Phrases & Expressions

To mention a study, fact or example as proof that what you are saying is true.

• Supporters of the sugar tax often cite falling soft drink sales as evidence that the policy works.
• The author cites several recent studies as evidence for her claim that homework has little benefit for young children.

To happen at the same time as something else.

• The festival was planned to coincide with the start of the school holidays.
• This year my birthday coincides with the first day of spring.

To take action to reduce crime or stop it from increasing.

• The city council has hired more officers and installed better street lighting to combat crime.
• Education and job opportunities may do more to combat crime than longer prison sentences.

To hold a public ceremony or event on the date when something important happened in the past.

• Every year on 10 November, people across Turkey commemorate the anniversary of Atatürk's death.
• A minute's silence was held in schools to commemorate the anniversary of the earthquake.

To begin a job, task or project, used mainly in official language.

• Builders are expected to commence work on the new city library in early spring.
• Successful applicants will be expected to commence work at the beginning of September.

Something so absorbing to read that you keep going until you reach the end.

• Her biography of the scientist is compulsive reading, even for people who know nothing about physics.
• The report on the bank's collapse made compulsive reading for investors and journalists alike.

To show results that are the opposite of, or do not agree with, earlier research.

• The new study contradicts previous findings that drinking coffee is harmful to the heart.
• If your results contradict previous findings, you should discuss possible reasons for the difference in your report.

To talk with someone, exchanging thoughts and information.

• Thanks to the exchange programme, students can converse with native speakers every single day.
• Elderly patients often feel less lonely when nurses find time to converse with them during long hospital stays.

To match something closely or be the equivalent of it.

• The figures in the final report do not correspond to those in the original survey, which worries the researchers.
• Each number on the map corresponds to a site of historical interest listed at the bottom of the page.

A way of doing something that is slow, complicated and involves too many steps.

• Applying for a building permit is still a cumbersome process involving dozens of forms.
• Many small businesses avoid exporting because dealing with customs paperwork is such a cumbersome process.