(1) to apply for/obtain a patent on an invention
(2) The device was protected by patent .
(3) patent applications/laws

(1) The school pays for heating and the maintenance of the buildings.
(2) car maintenance
(3) the maintenance of international peace

(1) It is possible to discern a number of different techniques in her work.
(2) He discerned a certain coldness in their welcome.
(3) It is often difficult to discern how widespread public support is.

(1) I had an intuition that something awful was about to happen.
(2) Her intuition was telling her that something was wrong...
(3) You can't make a case on your intuitions, Phil.

(1) Dry wood makes a good blaze.
(2) The gardens are a blaze of colour.
(3) a blaze of lights in the city centre

(1) a legitimate grievance
(2) It seemed a perfectly legitimate question.
(3) Politicians are legitimate targets for satire.

(1) Two businessmen have been kidnapped by terrorists.
(2) The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of $1 million.
(3) [不可数名词, 可数名词]He admitted the charge of kidnap.

(1) Police found fragments of glass near the scene.
(2) The shattered vase lay in fragments on the floor.
(3) I overheard a fragment of their conversation.

(1) The race organizers are trying to attract sponsors.
(2) I'm collecting sponsors for next week's charity run.
(3) the sponsor of the new immigration bill

(1) a predominant feature
(2) Yellow is the predominant colour this spring in the fashion world.
(3) a predominant culture

(1) We are trying to compile a list of suitable people for the job.
(2) The album was compiled from live recordings from last year's tour.
(3) Councils were required to compile a register of all adults living in their areas...

(1) They have attracted strong adverse criticism.
(2) This drug is known to have adverse side effects.
(3) Her health was adversely affected by the climate.

(1) a heroin/drug/nicotine addict
(2) a video game addict
(3) He's only 24 years old and a drug addict.

(1) subtle colours/flavours/smells, etc.
(2) There are subtle differences between the two versions.
(3) She's been dropping subtle hints about what she'd like as a present.

(1) We had all the usual problems attendant upon starting a new business.
(2) a cloakroom/parking/museum attendant
(3) attendant problems/risks/circumstances

(1) Never submit to a threat.
(2) I will not submit to such treatment.
(3) The minority should submit to the majority.

(1) Crowds gathered in the vicinity of Trafalgar Square.
(2) There is no hospital in the immediate vicinity .
(3) There were a hundred or so hotels in the vicinity of the railway station...

(1) This model embodies many new features.
(2) a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth
(3) the principles embodied in the Declaration of Human Rights

(1) Is the painting a genuine Picasso?
(2) Fake designer watches are sold at a fraction of the price of the genuine article .
(3) Only genuine refugees can apply for asylum.

(1) a compact camera
(2) The kitchen was compact but well equipped.
(3) a compact mass of earth

(1) Please acquaint me with the facts of the case.
(2) You will first need to acquaint yourself with the filing system.
(3) ...efforts to acquaint the public with their rights under the new law...

(1) The children are already learning to multiply and divide.
(2) 2 multiplied by 4 is/equals/makes 8 (2×4 = 8) .
(3) multiply 2 and 6 together and you get 12.

(1) intermittent bursts of applause
(2) intermittent showers
(3) Protests continued intermittently throughout November.

(1) [不可数名词]radioactive contamination
(2) They were accused of contaminating the minds of our young people.
(3) contaminated blood/food/soil

(1) The paintings were sold for absurdly high prices.
(2) He has a good sense of the absurd.
(3) It was only later that she could see the absurdity of the situation.

(1) a steep hill/slope/bank
(2) a steep climb/descent/drop
(3) a steep flight of stairs

(1) I kept some of his books and gave away the remainder.
(2) Divide 2 into 7, and the answer is 3, remainder 1.
(3) He gulped down the remainder of his coffee...

(1) All members of the association adhere to a strict code of practice.
(2) Small particles adhere to the seed.
(3) Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria adhere to the surface of the red cells.

(1) I tried to simulate surprise at the news.
(2) Computer software can be used to simulate conditions on the seabed.
(3) a gas heater that simulates a coal fire

(1) He was an O'Conor and a direct descendant of the last High King of Ireland.
(2) Many of them are descendants of the original settlers.
(3) They are descendants of the original English and Scottish settlers.

(1) religious rituals
(2) She objects to the ritual of organized religion.
(3) Sunday lunch with the in-laws has become something of a ritual.

(1) You'll eventually become immune to criticism.
(2) No one should be immune from prosecution.
(3) Adults are often immune to German measles.

(1) Jane is very mature for her age.
(2) a mature and sensible attitude
(3) sexually mature

(1) a duplicated form
(2) There's no point in duplicating work already done.
(3) a duplicate invoice

(1) He exploited his father's name to get himself a job.
(2) She realized that her youth and inexperience were being exploited.
(3) What is being done to stop employers from exploiting young people?

(1) The measures are intended to restore public confidence in the economy.
(2) Order was quickly restored after the riots.
(3) Such kindness restores your faith in human nature (= makes you believe most people are kind) .

(1) I've cleared out all that old junk in the attic.
(2) This china came from a junk shop .
(3) There's nothing but junk on the TV.

(1) I promised him that I'd stay sober tonight.
(2) He was as sober as a judge (= completely sober ) .
(3) a sober assessment of the situation

(1) Nurses often have to contend with violent or drunken patients.
(2) Three armed groups were contending for power.
(3) I would contend that the minister's thinking is flawed on this point.

(1) He didn't like the media probing into his past.
(2) a TV programme that probed government scandals in the 1990s
(3) The doctor probed the wound for signs of infection.