Phrases & Expressions

To need technology so much that you cannot manage normally without it.

• Some teachers worry that students are becoming too dependent on technology to do basic calculations.
• Modern hospitals are so dependent on technology that a power cut can be extremely dangerous.

To have a particular person or group among your family's ancestors.

• Millions of Americans are descended from immigrants who arrived through Ellis Island in New York.
• My grandmother likes to claim that our family is descended from an Ottoman pasha, but nobody has ever found any proof.

To be extremely shocked and upset by something bad that has happened.

• The whole community was devastated by the closure of the factory, which had employed most local families.
• Farmers in the region were devastated by last summer's drought, which destroyed most of their crops.

To have the right to receive or do something because you meet the necessary conditions.

• At our local pharmacy, patients over sixty-five are eligible for a free flu vaccine every autumn.
• New employees will not be eligible for the company pension scheme until they have worked here for a year.

To be enjoyable and pleasant to spend time with.

• My grandmother is ninety, but she is still very good company and loves telling stories.
• A dog can be good company for elderly people who live alone and rarely have visitors.

To be delayed, especially by traffic or by a problem you did not expect.

• Sorry I'm late — I was held up in traffic on the bridge for almost an hour.
• The construction of the new hospital has been held up by a shortage of skilled workers.

To be the place where particular people, animals or things live or can be found.

• The city is home to three universities and over a hundred thousand students.
• The Amazon rainforest is home to millions of species, many of which have not yet been identified.

To enjoy something so much that you find it very hard to stop doing it.

• Many young people are hooked on social media and check their phones dozens of times a day.
• By the end of the first season, I was hooked on the series and watched every episode twice.

To be looked after or managed by someone who is reliable and capable.

• Don't worry about your dog while you're away — he'll be in safe hands with us.
• Parents need to know that their children are in safe hands when they leave them at nursery.

To seem unreal because so many unpleasant things are happening at once.

• First I lost my passport, then my wallet was stolen — the whole trip was like a bad dream.
• For the families who lost their homes in the flood, the past week has been like a bad dream.