Charities
Grammatical structure
I’ve heard of …; People around me have been doing ….; I’ve been wanting to volunteer ….
I have volunteered as … in ….
I think ….; Since / As / Because / Because of / Due to ….
Being a volunteer, I ….; From my personal experience, ….
Speaking of ….; Talking about ….; In terms of ….; Regarding ….
Vocabulary & phrases:
Personality words: generous, altruistic, caring, supportive, kind, encouraged; generosity, altruism, benevolent - benevolence (kind and generous),
Emotional words: grateful - gratuity
Organisation words: association, cooperation, social work, NGO, fundraiser, donor, sponsor
Actions: contribute - contribution, care, donate - donation, fund raising, rescue,
The other parties: homeless, the homeless, orphan, street children / stray kids, stray animals, refugee
Events: Drive/ Blood drive (A campaign to collect money or items for charity.) , Food bank (A place where stocks of food, typically basic provisions and non-perishable items, are supplied free of charge to people in need.)
Idioms:
(1) Charity Begins at Home
Meaning: One should take care of one’s family and close ones before helping others.
Example: “She volunteers at the local shelter, but she always remembers that charity begins at home.”
(2) Dig Deep
Meaning: To make a lot of effort with all one’s resources, especially in giving money.
Example: “We ask our supporters to dig deep to help us reach our fundraising goal.”
(3) Give the Shirt Off One’s Back
Meaning: To give anything and everything one possesses.
Example: “He’s the kind of person who would give the shirt off his back to help someone in need.”
(4) Pay It Forward
Meaning: To repay a kindness received by being kind to someone else.
Example: “After receiving help during hard times, she decided to pay it forward by volunteering at the food bank.”
(5) In Someone’s Debt
Meaning: Owing gratitude or a favor to someone.
Example: “After they helped rebuild his home, he felt he was in their debt.”
(6) Beggars Can’t Be Choosers
Meaning: When you need help, you should be grateful for whatever help you receive, even if it’s not exactly what you wanted.
Example: “When it comes to donated clothes, beggars can’t be choosers.”
(7) Have a Heart of Gold
Meaning: To be very kind and generous.
Example: “She has a heart of gold and is always helping those in need.”
(8) It’s Better to Give Than to Receive
Meaning: Giving to others is more fulfilling and rewarding than receiving.
Example: “During the holidays, she always reminds her children that it’s better to give than to receive.”
(9) Go the Extra Mile
Meaning: To make a special effort to achieve something or help someone.
Example: “The volunteers went the extra mile to ensure every family received a holiday meal.”
(10) Throw Good Money After Bad
Meaning: To waste money by continuing to invest in something that is failing.
Example: “Donating more to the failed project is just throwing good money after bad.”
(11) Take Up a Collection
Meaning: To gather money from a group of people for a specific purpose, often for charity.
Example: “They took up a collection to help the family who lost their home in the fire.”
(12) Cast Bread Upon the Waters
Meaning: To do good without expecting anything in return.
Example: “She believes in casting her bread upon the waters by helping others whenever she can.”
(13) At the End of One’s Rope
Meaning: To be in a state of desperation.
Example: “They were at the end of their rope, but a charitable donation helped them get back on their feet.”
Stress
Grammatical structure\
In this case…; In such scenario….; The reason …. is …; That’s why …; As a result, ….; Consequently, …; Therefore/Thus, …
Use conditional sentences: e.g. If I were …, I would…
To maintain work-life balance, we can ….; There are several things we can do, such as ….; People who are … can benefit from ….
I think ….; Since / As / Because / Because of / Due to ….
Speaking of ….; Talking about ….; In terms of ….; Regarding ….
Vocabulary & phrases:
Emotional words: get/feel/be + emotional words; burnt out, under pressure, at breaking point, drive me crazy, be wound up, … get my nerves, … gives me headache, I’ve had it up to here with …, My head’s about to explode, mind blowing, I can’t take it anymore / I can’t stand it, stressed - stressful - stress, in distress, frustrated, anxious - anxiety, peaceful, calm one’s mind, inner peace,
Symptom words: unproductive, can not concentrate, short-tempered, disordered, take it out on …, depressed,
Reasons: overloaded, imbalance lifestyle, beat myself up, be harsh on someone, have a lot on your plate, have a lot on your mind, not feeling yourself
Action words: stress relief, decompress, wind down, unwind, meditate, take a break from social media, take regular breaks
The other parties: therapist, psychologist, counsellor, helpline
Idioms:
(1) Bite one’s head off
Meaning: to speak to someone in a quick, angry way, for no good reason
Example: I only asked if I could help - there’s no need to bite my head off!
(2) Bite the Bullet
Meaning: To face a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage and determination.
Example: Despite the overwhelming workload, she decided to bite the bullet and complete the project on time.
(3) Cry over Spilled Milk
Meaning: To worry or be upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed.
Example: Yes, the mistake was regrettable, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Let’s focus on finding a solution.
(4) Jump out of One’s Skin
Meaning: To be extremely startled or frightened.
Example: The sudden loud noise made her jump out of her skin.
(5) On Pins and Needles
Meaning: To feel anxious, nervous, or in suspense about something.
Example: She was on pins and needles waiting for the test results to be announced.
(6) Stress Out
Meaning: To become extremely anxious or overwhelmed due to stress.
Example: The constant pressure at work started to stress her out, affecting her overall well-being.
(7) Walking on Eggshells
Meaning: To act very cautiously or carefully, often to avoid upsetting someone or worsening a situation.
Example: Since he was in a bad mood, everyone in the office felt like they were walking on eggshells around him.
(8) Tied up in Knots
Meaning: To be extremely anxious, nervous, or tense about something.
Example: The thought of giving a presentation in front of a large audience had her tied up in knots for days.
Gender Stereotypes (https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Genderglossarytermsandconcepts.pdf)
Grammatical structure
Work-wise, …; As of …; For …
To fight …, we can ….; There are several things we can do, such as ….; It will be very helpful if ….
I think ….;
Vocabulary & phrases:
Topic words: sexism, gender fluid, gender identity, gender roles, gender equality productive roles gender discrimination, gender diversity, feminist,
Related angles: empowerment, power structures, norms, gender-based constraints, gender blindness, inequality, gender division/labour, gender-based violence (GBV), gender accommodating, gender sensitivity
What government can do: Human rights-based approach (HRBA), Women in Development (WID), Smart economics, Sexual rights, Sexual consent age
Idioms:
(1) Glass ceiling
Meaning: a metaphor that has often been used to describe invisible barriers (“glass”) through which women can see elite positions, for example in government or the private sector, but cannot reach them (coming up against the invisible “ceiling”).
Example: The first female to break through the glass ceiling in Engineering.
(2) On a level playing field
Meaning: a situation in which everyone has the same chance of succeeding
Example: If the tax systems are different in each European country, how can industries start on a level playing field?
(3) Tip the balance/scale
Meaning: to cause a change, esp. in making something more likely to happen
Example: Introducing new fish to the lake tipped the balance and made it very hard for the trout that were already living there.
(4) Tip the balance/scale
Meaning: to cause a change, esp. in making something more likely to happen
Example: Introducing new fish to the lake tipped the balance and made it very hard for the trout that were already living there.
(5) Share the load
Meaning: If you share something with another person, you both have it, use it, or occupy it. You can also say that two people share something.
Example: It’s unfair to your spouse if you unload on her without helping her find someone with whom she can share that load.
