Embedded Files
Дата публикации: Nov 11, 2016 6:17:47 AM
0.
1. Collocation
chance noun
1 possibility
ADJ. excellent, good, high, strong | fair, fighting, sporting, realistic, reasonable There's a fair chance that nobody will come to the talk. | little, the merest, million-to-one, minimal, outside, slender, slim, slight There was only a million-to-one chance of it happening. As long as there is an outside chance, we will go for it. | fifty-fifty, one-in-three, -four, etc., 10, 20, etc. per cent They have a 90 per cent chance of success. | survival What are his survival chances? | election, electoral
VERB + CHANCE give sb The doctors gave him (= said that he had ) little chance of surviving the night. | be in with, have, stand After a poor start, they are now in with a chance of winning the league. He doesn't stand a chance of winning against such an experienced player. | assess, rateHow do you rate our chances of finding her? | fancy I don't fancy our chances of getting there on time. | boost, enhance, improve, increase, maximize | compromise, jeopardize, lessen, minimize, prejudice, reduce, ruin, scupper, spoil
PREP. by any ~ Are you by any chance Mr Ludd? | ~ of The missing climber's chances of survival are slim.
PHRASES fat chance (informal) Fat chance (= there is no chance) of him helping you! | have every chance She has every chance of passing the exam if she works hard. | no chance! ‘Will he lend us his car?’ ‘No chance!’ | on the off chance (= just in case) I rang the firm just on the off chance that they might have a vacancy.
2 opportunity
ADJ. fair, good, great, ideal, wonderful She played left-handed to give her opponent a fair chance. This is the ideal chance for him to show his ability. | big This is your big chance?grab it with both hands. | once-in-a-lifetime | last, second The teacher gave her one last chance to prove she could behave. There are no second chances in this business. | educational, life The new college is intended to improve the life chances of children in the inner city. | clear, clear-cut, scoring (sport)
QUANT. element There is always an element of chance in buying a used car.
VERB + CHANCE get, have I finally had the chance to meet my hero. | deserve He deserves the chance to give his side of the story. | welcome I would welcome the chance to give my opinion. | give sb, offer (sb), provide (sb with) | deny sb No child should be denied the chance of growing up in a family. | wait for | create, make (sport) The team created several clear chances but failed to score. | spot She spotted her chance of making a quick profit. | grab, grasp, jump at, seize, takeTravis had left the door open?she seized her chance and was through it like a shot. Take every chance that comes your way. | blow, miss, pass up, squander, throw away, turn down, wasteThey blew their chance to go second in the league. I wouldn't pass up the chance of working for them.
CHANCE + VERB arise, come up, come your way When the chance came up to go to Paris, she jumped at it.
PHRASES given the chance Given the chance, I'd stop work tomorrow. | half a chance The dog always runs off when it gets half a chance. | let a chance slip (by) If she let this chance slip, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
3 risk
VERB + CHANCE take The guide book didn't mention the hotel, but we decided to take a chance.
PREP. ~ on The manager took a chance on the young goalkeeper. | ~ with The police were taking no chances with the protesters.
4 luck/fortune
ADJ. pure, sheer | happy, lucky By a happy chance he bumped into an old friend on the plane. | unlucky
VERB + CHANCE leave sth to Leaving nothing to chance, he delivered the letter himself.
PREP. by ~ The police came upon the hideout purely by chance. | due to ~ The results could simply be due to chance. | through ~ I got most answers right through sheer chance.
PHRASES a game of chance Chess is not a game of chance. | take your chances (= take a risk in the hope that things will turn out well) He took his chances and jumped into the water.
possibility noun
ADJ. exciting, interesting | endless, many The resort offers endless possibilities for entertainment.| further, other | different, various | future | distinct, great, real, serious, strong There's a strong possibility that it will rain today. | reasonable | faint, remote There is a faint possibility that he might have got the wrong day. | practical | theoretical | obvious
VERB + POSSIBILITY allow sb, offer sb, open up, raise | see | consider, discuss, examine, explore, study Have you explored the possibilities of setting up your own business? | accept, acknowledge, admit, concede, countenance, entertain, recognize | ignore, overlook | deny, discount, dismiss, eliminate, exclude, preclude, rule out We cannot rule out the possibility of mistaken identity. | face The club is facing the real possibility of relegation. | risk We don't want to risk the possibility of losing all our money. | allow for, cover Some reserves were named to cover the possibility of withdrawals. | avert | lessen, reduce
PREP. ~ for She was quick to see the possibilities for making money that her new skills gave her. | ~ of Careful checks will reduce the possibility of unpleasant surprises.
PHRASES beyond/within the bounds of possibility It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that a similar situation could arise again. | a number/range of possibilities The course offers a wide range of possibilities for personal development.
likelihood noun
ADJ. every There's every likelihood that she'll be able to help us. | greater, increased | real, strong
VERB + LIKELIHOOD decrease, minimize, reduce Taking regular exercise reduces the likelihood of a heart attack. | increase, maximize, raise | affect This shouldn't affect the likelihood of you getting the job.
LIKELIHOOD + VERB grow | diminish
PREP. ~ of Is their any likelihood of our getting our money back?
PHRASES in all likelihood In all likelihood, he'll be fit to play on Saturday.
probability noun
ADJ. high, real, strong There is a high probability that it will snow tonight. | greater, increased | low
QUANT. degree We can say with a high degree of probability that the poem was written by Shakespeare.
VERB + PROBABILITY have | increase | reduce | assess, calculate, judge
PREP. ~ of This surgical procedure has a high probability of success.
PHRASES in all probability In all probability she wouldn't come even if we invited her. | on a balance of probabilities The coroner thought that on the balance of probabilities, the pilot had suffered a stroke just before the crash.
opportunity noun
ADJ. ample, considerable, plenty of We'll have plenty of opportunity to talk later. | limited, little, not much | excellent, favourable, golden, good, great, marvellous, tremendous, welcome, wonderful a golden opportunity to invest and export into new markets | exciting | ideal, perfect | suitable | reasonable We need to give them a reasonable opportunity to look at the display. | available | every Students should take every opportunity to widen their experience. | historic, once-in-a-lifetime, rare, unique, unparalleled, unprecedented, unrivalled | lost, missed, wasted | career, educational, employment, job, training | business, commercial, economic, investment, market, sales a missed sales opportunity | photo (= an opportunity to take photographs of famous or important people) | equal opportunities (= the principle of treating all people the same, regardless of sex. colour, etc.) an equal opportunities employer
VERB + OPPORTUNITY have | find, get We didn't get much opportunity to swim. | afford, create, give sb, offer (sb), open up, provide (sb with) to provide better educational opportunities | grasp, seize, take (up), take advantage of May I take this opportunity to congratulate Ruth on her promotion. | lose, miss He lost no opportunity to vent his anger on those around him. | pass up
OPPORTUNITY + VERB exist | arise, come, occur, offer When the opportunity came, I seized it with both hands. (formal) The company aimed to expand as and when opportunity offered.
PREP. ~ for The job will offer you excellent opportunities for promotion.
PHRASES at the earliest/first (possible) opportunity, at every (available) opportunity, equality of opportunity, the opportunity of a lifetime, a window of opportunity The ceasefire has created a window of opportunity to rescue the peace process.
odds noun
ADJ. considerable, great, high, impossible, insuperable, overwhelming, terrible She struggled against terrible odds to overcome her illness. | long, short Sometimes an outsider will win at long odds, but not often. The bookmakers are offering only short odds on the favourite.
VERB + ODDS offer, quote | lay I'll lay odds we never see him again. | reduce, shorten | beat, defy, overcome She defied the odds to beat the clear favourite.
ODDS + VERB shorten | lengthen
PREP. against the ~ The film is a heart-warming tale of triumph against the odds. | ~ against The odds against their survival have lengthened. | ~ of They were offering odds of ten to one. | ~ on The odds on the outsider were 100?1.
PHRASES against all (the) odds Against all the odds, we managed to get through to the final.
2. Patterns
chance (-s)
chance of doing something Is there any chance of getting tickets for tonight?
chance that… There's a slight chance that he'll be back in time.
chance of something happening What chance is there of anybody being found alive?
chance of something Nowadays a premature baby has a very good chance of survival.
chance to do something Please give me a chance to explain.
chance for somebody to do something There will be a chance for parents to look around the school.
possibility (-ies)
possibility (that…) There is now no possibility that she will make a full recovery.
possibility (of something/of doing something) He refused to rule out the possibility of a tax increase.
It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that we'll all meet again one day.
likelihood (uncountable)
In all likelihood (= very probably) the meeting will be cancelled.
The likelihood is that (= it is likely that) unemployment figures will continue to fall.
probability (-ies)
odds (pl.)
The odds are very much in our favour (= we are likely to succeed).
The odds are heavily against him (= he is not likely to succeed).
The odds are that (= it is likely that) she'll win.
What are the odds (= how likely is it) he won't turn up?
Against all (the) odds, he made a full recovery.
odds of ten to one (= ten times the amount of money that has been bet by somebody will be paid to them if they win)
They are offering long/short odds(= the prize money will be high/low because there is a high/low risk of losing) on the defending champion.
(figurative) I'll lay odds on him getting the job (= I'm sure he will get it).
3. Idioms
as chance would have it
happening in a way that was lucky, although it was not planned
As chance would have it, John was going to London too, so I went with him.
be in with a chance (of doing something)
(British English, informal) to have the possibility of succeeding or achieving something
‘Do you think we'll win?’ ‘I think we're in with a chance.’
He's in with a good chance of passing the exam.
by any chance
used especially in questions, to ask whether something is true, possible, etc.
Are you in love with him, by any chance?
the chances are (that)…
(informal) it is likely that…
The chances are you won't have to pay.
chance would be a fine thing
(British English, informal) people say chance would be a fine thing to show that they would like to do or have the thing that somebody has mentioned, but that they do not think that it is very likely
(a) fat chance (of something/doing something)
(informal) used for saying that you do not believe something is likely to happen
‘They might let us in without tickets.’ ‘Fat chance of that!’
a fighting chance
a small chance of being successful if a great effort is made
We still have a fighting chance of beating them and winning the Cup.
If you win this round then you still have a fighting chance.
give somebody/something half a chance
to give somebody/something some opportunity to do something
That dog will give you a nasty bite, given half a chance.
have an even chance (of doing something)
to be equally likely to do or not do something
She has more than an even chance of winning tomorrow.
There’s an even chance that the jury will find him guilty.
no chance
(informal) there is no possibility
‘Do you think he'll do it?’ ‘No chance.’
not have/stand a cat in hell’s chance (of doing something)
to have no chance at all
not have a dog’s chance
to have no chance at all
He hasn't a dog's chance of passing the exam.
not have a snowball’s chance in hell
(informal) to have no chance at all
on the off chance (that)
because of the possibility of something happening, although it is unlikely
I didn't think you'd be at home but I just called by on the off chance.
She scanned the crowd on the off chance of seeing someone she knew.
I called in at the office on the off chance that you would still be there.
a sporting chance
a reasonable chance of success
stand a chance (of doing something)
to have the possibility of succeeding or achieving something
The driver didn't stand a chance of stopping in time.
take a chance (on something)
to decide to do something, knowing that it might be the wrong choice
We took a chance on the weather and planned to have the party outside.
take your chances
to take a risk or to use the opportunities that you have and hope that things will happen in the way that you want
He took his chances and jumped into the water.
with an eye for/on/to the main chance
(British English, usually disapproving) with the hope of using a particular situation in order to gain some advantage for yourself
beyond/within the realms of possibility
not possible/possible
A successful outcome is not beyond the realms of possibility.
(on) the balance of evidence/probability
(formal) (considering) the evidence on both sides of an argument, to find the most likely reason for or result of something
The balance of evidence suggests the Liberal party's decline began before the First World War.
in all probability…
it is very likely that
In all probability he failed to understand the consequences of his actions.
3.
bound adjective BrE /baʊnd/ ; NAmE /baʊnd/ see also bind [not before noun]
1. bound to do/be something certain or likely to happen, or to do or be something
There are bound to be changes when the new system is introduced.
It's bound to be sunny again tomorrow.
You've done so much work—you're bound to pass the exam.
It was bound to happen sooner or later (= we should have expected it).
You're bound to be nervous the first time (= it's easy to understand).
непременный, обязательный
2. forced to do something by law, duty or a particular situation
bound by something We are not bound by the decision.
You are bound by the contract to pay before the end of the month.
bound (by something) to do something
(formal) I am bound to say I disagree with you on this point.
They are legally bound to appear in court.
3. (in compounds) prevented from going somewhere or from working normally by the conditions mentioned
Strike-bound travellers face long delays.
fogbound airports
4. (also in compounds) travelling, or ready to travel, in a particular direction or to a particular place
homeward bound (= going home)
Paris-bound
northbound/southbound/eastbound/westbound
bound for… a plane bound for Dublin
Idioms
be bound together by/in something - to be closely connected
communities bound together by customs and traditions
be bound up in something - very busy with something; very interested or involved in something
He's too bound up in his work to have much time for his children.
bound and determined - (North American English) very determined to do something
I came here bound and determined to put the last 12 months behind me.
bound up with something - closely connected with something
From that moment my life became inextricably bound up with hers.
(feel) honour-bound to do something - (formal) to feel that you must do something because of your sense of moral duty
She felt honour-bound to attend as she had promised to.
compare duty-bound
I’ll be bound - (old-fashioned, British English, informal) I feel sure
They’re up to some mischief, I’ll be bound!
certain bound sure definite guaranteed
These are all words describing something that will definitely happen or is definitely true.
certain that you can rely on to happen or be true:
It’s certain that they will agree.
They are certain to agree.
bound [not before noun] certain to happen, or to do or be something. Bound is only used in the phrase bound to do/be, etc.:
There are bound to be changes when the new system is introduced.
You’ve done so much work—you’re bound to pass the exam.
sure certain to happen or be true; that can be trusted or relied on:
She’s sure to be picked for the team.
It’s sure to rain.
definite (rather informal) certain to happen; that is not going to change:
Is it definite that he’s leaving?
guaranteed certain to have a particular result:
That kind of behaviour is guaranteed to make him angry.
Patterns
certain/sure of something
certain/bound/sure/guaranteed to do something
certain/definite that…
I couldn’t say for certain/sure/definite.
4. likelihood
likelihood noun BrE /ˈlaɪklihʊd/ ; NAmE /ˈlaɪklihʊd/ [uncountable, singular] - the chance of something happening; how likely something is to happen
synonym probability
There is very little likelihood of that happening.
In all likelihood (= very probably) the meeting will be cancelled.
The likelihood is that (= it is likely that) unemployment figures will continue to fall.
This reduces the likelihood that the treatment will be successful.
Extra examples
Is their any likelihood of our getting our money back?
Staff have to calculate continuously the likelihood of danger.
Taking regular exercise reduces the likelihood of a heart attack.
There’s every likelihood that she’ll be able to help us.
This shouldn’t affect the likelihood of you getting the job.
Without a guide, there seemed little likelihood of reaching our goal.
skills that will improve their likelihood for success in college
In all likelihood the meeting will be cancelled.
The likelihood is that unemployment figures will continue to fall.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse