(1) a computer/machine operator
(2) a tour operator
(3) a bus operator

(1) Oh well, no news is good news, to coin a phrase.
(2) a euro coin
(3) notes and coin

(1) a slice of apple pie
(2) Help yourself to some more pie.
(3) a pie dish

(1) a substantial/significant portion of the population
(2) Only a small portion of the budget is spent on books.
(3) The central portion of the bridge collapsed.

(1) A peal of church bells rang out in the distance.
(2) a bicycle bell
(3) His voice came down the line as clear as a bell .

(1) The rain prevented them from eating outdoors.
(2) They both have a love of the outdoors.
(3) Come to Canada and enjoy the great outdoors .

(1) forms of transport/government/energy
(2) My luck was running true to form...
(3) She had formed the habit of giving herself freely to men...

(1) a socialist revolution
(2) the outbreak of the French revolution in 1789
(3) to start a revolution

(1) He pressed his back against the door...
(2) They pressed the silver knife into the cake.
(3) Drago pressed a button and the door closed...

(1) I'll write and apologize. I've had it on my conscience for weeks.
(2) We cannot in all conscience refuse to help.
(3) Emilia is the voice of conscience in the play.

(1) I got all the answers wrong.
(2) Pain is the body's way of telling us that something is wrong...
(3) Nobody seemed to notice anything wrong...

(1) an endless loop of tape
(2) She talks endlessly about her problems.
(3) an endlessly repeated pattern

(1) Her legs were beginning to tire.
(2) He has made a good recovery but still tires easily.
(3) He went to Harvard─as he never tires of reminding us.

(1) Jenny and Andy are having a cup of coffee at a cafe?
(2) A sort of electric drill ran through the cafe.
(3) We often meet each other in the cafe.

(1) Thanks Dad, you're an angel .
(2) Be an angel and make me a cup of coffee.
(3) John is no angel , believe me (= he does not behave well) .

(1) prosperous countries
(2) ...the youngest son of a relatively prosperous British family...
(3) The place looks more prosperous than ever.

(1) ...the sixth round of the World Cup.
(2) ...the sixth of December.
(3) The company yesterday shed a sixth of its workforce.

(1) ...exams taken at the age of sixteen...
(2) He worked sixteen hours a day...
(3) She began dating boys when she was sixteen.

(1) I want to buy a present for my mother and father.
(2) the relationship between mother and baby
(3) She's the mother of twins.

(1) I made it clear right from the outset that I disapproved.
(2) Decide at the outset what kind of learning programme you want to follow...
(3) From the outset he had put his trust in me, the son of his old friend.

(1) steam/diesel/electric locomotives
(2) Steam locomotives pumped out clouds of white smoke.
(3) Railway locomotive traction supporting the professional gear manufacturers.

(1) the southern slopes of the mountains
(2) southern Spain
(3) a southern accent

(1) artificial/chemical fertilizers
(2) ...farming without any purchased chemical, fertilizer or pesticide...
(3) Work in a balanced fertiliser before planting.

(1) For four days the town suffered continuous attacks.
(2) the continuous tenses
(3) He has lived and worked in France almost continuously since 1990.

(1) a truck driver
(2) a cattle truck
(3) a delivery/garbage/farm truck

(1) a sandy beach
(2) sandy soil
(3) ...long, sandy beaches.

(1) military training/intelligence
(2) a military coup
(3) military uniform

(1) ...January the ninth.
(2) ...students in the ninth grade.
(3) In Brussels the dollar rose by a ninth of a cent...

(1) The climber slipped and dropped to his death.
(2) Temperatures can drop to freezing at night...
(3) Once the rate rises it never drops back to its previous level...

(1) a cricket match/team/club/ball
(2) the chirping of crickets
(3) During the summer term we would play cricket at the village ground.

(1) The french, who led 21-3 at half time, scored eight tries.
(2) His trial revived memories of french suffering during the war.
(3) In 1970 the average size of a french farm was 19 hectares.

(1) ...the country's rapid economic growth in the 1980's...
(2) This signals a rapid change of mind by the government.
(3) He walked at a rapid pace along Charles Street.

(1) When he was fishing off the island he was caught in a storm and almost drowned...
(2) Visitors to the area were caught between police and the rioters.
(3) The Jordanian leader is caught between both sides in the dispute...

(1) a ten-pound note
(2) a pound coin
(3) I've spent £25 on food today.

(1) Nothing satisfies him─he's always complaining.
(2) The proposed plan will not satisfy everyone.
(3) The food wasn't enough to satisfy his hunger .

(1) the frontier between the land of the Saxons and that of the Danes
(2) a customs post on the frontier with Italy
(3) a frontier town/zone/post

(1) wild animals/flowers
(2) a wild rabbit
(3) wild strawberries

(1) He spent the whole day writing.
(2) We drank a whole bottle each.
(3) The whole country (= all the people in it) mourned her death.

(1) The way in which we work has undergone a complete transformation in the past decade.
(2) the country's transformation from dictatorship to democracy
(3) What a transformation! You look great.

(1) an air disaster
(2) environmental disasters
(3) Thousands died in the disaster.