A Flashcards
Account for something, somebody
- to be responsible and explain the reason for the cause of a matter
- to be answerable for the whereabouts of a person or group of people
Examples:
- Mr Lew has to account for the company’s profits and losses as he is now the Managing Director of the company
- Since Timothy is the eldest among the four siblings, he has to account for their whereabouts whenever his mother asks.
Ace out somebody or ace somebody out
to emerge as a winner in a competition with another individual
Examples:
- We need to ace out all our competitors in order to win this championship
- Jerome was driving his car at top speed to ace his arch-rival out of the race.
Act out something or act something out
to express one’s thoughts and feelings through a performance or gesture that involves actions or speech
Examples:
- The child actor was told to act out his feelings in front of the camera.
- The lady acted out of goodwill when she offered her seat to the elderly man.
Act up
- a part of one’s body or machine stops functioning well
- a person, especially a child starts to misbehave
Examples:
- Old Mr Goh’s knee is acting up again so he has to be wheelchair-bound for the next few days.
- If the leader of the pack starts to act up with all his pranks, the rest will follow suit in no time.
Add up something or add something up or add up to something
- to sum up the total of two or more numeric figures
- to result in a particular effect or conclusion
- make sense
Examples:
- To train us in our mental sums, our teacher insists that we add up the numbers in our heads.
- All the pressure to do well in school will add up to a lot of stress for the kids.
- Something just doesn’t add up, if the suspect is indeed the infamous crown jewel thief, why didn’t he steal the most expensive item in the exhibition?
Adhere to something
to follow rule or principle accordingly
Example:
- All students are expected to adhere to the rules and regulations of the school.
Adjourn to somewhere
to complete the matter on hand and move on to a different place for another activity
Example:
- The wedding couple took a group photo with their families before they adjourned to the other tables for other group shots.
- After the scrumptious feast in the dining room, the party was adjourned to the living room where everyone took turns to sing on the karaoke machine.
Agree with something or somebody
- a condition or situation that has been newly introduced to you and fits well with you; making you happy.
- to hold the same opinion or judgement
Examples:
- John is glowing with joy and happiness since he became a father - fatherhood certainly agrees with him
- I do not agree with you. I think Kamisah is the better singer.
Aim at something or doing something or aim something at somebody
- to have the intention of gaining achievement after doing something
- to target something at another person that may affect his behaviour
Examples:
- My school aims at becoming the Top School in the East Zone.
- The class aims at achieving 100% passes for English
- “Please don’t take his words to heart. I’m sure those harsh remarks were not aimed at you,” Mother said.
Allow for something
to include a factor or a pre-existing condition during decision making
Examples:
- This is a very popular restaurant. The manager asks customers to allow for a waiting time of up to 60 minutes.
- Even if we allow for mischief, the prankster really went too far this time by injuring his classmates.
Answer for something or somebody
- to take responsibility for a misdeed or to accept punishment for misbehaviour
- to vouch for a person or the quality of his work based on the trust you have in the person
Examples:
- James has to answer for his younger brother’s mischief so he makes sure his brother behaves himself.
- We have worked with Timothy before and can answer for him. We trust him to meet the deadline.
Arrive at something
to come to a conclusion or reach an agreement after a long discussion / consideration process
Examples:
- After a long discussion, Father and Mother arrived at the decision of going to Japan for our vacation.
- After much discussion, the group members still could not arrive at an agreement on who should do the presentation.
Ask after somebody or something
to show concern for another person by asking for information about how the person is doing
Examples:
- Marin often asks after his aunt’s health since he first learnt about her illness last year.
- We should be asking after our grandparents, to make sure everything is going well with them.
Attribute something to something, or attribute something to somebody
to claim or believe that an end result is due to a previous happening
Examples:
- Mr Subash always attributes the school’s success to all the students and teachers, who have worked hard to place the school in the Nation’s top ten.
- The Oscar winner attributed her success to everyone who had worked with her.
