(1) The company cannot accept liability for any damage caused by natural disasters.
(2) Since his injury, Jones has become more of a liability than an asset to the team.
(3) The company is reported to have liabilities of nearly $90 000.

(1) She was almost 90, but still very robust.
(2) a robust piece of equipment
(3) robust economic growth

(1) mechanically propelled vehicles
(2) He succeeded in propelling the ball across the line.
(3) He was grabbed from behind and propelled through the door.

(1) She accepted the criticism with quiet dignity.
(2) the dignity of work
(3) The terminally ill should be allowed to die with dignity.

(1) The fog began to disperse.
(2) The crowd dispersed quickly.
(3) Police dispersed the protesters with tear gas.

(1) After hours of questioning, the suspect confessed.
(2) He confessed that he had stolen the money.
(3) We persuaded her to confess her crime.

(1) the harmony of colour in nature
(2) passionate lyrics and stunning vocal harmonies
(3) to study four-part harmony

(1) Give details of children where applicable (= if you have any) .
(2) [不可数名词]The new approach had wide applicability to all sorts of different problems.
(3) Much of the form was not applicable (= did not apply) to me.

(1) He elevated many of his friends to powerful positions within the government.
(2) It was an attempt to elevate football to a subject worthy of serious study.
(3) It is important that the injured leg should be elevated.

(1) to be virtually impossible
(2) virtually all students will be exempt from the tax.
(3) He virtually admitted he was guilty.

(1) His role has always been ambiguous.
(2) an ambiguously worded agreement
(3) an ambiguous word/term/statement

(1) drain off the excess fat from the meat.
(2) We had to drain the oil out of the engine.
(3) Leave the dishes to drain.

(1) an energetic supporter
(2) The heart responds well to energetic exercise.
(3) For the more energetic (= people who prefer physical activities) , we offer windsurfing and diving.

(1) The new president reversed many of the policies of his predecessor.
(2) He maintained that he learned everything he knew from his predecessor Kenneth Sisam.
(3) The car is some 40mm shorter than its predecessor.

(1) The hotel was really filthy and I'm not exaggerating.
(2) He tends to exaggerate the difficulties.
(3) I'm sure he exaggerates his Irish accent (= tries to sound more Irish than he really is) .

(1) The air was filled with the scent of wild flowers.
(2) These flowers have no scent.
(3) The dogs must have lost her scent.

(1) dispatches from the war zone
(2) Troops have been dispatched to the area.
(3) A courier was dispatched to collect the documents.

(1) In many societies women are subordinate to men.
(2) All other issues are subordinate to this one.
(3) the relationship between subordinates and superiors

(1) a daily circulation of more than one million
(2) The coins were taken out of circulation .
(3) Copies of the magazine were withdrawn from circulation .

(1) Clare and Phil were immersed in conversation in the corner.
(2) She immersed herself in her work.
(3) The electrodes are immersed in liquid.

(1) optimum growth
(2) the optimum use of resources
(3) the optimum conditions for effective learning

(1) Try to visualize him as an old man.
(2) I can't visualize what this room looked like before it was decorated.
(3) It can help to visualize yourself making your speech clearly and confidently.

(1) The bus had to deviate from its usual route because of a road closure.
(2) Don't deviate from major issues.
(3) He planned his schedule far in advance, and he didn't deviate from it.

(1) Our car was towed away by the police.
(2) The car broke down and we had to get somebody to give us a tow.
(3) a tow truck

(1) to undergo tests/trials/repairs
(2) My mother underwent major surgery last year.
(3) Some children undergo a complete transformation when they become teenagers.

(1) They went into town to indulge in some serious shopping.
(2) I indulged myself with a long hot bath.
(3) The inheritance enabled him to indulge his passion for art.

(1) a member of the ruling/intellectual elite
(2) Public opinion is influenced by the small elite who control the media.
(3) In these countries, only the elite can afford an education for their children.

(1) Good grief! What a mess!
(2) Several pedestrians came to grief on the icy pavement.
(3) He caused his parents a lot of grief.

(1) a deficiency of Vitamin B
(2) deficiencies in the computer system
(3) Vitamin deficiency in the diet can cause illness.

(1) She pleaded with him not to go.
(2) I was forced to plead for my child's life.
(3) pleading eyes

(1) Our confidence in the team has been seriously undermined by their recent defeats.
(2) This crisis has undermined his position.
(3) Offering advice on each and every problem will undermine her feeling of being adult...

(1) Now let's look at another facet of the problem.
(2) The caste system shapes nearly every facet of Indian life.
(3) The only facet of Abyssin life not ruled by violence is their courting and mating rituals.

(1) a spontaneous offer of help
(2) The audience burst into spontaneous applause.
(3) spontaneous remission of the disease

(1) The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified.
(2) People with invalid papers are deported to another country.
(3) an invalid argument

(1) a massive rock
(2) the massive walls of the castle
(3) The explosion made a massive hole in the ground.

(1) Allow sufficient time to get there.
(2) These reasons are not sufficient to justify the ban.
(3) Is £100 sufficient for your expenses?

(1) Your contract of employment terminates in December.
(2) The agreement was terminated immediately.
(3) to terminate a pregnancy (= to perform or have an abortion )

(1) to rectify a fault
(2) We must take steps to rectify the situation.
(3) The damage will be easily rectifiable.

(1) The spice imparts an Eastern flavour to the dish.
(2) His production of Harold Pinter's play fails to impart a sense of excitement or danger.
(3) She managed to impart great elegance to the unpretentious dress she was wearing...

(1) She's an eternal optimist (= she always expects that the best will happen) .
(2) eternal truths (= ideas that are always true and never change)
(3) I'm tired of your eternal arguments.