Possibility: English Vocabulary List

extremely likely

"Ten to one, it will rain today."

"Ten to one he will be late for the meeting because he is never on time for anything."

used to say that there is nothing to prevent someone or something from achieving success

"You are talented and young — the sky is the limit!"

"With the new funding secured and a strong team in place, the sky was the limit for the young company."

before the opportunity to do or achieve something passes

"He quit while the getting was good."

"The smart investor sold his shares while the getting was good before the market crashed."

(of something good) to happen or become available to one

"Good luck will come my way."

"She was thrilled when an unexpected job offer came her way."

to get the feeling that something is about to happen

"There is excitement in the air tonight."

"There was a feeling of excitement in the air as the crowd waited for the concert."

used for saying if the worst possible or most difficult thing happens

"If worst comes to worst, we can sleep in the car."

"If worst comes to worst, the company can apply for emergency credit to cover the shortfall."

used to say that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen

"There is tension in the office — a storm is brewing."

"Analysts warned that a storm was brewing in the housing market well before the crash occurred."

used when a situation reaches a critical point and one must take action in order to deal with it

"When push comes to shove, he always helps."

"When push comes to shove he will always support his family even if it means sacrificing his own happiness."

to have a likelihood of success or achieving a desired outcome

"Do you stand a chance of winning?"

"If you don't study hard for the exam, you won't stand a chance of passing it successfully."

to be able to say or estimate what is about to happen in the future

"He read tea leaves."

"The analyst tried to read the tea leaves to predict the stock market's next move."

theoretically rather than practically

"It looks good on paper."

"The plan seemed brilliant on paper, but it failed when implemented in reality."

something that will be troublesome or problematic in the near future

"There is a cloud on the horizon regarding our funding."

"The only cloud on the horizon was the possibility that the main investor might pull out."