RISK AND DANGER

Language focus 

I like to take risks. and I quite often take risky decisions.

 I’m quite a careful person. I usually avoid taking risks.

Think of a few examples of things you have done. T

1. risk: Look at dialogues A and B and C and discuss who is talking and about

a) Unless we can increase production, the company might lose the contract with Rolls Royce. (DANGER) 

b) As supplies decrease, oil might become very expensive over the ten years. (DANGER) 

c) It’s important to go to conferences, otherwise you might lose touch with the latest ideas. (RISK)

VOCABULARY/IDIOMS

put your neck on the line, to do something that you know might fail and spoil other people's opinion of you or cause you to lose money:

better safe than sorry it is best not to take risks even when it seems boring or difficult to be careful

on thin ice to be doing something that is dangerous or involves risks 

at stakeit is in a situation where it might be lost

live life on the edge,a lifestyle of taking risks and living in an unpredictable or potentially dangerous manner. 

 risk life and limb,do sth dangerous

 Risk as a noun: a/the risk that something will happen 

There’s a risk that share prices might fall again as they did in 2000.

  a/the risk of + noun or -ing Saving money on safety equipment increases the risk of accidents. 

 danger We can often use danger in the same contexts as risk, with almost the same meaning:

 If you don’t insure your property, there’s a danger that you might lose everything. 

There’s a danger that share prices might fall again as they did in 2000. 

be in danger of

 We can use this to talk about negative things that might happen: 

Many workers at the factory feel that they are in danger of losing their jobs. 

Unless we work longer hours, we’re in danger of missing the deadline. 

 AThere’s a slight risk that the dollar may fall further against the euro. If that happens, of course, we run the risk of losing exports to the USA.’

B ‘You can’t run a successful airline without taking risks,’ Danni Kazakis said last night. ‘I’ve taken risks in the past, and I’m prepared to take a big risk now.’ 

C‘Unless we can develop new ideas, we are in serious danger of losing our leading position in the fashion industry,’ said Donna Dimambro.

 

 A: The manager of a company in Europe that exports goods to the USA - they are affected by the exchange rate. Or possibly a government minister or an economist, talking about the country’s exports.

 B: The owner of an airline (probably a small low-cost airline) who is about to take a big risk (possibly starting a major new route, or branching out into a different field e.g. holidays). 

 C The manager or chief designer of a fashion company (or possibly a fashion magazine: PRADA; GUCCI,ELLE, VANITY FAIR which needs to keep its position. If you like, ask students what companies they know which might be like this (e.g. Prada, Gucci; Elle, Vanity Fair) –

 this could lead to a brief discussion of what they think of these companies, whether they read fashion magazines, etc