“These ATM fees have gotten to be ridiculous!”

English Lesson: These ATM fees have gotten to be ridiculous!

You're out with your sister. You need some cash, but you can't find a branch of your own bank nearby. So you go to another bank's ATM. A message says that there will be a $3 charge for using the ATM. You say this because you're annoyed that it's so high.

These ATM fees have gotten to be ridiculous!

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ATM fees

A "fee" is money that you have to pay for a service. Items that you buy have a "cost", but services and privileges often have "fees" instead. Some examples of fees are:

  • legal fees
  • an entry fee (to a place or to a contest)
  • a registration fee
  • a membership fee

An ATM fee is money that you are charged for using a cash machine. In the U.S., it's usually free to use your own bank's ATMs. But if you try to withdraw money from another bank's ATM, you'll be charged twice - once by the bank whose ATM you're using, and again by your own bank.

(something) is ridiculous

The word "ridiculous" means "silly or unreasonable". People often use "ridiculous" to complain about things that make them angry:

This is ridiculous! Why the hell is it taking so long?

Their prices are ridiculous.

What? Don't be ridiculous!

(something) has gotten to be (adjective)

When you say that something "has gotten to be ___", it means that things have become a certain way recently:

It's gotten really hard to make a living as a fisherman.

Wow, you've gotten to be tall, haven't you?

Her show has gotten to be quite popular among teenagers.