Prices going up and down B1
Moaning about prices, and how the local shops are getting on.
bring down — reduce the level or amount of somethingA: The air conditioning bill is so high this month!
B: Maybe setting the temperature a bit higher will bring down the cost.
break even — no profit or lossA: How did your garage sale go?
B: Not bad—we didn't make any profit, but at least we broke even.
run up B2 — to allow a bill or debt to increaseA: Why is my credit card statement so high?
B: You probably ran up a lot of charges eating out last month.
Prices again
Ravi: Have you seen petrol? It's gone up again.
Kate: I know. They reckon they'll bring prices down after the summer.
Ravi: I'll believe it when they actually come down.
The corner shop
Kate: The corner shop's really struggling — they're barely breaking even.
Ravi: The whole high street's dead. Hopefully things pick up soon.
Getting into debt
Kate: He's run up a huge credit-card bill again.
Ravi: He can't keep banking on a bonus to clear it.