Collocations to Expand Your Vocabulary
be drawn into an argument
If a person is ‘drawn into an argument’ he or she becomes involved in an argument, when this person doesn’t want to be. Somehow, this person got pulled into an argument. Sometimes a person is ‘drawn into an argument’ when he or she is asked a question by someone who happens to be angry or irritated at that moment. If the person’s answer triggers a negative response in the other person, how he or she reacts might determine whether they get drawn into an argument. Let’s look at a short story which illustrates the meaning.
I entered the lunch room at work hoping to have a quiet lunch break, but the room was tense. Two co-workers were debating a small mistake. Their voices rose, and the tension grew. I tried to focus on my sandwich, nodding politely, hoping to leave. Then one co-worker asked for my opinion on the mistake. I didn’t want to be drawn into an argument, so I offered a neutral comment, suggesting a quick fix. The two co-workers calmed down, and the debate ended, and I escaped, relieved, before lunch ended.
make broad generalizations
If you make a broad generalization, you take a specific situation or limited evidence and apply it to everyone or everything, even when that isn’t true.
Examples:
“Teenagers never listen to adults.”
“People from that city are always rude.”
“All managers care only about profits.”
People often make broad generalizations when they are angry. Here are some expressions which help to avoid making broad generalizations:
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- Some / a few / many / several
- Often / sometimes / usually / occasionally
- It seems that / Research shows that / Data suggests that / According to . . .
- . . . , but not all
after careful consideration
‘After careful consideration‘ means after thinking about something thoroughly and seriously. It implies that time and attention were given to consider the options, evidence, and consequences.
Examples:
After careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with the new marketing strategy.
After careful consideration, the board approved the revised budget proposal.
After careful consideration, she declined the job offer.
After careful consideration, they agreed to extend the project deadline.
Verbs used with ‘careful consideration’:
Give: We will give your proposal careful consideration.
Receive: Your application will receive careful consideration.
Require: This proposal requires careful consideration.
leave something to someone’s discretion
If you leave something to someone’s discretion, you let the other person decide based on their own judgement.
Examples: The manager left the hiring decision to the supervisor’s discretion.
We’ll leave the schedule to your discretion.
Story
Sofia: I noticed the client requested a few last-minute changes to the report. Should we push back or accommodate them?
Daniel: Given the tight deadline, I will leave it to your discretion. You know the client’s priorities better than anyone on the team.
Sofia: Alright, I’ll review the changes carefully and decide which ones we can implement without jeopardizing the timeline.
Daniel: Perfect. I trust your judgment. Just document any adjustments you make so we can explain them in the next team meeting.
Sofia: Will do. Thanks for trusting me to handle it.
reject something out of hand
If you ‘reject something out of hand’, you refuse or dismiss an idea immediately without thinking about it carefully or discussing it)
When a person rejects an idea out of hand, he or she says ‘no’ immediately. This implies that the person is close-minded or too quick to judge. A phrasal verb with a similar meaning is ‘brush something/someone off’ .
Example: The manager rejected my proposal out of hand. (immediately without even considering it)
Story
At the investment committee meeting, Priya presented a proposal to adopt a new AI-driven risk model for the pension fund. Mark glanced at the slides and interrupted. “We’ve managed fine with our current framework,” he said. “This seems unnecessary and risky. Let’s move on.” Priya tried to explain the long-term benefits, but Mark closed the discussion without asking questions or reviewing the data.
Later, Priya spoke with her colleague Daniel. “I’m frustrated,” she said. “Mark rejected my proposal out of hand. He didn’t even consider the analysis or the potential impact on our portfolio. It’s difficult to contribute when ideas are dismissed so quickly.”
Collocations to Expand Your Vocabulary
