Phrases & Expressions

To have a particular person as your direct manager at work.

• As a junior researcher, I report to the project leader, who checks my progress every Friday.
• All regional managers report directly to the chief executive, who meets them once a month.

To cause a particular situation or outcome to happen.

• Poor diet and lack of exercise can result in serious health problems later in life.
• The new traffic scheme resulted in a sharp fall in the number of accidents near schools.

To do or decide something too quickly, without thinking carefully about it first.

• Young people are often advised not to rush into choosing a university course they know little about.
• Take your time and don't rush into marriage just because all your friends are settling down.

To support or defend someone or something strongly by expressing your opinion.

• She always speaks up for her friends when people criticize them.
• We need to speak up for our rights before it is too late.

Of people, to come out of a place in large numbers, often into a street or open area.

• On warm summer evenings the cafés are so full that customers spill out onto the pavement.
• At lunchtime, office workers spill out of the tall buildings and fill the nearby parks and cafés.

To continue studying, working or living somewhere for longer than planned or required.

• In England, young people must now stay on in education or training until they are eighteen.
• She enjoyed her internship at the museum so much that she stayed on for another six months.

To be caused by something or develop as a result of it.

• Many of the city's traffic problems stem from a lack of reliable public transport.
• Much of the conflict in the team stems from unclear roles and responsibilities.

To make someone remember a time or experience from their past.

• The smell of fresh bread always takes me back to my grandmother's kitchen in Trabzon.
• Hearing that song on the radio really took me back to the summer we spent travelling around Europe.

To remember and consider an event or period from the past.

• When I think back to my first year at university, I realise how little I knew about managing money.
• Thinking back to the interview, she wished she had prepared more examples of her teamwork skills.

To get involved in an activity eagerly, giving it all your time and effort.

• After moving to a new city, she threw herself into volunteering as a way of meeting people.
• If you throw yourself into your studies in the first year, the later years become much easier.