Phrases & Expressions

A sound so loud that it is unpleasant and almost hurts your ears.

• Many young people damage their hearing through regular exposure to deafening noise at concerts and festivals.
• The deafening noise from the nightclub next door made it impossible to sleep.

To answer or sort out a question that a customer or member of the public has asked.

• The chatbot can deal with simple queries, but more complex problems are passed on to human staff.
• The receptionist dealt with my query politely and found me a quieter room within minutes.

To answer questions and requests from customers or members of the public.

• The new receptionist deals with enquiries from patients who want to book or change their appointments.
• During the busy summer months, the university hires extra staff to deal with enquiries about admissions.

To officially announce a halt to the fighting in a war or armed conflict.

• Both sides declared a ceasefire so that aid could reach civilians trapped in the city.
• Negotiators hope the rebels will declare a ceasefire before peace talks begin next month.

A sensitive topic that can easily upset or offend people if you are not tactful.

• Religion can be a delicate issue, so the teacher asked the class to listen to each other's views respectfully.
• Teachers need to approach the delicate issue of bullying with care and sensitivity.

To show that you have the personal skills needed to guide and manage a group of people.

• Team sports give young people a chance to demonstrate leadership qualities outside the classroom.
• During the training programme, she demonstrated strong leadership qualities, so she was promoted within a year.

To insist that accusations of wrongdoing made against you are false.

• The footballer denied the allegations and said he would take legal action against the newspaper.
• The company has strongly denied the allegations that it used child labour in its overseas factories.

To find out exactly what is causing a difficulty, so that it can be dealt with.

• Before the government can fix the housing crisis, it needs to diagnose the problem correctly.
• The mechanic took less than ten minutes to diagnose the problem with my car's engine.

To deny people equal opportunities or respect because of characteristics such as their age, gender or ethnic background.

• It is illegal for employers to discriminate against job applicants because of their age.
• The report found that some landlords discriminate against tenants with foreign-sounding names.

A quality or detail that makes something easy to recognise and different from others.

• One distinctive feature of the old town is its colourful wooden houses along the river.
• The most distinctive feature of this bird is the bright red patch on the top of its head.