1000-7

perpetuate,

Grammar: transitive verb, requires an object, no preposition after it, passive form be perpetuated by, noun form perpetuation, adjective form perpetual,

Register: formal, academic, journalistic, critical tone,

Collocations: perpetuate inequality, perpetuate stereotypes, perpetuate myths, perpetuate cycles, perpetuate violence, perpetuate poverty, perpetuate injustice, help perpetuate, serve to perpetuate, continue to perpetuate, be perpetuated by, self-perpetuating,

Synonyms: continue, maintain, sustain, keep alive,

Notes: only used for negative or long-lasting things, never for good things,

Watch out: no preposition after perpetuate, do not confuse with perpetual which means never-ending

Meaning: to make something bad or unfair continue for a long time, to keep something going usually something negative.

Examples: "Poorly funded schools … inequality because richer children get better resources."

"The film was criticised for … racial stereotypes."

"If we don't talk about the problem, we help … it."

"Inequality is … by policies that favour the wealthy."

"That myth has been … for generations."

hospitality sector,

Grammar: the hospitality sector, uncountable in the personal sense, countable in the industry sense with the, adjective form hospitable, opposite inhospitable,

Register: neutral to formal in business, warm and polite in personal use,

Collocations: the hospitality sector, the hospitality industry, work in hospitality, hospitality management, hospitality business, the hospitality trade, show hospitality, offer hospitality, extend hospitality, thank somebody for their hospitality, warm hospitality, generous hospitality, corporate hospitality,

Synonyms: tourism, catering, service industry, entertaining,

Notes: do not confuse with hospital, corporate hospitality means entertaining clients,

Watch out: always use the before hospitality sector, no article when saying work in hospitality, do not say a hospitality or He is very hospitality

Meaning: the business of serving guests, hotels, restaurants, bars, tourism, also the friendly and generous treatment of guests.

Examples: "She's worked in the … for ten years, mostly in hotels."

"The … was hit hard during the pandemic."

"Thank you so much for your … we felt like family."

"The local people showed us incredible …"

"He studied … management at university."

government institution,

Grammar: countable, a government institution, plural government institutions, often used with the, adjective form institutional, noun form institution,

Register: formal, neutral, used in news, politics, academic writing,

Collocations: a government institution, public institution, state institution, financial institution, educational institution, cultural institution, run a government institution, fund a government institution, reform a government institution, trust in government institutions,

Synonyms: organisation, body, agency, authority, institute,

Notes: institution can also mean a long-established custom such as marriage as an institution, institutional often appears in phrases like institutional racism, institutional failure,

Watch out: need the article a government institution, in speech native speakers usually name the specific body such as the tax office or the council

Meaning: an official organisation that is part of the government or serves the public, an official body that runs public services or government business. Examples: "Public trust in … has fallen in recent years." "The court is a … so it must remain independent." "She works for a … that handles education policy." "Reforming … is a slow process." "The report criticised … failures in the police."

hands-on approach,

Grammar: adjective, usually hyphenated before a noun, a hands-on approach, after a verb can stay hyphenated, opposite hands-off,

Register: neutral to informal, widely used in business, education, everyday speech, positive tone,

Collocations: a hands-on approach, hands-on experience, hands-on training, hands-on learning, hands-on management, hands-on manager, hands-on leader, take a hands-on approach, be hands-on, hands-on with something, a hands-on approach to something,

Synonyms: practical, direct, active, involved, experiential,

Notes: always hyphenated before a noun, hands-off is the opposite,

Watch out: do not write hand-on or hands on before a noun, use hands-on with something or a hands-on approach to something, not hands-on in something

Meaning: a way of doing something by actually doing it yourself, not just talking or planning, practical and directly involved.

Examples: "She takes a … to management and knows every employee by name." "The course offers … training in photography." "He's a … dad who's involved in everything." "We need a … leader, not someone who just sends emails." "I learned more from … experience than from textbooks."

allocate,

Grammar: transitive verb, needs an object, common in passive, allocate + object + to + receiver, allocate + object + for + period/purpose, allocate + object + noun (double object),

Noun form: allocation

Meaning: to officially give money, time, or materials to a person or purpose.

Examples: "The school … more resources to science labs this year."

"The government plans to … more funding to public libraries."

"We need to … at least two hours a week to revision."

"The company … a large portion of its budget to staff training last year."

"The manager … tasks to the new interns this morning."

"A university decided to … 30% of its budget to research labs."

"I would … most of my time to it."

foster,

Grammar: transitive verb, needs an object, object is usually abstract, foster + abstract noun, foster + noun + in/among/between + people, no preposition directly after foster,

Noun form: fostering, Adjective: foster (before noun)

Meaning: to help something abstract like growth, trust, or skills develop slowly over time.

Examples: "Good teachers … curiosity in their students." "Team sports can … a sense of belonging among teenagers." "Reading widely helps … creativity in young writers." "Small class sizes … better communication between students and teachers." "A reading programme … a lasting love of books in children." "I just try my best to … trust among the new team members."

a cornerstone of,

Grammar: countable noun, usually singular with of, common with be, always takes of, always needs an article

Meaning: the most important basic part of something, its foundation.

Examples: "Critical thinking is … university education." "Freedom of the press is often described as … a healthy democracy." "Trust is … any long-term relationship." "Access to clean water should be … public health policy." "I believe that reading is … education because it improves writing, grammar and speaking skills."

conducive to,

Grammar: adjective + preposition, always followed by to + noun or gerund,

Collocations: conducive to learning, conducive to sleep, conducive to productivity, conducive to a good working relationship, hardly conducive to, an atmosphere conducive to,

Synonyms: helpful for, good for, favourable to, beneficial to,

Notes: formal, neutral, used in both British and American English, Watch out: not conductive, not conducive for

Meaning: creating the right conditions for something good to happen, helping something to develop.

Examples: "A quiet room with good light is far more … studying than a noisy cafe." "Constant interruptions are hardly … deep concentration." "The manager tried to create an atmosphere … open communication." "Warm milk before bed is said to be … sleep." "A messy desk isn't exactly … productivity."

hinge on,

Grammar: verb + preposition, hinge on + noun, hinge on + whether or if clause, hinge on + gerund, regular verb hinge, hinged, hinged,

Collocations: hinge on a decision, hinge on an outcome, hinge on a vote, hinge on a result, everything hinges on, the whole thing hinges on, Synonyms: depend on, rest on, come down to, turn on,

Notes: common, neutral to slightly formal, used in both British and American English, used for high-stakes situations

Meaning: to depend completely on one important thing.

Examples: "The entire project … whether we get the permit." "His promotion … the outcome of next month's review." "Everything … that one phone call." "The peace deal … both sides agreeing to the terms." "Whether we go hiking … the weather forecast."

widen access to,

Grammar: verb + uncountable noun + preposition, widen access to + noun, no the before access, verb forms widen, widened, widened,

Collocations: widen access to healthcare, widen access to education, widen access to the internet, widen access to funding, improve access to, expand access to, broaden access to, equal access to,

Synonyms: improve access to, expand access to, broaden access to, open up access to, democratise,

Notes: common, formal, used in policy, news, academic and NGO contexts, used in both British and American English,

Watch out: access is uncountable, always to not for

Meaning: to make something available to more people, to open something up so more people can use it.

Examples: "The new law aims to … healthcare for rural families." "Online courses have … education for people in remote areas." "The charity works to … legal support for low-income workers." "Free clinics … basic medical care." "The government promised to … high-speed internet across the country."

be instrumental in,

Grammar: be instrumental in + gerund or noun, play an instrumental role in,

Collocations: instrumental in developing, instrumental in bringing about, instrumental in shaping, instrumental in helping, instrumental in the success of, play an instrumental role in,

Synonyms: key to, crucial to, central to, pivotal in, play a big part in,

Notes: common, formal, neutral, used in both British and American English, only for significant achievements,

Watch out: always in not for, not to be confused with instrumental music

Meaning: to play an important role in making something happen, to be a key part of achieving something.

Examples: "She was … setting up the school's music programme." "Technology has been … transforming how we work." "He played an … role in the peace talks." "The charity was … bringing clean water to the village." "Her mentor was … shaping her career."