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Words and Their StoriesLearning Expressions with VOA
Processed with VS1Understand expressions about risk, consequences, and events that change a plan.
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Source: VOA Learning English · Words and Their Stories
View original article & transcriptThe story explores “fate” and related expressions for consequences, risk, and surprising changes. This page focuses on “tempt fate,” “seal your fate,” “a twist of fate,” and “ill-fated”; it omits relationship language already covered elsewhere and avoids treating an outcome as literally predetermined.
Cultural note: These expressions can make chance sound inevitable. “Tempt fate” is figurative, not a prediction, and “ill-fated” can be overly dramatic for ordinary setbacks. The source’s safety example is not a recommendation to take risks.
Keep exploringWhen a plan takes an unexpected turn, English has several ways to describe the risk and the result.
Phrase guide · 4 expressions
Original explanations and examples, created for learners. Save a card for later or hear the phrase spoken by your browser.
Describe a risky choice that may invite trouble.
Meaning
Take a risk or act too confidently in a way that could lead to trouble.
Tone & use
Figurative and often humorous or cautionary. It does not mean that fate is a force that will definitely punish someone.
Example
“I do not want to tempt fate by leaving for the airport at the last minute.”
Name an outcome that seems to have been made certain by an earlier action.
Meaning
Do something that makes a particular outcome, often an unfavorable one, very likely or unavoidable.
Tone & use
Dramatic and often critical. Explain the specific action and consequence when accuracy matters.
Example
“Ignoring several written safety warnings sealed the company’s fate in the court case.”
Talk about surprising or unfortunate outcomes.
Meaning
An unexpected event that changes what happens next.
Tone & use
Often used in stories or personal accounts. It can describe a good or bad change and does not prove the event was destined.
Example
“By a twist of fate, the delayed train brought the two former classmates to the same café.”
Meaning
Unlucky or ending badly, often in a way that seems destined from the beginning.
Tone & use
Formal or literary, and more dramatic than “unsuccessful.” Use it sparingly for ordinary events.
Example
“The ill-fated expedition turned back after severe weather damaged its equipment.”
Knowledge check
Choose the expression that best fits each situation.
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