Choices & Decisions: English Vocabulary List

a choice made in a situation in which no other options were available

"He faces Hobson's choice with no real option."

"Accepting the low-paying job was a Hobson's choice, as no other employment was available."

‌to choose the most desirable alternative out of the ones available

"You cannot pick and choose which rules to follow."

"When you are in need of a job you cannot afford to pick and choose you must take what is offered."

a choice or option that seems less harmful or unpleasant out of two that one is confronted with

"Voting for him was the lesser of two evils."

"Choosing between these two candidates is like picking the lesser of two evils neither of them is good."

a situation in which there is too much of resources or options for one to choose from

"An embarrassment of riches."

"The buffet offered an embarrassment of riches, making it difficult to decide what to eat first."

used for saying that choosing out of the two possible options is not really going to make a difference as the result will be the same either way

"It is broad as long."

"Whether we go to the beach or the mountains, it's as broad as it is long since we'll both be relaxing."

to consider someone or something when doing or mentioning something

"I have you in mind."

"When I planned the party, I had all my friends in mind, so I made sure there would be activities that everyone could enjoy together."

to choose something out of two or a group of things available to one

"Take your pick now."

"You can take your pick of any of these excellent books for your prize."

to decide between two possible alternatives or choices that one has

"You have to come down on one side of the fence or the other."

"You need to come down on one side of the fence or the other because staying neutral is not possible anymore."

to consider something when trying to make a judgment or decision

"Take the weather into account before you pack."

"When planning the trip we need to take the weather into account because it might rain heavily."

to spend time considering one's future action before making a decision

"He chews his cud."

"Before committing to the new job offer, she decided to chew her cud for a while."

to choose to do something in a specified manner

"Don't go down that road."

"I strongly advise you not to go down that road of making accusations without proof."

in a state that one is capable of making logical decisions or behaving normally

"No one in their right mind."

"No one in their right mind would willingly volunteer for such a dangerous mission."

the action of adopting a different opinion or mindset

"He had a change of heart."

"After hearing their side of the story, she had a significant change of heart about the situation."

used to state that one has adopted a different opinion

"On second thought, let's stay home."

"On second thought let us not go to the beach today because the weather forecast says it will rain."

to adopt a different policy in face of a difficult or unexpected problem

"Don't change horses midstream now."

"The manager decided to change horses in midstream when the project was failing badly, hoping a new approach would save the entire situation."

a point in a person's life or a situation where they must make a critical decision or choose between two different options or paths

"A fork in the road."

"When you reach a fork in the road take the left path towards the river."

to think about or consider something very carefully, particularly with the intention of improving it in mind

"Take a long hard look."

"The company needs to take a long, hard look at its customer service policies."

to change one's opinion or decision regarding something

"I changed my mind."

"After considering all the evidence, she decided to change her mind about accepting the job offer."

to excuse or overlook something without criticism or consequences

"I will give it a pass."

"Given the extenuating circumstances, the teacher decided to give his late assignment a pass."

to do something oneself as opposed to waiting for others

"She took matters into her own hands."

"When the authorities failed to act, the villagers decided to take matters into their own hands."