Some basic words and their alternatives:
48 hours ----> two days
50% off ----> discount
a couple of times ----> twice
a little after ten ----> just past ten o’clock
a waste of money ----> not worth the money
a week from today ----> next week
a week from tomorrow ----> in eight days
age ----> era
agreement ----> contract
ahead of time ----> in advance
any day now ----> soon
anything but poor ----> rich // has a lot of money
apply for a loan ----> borrow money
approach sb ----> talk to sb
around ----> nearby
ask for a refund ----> get money back
astonished ----> surprised
backpack ----> knapsack
be crowded ----> be well-attended
be done ----> complete
be free ----> not busy
be in one ear and out the other ----> doesn’t listen
be onto something ----> promising
be overwhelmed with ----> be busy with
beach ----> seashore
best score ----> perfect grade
beyond sb. ----> not understand
big sale ----> discount
book ----> reserve
boring ----> uninteresting
borrow ----> lend
breathe ----> air pollution
brighten one’s spirits ----> make one feel better
broke ----> no money
budget ----> money // price
bump into ----> meet // see
buy ----> purchased
by and by ----> in a short while
by leaps and bounds ----> quickly
cake // apple pie ----> dessert
can hardly wait to do ----> look forward to doing // can’t wait to do // be anxious to do
can’t fit it in ----> too busy
can’t get away with that ----> will get into trouble
