Phrases & Expressions

To answer questions and requests from customers or members of the public.

• The new receptionist deals with enquiries from patients who want to book or change their appointments.
• During the busy summer months, the university hires extra staff to deal with enquiries about admissions.

To officially announce a halt to the fighting in a war or armed conflict.

• Both sides declared a ceasefire so that aid could reach civilians trapped in the city.
• Negotiators hope the rebels will declare a ceasefire before peace talks begin next month.

To accept a person's opinion or decision rather than your own, out of respect for that person's knowledge, experience or authority.

• I will defer to your judgment on this important financial matter.
• The committee decided to defer to the expert's final recommendation.

A sensitive topic that can easily upset or offend people if you are not tactful.

• Religion can be a delicate issue, so the teacher asked the class to listen to each other's views respectfully.
• Teachers need to approach the delicate issue of bullying with care and sensitivity.

To show that you have the personal skills needed to guide and manage a group of people.

• Team sports give young people a chance to demonstrate leadership qualities outside the classroom.
• During the training programme, she demonstrated strong leadership qualities, so she was promoted within a year.

To insist that accusations of wrongdoing made against you are false.

• The footballer denied the allegations and said he would take legal action against the newspaper.
• The company has strongly denied the allegations that it used child labour in its overseas factories.

To find out exactly what is causing a difficulty, so that it can be dealt with.

• Before the government can fix the housing crisis, it needs to diagnose the problem correctly.
• The mechanic took less than ten minutes to diagnose the problem with my car's engine.

To deny people equal opportunities or respect because of characteristics such as their age, gender or ethnic background.

• It is illegal for employers to discriminate against job applicants because of their age.
• The report found that some landlords discriminate against tenants with foreign-sounding names.

A quality or detail that makes something easy to recognise and different from others.

• One distinctive feature of the old town is its colourful wooden houses along the river.
• The most distinctive feature of this bird is the bright red patch on the top of its head.

To see or show clearly how two similar things are different from each other.

• Media literacy lessons teach pupils to distinguish between fact and opinion when they read news online.
• People with colour blindness often cannot distinguish between red and green, which can make reading some maps and charts difficult.