Phrases & Expressions

To treat two things as if they were the same or equally important.

• Many parents equate success with exam grades, ignoring other important skills such as creativity and teamwork.
• Too many people equate wealth with happiness, even though money cannot buy close friendships or good health.

To get rid of a disease completely so that it no longer exists.

• Health organisations hope to eradicate diseases such as polio and malaria within a generation.
• Thanks to a nationwide vaccination campaign, the health authorities managed to eradicate the disease in less than ten years.

To end poverty entirely, so that no one lacks basic necessities such as food and shelter.

• Some economists doubt that any society can eradicate poverty, however wealthy it becomes.
• Education is often described as the most effective tool governments have to eradicate poverty in the long term.

To begin official contact between two countries, usually by opening embassies in each other's capitals.

• The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, shortly after the end of the Cold War.
• After decades of hostility, the two neighbours finally agreed to establish diplomatic relations and exchange ambassadors.

Added after the first author's surname in a reference to show that other people also wrote the work.

• In your reference list, give the first author's surname followed by et al. if there are many authors.
• The study by Patel et al. is cited in almost every article on the topic.

To put a heavy strain or demand on something, such as natural resources or public services.

• The new airport will exert pressure on local roads, which are already crowded at rush hour.
• Mass tourism exerts pressure on fragile coastal ecosystems, especially during the summer months.

To make it easier for people to share information and ideas with each other.

• Online discussion forums can facilitate communication among students who are too shy to speak up in class.
• Translation apps can facilitate communication between doctors and patients who do not share a language.

Supplies of natural materials, such as oil or metals, that exist only in limited quantities.

• Some environmentalists argue that endless economic growth is impossible on a planet with finite resources.
• Recycling metals and plastics helps to reduce the demand placed on the earth's finite resources.

Information that contains mistakes and therefore cannot be trusted.

• The study's conclusions were rejected because they were based on flawed data from a small, unrepresentative sample.
• Policies built on flawed data can waste millions of pounds of public money.

A partnership in which people work together and achieve useful, successful results.

• The project was the result of a fruitful collaboration between engineers and local farmers.
• We hope this agreement will lead to a long and fruitful collaboration between our two universities.