(1) I'm always emailing her, but nine times out of ten she doesn't reply.
(2) I work nine to five.
(3) a nine-to-five job

(1) in the late afternoon
(2) in late summer
(3) She married in her late twenties (= when she was 28 or 29) .

(1) a research laboratory
(2) laboratory experiments/tests
(3) Our laboratory is also well equipped with scientific apparatus, physical and chemical.

(1) a tidy desk
(2) She keeps her flat very tidy .
(3) I like everything to be neat and tidy .

(1) He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob.
(2) She was afraid lest she had revealed too much.
(3) I was afraid to open the door lest he should follow me...

(1) We got up at sunrise .
(2) the pinks and yellows of the sunrise
(3) The rain began before sunrise.

(1) The couple was/were married in 1976.
(2) Do you need any more glasses? I've got a couple I can lend you.
(3) (North Amercian English)It's only a couple blocks away.

(1) The books were all covered with dust.
(2) There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere in the room.
(3) That guitar's been sitting gathering dust (= not being used) for years now.

(1) The fewer things in the room the better.
(2) The Irish love a party, the bigger the better...
(3) If you've got bags you're better off taking a taxi...

(1) What sort of person would do a thing like that?
(2) He's a fascinating person.
(3) What is she like as a person?

(1) to perform/carry out/complete/undertake a task
(2) a daunting/an impossible/a formidable/an unenviable, etc. task
(3) a thankless task (= an unpleasant one that nobody wants to do and nobody thanks you for doing)

(1) a test that checks the level of alcohol in the blood
(2) a relatively low/high level of crime
(3) low/high pollution levels

(1) Many diets fail because they are boring.
(2) a failing school
(3) She failed to get into art college.

(1) He was accused of appropriating club funds.
(2) Some of the opposition party's policies have been appropriated by the government.
(3) Five million dollars has been appropriated for research into the disease.

(1) The government has declared a state of emergency following the earthquake.
(2) This door should only be used in an emergency .
(3) the emergency exit (= to be used in an emergency)

(1) From his position on the cliff top, he had a good view of the harbour.
(2) Where would be the best position for the lights?
(3) Is everybody in position ?

(1) a revolutionary leader
(2) revolutionary uprisings
(3) a revolutionary idea

(1) Are the following statements true or false?
(2) Your statement is misleading.
(3) Is that a statement or a question?

(1) The hotel offers a wide range of facilities.
(2) There is a full range of activities for children.
(3) Most of the students are in the 17-20 age range.

(1) stale cigarette smoke
(2) stale sweat
(3) stale jokes

(1) [不可数名词]There is a dangerous circularity about this argument.
(2) a circular building
(3) a circular tour of the city

(1) currents of warm air
(2) I kicked the ball high in/into the air .
(3) Spicy smells wafted through the air .

(1) a business suit
(2) a pinstripe suit
(3) a two-/three-piece suit (= of two/three pieces of clothing)

(1) He makes unpredictable, arbitrary decisions.
(2) the arbitrary powers of officials
(3) The leaders of the groups were chosen arbitrarily.

(1) a test of both oral and written French
(2) oral evidence
(3) He was interested in oral history (= history that is collected from interviews with people who have personal knowledge of past events).

(1) She has said nothing regarding your request.
(2) Call me if you have any problems regarding your work.
(3) He refused to divulge any information regarding the man's whereabouts.

(1) a long-distance/cross-country/marathon , etc. runner
(2) a list of runners (= horses in a race) and riders
(3) a drug runner

(1) The honeymoon period for the government is now over.
(2) They're on their honeymoon .
(3) We went to Venice for our honeymoon.

(1) economic factors
(2) The closure of the mine was the single most important factor in the town's decline.
(3) the key/crucial/deciding factor