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make an offer meik эп to

offer a particular amount of money in order to buy a house, car etc + for Has anyone made an offer for the house yet?

make sb an offer I'm prepared to make

you a generous offer for the farm.

something that you offer

ALWAYS

offer /'ofal'K-, о:-/ [n C] something that someone has offered to give you or do for you. such as money, help, or advice: I'll sell the car if I get an offer over $5000. + of They received several offers of help. accept an offer (=say yes) Nasser decided to accept the offer of American aid. re/use an offer (=say no) How could you refuse such a fantastic offer9

OFTEN

0MET1ME5

N

see also

USUALLY NEVER

D when something

happens many times

o/ten /'Dfon, 'DfUn|'3:f-/ [adv] when something happens many times: Rost often works till 1 or 8 o'clock in the evening. I I often see her walking post with the children. 1 You should come and visit us more often.

A

very o/ten / haue a mobile phone, but I don't use it very often. how often "How often do you see your parents?" "Only two or three times a yea r."

Often usually comes before a verb: He often plays tennis in the evening. When there is a modal or auxiliary verb (like 'have', 'can', or 'must'), often comes between this and the main verb: You can often buy cheap tickets. Often comes after the verb 'be': In summer the beach is often so crowded that you cannot find space to sit down.

Qfl lot э 'toi||-'la:t/ [adv] spoken if you do something a lot, you often do it: /fs nice to meet you. Wendy's talked about you a lot.

quite a lot British She goes abroad on business quite a lot.

tend to do sth /.tend to du: (sth)/ if

something tends to happen, it often happens and it is likely to happen: Recent studies shotu that girls tend to be better at languages than boys.

frequently friikwantli [adu] often: Passengers complain that trains are frequently cancelled. I Heat the sauce gently, stirring frequently.

Frequently is more forma! thanoften .

/requent / frhkwant/ [adj] happening often: His job involved making frequent trips to Saudi Arabia. I The treatment was effective, and her headaches became less frequent.

regularly /regj^ni, [adv] often and at

regular times, for example every day. every week, or every month: J used to go to church regularly. I Dave likes to keep fit, and he plays squash regularly.

regular reg^br/ |adj usually before noun] happening often, for example every hour, every day, or every week, with the same amount of time between each event: It is very important to take regular exercise. I There is a regular bus service from the airport to the town.

repeatedly ri'pin'dH/ [adv] use this to emphasize that someone did something many times: Graham's doctor had repeatedly warned him not to work so hard. I Max was punched and kicked repeatedly as he lay on the ground.

again and again sgen and ogen

many times, much more often than you would expect: She kept asking the same question again and again. 1 Again and again, the little boat was almost smashed against the rocks.

В very often, in a way that makes you annoyed

Qkeep doing sth /,ki:p dunij (sth)/

533

OFTEN

especially spoken to do something many times, in a way that is annoying: Dad,

Always comes before the main verb, but after the verb 'be': He always forgets to bring his pen. I They are always complaining.

time and time again. /,iaim ?nd taim

3gen use this to say that something has been done many times, but without any effect: I've told you time and time again not to play with matches - it's dangerous.

continually/constantly bntinjuaii.

'kDnstontli||'ka:n-, [adt>] use this when you

are very annoyed because something seems to keep happening over a long period of time: They seemed to be continually arguing. I I wish you'd clean up your room without having to be constantly reminded.

continual/constant lad; only before

noun] It's impossible to work with these constant interruptions. 1 We've had continual problems with the computer system ever since it was installed.

OLD

look here for...

someone or something that is old

something that has been used before

^ if you want to talk about exactly how old someone or something is, go to aci

AGE_ —MODERN

N /

OUMASMONED

see also

DESCRIBING PEOPLE

house. I She was wearing jeans and an old blue jacket. I The Luna Baglioni is one of the oldest hotels in Venice. I How old is vour car? I That's a reallv old joke - I've heard it lots of times.

ancient einpnl [adj] very old - use this about buildings, cities, countries, languages, or customs that existed many hundreds of years ago: Rome is famous for its ancient monuments. I the Pyramids of ancient Egypt I an ancient Greek vase the ancient Egyptians/Chinese/Greeks etc (=the people who lived in Egypt etc many hundreds of years ago)

antique .ien'tiik*/ [acfj only before noun]

antique furniture, jewellery, clocks etc are old and valuable, and often beautiful to look at: a lovely antique desk

antique <en'ti:k/ [n С often plural] something such as a piece of furniture or a beautiful object that is old and valuable: The house is full of valuable antiques. antique shop/dealer/market (=one that sells antiques)

people

opposite young

old

sold [acfjl The old lady was rather deaf, t You shouldn't marry him - he's much too old for you. I How old is the oldest person in the world? get old <=become old) She's getting old now, and she needs someone to take care of her.

A

the old (=old people) The old and the sick have been allowed to leave.

Be careful about using old to talk about people. It is more polite to use elderly.

elderly ekb'li [adj] old - use this as a polite way of talking about old people: a group of elderly ladies drinking coffee the elderly (=old people) a retirement home for the elderly