TIME

there's no call for sth

nobody wants (to buy/have/own) sth any more, We stopped selling records because there's no call for them any more. Everyone wants CDs. There's no call for such rude behaviour

there's no denying

everyone must/would admit that, There is no denying that, under this government, the country has made great leaps forward

there's no harm in doing sth

you lose nothing by trying sth, He will almost certainly say no, but there is no harm in asking him, is there?

there's no need to

it is not necessary to, It's an informal meeting, so there is no need (for you) to wear a suit

there's nothing like

nothing is better than, There's nothing like a long, hot bath to help you relax after a hard day at work

there's no point (in) doing sth

doing sth would be a waste of time/serve no purpose, There's no point (in) asking him for more money. We both know he is going to say no

there's no question of sth happening

sth will definitely not happen, There's no question of his being asked to resign

there's no such thing as

sth does not exist, Some people say that there's no such thing as an honest politician

there's no telling

it is very difficult to know, There's no telling what he will do next. He's a very volatile man. There's no knowing how he will react

there's no way I …

I absolutely refuse to …, There's no way I'm going to let them get away with this

AT

3 o'clock, 10.30, etc; night; the weekend (UK); midday, midnight; Christmas, Easter; bedtime

IN

the morning; the afternoon; May, April, July, etc; 1956, 1756, 2005, etc; summer, spring, etc

ON

Monday, Tuesday, etc; Monday morning/afternoon, etc; May 23, June 6, etc; my birthday, our anniversary; Christmas Day, New Year's Day; the weekend (USA)

at long last

finally, It seemed as if I'd been waiting for ever for the letter, but at long last it came

at times

sometimes, but not often, My degree course was very difficult. At times, I seriously thought about giving up

day in, day out

happening every day, often with the result of becoming boring and tedious, It's the same old routine, day in and day out. I really need a break

every once in a while

occasionally, We don't go out very often. Every once in a while, we go to the cinema, but that's about it

for months on end

continuously; for months/hours/days/weeks, etc, It was such an isolated place that sometimes I would go for days on end without seeing another human being

from now on

starting from now, I've decided that from now on I'm going to do half an hour of yoga every day

from the word go

from the very beginning of sth, This business was doomed to failure from the word go

in the end

eventually, Everything turned out all right in the end

in the meantime

between now and a particular time in the future, Your teacher is going to be twenty minutes late. So, in the meantime, I'd like you to do the phrasal verb exercise on page twenty

on time

at the right time, punctually, The train arrived on time. "It's a miracle," she said, opening the door. "You are on time." You're just in time for tea

up until

up to a time before a particular time in the past, Last year I read a book on the damage we are doing to the earth. Up until then, I really hadn't given the environment much thought

all along

all the time, from the very beginning, None of it was true. He had been lying to her all along

all day long

for the whole day, It rained all day long

all the time

very often, I love that restaurant. I go there all the time

any minute now

very soon, within the next few minutes, The train should be here any minute now

every so often/every now and then

occasionally, He was reading a letter. It must have been funny, because every so often he'd burst out laughing

for three days/the third day running

one day after another for a total of three days, He missed training for three days running

for quite a while

for a long time, I haven't seen them for quite a while

for yonks

for a very long time, I've known him for yonks

from time to time

occasionally, We see them from time to time, but not as often as we used to, now that we've moved

having

when (introduces the first of two connected actions in the past and is followed by a past participle form), Having taken my details, the policeman told me I could go

in the long run

over a long period of time in the future, His decision to accept the transfer will pay off in the long run

in a row/on the trot

one after the other, They have won eight games in a row. He has missed six classes on the trot

in next to no time

very (and surprisingly) quickly, I thought it would take ages, but we got there in next to no time

long~lasting

lasting for a long time, long

long~lost

sb or sth you haven't seen for a long time, One day her long~lost sister whom she'd last seen thirty years before, turned up out of the blue

long~running

that has continued for many years, 'Coronation Street' is the longest~running soap opera on British television

long~standing

that has continued or existed for a long time, They have a long~standing arrangement to go to the cinema on Saturdays

long~winded

lasting for a long time and using far too many words ~ and being boring as a result, All I got was a long~winded explanation that I couldn't understand

on

when; + noun/

on the dot

exactly (for time), You must be there for your interview at 9 o'clock on the dot

outright

complete, total, That was outright cheating, no matter what you say

right away

immediately, I could see right away that something was wrong

round the clock

all day and all night, without a break, We will have to work round the clock if we want to get this finished in time

seldom

not very often, He seldom makes public appearances. Seldom have we had such appalling weather

shortly

very soon, This film will be over shortly, then you can switch channels

straight away

immediately, I could tell straight away that something was wrong

the other day

a few days ago, I saw John the other day. He sends his regards

anywhere between five minutes and thirty minutes

as little as five minutes or as long as thirty minutes, Depending on the traffic, it could take you anywhere between fifty minutes and two hours

beforehand

before sth happened/has happened, Do not attempt to change a light bulb without switching off the power beforehand

for the best part of

for almost, I've been waiting for you for the best part of an hour

to be cutting it fine

not to be leaving yourself much time to arrive on time, That will only give us twenty minutes to get to the theatre and that is cutting it very fine

to ensue

to follow as a result, Having performed several fire drills, the students knew what to do in the event of a fire without panic ensuing

give or take

approximately, The journey should take you two hours, give or take a few minutes

in ten minutes flat

in exactly ten minutes, I got ready in ten minutes flat

get a move on

hurry up, Get a move on! We're late

it's just gone one o'clock

it is a couple of minutes past one o'clock, What's the time? It's just gone half past three

to be half~way through sth/doing sth

to be in the middle of doing sth, I was halfway through my dinner when the phone rang

in the meantime

between now and a particular time in the future or between two events in the past, Normal service will be resumed shortly; in the meantime, here's some light music

more often than not

very often, More often than not, he was broke

prior to

before, Prior to our arrival in New York, we will be serving a light snack

protracted

lasting for much longer than you expected, There was a bitter and protracted struggle between the union and the management during the strike

to be (a bit/rather) pushed/pressed for time

to be busy and not to have much time to spare, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm a bit pressed for time. Why don't we meet up next week?

round/around about

approximately, It takes me round about an hour to commute to work every day. You'll need to take round about £500 for spending money on holiday. Meals will cost round about £200 on top of that

roughly

approximately, It will take you roughly 30 minutes to get to the city centre

to be running late

to be delayed, They were running late at the dentist's so I had to wait longer than I'd expected for my appointment

to schedule sth

to formally arrange sth for a particular time, I've scheduled your meeting with Mr Crofts for Monday 16th May

sharp

exactly, precisely, The bank opens at 9 o'clock sharp

to be slow

to show an earlier time than the correct time, Oh no! My watch is twenty minutes slow. I'll be late for work. You don't need to hurry; that clock on the wall is fast

for five solid hours

for five hours without stopping, I've been writing this for five solid hours and I still haven't finished

in a tick

very soon, We'll be there in a tick. The doctor will be with you in a tick

for the time being

between now and a particular time in the future, He's looking for a full~time job in London. For the time being, he's working part~time locally

to play for time

to try to delay sth because you don't want it to happen or need time to think about it, Being unsure about the prospective merger, the board of directors were playing for time