afford

To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; to be able or rich enough; to spare.

How to use

The verb 'afford' is commonly used in everyday English, particularly in discussions about personal finance and consumerism. A typical context for 'afford' is in phrases like 'I can afford a new car' or 'She can't afford to travel abroad.' One grammatical nuance to note is that 'afford' often precedes a gerund (a verb form ending in '-ing') or an infinitive (a verb form beginning with 'to'), as in 'I can afford buying a new phone' or 'He can't afford to pay the rent.' A common learner mistake is to confuse 'afford' with 'allow,' which has a different meaning.