(1) an armoured personnel carrier
(2) Aquarius, the Water carrier
(3) a baby carrier (= for carrying a baby on your back or in front of you)

(1) She's expecting twins.
(2) Oxford is twinned with Bonn in Germany.
(3) The opera twins the themes of love and death.

(1) a representative of the UN
(2) our elected representatives in government
(3) a union representative

(1) A spider had spun a perfect web outside the window.
(2) a web of streets
(3) We were caught in a tangled web of relationships.

(1) Money is my motivation...
(2) The timing of the attack, and its motivations, are unknown.
(3) motivation to learn must come from the child; it cannot be artificially imposed.

(1) ‘Is that John over there? ’ ‘ I'm not sure . ’
(2) You don't sound very sure.
(3) I'm pretty sure (that) he'll agree.

(1) a piece/length of string
(2) He wrapped the package in brown paper and tied it with string.
(3) The key is hanging on a string by the door.

(1) I don't know if I can come but I'll try.
(2) What are you trying to do?
(3) I tried hard not to laugh.

(1) Her father's death was a cruel blow .
(2) The dog had been cruelly treated.
(3) I was cruelly deceived.

(1) a country struggling for independence
(2) Shona struggled for breath .
(3) life as a struggling artist (= one who is very poor)

(1) the conservative views of his parents
(2) Her style of dress was never conservative.
(3) conservative members/supporters

(1) to spread a cloth on a table
(2) Sue spread the map out on the floor.
(3) The bird spread its wings.

(1) She became famous through her association with the group of poets.
(2) The seaside had all sorts of pleasant associations with childhood holidays for me.
(3) The cat soon made the association between human beings and food.

(1) different racial types
(2) a rare blood type
(3) There are three main types of contract(s).

(1) a pioneer in the field of microsurgery
(2) a computer pioneer
(3) a pioneer aviator

(1) a can of dog food (= for a dog to eat)
(2) He's off his food (= he does not want to eat anything) .
(3) a shortage of food/food shortages

(1) The peasants arose against their masters.
(2) Are there any matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting?
(3) Several new industries arose in the town.

(1) high levels/doses of radiation that damage cells
(2) the link between exposure to radiation and childhood cancer
(3) a radiation leak from a nuclear power station

(1) Really? You got us a chick a duck?
(2) Buy: Canned green peas, Canned fruits, Canned vegetables, Canned mushrooms, Honey, chick pea.
(3) chick : You are late. Can you ride a bike next time?

(1) Why should I apologize?
(2) Go and apologize to her.
(3) We apologize for the late departure of this flight.

(1) gay men
(2) I didn't know he was gay.
(3) Is she gay?

(1) You can park on either side of the street.
(2) You can keep one of the photos. either of them─whichever you like.
(3) There are two types of qualification─either is acceptable.

(1) a rasher of bacon
(2) bacon and eggs
(3) smoked/unsmoked bacon

(1) The U . K . consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
(2) I do not regard the constitution of the U . K . as set in concrete.
(3) In the U . K. a kind of conscription was long in force.

(1) the team's 3–2 victory against Poland
(2) to win a victory
(3) a decisive/narrow victory

(1) Sorry to interrupt, but there's someone to see you.
(2) Would you mind not interrupting all the time?
(3) I hope I'm not interrupting you.

(1) The book is full of references to growing up in India.
(2) She made no reference to her illness but only to her future plans.
(3) the President's passing reference to (= brief mention of) the end of the war

(1) He was impossibly handsome (= it was difficult to believe that he could be so handsome ) .
(2) a virtual impossibility
(3) an impossibly difficult problem (= impossible to solve)

(1) the refusal of a request/an invitation/an offer
(2) a blunt/flat/curt refusal
(3) His refusal to discuss the matter is very annoying.

(1) It enabled students to devote more time to their studies, or to be more accurate, more time to relaxation.
(2) The chemical agent, whether it be mustard gas or nerve gas, can be absorbed by the skin.
(3) It hurt so badly he wished to cease to be.

(1) Stop talking and listen!
(2) He was too distressed to talk...
(3) A teacher reprimanded a girl for talking in class...

(1) Go inside the house.
(2) inside the box was a gold watch.
(3) For years we had little knowledge of what life was like inside China.

(1) I didn't really want to go but he insisted.
(2) ‘Please come with us. ’ ‘Very well then, if you insist . ’
(3) He insists that she come.

(1) He toasted his feet at the fireplace.
(2) He kindled the logs in the fireplace.
(3) The old man sat nodding by the fireplace.

(1) Happy birthday!
(2) Oliver's 13th birthday
(3) a birthday card/party/present

(1) a pair of shoes
(2) He took his shoes and socks off.
(3) What's your shoe size?

(1) Draw a line down that page's center.
(2) ...a dotted line...
(3) He has a large, generous face with deep lines.

(1) Don't shoot─I surrender.
(2) troops shooting at the enemy
(3) a serious shooting incident

(1) The sudden weakness in her legs made her stumble.
(2) the weakness of the dollar against the pound
(3) He thought that crying was a sign of weakness .

(1) Make sure you've signed the cheque before sealing the envelope.
(2) a sealed bid (= one that is kept in a sealed envelope and therefore remains secret until all other bids have been received)
(3) The organs are kept in sealed plastic bags.