I.
noun
1 even combination/distribution
ADJECTIVE
▪ correct , equal , even , exact , ideal , necessary , optimal , optimum , perfect , proper , right
▪
With children, it is important to achieve the right ~ between love and discipline.
▪ comfortable , excellent , good , happy , harmonious , healthy
▪
a healthy ~ of foods
▪ acceptable , appropriate , fair , reasonable , sensible ( BrE )
▪
How do you find an acceptable ~ between closeness and distance in a relationship?
▪ careful , delicate , fine ( esp. BrE ), subtle
▪
Being a good boss requires a fine ~ between kindness and authority.
▪ fragile , precarious , uneasy
▪ overall
▪
It is the overall ~ of the diet that is important.
▪ ecological , natural
▪
Pulling up all the plants will disturb the natural ~ of the pond.
▪ hormonal , nutritional
▪ work-life
▪ ethnic , gender , racial , social
▪
There is an even gender ~ among staff and students.
VERB + BALANCE
▪ require
▪ seek
▪ achieve , attain , create , find , strike
▪
We need to strike a ~ between these conflicting interests.
▪ keep , maintain , preserve , sustain
▪
You have to maintain a ~ in your life or else you'll go crazy.
▪ improve
▪
ways to improve your work-life ~
▪ disrupt , disturb , upset
▪
Tourists often disturb the delicate ~ of nature on the island.
▪ redress , re-establish , restore
▪ affect
▪ adjust , alter , change , shift
BALANCE + VERB
▪ change , shift
PREPOSITION
▪ on ~ (= after considering all the information)
▪
On ~, the company has had a successful year.
▪ in ~
▪
It is important to keep the different aspects of your life in ~.
▪ ~ between
▪
the ~ between academic and practical work
▪ ~ of
▪
the ~ of animals and plants in the environment
PHRASES
▪ the ~ of nature
2 division of power/influence
ADJECTIVE
▪ changing , shifting
▪ military , political
▪ competitive
VERB + BALANCE
▪ affect
▪ change , shift
▪ swing ( esp. BrE ), tilt , tip
▪
In an interview, good presentation can tip the ~ your way.
BALANCE + VERB
▪ change , shift , swing , tilt
▪
He argues that the ~ has swung too far in favour/favor of capitalism.
PHRASES
▪ the ~ of advantage ( esp. BrE )
▪
The ~ of advantage has shifted from the unions to employers.
▪ the ~ of forces
▪
They assessed the ~ of forces between Israel and other countries.
▪ the ~ of power
▪
Who holds the ~ of power in this relationship?
▪
There was a dramatic shift in the ~ of power.
▪ checks and ~s
▪
Democracy depends on a system of checks and ~s.
3 of the body
ADJECTIVE
▪ excellent , good
▪ poor
VERB + BALANCE
▪ have
▪
Gymnasts have excellent ~.
▪ affect
▪
Tightness in one set of muscles will affect your whole ~.
▪ improve
▪
Yoga improves ~ as well as flexibility.
▪ keep
▪
I struggled to keep my ~ on my new skates.
▪ lose
▪
She lost her ~ and fell.
▪ catch ( esp. AmE ), recover , regain
▪ adjust
▪
He set his feet wider and adjusted his ~.
▪ knock sb off , throw sb off
▪
The sudden movement threw him off ~.
BALANCE + NOUN
▪ beam ( esp. AmE )
▪
The gymnasts finish with floor exercises and the ~ beam.
PREPOSITION
▪ off ~
PHRASES
▪ a sense of ~
▪
Cats have a very good sense of ~.
4 money
ADJECTIVE
▪ account , bank
▪ cash , money
▪ credit , favourable/favorable , healthy , positive
▪ debit , negative
▪ cleared ( BrE ), net
▪
Interest is calculated on the daily cleared ~ and paid direct to your account.
▪ opening
▪ final ( esp. BrE ), outstanding
▪ trade
VERB + BALANCE
▪ have
▪
Everyone likes to have a healthy bank ~.
▪ ask for , request
▪
He asked the cashier for the ~ of his current account.
▪ check
▪
I'll need to check my bank ~ before I spend so much money.
▪ show
▪ be due
▪
The final ~ is due six weeks before departure.
▪ pay
▪
I'll pay the ~ later.
▪ use
▪
The ~ of the proceeds will be used for new equipment.
▪ bring forward , carry forward
▪
the ~ brought forward from the previous year
BALANCE + NOUN
▪ (see also balance sheet )
PHRASES
▪ the ~ of payments , the ~ of trade
II.
verb
1 keep steady
ADVERB
▪ carefully , delicately , precariously
PREPOSITION
▪ on
▪
He ~d the glasses carefully on the tray.
2 compare two things; give them equal value
ADVERB
▪ beautifully , delicately , evenly , finely , nicely , perfectly
▪
The song perfectly ~s melody and rhythm.
VERB + BALANCE
▪ have to , need to
▪ seek to , try to
▪
The plan seeks to ~ two important objectives.
▪ manage to
▪ fail to
▪
The party lost because it failed to ~ economic growth with social equity.
PREPOSITION
▪ against
▪
We have to ~ the risks of the new strategy against the possible benefits.
▪ with
▪
She tries to ~ the needs of her children with those of her employer.
Balance is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ force
Balance is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ budget , ↑ demand , ↑ equation , ↑ force , ↑ need , ↑ scales , ↑ tray