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⚜Collocations with CONSEQUENCE⚜

🔘Consequence

/ˈkɒnsəkwəns/  / ˈkɑːnsɪ-kwens/ (noun )

▪️something that happens as a result of something
else .



▪️Grammar
▫️Usually plural

⚜ ADJECTIVES:

▪️serious consequences:
▫️ A nuclear accident
would have serious consequences for the environment.

▪️important/major
consequences
▫️Their decision had some important consequences.



▪️disastrous/dire
consequences.
▫️Rising temperatures could have disastrous consequences for agriculture.



▪️a negative/adverse consequence  formal (=a bad effect on something) .
▫️Heavy drinking has negative consequences for people’s health.



▪️unintended consequences
▫️Changing the voting system has had unintended consequences.


▪️the possible/likely consequences
▫️We need to think about the possible consequences of
such an approach.



▪️an inevitable consequence (=that you cannot avoid)
▫️Ill health is not an inevitable consequence of old age.

▪️a direct consequence of sth ▫️The accident was a direct consequence of his actions.



▪️long-term consequences (=that last a long
time, or appear after a long time)
▫️If you smoke, it may have long-term consequences for your health.



▪️far-reaching consequences (=important and affecting
many things)
▫️New laws on tax will have far-reaching consequences.



▪️social/political/economic consequences
▫️A rise in food prices
has political consequences.



▪️a natural/logical consequence
▫️Disappointment is a
natural consequence of defeat.




▪️tragic consequences (=very sad, usually involving
death)
▫️ Someone dropped a burning cigarette, with tragic consequences.



⚜VERBS:

▪️have consequences (=cause problems)
▫️Taking financial risks can have serious consequences.



▪️face/suffer the consequences (=experience
something bad as a result of what you have done).
▫️ If you break the law, you have to face the consequences.


▪️accept/take the consequences.
▫️ I’m prepared to accept the consequences of my decision.


▪️think about/consider the consequences
▫️She jumped
into the river without considering the consequences.



▪️escape the consequences (=avoid them)
▫️I knew I’d made
a mistake and that I couldn’t escape theconsequences.


▪️consequences follow/arise (=happen as a result of something).
▫️ If we fail to tackle the problem, serious consequences will arise.

⚜PREPOSITIONS:

▪️a consequence of sth:
▫️ You need to think about the consequences of your actions.



▪️a consequence for sth

▫️There could be serious consequences for his future
career.



⚜PHRASES:

▪️as a consequence (=used for saying what happens as a result of something)
▫️He ate nothing on the journey and, as a consequence, was starving when he arrived.



#collocations
#Fwytm

#idioms


⚜CHIP ON (ONE’S) SHOULDER


▪️a feeling of bitterness caused by a sense that one 
has been treated unfairly.


◐Examples :
1. I said good morning to Ed and he snapped back at 
me. He sure has a chip on his shoulder today.

2. Carl has a chip on his shoulder because he was passed over for promotion in favor of Maria, although he 
feels he was better qualified.
The sense of personal injustice is usually imagined.


🔅 The expression originates from the custom of placing a chip on one’s shoulder and daring another person to knock it off as a way of challenging someone to fight.

#idioms

⚜BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

▪️by one way or another; by any means possible



◐Examples:
1. Margaret was determined to lose 25 pounds before 
summer by hook or by crook.

2. Bruce would be such an asset to this company, but 
there aren’t any positions open right now. By hook or 
by crook, we’ll have to get him a job in this office.

🔅The expression connotes that rules or convention may be 
broken in order to achieve the goal.

#common_mistakes


🔶 ‑ing and ‑ed adjectives
Shocked or shocking?🤔

😨We were very shocking by the news.✖️
😇We were very shocked by the news.✔️


😨His classes are so bored!✖️
😇His classes are so boring!✔️


🔺Be careful. There are a number of adjectives, such as bored and boring, that
deal with the same emotion or quality, (and start with the same letters), but
that are very different in meaning.
🔸Adjectives ending in -ing describe a
quality in something that can affect you in a particular way. 🔸Adjectives
ending in ‑ed describe you when you are affected by this particular quality.


↯↯↯Compare the following sentences:
🔆It was surprising that she left so suddenly.
🔆We were very surprised when she left so suddenly.

🔆I found Ava’s comments very interesting.
I was very interested in Ava’s comments.

🔆She’s a very charming little girl.
🔆We were all charmed by her.

#common_mistakes


🔶Nouns + preposition + -ing verb


😨There is no possibility to go there.✖️
😇There is no possibility of going there.✔️


😨I have no intention to tell him.✖️
😇I have no intention of telling him.✔️


🔅When you use a preposition after a noun, the verb that follows must be in
the ‑ing form.

↯↯↯Look at the following examples:
◐That is the advantage of having a job.
◐We have no chance of winning.
◐We had difficulty in making him understand.
◐This had the effect of making him very angry.

India: Country of More than 1,000 Languages

How many languages are spoken in your country? 
Many countries have more than one official language. For example, Ireland has English and Irish, while Chad has French and Arabic.

And then there's India, which recognizes 22 languages in its constitution.
And doesn't stop there! The People's Linguistic Survey of India estimates that more than 780 languages are spoken across the country. And some experts say that when dialects are included, the number could be around 1,600.

The most commonly spoken language in India is Hindi, which has over 528 million native speakers. Hindi is also used by the national government, and is the main language in several states.
The next most common language in India is Bengali with 97 million native speakers, followed by Marathi with 83 million. Other common languages heard in India include Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Urdu.

Why are so many languages spoken in India?

One reason is geography. India is a very big country with mountains, deserts and forests that make it difficult for different groups of people to meet. People in different areas just developed languages independently of each other.

Another important reason is history. India has been ruled by many different governments and empires with their own languages.

The British Empire, which ruled the country until 1947, brought English to India. Today, English is commonly used in business and education, and often spoken between people from different parts of the country who don't share a native language.

However, English is not one of the 22 languages recognized in the constitution!

Finally, India has laws to protect its many languages, and even celebrates them with special days — like Tamil Language Day on January 25, or Punjabi Diwas on March 14. Diwas is a Hindi word that means "day of celebration."

#Reading

Expressions to Talk About Money Troubles

People have probably been having money troubles since money was invented thousands of years ago. And now there are lots of expressions to talk about money problems.

Here are three you might hear in conversation:

When James Bond actor Daniel Craig first started acting, he also worked as a waiter to try and pay the bills. He sometimes even had to sleep on a park bench because he didn't have enough cash for a place to stay. So we could say that he was "living from hand to mouth," which means he had just enough money to eat and live.

This idiom may come from a time of famine, when people would immediately eat any food that they could get their hands on.

Even worse than not having enough money is being in debt. You could be "up to your ears in debt," which means you have more debt than you can manage — like being in deep water without knowing how to swim. And it's not just your ears: you can even be up to your "neck" and "eyes" in debt — and other things too. You can say, "I'm up to my neck in work," or "I'm up to my eyes in reports."

Of course, getting out of debt isn't always easy — but if you try "living on a shoestring," you might be able to start saving some cash. Doing something "on a shoestring" means you do it with a very small amount of money.

People aren't sure where this idiom comes from, but it might have started because shoestrings — or shoelaces — aren't very expensive.

#idioms
#Common_Phrases
#Reading

#Expressions


🔘Make a better door than a window🔘


⚜The phrase "make a better door than a window" is often used humorously to suggest that someone is blocking the view or access to something, typically when they are standing in front of a doorway or an opening. It implies that the person is not being very helpful in that moment and might be more suited to being a door (which provides access) rather than a window (which offers a view but does not allow passage).

▎Meaning:

1. Literal Interpretation: Someone is physically obstructing an entrance or view, making it difficult for others to pass through or see what's behind them.

2. Figurative Interpretation: It can also refer to someone's inability to provide insight or help in a situation, suggesting that they should take a step back to allow others to engage more fully.

▎Examples:

1. In a Social Setting:

   • During a party, if someone stands in front of the fridge while others are trying to get drinks, someone might say, "Could you move? You're making a better door than a window!"

2. In a Meeting:

   • If a colleague is standing in front of a projector screen while presenting, another might quip, "Hey, you're making a better door than a window! We can't see the slides!"

3. In Everyday Life:

   • At home, if a family member is blocking the entrance to a room while talking, someone else might say, "Step aside! You're making a better door than a window; I can't get through!"

Overall, it's a light-hearted way to point out that someone is inadvertently obstructing others' ability to see or access something.

Saying Less, Meaning More: The Power of Anapodotons

Have you ever heard the phrase, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"?

It means you should follow the customs of the place you're visiting or the people you're with. So in Japan, for example, you should take off your shoes before entering someone's home, because it's the custom.

However, people often shorten this phrase to just, "When in Rome."

Phrases like this, where part of the sentence is not spoken but the meaning is still clear, are called "anapodotons" ("an-uh-PAW-duh-tuns"). People don't say the second part of the phrase, but everyone knows what they mean.

But why do people leave phrases unfinished?

According to Instagram linguist Adam Aleksic, it's because we like to save time and effort when talking. By saying less, we can still share the full idea, as long as others know the rest of the phrase.

Anapodotons are very common in English. Let's look at some more now!

"Speak of the devil" is something people say when someone appears just as you were talking about them. The full phrase is, "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." But it doesn't mean you think the person who appeared is a bad person!

"It takes a village" is another example. The full phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child," means raising children is easier with help from others. It can also be used to talk about teamwork or group tasks.

"If you can't stand the heat" comes from, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." This means if something is difficult or stressful, you should either deal with it or stop complaining and leave!

Anapodotons may be short, but they have a lot of meaning!

#Reading
#Common_Phrases