to take pains: to work carefully and conscientiously Examples of TO TAKE PAINS She takes pains to do everything well; she’s our best employee. She takes pains to conceal his true identity from her villagers and even her husband.

to take hold of: to grasp, to grip with the heads Examples of TO TAKE HOLD OF The police needs to take hold of the situation before it goes out of control. We were able to take hold of the throttle and stop the runaway train.

to be in charge of: to manage, to have responsibility for Examples of TO BE IN CHARGE OF I can’t wait to be in charge of a big corporation. Veronica was in charge of handling scheduling while Frank’s regular secretary was on leave.

first-rate: excellent, superb Examples of FIRST-RATE My wife, who can be picky about her desserts, judged her piece to be first-rate. We found a comfortable, airy space with first-rate service and gallons of local wines.

to be better off: to be in a more favorable condition or situation Examples of TO BE BETTER OFF In that instance, you would be better off in cash where your money is protected. This guy has some serious issues and this world would be better off without him.

to look into: to investigate, to examine carefully (also: to check into) Examples of TO LOOK INTO I’m going to look into the delay and I should have an answer for you in about five minutes. The journalist is going to look into the meeting records, so she can get to the truth.