to compare

1. Similarly

2. Likewise

3. Conversely

4. On the other hand

5. while

6. whereas

7. the reverse is true.

8. Quite the opposite

9 on the contrary

10. Unlike...

11. Alike (eg. Friends and family alike were devastated by the news. )
12. in the same way, 
13. by the same token
14.in terms of/in ... terms從..一方面說

e.g. In financial terms, the project was not a success.

In terms of money, I was better off in my last job.

To express "certain"

1. of course

2. undoubtedly

3. It is obvious that

4. It is evident that

5. is bound to..

Closing (buiness letter/ article)

1. We look forward to your favourable reply

2. For further details, please visit our website.../please don't hesitate to contact us at..

3. It is our sincere hope that [this letter has dispelled many fears from...]

4. In conclusion , opposing views and struggles will continue to exist for the issue of ...The only thing that remains clear is the fact that we must be willing to make sacrifices for ...

5. After a careful consideration, it is clear that ...is the best overall choice.

6. I am sure the above-mentioned facts will prove invaluable to you.

7. Enclosed please find...

cliches

1. burn the midnight oil...

2. concrete forest

3. raining cats and dogs

4. make both sides meet

5. Every coin has two sides

6. comtaminate the minds of

7. crystal clear

8. a hard nut to crack (difficult problem)

9. a heated debate

10. hot topic

11. hustle and bustle city

12. the pillars of future society

13. the cream of society 社會名流

14. In a nutshell= to summarise

15. the curse of modern civilization

16. evoke public concern

17. get to the root of the matter so as to extirpate it

18. just like a blank sheet

19. the bombardment of the mass media

20. Never in my life had i been so close to the verge of death.

21. Although several years have elapsed, the incident has remained so fresh in my memory that it seemed to occur only yesterday/ I can still recall it vividly.

23. For a moment, I was too simply frightened to do anything, but a moment later, I was calm enough to realise...

24. strike a blow against/at sth to do something which harms something severely

25. Was i destined to die?

26. Driven by curiosity, I...

27. Our moving silhouettes and elongated shadows were the object of envy of the moon.

28. The sky was covered by a thick blanket of grey clouds.

29. I would rather choose to die peacefully than die moaning in agony.

30. My heart was beating faster and faster, like a horse in full gallop.

31. My mind resembled turbulent water.

32. My heart nearly jumped out of my mouth.

33. I wanted to run/escape, but my legs were just like pillars sticking firmly to the ground.

34. I was too frightened/astonished to utter a word.

35. My face was as white/pale as a sheet.

36. i charged at him/her like a bull.

37. Bood/tears flowed freely like a a river in full flooding.

38. I ran as quick as I could, without stopping to gain my breath.

39. Summoning up all my courage, I ...

40. I exerted all my energy to...

41. i realised the sole source of my salvation was...

42. He rushed towards me like a tiger in rage.

43. My basic urge for survival told me that...

44. I shouted with all voice for help, hoping that someone would come to my rescue.

45. Even since after, I have developed a fear for...and I would conjure up a picture of how...

other prepositional phrases

.       In the face of 面對

e.g. In the face of the deteriorating air pollution, the government is at a loss of what to do.

[be at a loss =to not know what to do or say ]

.       In exchange for /In return for/ In pursuit of/ In search of 尋求/換取

e.g. A die-hard fan of Eason Chen queued up outside the box office overnight in pursuit of a first-row concert ticket.

.       in terms of/in ... terms從..一方面說

e.g. In financial terms, the project was not a success.

In terms of money, I was better off in my last job.

.       With respect to/ in respect of/ with regard to/ in regard to關於

e.g. I am writing with respect to your letter of 15 June.

.       in the wake of

eg. If something happens in the wake of something else, it happens after and often because of it

.        at the expense of=making another person look silly

eg.Would you stop making jokes at my expense?

Idiom: various combinations of words

Idiom: various combinations of words

Original verb	Idiom	Chinese	Example
to be hurt, damaged or killed	Fall victim to
	scared to death
	set in one's ways		A person who is set in their ways is someone who is unable or   unwilling to change their ideas, habits or methods, often because   they are old
strongly opposed to	dead set against
	easier said than done		Keeping the cats off the sofa is easier said than done.
most of the time	more often than not		More often than not, a student will come up with the right answer.
Trouble or difficulty	hot water
far from. Very different from	a far cry from
	an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth
	a necessary evil
a situation in which you only just avoid danger	a narrow escape
a practical and approximate way of doing or measuring something	a rule of thumb
Reveal or disclose something previously hidden or secret	bring to light
	caught red-handed	人贓並獲
to deal with directly or firmly/to encounter; meet; cope with	come to grips with
to gradually accept a sad situation, often the death of someone you love	come to terms with
(Don't) regret what cannot be undone or rectified	(no use) cry over spilt milk
to admit that something one said before was wrong	eat one's words
	have yet to	If you have yet to do something, you have not done it	They have yet to make a decision.
to give permission for someone to do something or for something to happen	give the green light to sth
Prove inadequate or insufficient	fall short of
to do something equally bad to someone who has done something bad to you	get even with sb
to be very successful in producing results	do/perform/work miracles/wonders
to make sure you know all the most recent facts about a subject or situation	keep abreast of
	come into force	實施
	checks and balances	制衡