Phrases & Expressions

To walk awkwardly, putting less weight on one side because of an injury or disability.

• Ever since the car accident, my uncle has walked with a limp.
• Years of professional rugby left him with badly damaged knees, and he now walks with a limp.

To measure a particular amount of something by weighing it.

• Before you start baking, weigh out all the ingredients and put them in separate bowls.
• The chemistry students carefully weighed out ten grams of salt for the experiment.

To think carefully about the good and bad sides of something in order to reach a sensible judgement.

• Good journalism gives readers enough facts to weigh up the evidence for themselves.
• I'm still weighing up whether to take a gap year or go straight to university.

Used to say that something is annoying, boring or inconvenient.

• “The bus is cancelled, so we'll have to walk all the way.” “What a pain!”
• We have to fill in the same form again because they lost the first one. What a pain!

Used when you wonder about someone's life since you last had any news of them.

• I often wonder what became of the shy boy who sat next to me in primary school.
• The documentary tries to find out what became of the children who were sent abroad alone during the war.

Admired and approved of by a large number of people.

• The city's quick response to the floods was widely praised by local residents and aid workers.
• The documentary has been widely praised for showing the real effects of plastic pollution on marine life.

Worry that is felt by a large number of people in many places.

• The rapid spread of fake news online has caused widespread concern among teachers and parents.
• There is widespread concern that rising rents will force young people to leave the city.

To sell your skills to different clients for individual projects rather than having one permanent employer.

• Many translators work freelance because it allows them to choose their own hours.
• After the agency closed, she started to work freelance as a photographer for local newspapers.

To work at times that change often and are different from normal daytime working hours.

• Police officers and paramedics often work irregular hours, which can make family life difficult.
• Since I became a delivery driver, I've been working very irregular hours and sleeping badly.

To write a short letter that you send with your CV to explain why you want a particular job.

• Always write a cover letter for each specific job instead of sending the same one to every company.
• Career advisers at the university run workshops on how to write a cover letter for graduate schemes.