Phrases & Expressions

To be in a situation where something bad could easily happen to you.

• Children from low-income families are more at risk of leaving school without any qualifications.
• If you smoke and rarely exercise, you are at risk of developing serious heart problems later in life.

To be in danger of being lost or damaged, depending on how a situation turns out.

• With thousands of jobs at stake, the union is desperate to reach an agreement with the company.
• The future of the small fishing village is at stake if the new harbour wall is not finished before the winter storms.

To be fully healthy and active again after an illness or injury.

• With proper rest and physiotherapy, most patients are back on their feet within a month of the operation.
• After a month of physiotherapy following his car accident, my father is back on his feet and walking to work again.

To be officially forbidden by a court to drive for a period of time.

• Under the proposed rules, drivers caught using a phone at the wheel twice would be banned from driving for six months.
• The company director was banned from driving for two years after being caught speeding several times.

To be very likely to happen or to do something, so that you can confidently predict it.

• If cities keep growing at this rate, traffic congestion is bound to get worse.
• Don't worry about the interview – you've prepared so well that you're bound to impress them.

To be lively and crowded, with a lot of activity going on.

• Ten years ago the old port was almost abandoned, but today it is bustling with life, thanks to new restaurants, galleries and shops.
• The campus was bustling with new students looking for their lecture halls on the first day of term.

To be put into a particular group or category.

• Under the new rules, freelance translators are classed as self-employed workers for tax purposes.
• Buildings over a certain age can be classed as historic, which makes them difficult to demolish.

To be roughly equal to something else in size, amount, quality or importance.

• Salaries in the public sector are now comparable to those offered by many private companies.
• Our new flat is much smaller, but the rent is comparable to what we paid for our old house.

To be squeezed tightly into a place that cannot comfortably hold so many people or things.

• In some overcrowded prisons, three inmates are crammed into cells built for just one person.
• All my clothes were crammed into one small suitcase for the two-week trip.

To owe a very large amount of money.

• Many graduates are deeply in debt before they have even earned their first salary.
• The stress of being deeply in debt kept him awake at night until he finally asked a charity for advice.