Phrases & Expressions

To sell your skills to different clients for individual projects rather than having one permanent employer.

• Many translators work freelance because it allows them to choose their own hours.
• After the agency closed, she started to work freelance as a photographer for local newspapers.

To work at times that change often and are different from normal daytime working hours.

• Police officers and paramedics often work irregular hours, which can make family life difficult.
• Since I became a delivery driver, I've been working very irregular hours and sleeping badly.

To write a short letter that you send with your CV to explain why you want a particular job.

• Always write a cover letter for each specific job instead of sending the same one to every company.
• Career advisers at the university run workshops on how to write a cover letter for graduate schemes.

To produce an early, rough version of a piece of writing that you will improve later.

• Students who write a first draft quickly and then edit it carefully usually produce clearer essays.
• I wrote the first draft of my cover letter last night, but it still needs a lot of work.

To write a book about your own life and experiences, especially after a famous or important career.

• After retiring from politics, the former minister spent two years writing his memoirs.
• Many athletes write their memoirs soon after they retire, often with the help of a professional writer.

To say that someone has done something bad or illegal when in fact they have not.

• The teacher apologised after wrongly accusing a student of cheating in the exam.
• The man spent three years in prison after being wrongly accused of robbery.

A general feeling of fear or lack of trust among people in a society or organisation.

• Employees say there is a climate of fear in the office, and nobody dares to criticise the management.
• The new manager created a climate of fear, so staff hid their mistakes.

A situation or event that is very badly organised and full of confusion.

• Nobody had booked enough coaches, so the school trip quickly turned into a complete shambles.
• Critics described the government's handling of this year's exam results as a complete shambles.

A careful guess about an amount that is deliberately on the low side.

• Even on a conservative estimate, the festival brought more than five million pounds into the local economy.
• According to a conservative estimate, repairing the damaged bridge will take at least six months.

A continuous flow of people, vehicles or things arriving one after another.

• The new hospital receives a constant stream of patients from the surrounding villages and towns.
• Office workers receive a constant stream of emails and messages, which makes it hard to concentrate.