Phrases & Expressions

To have all the qualities or qualifications that are required for something.

• Only applicants who meet all the criteria will be invited to the assessment day.
• Unfortunately, your research proposal does not meet the criteria for funding this year.

To keep asking or telling someone to do something, in a way that annoys them.

• My mum used to nag me to tidy my room every single day.
• Parents who constantly nag their teenagers to study may actually make them less motivated.

A longing for a period in the past, mixing pleasure with a little sadness.

• The success of the series is partly due to viewers' nostalgia for the 1990s.
• Many people in their forties feel a strong nostalgia for the cartoons and video games of their childhood.

To inform someone officially about something.

• The airline notified passengers of the delay by text message just twenty minutes before boarding.
• All candidates will be notified of their results by email in the middle of August.

To say that you disagree with or dislike a plan, an idea or a situation.

• Local residents object to the plan because the new factory would be built right next to a primary school.
• I don't object to working at weekends, as long as I get a day off during the week.

Content such as images, videos or text that is likely to upset or insult people.

• Social media companies are under pressure to remove offensive material more quickly.
• The newspaper apologised after offensive material appeared in the comments section beneath one of its articles.

To pay employees at least as much as other organisations pay for similar work.

• Tech companies offer competitive salaries to attract skilled engineers who might otherwise move abroad.
• Hospitals in rural areas struggle to find nurses unless they offer a competitive salary and help with housing.

To say sorry to someone in a way that shows you really mean it.

• The airline offered a sincere apology to passengers whose luggage had been lost during the transfer.
• The head teacher offered a sincere apology to parents after exam results were accidentally emailed to the wrong families.

To formally invite someone to accept a job after selecting them.

• Two days after the interview, they called to offer him the position, and he accepted immediately.
• If none of the candidates is suitable, the panel may decide not to offer anyone the position.

In the ordinary shops found in town centres, where clothes cost far less than in designer stores.

• Cheap copies of catwalk designs often appear on the high street just weeks after the fashion shows.
• Small independent shops are struggling to survive on the high street as more people buy online.