Phrase Bank part 2

Sufia Soha

04 Jan 2026 — 18 min read

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.

Part 10: CONTROL, INFLUENCE & POWER

Expressions describing authority, dominance, manipulation, and influence over situations and people.

10A: CONTROL & AUTHORITY

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
1	be in control of	be in control of ___	noun	She's in control of the situation.
2	be in charge of	be in charge of ___	noun	He's in charge of the project.
3	be in command of	be in command of ___	noun	The general is in command of the troops.
4	take control of	take control of ___	noun	She took control of the meeting.
5	take charge of	take charge of ___	noun	He took charge of the situation.
6	take command of	take command of ___	noun	She took command of the team.
7	take over	take over ___	noun	He took over the company last year.
8	take the reins	take the reins (of ___)	noun (optional)	She's ready to take the reins.
9	take the helm	take the helm (of ___)	noun (optional)	He took the helm of the organization.
10	take the lead	take the lead (in ___)	noun (optional)	She took the lead in the negotiations.
11	take the wheel	take the wheel	—	It's time for you to take the wheel.
12	be at the helm of	be at the helm of ___	noun	She's at the helm of a major corporation.
13	be at the wheel	be at the wheel	—	He's at the wheel now.
14	be behind the wheel	be behind the wheel (of ___)	noun (optional)	She's behind the wheel of a billion-dollar company.
15	hold the reins	hold the reins (of ___)	noun (optional)	He still holds the reins of power.
16	have a grip on	have a grip on ___	noun	She has a firm grip on the department.
17	have a hold on	have a hold on ___	noun	He has a strong hold on the market.
18	keep a grip on	keep a grip on ___	noun	Try to keep a grip on your emotions.
19	keep a hold on	keep a hold on ___	noun	She keeps a tight hold on finances.
20	lose grip on	lose grip on ___	noun	He's losing grip on reality.
21	lose hold of	lose hold of ___	noun	She lost hold of the situation.
22	lose control of	lose control of ___	noun	He lost control of the car.
23	get out of hand	get out of hand	—	Things got out of hand quickly.
24	get out of control	get out of control	—	The situation got out of control.
25	spin out of control	spin out of control	—	Everything spun out of control.
26	spiral out of control	spiral out of control	—	Costs have spiraled out of control.
27	bring under control	bring ___ under control	noun	They brought the fire under control.
28	keep under control	keep ___ under control	noun	Keep your temper under control.
29	get under control	get ___ under control	noun	We need to get spending under control.
30	have under control	have ___ under control	noun	Don't worry, I have everything under control.

10B: INFLUENCE & MANIPULATION

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
31	have influence over	have influence over ___	noun	She has considerable influence over him.
32	have an effect on	have an effect on ___	noun	Diet has a direct effect on health.
33	have an impact on	have an impact on ___	noun	Technology has a huge impact on education.
34	exert influence on	exert influence on ___	noun	He exerts a lot of influence on policy.
35	exert pressure on	exert pressure on ___	noun	They exerted pressure on the government.
36	put pressure on	put pressure on ___	noun	Don't put too much pressure on yourself.
37	bring pressure to bear on	bring pressure to bear on ___	noun	They brought pressure to bear on the company.
38	bring to bear	bring ___ to bear (on ___)	noun (+ noun optional)	She brought all her skills to bear on the problem.
39	hold sway over	hold sway over ___	noun	He holds sway over the entire industry.
40	have sway over	have sway over ___	noun	She has little sway over his decisions.
41	have a say in	have a say in ___	noun	Everyone should have a say in this.
42	have a voice in	have a voice in ___	noun	Workers deserve a voice in management.
43	have a hand in	have a hand in ___	noun	He had a hand in the scandal.
44	play a part in	play a part in ___	noun	Luck played a part in his success.
45	play a role in	play a role in ___	noun	She played a key role in the project.
46	pull strings	pull strings (for ___)	noun (optional)	He pulled strings to get the job.
47	pull the strings	pull the strings	—	She's the one pulling the strings.
48	call the shots	call the shots	—	He's the one calling the shots.
49	call the tune	call the tune	—	Whoever pays the piper calls the tune.
50	run the show	run the show	—	She basically runs the show around here.
51	wear the pants	wear the pants	—	She wears the pants in that relationship.
52	rule the roost	rule the roost	—	He rules the roost at home.
53	lay down the law	lay down the law	—	She laid down the law about curfew.
54	put my foot down	put [my/your/his] foot down	possessive	I finally put my foot down.
55	crack the whip	crack the whip	—	The boss is cracking the whip again.
56	twist my arm	twist [my/your/his] arm	possessive	You don't have to twist my arm.
57	bend over backwards	bend over backwards (for ___)	noun (optional)	She bent over backwards to help us.
58	wrap around my finger	wrap ___ around [my/your/his] finger	noun + possessive	She has him wrapped around her finger.
59	lead by the nose	lead ___ by the nose	noun	He's been led by the nose.
60	push around	push ___ around	noun	Stop pushing me around.

10C: POWER & DOMINANCE

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
61	have power over	have power over ___	noun	She has no power over him anymore.
62	have authority over	have authority over ___	noun	He has authority over the entire department.
63	have the upper hand	have the upper hand	—	We have the upper hand in negotiations.
64	gain the upper hand	gain the upper hand	—	She quickly gained the upper hand.
65	get the upper hand	get the upper hand	—	Don't let your emotions get the upper hand.
66	have the edge over	have the edge over ___	noun	Our team has the edge over theirs.
67	have an advantage over	have an advantage over ___	noun	She has a clear advantage over her competitors.
68	gain an advantage over	gain an advantage over ___	noun	We need to gain an advantage over them.
69	hold all the cards	hold all the cards	—	Right now, they hold all the cards.
70	have all the cards	have all the cards	—	She has all the cards in this negotiation.
71	hold the key to	hold the key to ___	noun	Education holds the key to success.
72	hold the answer to	hold the answer to ___	noun	Science holds the answer to many mysteries.
73	be in the driver's seat	be in the driver's seat	—	After the merger, we'll be in the driver's seat.
74	be in the saddle	be in the saddle	—	She's firmly in the saddle now.
75	be on top	be on top (of ___)	noun (optional)	He likes to be on top of things.
76	come out on top	come out on top	—	In the end, she came out on top.
77	stay on top of	stay on top of ___	noun	It's hard to stay on top of everything.
78	keep on top of	keep on top of ___	noun	You need to keep on top of your emails.
79	get on top of	get on top of ___	noun	I need to get on top of my workload.
80	rise to the top	rise to the top	—	She rose to the top through hard work.
81	climb to the top	climb to the top	—	He climbed to the top of his profession.
82	claw my way to the top	claw [my/your/his] way to the top	possessive	She clawed her way to the top.
83	fight my way to the top	fight [my/your/his] way to the top	possessive	He fought his way to the top.
84	work my way up	work [my/your/his] way up	possessive	She worked her way up from nothing.
85	move up the ranks	move up the ranks	—	He moved up the ranks quickly.
86	rise through the ranks	rise through the ranks	—	She rose through the ranks to become CEO.
87	throw my weight around	throw [my/your/his] weight around	possessive	He likes to throw his weight around.
88	flex my muscles	flex [my/your/his] muscles	possessive	The company is flexing its muscles.
89	show of force	show of force	—	It was merely a show of force.
90	wield power	wield power (over ___)	noun (optional)	He wields enormous power.

10D: LACK OF CONTROL & POWERLESSNESS

#	Expression	Fixed Frame	Variable Slot	Example Sentences
91	be out of my hands	be out of [my/your/his] hands	possessive	It's out of my hands now.
92	be beyond my control	be beyond [my/your/his] control	possessive	The delays are beyond our control.
93	have no control over	have no control over ___	noun	I have no control over the outcome.
94	have no say in	have no say in ___	noun	Employees have no say in this decision.
95	have no power over	have no power over ___	noun	She has no power over what he does.
96	be at the mercy of	be at the mercy of ___	noun	We're at the mercy of the weather.
97	be at someone's beck and call	be at [someone's] beck and call	possessive	She's always at his beck and call.
98	be under my thumb	be under [my/your/his] thumb	possessive	He has everyone under his thumb.
99	be in someone's pocket	be in [someone's] pocket	possessive	The politician is in their pocket.
100	be tied down	be tied down (by ___)	noun (optional)	I don't want to be tied down.
101	be held back	be held back (by ___)	noun (optional)	Don't be held back by fear.
102	be held hostage	be held hostage (by ___)	noun (optional)	We're being held hostage by circumstances.
103	be at a disadvantage	be at a disadvantage	—	We're at a disadvantage here.
104	be on the back foot	be on the back foot	—	The company has been on the back foot.
105	be backed into a corner	be backed into a corner	—	She felt backed into a corner.
106	be pushed into a corner	be pushed into a corner	—	He was pushed into a corner.
107	have my hands tied	have [my/your/his] hands tied	possessive	Sorry, my hands are tied.
108	be caught between a rock and a hard place	be caught between a rock and a hard place	—	I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.
109	be in a bind	be in a bind	—	We're really in a bind here.
110	be in a tight spot	be in a tight spot	—	She found herself in a tight spot.
111	be in a fix	be in a fix	—	We're in quite a fix.
112	be in a jam	be in a jam	—	He's in a jam and needs help.
113	be in a pickle	be in a pickle	—	Now we're in a real pickle.
114	be stuck between	be stuck between ___ and ___	noun + noun	I'm stuck between two choices.
115	be torn between	be torn between ___ and ___	noun + noun	She's torn between career and family.
116	have no choice but to	have no choice but to ___	verb	I had no choice but to agree.
117	have no option but to	have no option but to ___	verb	We have no option but to wait.
118	have no alternative but to	have no alternative but to ___	verb	They had no alternative but to cancel.
119	be left with no choice	be left with no choice (but to ___)	verb (optional)	We were left with no choice.
120	be forced into	be forced into ___	noun / V-ing	He was forced into early retirement.

Phrase Bank part 2

Sufia Soha

Part 8: POSSESSION, LACK & NEED

8A: POSSESSION & HAVING

8B: LACK & ABSENCE

8C: NEED & NECESSITY

8D: WANT, DESIRE & PREFERENCE

8E: SUFFICIENCY & ADEQUACY

Part 10: CONTROL, INFLUENCE & POWER

10A: CONTROL & AUTHORITY

10B: INFLUENCE & MANIPULATION

10C: POWER & DOMINANCE

10D: LACK OF CONTROL & POWERLESSNESS

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