Concetti Chiave
- The term "edge" refers to the outermost part of something or a state of nervousness or risk-taking, like living on the edge.
- Being "on edge" describes a state of anxiety, while "living on the edge" involves taking significant risks.
- "Brink" is often used figuratively to describe a critical point before a negative event, such as being on the brink of war or extinction.
- The phrase "pull back from the brink" signifies actions taken to avert impending disaster, like economic reforms preventing collapse.
- Examples include people or situations that are either on the edge or brink, highlighting the precariousness or potential for change.
Edge
The edge is the outermost part or surface of something, or the part that is farthest from the center.
Be careful with that knife. I just bought it, so the edge is extremely sharp. If you touch the tip with your finger, you're bound to cut yourself.
She hasn't lived in the city centre for years. She's actually on the edge of town, at least a 45-minute tube ride away.
To be on edge means to be nervous or anxious about something.
Larry is really on edge this morning because of his doctor's appointment later. We should only bother him if it's absolutely necessary.
Theresa has only just returned from hiking solo in the Andes and now she's in Laos on one of those dangerous rafting trips. She's really living on the edge these days.
Brink
The brink is the edge, especially near a steep slope like the top of a cliff. Most often we use the word figuratively for a negative or serious situation. We usually say on the brink of to describe something (usually negative) that is very likely to happen soon. For example, a nation on the brink of war is probably going to go to war soon.
Sally has been missing a lot of work lately and her last two projects were disasters. I'm afraid she's really on the brink. She might get fired this week.
The elephants are on the brink of extinction because of the ivory trade. Poachers, or criminal hunters, are killing too many of them and selling their ivory tusks.
We use pull back from the brink (of) to describe actions that prevent or lessen a coming disaster.
The Chancellor's reform package helped to pull the economy back from the brink of collapse.
Ewan was drinking and using drugs for several years before his friends pulled him back from the brink by making him go to rehab. Now he is sober and counsels students on healthy living.
Domande da interrogazione
- ¿Qué significa estar "on edge"?
- ¿Cómo se utiliza la expresión "on the brink of"?
- ¿Qué significa "pull back from the brink"?
Estar "on edge" significa estar nervioso o ansioso por algo, como se menciona en el texto con el ejemplo de Larry, quien está nervioso por su cita médica.
La expresión "on the brink of" se utiliza para describir una situación negativa que es muy probable que ocurra pronto, como un país al borde de la guerra o los elefantes al borde de la extinción.
"Pull back from the brink" se refiere a acciones que previenen o disminuyen un desastre inminente, como el paquete de reformas del Canciller que ayudó a evitar el colapso económico.
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