Success & Failure

Question 1

Impressive accomplishments

Answer 1

Successful Samantha has a long list of impressive accomplishments. It seems like everything she does ends up being a phenomenal success.

Question 2

Phenomenal success

Answer 2

Successful Samantha has a long list of impressive accomplishments. It seems like everything she does ends up being a phenomenal success.

Question 3

Highly effective

Answer 3

In her very first job, she created a highly effective way to motivate the company’s employees, resulting in a dramatic improvement in workplace morale.

Question 4

Dramatic improvement

Answer 4

In her very first job, she created a highly effective way to motivate the company’s employees, resulting in a dramatic improvement in workplace morale.

Getting a new haircut has made a dramatic improvement in his overall appearance.

Question 5

Unprecedented success

Answer 5

Success in something for the first time in history

She is developing a system for real-time translation among 100 different languages. If she can pull it off, it’ll be an unprecedented success and the crowning achievement of her career.

Question 6

Crowning achievement

Answer 6

Best or most significant achievement

If she can pull the development of real-time translation system off, it’ll be an unprecedented success and the crowning achievement of her career.

Immigration reform was the crowning achievement of the president’s term in office.

Question 7

Modest success

Answer 7

Some limited success

So far, the program has enjoyed modest success but there is still room for improvement.

Efforts to reduce teen pregnancy through better sex education have seen modest success.

Question 8

Room for improvement

Answer 8

So far, I have enjoyed modest success but there is still room for improvement.

Question 9

Make a breakthrough

Answer 9

Make a sudden advance in success, especially when you overcome an obstacle

The manager says that the team is making good progress, and that in the next month or two she hopes to make a breakthrough.

I made a real breakthrough in my English when I started practicing listening more often.

Question 10

Bring out the best

Answer 10

used to say that a person or thing helps one to use or show one’s best qualities

Although my friend is very ambitious, he’s also a very likeable person. He brings out the best in other people, and quickly wins the respect of colleagues.

My GF really brings out the best in me - I’m a better person thanks to our relationship.

Question 11

Fail miserably

Answer 11

Everything he attempts seems to fail miserably. He wanted to be a doctor, but his teachers told him he wasn’t smart enough, dashing his hopes of a career in medicine.

Question 12

Dashing one’s hopes

Answer 12

He wanted to be doctor, but his teachers told him he wasn’t smart enough, dashing his hopes of a career in medicine.

Question 13

Lose your nerve

Answer 13

lose your courage

He had the opportunity to do a prestigious internship in another country, but he lost his nerve and turned down the offer.

I wanted to try waterskiing, but I lost my nerve and ended up staying inside the boat.

Question 14

Mediocre performance

Answer 14

He was eventually hired, but later lost his job during an economic downturn due to his mediocre performance and total lack of remarkable achievements.

Question 15

Remarkable achievements

Answer 15

He lost his job during an economic downturn due to his mediocre performance and total lack of remarkable achievements.

Question 16

A recipe for disaster

Answer 16

Very likely to result in disaster

It was a spectacular failure. He invested his life savings in the business, despite all his friends telling him that it would be a recipe for disaster.

Putting inexperienced teachers into the country’s worst schools is a recipe for disaster.

Question 17

Way off the mark

Answer 17

completely inaccurate

His sales prediction were way off the mark, and the company went under just eight months after it was founded.

Question 18

Go under

Answer 18

Lose all its money and shut down

His sales predictions were way off the mark, and the company went under just eight months after it was founded.

Question 19

Doomed to failure

Answer 19

destined to be unsuccessful

Poor Dan - it seems like he’s doomed to failure.

Question 20

If all else fail

Answer 20

If everything is unsuccessful

If all else fails, he can always move into hir sister’s mansion as a last resort.

Question 21

Last resort

Answer 21

Final possibility

If all else fails, he can always move into Samantha’s mansion (a large apartment) as a last resort.

Question 22

Win somebody’s respect

Answer 22

Edward certainly won my respect when he turned down an unethical business deal.

Although he is very ambitious, he’s also a very likeable person. He bring out the best in other people, and quickly wins the respect of colleagues.