Describing the intense and often ruthless competition in society
Discussion
These phrases are useful because we all live in a society which has such competition. We can all be compared to laboratory rats racing each other to get food. City life can be compared to a jungle of buildings – a concrete jungle – where animals eat other animals, even of their own kind – a real dog-eat-dog existence.
These phrases all express strong criticism or negative feelings towards this existence – and if you honestly feel this, express it.
Example Sentences
In IELTS Speaking
“After some 20 years in the workforce, I just want to get out of this rat race, and live in a quiet rural area.”
“Coming from Australia, it’s really weird that I find myself now marooned, probably forever, in an unlovely concrete jungle.”
In IELTS Writing
The competition in the Asian-school systems is becoming increasingly competitive, often ruthlessly so, creating a ‘dog-eat-dog’ scenario, which can hardly be psychologically healthy for the students involved.
In the race to succeed in all aspects of life and work, ethics inevitably fall, and the ‘rat race’ begins from an early age.