Phrases & Expressions

A friendly, confident character that makes it easy for someone to meet and talk to new people.

• Sales and customer service jobs usually suit people with an outgoing personality who enjoy meeting strangers.
• My sister has such an outgoing personality that she made friends on her very first day at university.

To deal successfully with something that is preventing you from making progress.

• Many refugees have to overcome huge obstacles, such as language barriers, before they can find work.
• With her coach's help, she overcame an obstacle that had held her back for years: her fear of failure.

To do something, such as eating, drinking or exercising, too much, so that it harms you.

• Doctors advise people who start exercising after a long break not to overdo it in the first few weeks.
• It's fine to enjoy a few treats during the holidays, as long as you're not overdoing it every day.

Having to work too hard while receiving too little money for it.

• Being overworked and underpaid for years eventually led her to leave nursing and retrain as a teacher.
• When I asked my brother about his new job, he just laughed and said he was overworked and underpaid.

To march or walk together through a town as part of a public celebration.

• The town's brass band will parade through the streets at noon, so several roads in the centre will be closed.
• After winning the cup, the team paraded through the streets on an open-top bus, cheered by thousands of fans.

To let a company collect what you owe straight from your account whenever a payment is due.

• The charity asks supporters to pay their monthly donation by direct debit so that it can plan ahead.
• Since I started paying my phone bill by direct debit, I've never been charged a late fee.

A difficulty that keeps coming back or refuses to go away despite efforts to solve it.

• Traffic congestion remains a persistent problem in most large cities despite new metro lines.
• Truancy has become a persistent problem at the school, and teachers are struggling to deal with it.

To be extremely important in making something happen or succeed.

• Teachers play a crucial role in helping children develop confidence and social skills.
• Bees play a crucial role in food production because they pollinate many of the crops we eat.

To represent or describe someone in a particular way in a book, film, painting or the media.

• Older people are often portrayed as lonely and helpless in television adverts.
• The novel portrays its heroine as a brave woman who challenges the rules of her society.

Of people, to enter a place in very large numbers without stopping.

• Volunteers poured into the town after the earthquake to help clear the rubble and hand out food.
• Every summer, tourists pour into the old city, and the narrow streets become almost impossible to walk through.