grapple

grapple

(verb) 

= to fight

 

Examples

During the final match, the two wrestlers grappled fiercely, trying to win the large prize money.

My children grappled for the candy.

The two friends grappled playfully in the backyard.

Reference

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/grapple

Here are more examples of using "grapple":

The soldiers grappled with their opponents in a test of strength and skill.

She had to grapple with her emotions after receiving the news.

The team grappled with the challenges of the project but eventually found a solution.

In the debate, they grappled over differing opinions on the issue.

Some synonyms for "grapple":

Wrestle

Struggle

Fight

Clash

Confront

Engage 

Battle 

Wrest

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bite your tongue

 bite your tongue

= to refrain from saying something that you might want to say

 

Actually, I wanted to say that her dress was ugly and old-fashioned, but I bit my tongue at the last minute to avoid causing any tension.

During the meeting, I had to bite my tongue when my colleague made an outrageous claim.

I wanted to express my opinion on the matter, but I decided to bite my tongue to maintain peace.

Even though I disagreed with the decision, I bit my tongue to avoid creating a scene.

Some synonyms and antonyms for "bite your tongue":

Synonyms

Hold your tongue

Refrain from speaking

Stay silent

Keep quiet

Suppress your words

Antonyms

Speak up

Express yourself

Voice your opinion

Say what you think 

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bad blood

bad blood

=  feelings of hostility or resentment between people

The bad blood between the two countries made negotiations extremely difficult.  

Years of competition in the industry resulted in bad blood between the two companies.

The bad blood from their last argument lingered in the air, making the atmosphere tense.

Even years later, the bad blood between the two teams was evident during the match.

Some synonyms and antonyms for "bad blood":

Synonyms

Hostility

Resentment  

Rivalry 

Antonyms 

Friendship

Harmony 

Accord

Unity

Compatibility

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melee

melee

= a fight or conflict that is chaotic and confused, often involving multiple people

混亂;

A melee broke out after a controversial call by the referee during the football match.

在足球比賽中，裁判員作出了有爭議的判罰，隨後引發了一場混戰。

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trim the waistline

trim the waistline

= to lose fat, particularly around the abdomen

收緊腰圍(常用於描述減肥或塑形的過程，尤其是針對腰部的運動和飲食調整。);

Susan tried to go jogging three times a week in order to trim her waistline and improve her health.

Susan嘗試每週慢跑三次，以收緊腰圍並改善她的健康。

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pencil someone in

 pencil someone in

= to schedule a time for someone to do something, but with the understanding that the plans are tentative and may change

Can I pencil you in for a meeting tomorrow? I will confirm the details later via WhatsApp.

I’ll pencil you in for the project meeting on Friday, but I’ll confirm closer to the date.

I can pencil you in for a training session next month, but I’ll need to check the schedule first.

Some synonyms and antonyms for "pencil someone in":

Synonyms

Tentatively schedule

Book a tentative appointment 

Set up a tentative time

Mark down (informally)

Antonyms

Confirm

Finalize

Schedule definitively

Set in stone 

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gruesome

gruesome

= extremely unpleasant and shocking, particularly in relation to violence, death, or horror 

可怕的;

The report of a gruesome murder shocked the entire community to its core.

一宗慘無人道的謀殺案的報道讓整個社區都震驚了。

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tune out

tune out

= to stop paying attention to something

對…置之不理;

During the lecture, some students began to tune out and eventually fell asleep.

在講座期間，一些學生開始走神，最終睡著了。

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annoy

annoy

(verb)

= to disturb someone and make someone angry

Examples

Don’t annoy me. I have lots of things to do right now.

The loud noise from the mahjong game really annoyed the neighbors.

He was annoyed by the interruptions during his speech.

Reference 

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/annoy

Here are more examples of using "annoy":

She found it annoying when people interrupted her while she was speaking.

My little brother loves to annoy me by stealing my snacks.

It annoys me when drivers don't use their turn signals.

Constant notifications from my phone can be quite annoying during work hours.

Some synonyms for "annoy":

Irritate

Disturb

Bother

Upset 

Agitate 

Pester

Provoke 

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Tense Table

 Tense Table 

Tense Table

Verbs can change forms based on tense, which indicates the time of the action. We use a tense table as a reference to understand these variations.

Examples

Infinitive: Abide

Past Tense: Abided

Past Participle: Abided

Infinitive: Arise

Past Tense: Arose

Past Participle: Arisen

Infinitive: Begin

Past Tense: Began

Past Participle: Begun

Infinitive: Catch

Past Tense: Caught

Past Participle: Caught

Infinitive: Fight

Past Tense: Fought

Past Participle: Fight 

Explanation of Tenses

Infinitive: The base form of the verb (e.g. "abide"). It often expresses a general action without a specified time.

Past Tense: Indicates that the action occurred in the past (e.g. "abided"). This form is used for completed actions.

Past Participle: Used in perfect tenses and passive voice (e.g. "abided"). It often appears with auxiliary verbs like "have" or "was."

Additional Examples

Infinitive: Go

Past Tense: Went

Past Participle: Gone

Infinitive: See

Past Tense: Saw

Past Participle: Seen

Understanding these forms helps in constructing sentences correctly across different tenses. Use this table as a quick reference to enhance your writing skills!

https://jeffreywckin.github.io/011-Tense-Table.html

in good shape

 in good shape

= being physically fit, healthy, or in a good condition 

After six months of training, Susan is now in good shape for the half-marathon.

This second-hand car is in good shape and only needs a minor tune-up for maintenance.

After a healthy diet and regular exercise, John feels he is in good shape for the summer.

The team is in good shape heading into the playoffs, with all players healthy and motivated.

Some synonyms and antonyms for "in good shape":

Synonyms:

Fit

Healthy

In good condition 

Robust

Sound

Strong

Antonyms:

Out of shape

Unfit

Unhealthy 

Damaged

Weak

Poor condition

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speak of the devil

speak of the devil

= something you say when someone mentioned in conversation appears unexpectedly 

當在對話中提到某人時，他意外出現; 說曹操，曹操到;

We are just talking about Mark, and then he walks in. Speak of the devil!

我們剛在談論Mark，然後他走了進來。說曹操，曹操到！

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king of the hill

king of the hill

= a person who is very successful or holds a dominant position in a particular field or context  

= 一個在特定領域或情境中非常成功或佔據主導地位的人。

After years of hard work, Mark has finally become the king of the hill in the AI industry.

經過多年的努力，Mark終於成為了人工智慧產業的王者。

After winning the tennis competition, Mark is now the king of the hill; however, he must work hard to maintain his position against his rivals.

在贏得網球比賽後，Mark現在是王者；然而，他必須努力維持自己在對手中的地位。

The restaurant has maintained its reputation as the king of the hill in fine dining for over a decade.

這家餐廳在高檔餐飲界已維持了十多年的王者聲譽。

With his latest novel topping the bestseller list, the author has once again proven he is the king of the hill in contemporary literature.

隨著他的最新小說登上暢銷書榜，這位作者再次證明了他在當代文學中的王者地位。

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have an axe to grind

 have an axe to grind

= to have a personal motive or agenda that influences someone's opinions or actions

 

When Peter criticizes the new pension policy, I believe he has an axe to grind because he stands to benefit from the old policies.

Many voters think that the senator has an axe to grind when he criticizes the new tax reforms, as he has significant investments in companies that benefit from the old laws.

After losing the championship, the coach expressed his frustrations about the referees, suggesting he has an axe to grind given their previous decisions.

The journalist's relentless coverage of the scandal makes me think he has an axe to grind against the organization involved.

Some synonyms and antonyms for the phrase "have an axe to grind":

Synonyms:

Have a hidden agenda

Have a personal stake

Have a vested interest

Have a bone to pick 

Antonyms: 

Be objective

Be neutral

Be unbiased

Be disinterested

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