Phrases & Expressions

Something that repeatedly annoys or bothers people.

• Noise from late-night parties is a constant source of irritation for people living near the university.
• Slow internet connections remain a major source of irritation for students studying online.

To do something that causes a particular situation or feeling to start developing later.

• Cutting funding for youth centres may sow the seeds of serious social problems in poorer neighbourhoods.
• Her first part-time job at a bakery sowed the seeds of a lifelong interest in running her own business.

To talk in public without planning in advance what you are going to say.

• In Part 3 of the IELTS speaking test, candidates have to speak off the cuff in answer to questions they cannot predict.
• The minister was criticised for speaking off the cuff about tax rises that had not yet been agreed.

To appear or be built suddenly in large numbers.

• Electric scooter rental schemes have sprouted up in cities around the world over the past few years.
• Since the new university opened, cheap student flats have been sprouting up around the campus.

To feel so embarrassed that you move about uncomfortably and want to escape.

• I squirmed with embarrassment when my mother showed my baby photos to my new friends.
• Some students squirm with embarrassment whenever they are asked to speak in front of the whole class.

To organise and hold a public event at which people show their strong opposition to something.

• Climate activists staged a protest outside parliament, demanding faster action on carbon emissions.
• Nurses staged a protest in front of the hospital to draw attention to staff shortages and long shifts.

A person or country that gives strong, loyal support, especially in difficult situations.

• The UK has long been a staunch ally of the United States in matters of defence.
• Throughout the campaign for a new school library, the local newspaper was a staunch ally of the parents.

To stop a person in a public place and check their clothes and bags for illegal items.

• Officers stopped and searched dozens of fans outside the stadium after reports that some were carrying flares.
• Some critics argue that the power to stop and search people without good reason damages public trust in the police.

To formally provide information or documents to an official inquiry, committee or court.

• Lawyers for the tenants have two weeks to submit evidence that the landlord ignored repeated complaints about damp.
• Several universities submitted evidence showing that the new visa rules had reduced the number of international students.

To become king or queen after the previous monarch has died or given up the position.

• She succeeded to the throne at the age of eighteen, when her uncle died without children.
• The young prince was only nine when he succeeded to the throne, so his mother ruled on his behalf.