed.
19	as of yet	as of yet	—	We haven't received confirmation as of yet.
20	up to now	up to now	—	Up to now, everything has gone smoothly.
21	up until now	up until now	—	Up until now, I never understood.
22	so far	so far	—	So far, so good.
23	thus far	thus far	—	Thus far, the results are promising.
24	by now	by now	—	You should know by now.
25	by then	by then	—	By then, it was too late.
26	by the time	by the time ___	clause	By the time I arrived, they had left.
27	ahead of time	ahead of time	—	Please arrive ahead of time.
28	behind schedule	behind schedule	—	The project is behind schedule.
29	ahead of schedule	ahead of schedule	—	We finished ahead of schedule.
30	on schedule	on schedule	—	Everything is on schedule.
31	in due time	in due time	—	You'll understand in due time.
32	in due course	in due course	—	You'll be notified in due course.
33	in good time	in good time	—	We arrived in good time.
34	in the nick of time	in the nick of time	—	He arrived in the nick of time.
35	just in time	just in time (for ___)	noun (optional)	We got there just in time for the movie.
36	run out of time	run out of time	—	We ran out of time.
37	pressed for time	be pressed for time	—	Sorry, I'm pressed for time.
38	short on time	be short on time	—	I'm a bit short on time today.
39	kill time	kill time	—	I was just killing time before the meeting.
40	waste time	waste time (on ___)	noun / V-ing (optional)	Don't waste time on regret.
41	take my time	take [my/your/his] time	possessive	Take your time. No rush.
42	make up for lost time	make up for lost time	—	They're trying to make up for lost time.
43	stand the test of time	stand the test of time	—	True friendships stand the test of time.
44	a matter of time	be a matter of time (before ___)	clause (optional)	It's only a matter of time before they find out.
45	drag on	drag on	—	The meeting dragged on for hours.
46	go on and on	go on and on (about ___)	noun (optional)	He went on and on about his trip.
47	carry on	carry on (with ___)	noun (optional)	Let's carry on with the meeting.
48	hold off on	hold off on ___	noun / V-ing	Let's hold off on making a decision.
49	put off	put off ___ / put ___ off	noun / V-ing	I keep putting off the dentist.
50	get around to	get around to ___	noun / V-ing	I never got around to reading that book.

Part 4: CERTAINTY, DOUBT & POSSIBILITY

Expressions for how sure or unsure we are.

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
1	without a doubt	without a doubt	—	She's the best, without a doubt.
2	beyond doubt	beyond doubt	—	His guilt was proven beyond doubt.
3	no doubt	no doubt	—	No doubt, he'll succeed.
4	sure enough	sure enough	—	Sure enough, he was right.
5	for sure	for sure	—	I know one thing for sure.
6	for certain	for certain	—	I can't say for certain.
7	rest assured	rest assured (that ___)	clause (optional)	Rest assured, we'll handle it.
8	safe to say	be safe to say (that ___)	clause	It's safe to say he's not coming.
9	goes without saying	it goes without saying (that ___)	clause (optional)	It goes without saying that trust is essential.
10	needless to say	needless to say	—	Needless to say, I was shocked.
11	as far as I know	as far as I know	—	As far as I know, he's still there.
12	to my knowledge	to my knowledge	—	To my knowledge, no one complained.
13	to the best of my knowledge	to the best of my knowledge	—	To the best of my knowledge, it's true.
14	as far as I can tell	as far as I can tell	—	As far as I can tell, nothing's changed.
15	from what I gather	from what I gather	—	From what I gather, they've split up.
16	from what I understand	from what I understand	—	From what I understand, he's resigning.
17	if I'm not mistaken	if I'm not mistaken	—	If I'm not mistaken, we've met before.
18	correct me if I'm wrong	correct me if I'm wrong	—	Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you agree?
19	I could be wrong but	I could be wrong but ___	clause	I could be wrong, but I think he's lying.
20	I may be wrong but	I may be wrong but ___	clause	I may be wrong, but that seems off.
21	chances are	chances are (that ___)	clause	Chances are, he forgot.
22	odds are	odds are (that ___)	clause	Odds are, it'll rain tomorrow.
23	in all likelihood	in all likelihood	—	In all likelihood, they'll agree.
24	in all probability	in all probability	—	In all probability, he's right.
25	more likely than not	more likely than not	—	More likely than not, she'll say yes.
26	as likely as not	as likely as not	—	As likely as not, it's already too late.
27	there's a good chance	there's a good chance (that ___)	clause	There's a good chance we'll win.
28	there's no telling	there's no telling ___	wh-clause	There's no telling what he'll do.
29	there's no knowing	there's no knowing ___	wh-clause	There's no knowing how long it'll take.
30	there's no saying	there's no saying ___	wh-clause	There's no saying who's responsible.
31	hard to say	be hard to say ___	wh-clause	It's hard to say what went wrong.
32	hard to tell	be hard to tell ___	wh-clause	It's hard to tell if he's serious.
33	remain to be seen	remain to be seen (whether ___)	clause	It remains to be seen whether it works.
34	up in the air	be up in the air	—	The plans are still up in the air.
35	touch and go	be touch and go	—	For a while, it was touch and go.
36	on the fence	be on the fence (about ___)	noun (optional)	I'm still on the fence about it.
37	have my doubts about	have [my/your] doubts about ___	noun	I have my doubts about his honesty.
38	cast doubt on	cast doubt on ___	noun	New evidence cast doubt on the verdict.
39	call into question	call ___ into question	noun	His motives were called into question.
40	throw into question	throw ___ into question	noun	The scandal threw everything into question.
41	think twice about	think twice about ___	noun / V-ing	You should think twice about quitting.
42	have second thoughts about	have second thoughts about ___	noun / V-ing	I'm having second thoughts about the move.
43	take with a grain of salt	take ___ with a grain of salt	noun	Take his advice with a grain of salt.
44	take with a pinch of salt	take ___ with a pinch of salt	noun	Take those rumors with a pinch of salt.
45	jump to conclusions	jump to conclusions	—	Don't jump to conclusions.
46	leap to conclusions	leap to conclusions	—	She's always leaping to conclusions.
47	rule out	rule out ___	noun	We can't rule out the possibility.
48	count out	count out ___ / count ___ out	noun	Don't count me out just yet.
49	be a toss-up	be a toss-up (between ___)	nouns	It's a toss-up between the two options.
50	leave room for doubt	leave room for doubt	—	His explanation still leaves room for doubt.

Part 5: EMOTION & ATTITUDE (Expanded)

Expressions describing feelings and stances.

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
1	fed up with	be fed up with ___	noun / V-ing	I'm fed up with excuses.
2	sick and tired of	be sick and tired of ___	noun / V-ing	I'm sick and tired of waiting.
3	can't stand	can't stand ___	noun / V-ing	I can't stand rude people.
4	can't bear	can't bear ___	noun / V-ing	She can't bear the thought of losing.
5	can't help	can't help ___	V-ing	I can't help feeling nervous.
6	feel like	feel like ___	noun / V-ing	I feel like giving up.
7	in the mood for	be in the mood for ___	noun / V-ing	I'm not in the mood for jokes.
8	in high spirits	be in high spirits	—	She was in high spirits after the news.
9	in low spirits	be in low spirits	—	He's been in low spirits lately.
10	in good spirits	be in good spirits	—	Despite everything, she's in good spirits.
11	on cloud nine	be on cloud nine	—	I was on cloud nine after the promotion.
12	over the moon	be over the moon (about ___)	noun (optional)	They're over the moon about the baby.
13	thrilled to bits	be thrilled to bits	—	She was thrilled to bits with the gift.
14	tickled pink	be tickled pink	—	He was tickled pink by the surprise.
15	on top of the world	be on top of the world	—	I felt on top of the world.
16	down in the dumps	be down in the dumps	—	He's been down in the dumps lately.
17	under the weather	be/feel under the weather	—	I'm feeling a bit under the weather.
18	out of sorts	be/feel out of sorts	—	She's been out of sorts all week.
19	at the end of my rope	be at the end of [my/your/his] rope	possessive	I'm at the end of my rope.
20	at my wit's end	be at [my/your/his] wit's end	possessive	I'm at my wit's end with this problem.
21	beside myself	be beside [myself/yourself] (with ___)	emotion (optional)	She was beside herself with worry.
22	out of my mind	be out of [my/your/his] mind (with ___)	emotion (optional)	I was out of my mind with fear.
23	scared to death	be scared to death (of ___)	noun (optional)	I'm scared to death of spiders.
24	worried sick	be worried sick (about ___)	noun (optional)	She was worried sick about her son.
25	bored to tears	be bored to tears	—	I was bored to tears in that lecture.
26	bored out of my mind	be bored out of [my/your/his] mind	possessive	I'm bored out of my mind here.
27	scared stiff	be scared stiff	—	He was scared stiff of the interview.
28	shaken up	be shaken up (by ___)	noun (optional)	She was really shaken up by the accident.
29	worked up	be/get worked up (about ___)	noun (optional)	Don't get so worked up about it.
30	stressed out	be stressed out (about ___)	noun (optional)	I'm stressed out about the deadline.
31	burned out	be burned out	—	After the project, I was completely burned out.
32	worn out	be worn out	—	I'm worn out from all the traveling.
33	wound up	be wound up (about ___)	noun (optional)	He gets wound up about politics.
34	keyed up	be keyed up	—	I was too keyed up to sleep.
35	fired up	be fired up (about ___)	noun (optional)	She's fired up about the campaign.
36	pumped up	be pumped up	—	The team was pumped up for the game.
37	psyched up	be psyched up (for ___)	noun (optional)	I'm totally psyched up for this.
38	look forward to	look forward to ___	noun / V-ing	I look forward to hearing from you.
39	can't wait to	can't wait to ___	verb	I can't wait to see you.
40	dying to	be dying to ___	verb	I'm dying to know what happened.
41	long for	long for ___	noun	She longs for a simpler life.
42	yearn for	yearn for ___	noun	He yearns for his hometown.
43	ache for	ache for ___	noun	My heart aches for those children.
44	have a soft spot for	have a soft spot for ___	noun	I have a soft spot for old movies.
45	grow fond of	grow fond of ___	noun	I've grown fond of this place.
46	take a liking to	take a liking to ___	noun	He took an instant liking to her.
47	warm to	warm to ___	noun	I didn't warm to him immediately.
48	take to	take to ___	noun / V-ing	She took to swimming right away.
49	get a kick out of	get a kick out of ___	noun / V-ing	He gets a kick out of teasing her.
50	get a thrill out of	get a thrill out of ___	noun / V-ing	She gets a thrill out of public speaking.
51	have mixed feelings about	have mixed feelings about ___	noun / V-ing	I have mixed feelings about the decision.
52	be torn about	be torn about ___	noun / V-ing	I'm torn about whether to accept.
53	have reservations about	have reservations about ___	noun / V-ing	I have reservations about this plan.
54	take exception to	take exception to ___	noun	She took exception to his remarks.
55	take offense at	take offense at ___	noun	He took offense at the joke.
56	lose my temper	lose [my/your/his] temper	possessive	I lost my temper and yelled.
57	blow my top	blow [my/your/his] top	possessive	She blew her top when she found out.
58	fly off the handle	fly off the handle	—	He flew off the handle for no reason.
59	hit the roof	hit the roof	—	My dad hit the roof when he saw the bill.
60	go through the roof	go through the roof	—	She went through the roof when she heard.
61	drive me crazy	drive [me/you/him] crazy	pronoun	That noise is driving me crazy.
62	drive me up the wall	drive [me/you/him] up the wall	pronoun	His habit drives me up the wall.
63	get on my nerves	get on [my/your/his] nerves	possessive	She really gets on my nerves.
64	rub me the wrong way	rub [me/you/him] the wrong way	pronoun	Something about him rubs me the wrong way.
65	tick me off	tick [me/you/him] off	pronoun	It really ticks me off when people lie.
66	piss me off	piss [me/you/him] off	pronoun	That attitude really pisses me off.
67	freak out	freak out (about ___)	noun (optional)	Don't freak out, it's just a spider.
68	flip out	flip out (about ___)	noun (optional)	He flipped out when he saw the mess.
69	break down	break down	—	She broke down and cried.
70	cheer up	cheer up	—	Cheer up, it's not the end of the world.

Part 6: EFFORT, ATTEMPT & SUCCESS/FAILURE

Expressions describing trying, working hard, succeeding, and failing.

6A: EFFORT & TRYING

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
1	give it a shot	give ___ a shot	noun (it/this/that)	I've never tried sushi, but I'll give it a shot.
2	give it a try	give ___ a try	noun	Give it a try—you might like it.
3	give it a go	give ___ a go	noun	I'm not sure I can, but I'll give it a go.
4	have a go at	have a go at ___	noun / V-ing	Let me have a go at fixing it.
5	have a crack at	have a crack at ___	noun / V-ing	I'll have a crack at the puzzle.
6	have a stab at	have a stab at ___	noun / V-ing	She had a stab at writing poetry.
7	take a shot at	take a shot at ___	noun / V-ing	He took a shot at starting his own business.
8	take a crack at	take a crack at ___	noun / V-ing	Mind if I take a crack at it?
9	take a stab at	take a stab at ___	noun / V-ing	I'll take a stab at guessing the answer.
10	try my hand at	try [my/your/his] hand at ___	noun / V-ing	I tried my hand at painting last summer.
11	try my best	try [my/your/his] best (to ___)	verb (optional)	I tried my best to help.
12	do my best	do [my/your/his] best (to ___)	verb (optional)	I'll do my best to finish on time.
13	do my utmost	do [my/your/his] utmost (to ___)	verb (optional)	We did our utmost to save the project.
14	give it my all	give it [my/your/his] all	possessive	She gave it her all in the final round.
15	give my best	give [my/your/his] best	possessive	He always gives his best.
16	put in the effort	put in the effort (to ___)	verb (optional)	If you put in the effort, you'll succeed.
17	put in the work	put in the work	—	She put in the work and it paid off.
18	put in the hours	put in the hours	—	He's been putting in the hours at the gym.
19	put in the time	put in the time	—	You need to put in the time to master this.
20	put my heart into	put [my/your/his] heart into ___	noun	She put her heart into the performance.
21	put my mind to	put [my/your/his] mind to ___	noun	I can do anything I put my mind to.
22	set my mind on	set [my/your/his] mind on ___	noun / V-ing	Once he sets his mind on something, he does it.
23	set my sights on	set [my/your/his] sights on ___	noun / V-ing	She set her sights on becoming a doctor.
24	go all out	go all out (for ___)	noun (optional)	They went all out for the wedding.
25	go the extra mile	go the extra mile (for ___)	noun (optional)	He always goes the extra mile for customers.
26	go to great lengths	go to great lengths (to ___)	verb	She went to great lengths to hide the truth.
27	go out of my way	go out of [my/your/his] way (to ___)	verb	He went out of his way to help me.
28	bend over backwards	bend over backwards (for ___)	noun (optional)	I bent over backwards to accommodate them.
29	spare no effort	spare no effort (to ___)	verb	We spared no effort to meet the deadline.
30	leave no stone unturned	leave no stone unturned	—	The police left no stone unturned.
31	pull out all the stops	pull out all the stops	—	They pulled out all the stops for the event.
32	give it everything I've got	give it everything [I've/you've/he's] got	pronoun	I gave it everything I've got.
33	throw myself into	throw [myself/yourself/himself] into ___	noun	She threw herself into her work.
34	pour my energy into	pour [my/your/his] energy into ___	noun	He poured all his energy into the campaign.
35	pour my heart and soul into	pour [my/your/his] heart and soul into ___	noun	She poured her heart and soul into that book.
36	work my fingers to the bone	work [my/your/his] fingers to the bone	possessive	I worked my fingers to the bone for this.
37	work my tail off	work [my/your/his] tail off	possessive	He's been working his tail off all month.
38	work my butt off	work [my/your/his] butt off	possessive	I worked my butt off on that project.
39	bust my ass	bust [my/your/his] ass	possessive	She busted her ass to get that promotion.
40	sweat blood	sweat blood (over ___)	noun (optional)	We sweated blood over that proposal.
41	break a sweat	break a sweat	—	He finished the race without breaking a sweat.
42	burn the midnight oil	burn the midnight oil	—	I've been burning the midnight oil lately.
43	burn the candle at both ends	burn the candle at both ends	—	You can't keep burning the candle at both ends.
44	push myself	push [myself/yourself/himself] (to ___)	verb (optional)	I pushed myself to the limit.
45	push the limits	push the limits (of ___)	noun (optional)	Athletes push the limits of human performance.
46	push the envelope	push the envelope	—	She's always pushing the envelope in design.
47	stretch myself thin	stretch [myself/yourself/himself] thin	pronoun	I've been stretching myself thin lately.
48	spread myself too thin	spread [myself/yourself/himself] too thin	pronoun	Don't spread yourself too thin.
49	take pains to	take pains to ___	verb	He took pains to explain everything clearly.
50	take great care to	take great care to ___	verb	She took great care to avoid mistakes.

6B: PERSISTENCE & DETERMINATION

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
51	keep at it	keep at it	—	It's hard, but keep at it.
52	keep going	keep going	—	Don't stop now—keep going!
53	keep trying	keep trying	—	Keep trying, you'll get it eventually.
54	keep pushing	keep pushing	—	We need to keep pushing forward.
55	stick with it	stick with it	—	Stick with it and you'll see results.
56	stick it out	stick it out	—	I decided to stick it out until the end.
57	hang in there	hang in there	—	Hang in there, things will get better.
58	hold on	hold on	—	Just hold on a little longer.
59	soldier on	soldier on	—	Despite the setbacks, she soldiered on.
60	press on	press on (with ___)	noun (optional)	We must press on with the plan.
61	push on	push on (with ___)	noun (optional)	They pushed on despite the rain.
62	carry on	carry on (with ___)	noun (optional)	Carry on with your work.
63	forge ahead	forge ahead (with ___)	noun (optional)	The company forged ahead with expansion.
64	power through	power through ___	noun	She powered through the pain.
65	push through	push through ___	noun	We pushed through the challenges.
66	plow through	plow through ___	noun	I plowed through 500 pages last night.
67	slug it out	slug it out	—	The two teams slugged it out until the end.
68	tough it out	tough it out	—	It's hard, but I'll tough it out.
69	ride it out	ride it out	—	We just have to ride it out.
70	weather the storm	weather the storm	—	The company weathered the storm.
71	stay the course	stay the course	—	You need to stay the course.
72	see it through	see ___ through	noun (it/this/that)	I'm committed to seeing this through.
73	follow through	follow through (on/with ___)	noun (optional)	You need to follow through on your promises.
74	not give up	not give up (on ___)	noun (optional)	Don't give up on your dreams.
75	refuse to give in	refuse to give in (to ___)	noun (optional)	She refused to give in to pressure.
76	stand my ground	stand [my/your/his] ground	possessive	He stood his ground despite the criticism.
77	hold my ground	hold [my/your/his] ground	possessive	She held her ground in the negotiation.
78	dig in	dig in	—	We need to dig in and finish this.
79	dig deep	dig deep	—	You'll need to dig deep to win this.
80	buckle down	buckle down	—	It's time to buckle down and study.
81	knuckle down	knuckle down	—	She knuckled down and passed the exam.
82	get down to business	get down to business	—	Let's get down to business.
83	get down to work	get down to work	—	Time to get down to work.
84	get cracking	get cracking (on ___)	noun (optional)	We need to get cracking on this.
85	get to work	get to work (on ___)	noun (optional)	Let's get to work on the proposal.

6C: SUCCESS & ACHIEVEMENT

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
86	pull it off	pull ___ off / pull off ___	noun (it/this/that)	I can't believe we pulled it off!
87	bring it off	bring ___ off	noun	She managed to bring off an amazing event.
88	carry it off	carry ___ off	noun	He carried off the role perfectly.
89	make it	make it	—	I knew I'd make it eventually.
90	make it big	make it big	—	She dreamed of making it big in Hollywood.
91	hit the big time	hit the big time	—	After years of struggle, he hit the big time.
92	hit it big	hit it big	—	They hit it big with their first album.
93	strike it rich	strike it rich	—	He struck it rich in the tech industry.
94	hit the jackpot	hit the jackpot	—	We hit the jackpot with this deal.
95	come out on top	come out on top	—	In the end, she came out on top.
96	come through	come through (for ___)	noun (optional)	He always comes through when it matters.
97	work out	work out	—	Everything worked out in the end.
98	turn out well	turn out [well/fine/okay]	adverb	The project turned out better than expected.
99	pan out	pan out	—	Things didn't pan out as planned.
100	pay off	pay off	—	All that hard work finally paid off.
101	bear fruit	bear fruit	—	Years of research finally bore fruit.
102	reap the rewards	reap the rewards (of ___)	noun (optional)	Now she's reaping the rewards of her effort.
103	reap the benefits	reap the benefits (of ___)	noun (optional)	He's reaping the benefits of his discipline.
104	get results	get results	—	This method really gets results.
105	deliver results	deliver results	—	She always delivers results.
106	produce results	produce results	—	The new strategy is producing results.
107	do the trick	do the trick	—	A good night's sleep should do the trick.
108	hit the mark	hit the mark	—	His speech really hit the mark.
109	hit the nail on the head	hit the nail on the head	—	You hit the nail on the head with that comment.
110	nail it	nail it	—	She totally nailed it in the interview.
111	ace it	ace ___	noun (it/test/exam)	He aced the exam.
112	knock it out of the park	knock ___ out of the park	noun	She knocked it out of the park with her presentation.
113	hit a home run	hit a home run (with ___)	noun (optional)	The company hit a home run with that product.
114	score a victory	score a victory	—	The team scored a major victory.
115	win the day	win the day	—	Common sense won the day.
116	carry the day	carry the day	—	Her argument carried the day.
117	save the day	save the day	—	He saved the day with his quick thinking.
118	rise to the occasion	rise to the occasion	—	She rose to the occasion beautifully.
119	rise to the challenge	rise to the challenge	—	They rose to the challenge.
120	meet the challenge	meet the challenge (of ___)	noun (optional)	We're confident we can meet the challenge.
121	live up to expectations	live up to expectations	—	The movie lived up to expectations.
122	exceed expectations	exceed expectations	—	Sales exceeded expectations.
123	surpass expectations	surpass expectations	—	The results surpassed all expectations.
124	beat the odds	beat the odds	—	Against all odds, she beat the odds.
125	defy the odds	defy the odds	—	He defied the odds and survived.
126	against all odds	against all odds	—	Against all odds, they won.

6D: FAILURE & SETBACKS

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
127	fall short	fall short (of ___)	noun (optional)	The results fell short of expectations.
128	fall flat	fall flat	—	His joke fell flat.
129	fall through	fall through	—	The deal fell through at the last minute.
130	fall apart	fall apart	—	Everything just fell apart.
131	fall by the wayside	fall by the wayside	—	Many of his plans fell by the wayside.
132	go wrong	go wrong	—	Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
133	go south	go south	—	The project went south pretty quickly.
134	go downhill	go downhill	—	Things went downhill after that.
135	go up in smoke	go up in smoke	—	All my plans went up in smoke.
136	go down the drain	go down the drain	—	Years of work went down the drain.
137	go to waste	go to waste	—	Don't let this opportunity go to waste.
138	come to nothing	come to nothing	—	All his efforts came to nothing.
139	come undone	come undone	—	Everything came undone in the final hour.
140	blow it	blow it	—	I had my chance and I blew it.
141	screw up	screw up / screw ___ up	noun (optional)	I really screwed up this time.
142	mess up	mess up / mess ___ up	noun (optional)	I messed up the whole presentation.
143	slip up	slip up	—	Everyone slips up sometimes.
144	foul up	foul up / foul ___ up	noun (optional)	Someone fouled up the order.
145	botch up	botch ___ up	noun	They completely botched up the job.
146	bomb	bomb	—	The movie bombed at the box office.
147	flop	flop	—	The product flopped spectacularly.
148	tank	tank	—	His business tanked during the recession.
149	crash and burn	crash and burn	—	The startup crashed and burned.
150	bite the dust	bite the dust	—	Another one of my plans bites the dust.
151	hit rock bottom	hit rock bottom	—	After losing his job, he hit rock bottom.
152	hit a wall	hit a wall	—	I hit a wall with this project.
153	hit a dead end	hit a dead end	—	The investigation hit a dead end.
154	hit a roadblock	hit a roadblock	—	We hit a major roadblock.
155	hit a snag	hit a snag	—	The plan hit a snag early on.
156	run into trouble	run into trouble	—	We ran into trouble right away.
157	run into problems	run into problems	—	The team ran into unexpected problems.
158	run aground	run aground	—	The negotiations ran aground.
159	get stuck	get stuck (on ___)	noun (optional)	I got stuck on the last question.
160	get nowhere	get nowhere (with ___)	noun (optional)	I'm getting nowhere with this.
161	come up short	come up short	—	We came up short in the final count.
162	miss the mark	miss the mark	—	The campaign missed the mark.
163	miss the boat	miss the boat	—	You missed the boat on that opportunity.
164	miss out on	miss out on ___	noun	Don't miss out on this chance.
165	lose out on	lose out on ___	noun	He lost out on the promotion.
166	drop the ball	drop the ball (on ___)	noun (optional)	Someone dropped the ball on this.
167	let me down	let [me/you/him] down	pronoun	I won't let you down.
168	let myself down	let [myself/yourself/himself] down	reflexive	I feel like I let myself down.
169	let the team down	let the team down	—	He let the team down in the finals.
170	throw in the towel	throw in the towel	—	After months of trying, I threw in the towel.
171	give up the ghost	give up the ghost	—	My old car finally gave up the ghost.
172	call it quits	call it quits	—	They decided to call it quits.
173	pack it in	pack it in	—	I'm exhausted—I'm going to pack it in.
174	cut my losses	cut [my/your/his] losses	possessive	It's time to cut your losses and move on.
175	chalk it up to	chalk ___ up to ___	noun + noun	Just chalk it up to experience.
176	learn from my mistakes	learn from [my/your/his] mistakes	possessive	I've learned from my mistakes.
177	learn the hard way	learn ___ the hard way	noun (optional)	She learned that lesson the hard way.
178	get back on my feet	get back on [my/your/his] feet	possessive	It took months to get back on my feet.
179	bounce back	bounce back (from ___)	noun (optional)	He bounced back from the failure.
180	pick myself up	pick [myself/yourself/himself] up	reflexive	You just have to pick yourself up and try again.
181	dust myself off	dust [myself/yourself/himself] off	reflexive	I dusted myself off and kept going.
182	start from scratch	start from scratch	—	We had to start from scratch.
183	go back to square one	go back to square one	—	The project failed, so we're back to square one.
184	go back to the drawing board	go back to the drawing board	—	That didn't work—back to the drawing board.
185	wipe the slate clean	wipe the slate clean	—	Let's wipe the slate clean and start over.

Part 7: QUANTITY, DEGREE & COMPARISON

Expressions describing amounts, extent, intensity, and how things compare.

7A: LARGE QUANTITY & ABUNDANCE

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
1	a lot of	a lot of ___	noun	There's a lot of work to do.
2	lots of	lots of ___	noun	We have lots of time.
3	a great deal of	a great deal of ___	noun (uncountable)	She has a great deal of experience.
4	a good deal of	a good deal of ___	noun (uncountable)	It requires a good deal of patience.
5	a ton of	a ton of ___	noun	I have a ton of homework tonight.
6	tons of	tons of ___	noun	There are tons of options.
7	loads of	loads of ___	noun	We've got loads of food.
8	heaps of	heaps of ___	noun	She has heaps of talent.
9	piles of	piles of ___	noun	There are piles of paperwork on my desk.
10	stacks of	stacks of ___	noun	He's got stacks of money.
11	masses of	masses of ___	noun	There were masses of people.
12	oodles of	oodles of ___	noun	She has oodles of charm.
13	plenty of	plenty of ___	noun	There's plenty of room.
14	more than enough	more than enough ___	noun	We have more than enough supplies.
15	no shortage of	no shortage of ___	noun	There's no shortage of opinions here.
16	an abundance of	an abundance of ___	noun	The region has an abundance of natural resources.
17	a wealth of	a wealth of ___	noun	The book offers a wealth of information.
18	a plethora of	a plethora of ___	noun	There's a plethora of choices.
19	a multitude of	a multitude of ___	noun	He faced a multitude of challenges.
20	a wide range of	a wide range of ___	noun	We offer a wide range of services.
21	a broad range of	a broad range of ___	noun	She has a broad range of skills.
22	a whole bunch of	a whole bunch of ___	noun	I have a whole bunch of questions.
23	a whole lot of	a whole lot of ___	noun	That's a whole lot of nonsense.
24	quite a bit of	quite a bit of ___	noun	It takes quite a bit of effort.
25	quite a few	quite a few ___	noun (countable)	Quite a few people showed up.
26	a fair amount of	a fair amount of ___	noun	There's a fair amount of risk involved.
27	a considerable amount of	a considerable amount of ___	noun	It cost a considerable amount of money.
28	a significant amount of	a significant amount of ___	noun	We've saved a significant amount of time.
29	a substantial amount of	a substantial amount of ___	noun	He inherited a substantial amount of wealth.
30	more than my fair share of	more than [my/your/his] fair share of ___	noun	I've had more than my fair share of problems.

7B: SMALL QUANTITY & SCARCITY

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
31	a little bit of	a little bit of ___	noun	I just need a little bit of help.
32	a tiny bit of	a tiny bit of ___	noun	Add a tiny bit of salt.
33	a touch of	a touch of ___	noun	There's a touch of sadness in her voice.
34	a hint of	a hint of ___	noun	I detected a hint of sarcasm.
35	a trace of	a trace of ___	noun	There was no trace of evidence.
36	a handful of	a handful of ___	noun	Only a handful of people came.
37	a smattering of	a smattering of ___	noun	He knows a smattering of French.
38	a sprinkling of	a sprinkling of ___	noun	There was a sprinkling of snow.
39	a fraction of	a fraction of ___	noun	It costs a fraction of the price.
40	a sliver of	a sliver of ___	noun	There's still a sliver of hope.
41	a shred of	a shred of ___	noun	There's not a shred of evidence.
42	a scrap of	a scrap of ___	noun	I don't have a scrap of paper.
43	a drop of	a drop of ___	noun	I haven't had a drop of alcohol.
44	a grain of	a grain of ___	noun	There's not a grain of truth in it.
45	a crumb of	a crumb of ___	noun	He offered not a crumb of comfort.
46	a morsel of	a morsel of ___	noun	She shared every morsel of information.
47	a glimmer of	a glimmer of ___	noun	There's a glimmer of hope.
48	a flicker of	a flicker of ___	noun	I saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
49	a spark of	a spark of ___	noun	She still has a spark of creativity.
50	next to nothing	next to nothing	—	It cost next to nothing.
51	hardly any	hardly any ___	noun	There's hardly any milk left.
52	barely any	barely any ___	noun	He has barely any experience.
53	scarcely any	scarcely any ___	noun	There was scarcely any time.
54	little to no	little to no ___	noun	There's little to no chance of rain.
55	few and far between	be few and far between	—	Good opportunities are few and far between.
56	in short supply	be in short supply	—	Patience is in short supply today.
57	hard to come by	be hard to come by	—	Good employees are hard to come by.
58	thin on the ground	be thin on the ground	—	Qualified candidates are thin on the ground.
59	at a premium	be at a premium	—	Space is at a premium in this city.
60	run low on	run low on ___	noun	We're running low on coffee.

7C: DEGREE & INTENSITY

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
61	to some extent	to some extent	—	I agree with you to some extent.
62	to a certain extent	to a certain extent	—	To a certain extent, he's right.
63	to a great extent	to a great extent	—	Success depends to a great extent on luck.
64	to a large extent	to a large extent	—	To a large extent, it's your decision.
65	to a lesser extent	to a lesser extent	—	This also applies, to a lesser extent, to adults.
66	to a greater extent	to a greater extent	—	Technology affects us to a greater extent now.
67	to such an extent that	to such an extent that ___	clause	He was tired to such an extent that he collapsed.
68	to the point of	to the point of ___	noun / V-ing	He was generous to the point of foolishness.
69	to the point where	to the point where ___	clause	Things got to the point where I had to leave.
70	at the very least	at the very least	—	At the very least, you could apologize.
71	at the very most	at the very most	—	It'll take an hour at the very most.
72	at best	at best	—	The plan is risky at best.
73	at worst	at worst	—	At worst, we'll lose some money.
74	if anything	if anything	—	If anything, things have gotten worse.
75	if nothing else	if nothing else	—	If nothing else, it was a learning experience.
76	more or less	more or less	—	We're more or less finished.
77	more often than not	more often than not	—	More often than not, he's late.
78	all the more	all the more ___	adjective	That makes it all the more impressive.
79	all the less	all the less ___	adjective	That makes me all the less interested.
80	none the less	none the less / nonetheless	—	It was difficult, but she succeeded nonetheless.
81	none the wiser	none the wiser	—	I read the manual and I'm still none the wiser.
82	none the worse	none the worse (for ___)	noun (optional)	He was none the worse for the experience.
83	far from	far from ___	adjective / noun	The project is far from complete.
84	anything but	anything but ___	adjective	The test was anything but easy.
85	nothing but	nothing but ___	noun	He's caused nothing but trouble.
86	nothing short of	nothing short of ___	noun / adjective	The performance was nothing short of amazing.
87	little short of	little short of ___	noun	It was little short of a miracle.
88	on the verge of	on the verge of ___	noun / V-ing	She was on the verge of tears.
89	on the brink of	on the brink of ___	noun / V-ing	The company is on the brink of bankruptcy.
90	on the edge of	on the edge of ___	noun / V-ing	He's on the edge of a breakdown.
91	bordering on	bordering on ___	noun	His behavior is bordering on obsessive.
92	verging on	verging on ___	noun	Her confidence was verging on arrogance.

7D: COMPARISON & SIMILARITY

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
93	compared to	compared to ___	noun	Compared to last year, sales are up.
94	in comparison to	in comparison to ___	noun	In comparison to her, I'm a beginner.
95	in comparison with	in comparison with ___	noun	In comparison with the original, this is better.
96	by comparison	by comparison	—	The second attempt was easy by comparison.
97	pale in comparison to	pale in comparison to ___	noun	His problems pale in comparison to hers.
98	bear no comparison to	bear no comparison to ___	noun	This bears no comparison to the original.
99	stack up against	stack up against ___	noun	How does this stack up against the competition?
100	measure up to	measure up to ___	noun	He doesn't measure up to his predecessor.
101	hold a candle to	hold a candle to ___	noun	Nothing holds a candle to her cooking.
102	a far cry from	a far cry from ___	noun	This is a far cry from what I expected.
103	worlds apart	be worlds apart	—	Our views are worlds apart.
104	poles apart	be poles apart	—	We're poles apart on this issue.
105	miles apart	be miles apart	—	Their opinions are miles apart.
106	light years ahead of	light years ahead of ___	noun	This technology is light years ahead of the rest.
107	head and shoulders above	head and shoulders above ___	noun	She's head and shoulders above the competition.
108	a cut above	a cut above ___	noun	This restaurant is a cut above the rest.
109	in a league of its own	in a league of [its/his/her] own	possessive	Her talent is in a league of its own.
110	in a class of its own	in a class of [its/his/her] own	possessive	This wine is in a class of its own.
111	second to none	second to none	—	Her dedication is second to none.
112	bar none	bar none	—	He's the best player, bar none.
113	hands down	hands down	—	She's the best candidate, hands down.
114	by far	by far	—	This is by far the best option.
115	by a long shot	by a long shot	—	It's not over by a long shot.
116	by a mile	by a mile	—	We won by a mile.
117	by leaps and bounds	by leaps and bounds	—	Her skills improved by leaps and bounds.
118	much the same	much the same	—	Things are much the same as before.
119	one and the same	one and the same	—	The two concepts are one and the same.
120	like two peas in a pod	like two peas in a pod	—	The twins are like two peas in a pod.
121	cut from the same cloth	cut from the same cloth	—	They're cut from the same cloth.
122	birds of a feather	birds of a feather	—	They're birds of a feather.
123	take after	take after ___	noun (person)	She takes after her mother.
124	run in the family	run in the family	—	Musical talent runs in the family.
125	the spitting image of	the spitting image of ___	noun	He's the spitting image of his father.

7E: EXTREMES & LIMITS

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
126	at its peak	at [its/his/her] peak	possessive	The empire was at its peak.
127	at its height	at [its/his/her] height	possessive	At its height, the company employed 5,000 people.
128	at its best	at [its/his/her] best	possessive	This is democracy at its best.
129	at its worst	at [its/his/her] worst	possessive	This is bureaucracy at its worst.
130	at its finest	at [its/his/her] finest	possessive	This is craftsmanship at its finest.
131	at the top of	at the top of ___	noun	He's at the top of his game.
132	at the bottom of	at the bottom of ___	noun	We're at the bottom of the list.
133	at the height of	at the height of ___	noun	At the height of summer, it's unbearable.
134	at the peak of	at the peak of ___	noun	She retired at the peak of her career.
135	at the forefront of	at the forefront of ___	noun	They're at the forefront of innovation.
136	at the cutting edge of	at the cutting edge of ___	noun	This research is at the cutting edge of science.
137	on the leading edge of	on the leading edge of ___	noun	We're on the leading edge of technology.
138	push to the limit	push ___ to the limit	noun	He pushed himself to the limit.
139	stretch to the limit	stretch ___ to the limit	noun	Resources are stretched to the limit.
140	test the limits of	test the limits of ___	noun	This tests the limits of my patience.
141	reach the limit of	reach the limit of ___	noun	I've reached the limit of my tolerance.
142	know no bounds	know no bounds	—	Her generosity knows no bounds.
143	know no limits	know no limits	—	His ambition knows no limits.
144	go to extremes	go to extremes	—	She tends to go to extremes.
145	take to extremes	take ___ to extremes	noun	He takes everything to extremes.
146	in the extreme	___ in the extreme	adjective	The conditions were harsh in the extreme.
147	to the max	to the max	—	We partied to the max.
148	to the fullest	to the fullest	—	Live life to the fullest.
149	to the nth degree	to the nth degree	—	He's organized to the nth degree.
150	to the hilt	to the hilt	—	She defended him to the hilt.
151	through and through	through and through	—	He's a gentleman through and through.
152	through the roof	through the roof	—	Prices have gone through the roof.
153	off the charts	off the charts	—	His performance was off the charts.
154	off the scale	off the scale	—	The reading was off the scale.
155	out of this world	out of this world	—	The food was out of this world.
156	beyond measure	beyond measure	—	Her kindness is beyond measure.
157	beyond belief	beyond belief	—	The situation is frustrating beyond belief.
158	beyond words	beyond words	—	I'm grateful beyond words.
159	beyond compare	beyond compare	—	Her beauty is beyond compare.
160	beyond recognition	beyond recognition	—	The city has changed beyond recognition.

Part 8: POSSESSION, LACK & NEED

Expressions describing having, not having, wanting, and requiring things.

8A: POSSESSION & HAVING

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
1	have access to	have access to ___	noun	Not everyone has access to clean water.
2	have a hold on	have a hold on ___	noun	The company has a strong hold on the market.
3	have a grip on	have a grip on ___	noun	She has a good grip on the situation.
4	have a grasp of	have a grasp of ___	noun	He has a solid grasp of the basics.
5	have a handle on	have a handle on ___	noun	I finally have a handle on this project.
6	have a stake in	have a stake in ___	noun	Everyone has a stake in this decision.
7	have a share in	have a share in ___	noun	They all have a share in the profits.
8	have a say in	have a say in ___	noun	Employees should have a say in policy.
9	have a hand in	have a hand in ___	noun	She had a hand in planning the event.
10	have a part in	have a part in ___	noun	I wanted to have a part in the project.
11	have a role in	have a role in ___	noun	Technology has a role in education.
12	have a place in	have a place in ___	noun	Everyone has a place in this team.
13	have a voice in	have a voice in ___	noun	Citizens deserve a voice in government.
14	have a claim to	have a claim to ___	noun	He has a legitimate claim to the title.
15	have a right to	have a right to ___	noun	You have a right to your opinion.
16	be in possession of	be in possession of ___	noun	He was in possession of stolen goods.
17	come into possession of	come into possession of ___	noun	She came into possession of rare documents.
18	take possession of	take possession of ___	noun	They took possession of the house last week.
19	get hold of	get hold of ___	noun	I need to get hold of that book.
20	get my hands on	get [my/your/his] hands on ___	noun	I can't wait to get my hands on that phone.
21	lay my hands on	lay [my/your/his] hands on ___	noun	I'll help you if I can lay my hands on the file.
22	get ahold of	get ahold of ___	noun	Try to get ahold of the manager.
23	hang on to	hang on to ___	noun	Hang on to your receipts.
24	hold on to	hold on to ___	noun	She held on to hope.
25	cling to	cling to ___	noun	He still clings to old traditions.
26	hold dear	hold ___ dear	noun	She holds her family dear.
27	treasure	treasure ___	noun	I treasure those memories.
28	cherish	cherish ___	noun	He cherishes every moment with his kids.
29	take pride in	take pride in ___	noun / V-ing	She takes pride in her work.
30	pride myself on	pride [myself/yourself/himself] on ___	noun / V-ing	I pride myself on my punctuality.

8B: LACK & ABSENCE

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
31	lack of	lack of ___	noun	There's a serious lack of funding.
32	be lacking in	be lacking in ___	noun	The report is lacking in detail.
33	be devoid of	be devoid of ___	noun	His speech was devoid of emotion.
34	be void of	be void of ___	noun	The contract is void of legal standing.
35	be bereft of	be bereft of ___	noun	She was bereft of hope.
36	be deprived of	be deprived of ___	noun	Children shouldn't be deprived of education.
37	be stripped of	be stripped of ___	noun	He was stripped of his title.
38	be starved of	be starved of ___	noun	The project is starved of resources.
39	be short of	be short of ___	noun	We're short of staff this week.
40	be short on	be short on ___	noun	I'm short on patience today.
41	be low on	be low on ___	noun	We're running low on supplies.
42	be fresh out of	be fresh out of ___	noun	Sorry, we're fresh out of milk.
43	be out of	be out of ___	noun	We're out of options.
44	run out of	run out of ___	noun	I ran out of time.
45	be in short supply	be in short supply	—	Patience is in short supply today.
46	go without	go without ___	noun	They had to go without food for days.
47	do without	do without ___	noun	I can do without the drama.
48	make do without	make do without ___	noun	We'll have to make do without a car.
49	dispense with	dispense with ___	noun	Let's dispense with the formalities.
50	forgo	forgo ___	noun	She decided to forgo dessert.
51	give up	give up ___	noun	He gave up smoking last year.
52	part with	part with ___	noun	I hate to part with this old jacket.
53	let go of	let go of ___	noun	You need to let go of the past.
54	lose sight of	lose sight of ___	noun	Don't lose sight of your goals.
55	lose track of	lose track of ___	noun	I lost track of the time.
56	lose touch with	lose touch with ___	noun	She lost touch with reality.
57	lose hold of	lose hold of ___	noun	He lost hold of the rope.
58	lose grip on	lose grip on ___	noun	She's losing grip on her emotions.
59	miss out on	miss out on ___	noun	Don't miss out on this opportunity.
60	be at a loss for	be at a loss for ___	noun	I'm at a loss for words.

8C: NEED & NECESSITY

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
61	be in need of	be in need of ___	noun	The building is in need of repair.
62	be in desperate need of	be in desperate need of ___	noun	They're in desperate need of help.
63	be in dire need of	be in dire need of ___	noun	The region is in dire need of water.
64	be in urgent need of	be in urgent need of ___	noun	We're in urgent need of volunteers.
65	stand in need of	stand in need of ___	noun	The system stands in need of reform.
66	have need of	have need of ___	noun	I have no need of your advice.
67	there's a need for	there's a need for ___	noun	There's a growing need for affordable housing.
68	there's no need for	there's no need for ___	noun	There's no need for alarm.
69	there's no need to	there's no need to ___	verb	There's no need to apologize.
70	feel the need to	feel the need to ___	verb	I felt the need to speak up.
71	see the need for	see the need for ___	noun	I don't see the need for change.
72	meet the need for	meet the need for ___	noun	This policy meets the need for reform.
73	fulfill the need for	fulfill the need for ___	noun	The program fulfills a need for training.
74	address the need for	address the need for ___	noun	We must address the need for diversity.
75	cater to the needs of	cater to the needs of ___	noun	The hotel caters to the needs of business travelers.
76	attend to the needs of	attend to the needs of ___	noun	Nurses attend to the needs of patients.
77	be a must	be a must	—	This book is a must for students.
78	be a necessity	be a necessity	—	A car is a necessity in rural areas.
79	be essential for	be essential for ___	noun / V-ing	Sleep is essential for good health.
80	be vital for	be vital for ___	noun / V-ing	Exercise is vital for mental health.
81	be crucial for	be crucial for ___	noun / V-ing	Timing is crucial for success.
82	be critical for	be critical for ___	noun / V-ing	Funding is critical for research.
83	be indispensable for	be indispensable for ___	noun / V-ing	He's indispensable for the team.
84	be imperative that	be imperative that ___	clause	It's imperative that we act now.
85	can't do without	can't do without ___	noun	I can't do without my morning coffee.
86	can't live without	can't live without ___	noun	She can't live without her phone.
87	can't go without	can't go without ___	noun	He can't go without checking his email.
88	can't manage without	can't manage without ___	noun	We can't manage without your help.
89	can't function without	can't function without ___	noun	I can't function without sleep.
90	call for	call for ___	noun	This situation calls for patience.

8D: WANT, DESIRE & PREFERENCE

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
91	be dying for	be dying for ___	noun	I'm dying for a cup of coffee.
92	be dying to	be dying to ___	verb	I'm dying to meet her.
93	be longing for	be longing for ___	noun	She's longing for home.
94	be longing to	be longing to ___	verb	He's longing to travel again.
95	be yearning for	be yearning for ___	noun	They're yearning for freedom.
96	be craving	be craving ___	noun	I'm craving chocolate right now.
97	be itching to	be itching to ___	verb	She's itching to get started.
98	be eager to	be eager to ___	verb	He's eager to learn.
99	be keen on	be keen on ___	noun / V-ing	She's keen on hiking.
100	be keen to	be keen to ___	verb	I'm keen to try it.
101	have a craving for	have a craving for ___	noun	I have a craving for sushi.
102	have a desire for	have a desire for ___	noun	He has a strong desire for success.
103	have a taste for	have a taste for ___	noun	She has a taste for adventure.
104	have an appetite for	have an appetite for ___	noun	He has an appetite for risk.
105	have a thirst for	have a thirst for ___	noun	She has a thirst for knowledge.
106	have a hunger for	have a hunger for ___	noun	He has a hunger for success.
107	have a passion for	have a passion for ___	noun	She has a passion for music.
108	have a weakness for	have a weakness for ___	noun	I have a weakness for sweets.
109	have a soft spot for	have a soft spot for ___	noun	He has a soft spot for old movies.
110	have an eye for	have an eye for ___	noun	She has an eye for detail.
111	have a nose for	have a nose for ___	noun	He has a nose for business.
112	have an ear for	have an ear for ___	noun	She has an ear for languages.
113	have a knack for	have a knack for ___	noun / V-ing	He has a knack for fixing things.
114	have a flair for	have a flair for ___	noun	She has a flair for design.
115	have a gift for	have a gift for ___	noun / V-ing	He has a gift for storytelling.
116	have a talent for	have a talent for ___	noun / V-ing	She has a talent for making people laugh.
117	would rather	would rather ___ (than ___)	verb (+ verb optional)	I'd rather stay home than go out.
118	would sooner	would sooner ___ (than ___)	verb (+ verb optional)	I'd sooner quit than compromise my values.
119	would prefer to	would prefer to ___	verb	I'd prefer to discuss this later.
120	have a preference for	have a preference for ___	noun	She has a preference for window seats.
121	lean toward	lean toward ___	noun / V-ing	I'm leaning toward the cheaper option.
122	gravitate toward	gravitate toward ___	noun	People gravitate toward confident leaders.
123	be drawn to	be drawn to ___	noun	I've always been drawn to the arts.
124	be inclined to	be inclined to ___	verb	I'm inclined to agree with you.
125	be tempted to	be tempted to ___	verb	I was tempted to say something.

8E: SUFFICIENCY & ADEQUACY

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
126	have enough	have enough ___	noun	Do we have enough time?
127	have plenty of	have plenty of ___	noun	We have plenty of food.
128	have more than enough	have more than enough ___	noun	There's more than enough for everyone.
129	have what it takes	have what it takes (to ___)	verb (optional)	She has what it takes to succeed.
130	be up to the task	be up to the task	—	I'm not sure he's up to the task.
131	be up to the job	be up to the job	—	Are you sure you're up to the job?
132	be up to scratch	be up to scratch	—	His work isn't up to scratch.
133	be up to par	be up to par	—	The quality isn't up to par.
134	be up to standard	be up to standard	—	The product must be up to standard.
135	be up to snuff	be up to snuff	—	His performance isn't up to snuff.
136	meet the requirements	meet the requirements (of/for ___)	noun (optional)	You must meet the requirements for admission.
137	meet the standards	meet the standards (of ___)	noun (optional)	This doesn't meet the standards.
138	meet the criteria	meet the criteria (for ___)	noun (optional)	She meets all the criteria for the job.
139	satisfy the requirements	satisfy the requirements (of/for ___)	noun (optional)	This satisfies the requirements for graduation.
140	fulfill the requirements	fulfill the requirements (of/for ___)	noun (optional)	He fulfilled all the requirements.
141	live up to expectations	live up to expectations	—	The movie didn't live up to expectations.
142	come up to expectations	come up to expectations	—	The service didn't come up to expectations.
143	fall short of expectations	fall short of expectations	—	Results fell short of expectations.
144	make do with	make do with ___	noun	We'll have to make do with what we have.
145	get by with	get by with ___	noun	I can get by with very little sleep.
146	get by on	get by on ___	noun	She gets by on a small salary.
147	scrape by on	scrape by on ___	noun	They scrape by on minimum wage.
148	make ends meet	make ends meet	—	It's hard to make ends meet these days.
149	keep my head above water	keep [my/your/his] head above water	possessive	I'm barely keeping my head above water.
150	have enough on my plate	have enough on [my/your/his] plate	possessive	I already have enough on my plate.
151	have too much on my plate	have too much on [my/your/his] plate	possessive	She has too much on her plate right now.
152	have my hands full	have [my/your/his] hands full	possessive	I have my hands full with the kids.
153	be stretched thin	be stretched thin	—	Resources are stretched thin.
154	be spread thin	be spread thin	—	The team is spread too thin.
155	be overloaded with	be overloaded with ___	noun	I'm overloaded with work.
156	be swamped with	be swamped with ___	noun	We're swamped with orders.
157	be inundated with	be inundated with ___	noun	They were inundated with complaints.
158	be overwhelmed by	be overwhelmed by ___	noun	She was overwhelmed by the response.
159	be snowed under with	be snowed under with ___	noun	I'm snowed under with paperwork.
160	be up to my ears in	be up to [my/your/his] ears in ___	noun	I'm up to my ears in debt.
161	be up to my neck in	be up to [my/your/his] neck in ___	noun	She's up to her neck in work.
162	be drowning in	be drowning in ___	noun	He's drowning in emails.
163	be buried under	be buried under ___	noun	I'm buried under a mountain of tasks.
164	be weighed down by	be weighed down by ___	noun	She's weighed down by responsibilities.
165	be bogged down in	be bogged down in ___	noun	We got bogged down in details.