(1) They were heading towards the German border.
(2) She had her back towards me.
(3) This is a first step towards political union.

(1) medical staff
(2) (British English)teaching staff
(3) (British English)We have 20 part-time members of staff .

(1) Please wipe your feet on the mat.
(2) He wiped his hands on a clean towel.
(3) She was sniffing and wiping her eyes with a tissue.

(1) He picked his cap up from the floor and stuck it back on his head...
(2) Ridley picked up a pencil and fiddled with it.
(3) Anthony picked himself up and set off along the track.

(1) The beach was pleasantly uncrowded.
(2) Here, a sense of uncrowded discovery still awaits.
(3) I want have an uncrowded house for my family.

(1) In contrast, the interstellar dust collected by stardust comes directly from local interstellar space.
(2) Q. How many interstellar dust particles did stardust bring to Earth?
(3) These are available to stardust home users like you around the world.

(1) I'm not normally allowed to stay out late.
(2) It's normally much warmer than this in July.
(3) It normally takes 20 minutes to get there.

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

(1) We should have had a proper discussion before voting.
(2) Please follow the proper procedures for dealing with complaints.
(3) Nothing is in its proper place.

(1) There are jobs more dangerous than truck driving; for instance, training lions.
(2) Ethiopia, for instance uses the equivalent of just twenty kilos of oil per head a year.
(3) They will be concerned to do the right thing — to dress properly, for instance.

(1) a lookout point/tower
(2) One of the men stood at the door to act as a lookout.
(3) If he wants to waste his money, that's his lookout.

(1) I wanted her and she was playing hard to get.
(2) California's been particularly hard hit by the recession.
(3) The talks had been hard going at the start.

(1) The gunman took aim (= pointed his weapon) and fired.
(2) The government is aiming at a 50% reduction in unemployment.
(3) They're aiming at training everybody by the end of the year.

(1) He was trying to keep out of the bird's line of sight.
(2) Peg down netting over the top to keep out leaves.
(3) She stamped her feet on the pavement to keep out the cold.

(1) It was a nonevent; some politicians came to smile and shake hands.
(2) I thought for a moment he was going to shake hands.
(3) shake hands -- yourn'll come through the bars, but mine's too big.

(1) Most schools are extremely unwilling to cut down on staff in order to cut costs.
(2) ...asking them to risk their lives in order that the rest of us can sleep better.
(3) We need to get rid of the idea that we must be liked all the time in order to be worthwhile...

(1) Thank you. Now we'd like to have some good Italian spaghetti.
(2) Macaroni tastes different from spaghetti.
(3) If you are in a hurry, I would recommend the spaghetti or shredded chicken fried rice.

(1) They'll be offended if you don't go to their wedding.
(2) Neil did not mean to offend anybody with his joke .
(3) A TV interviewer must be careful not to offend.

(1) He attacked the food as quickly as decent table manners allowed.
(2) You should pull up the children about their table manners.
(3) Write a passage about table manners in different countries.

(1) ...people carrying bundles of dried sticks to sell for firewood.
(2) He looks old and walks with a stick...
(3) Crowds armed with sticks and stones took to the streets.

(1) online shopping is both cheap and convenient.
(2) an online database
(3) The majority of small businesses now do their banking online.

(1) She never gets anywhere on time. She's hopelessly disorganized.
(2) The deputation to see the Prime Minister arrived dead on time and was received at once.
(3) We can certainly have the job finished on time.

(1) We have trouble getting staff.
(2) He could make trouble for me if he wanted to.
(3) The trouble with you is you don't really want to work.

(1) a memorable phrase
(2) She was, in her own favourite phrase, ‘a woman without a past ’.
(3) a carefully phrased remark

(1) misleading information/advertisements
(2) These bats are sometimes misleadingly referred to as ‘flying foxes ’.
(3) It would be misleading to say that we were friends...

(1) White has always been a symbol of purity in Western cultures.
(2) Mandela became a symbol of the anti-apartheid struggle.
(3) What is the chemical symbol for copper?

(1) Officials arrived to assess whether it is safe to bring emergency food supplies into the city...
(2) Most foods that we eat are safe for birds.
(3) In the future people can go to a football match knowing that they are safe from hooliganism...

(1) He can be a very tiresome child at times.
(2) That lathe went out of order at times.
(3) A system of beliefs can bring you reassurance at times of stress.

(1) an organized body of workers
(2) organized religion (= traditional religion followed by large numbers of people who obey a fixed set of rules)
(3) organized crime (= committed by professional criminals working in large groups)

(1) a gnarled old oak tree
(2) forests of oak and pine
(3) oak beams

(1) We disagree with every point Mr Blunkett makes...
(2) Dave Hill's article makes the right point about the Taylor Report...
(3) 'If he'd already killed once, surely he'd have killed Sarah?' She had a point there...

(1) She was taking tiny bites of a hot dog and daintily wiping her lips with a napkin.
(2) He dabbed at the spot on his tie with a napkin.
(3) May I have a napkin?

(1) She can count up to 10 in Italian.
(2) to count from 1 to 10
(3) The diet is based on counting calories.

(1) She felt uneasy in the unfamiliar surroundings.
(2) Please highlight any terms that are unfamiliar to you.
(3) an introductory course for students who are unfamiliar with computers

(1) The project will require very little work to start up; that's the beauty of it .
(2) One of the beauties of living here is that it's so peaceful.
(3) beauty products/treatment (= intended to make a person more beautiful)

(1) a rude comment
(2) The man was downright rude to us.
(3) She was very rude about my driving.

(1) Nichols set off for his remote farmhouse in Connecticut...
(2) The President's envoy set off on another diplomatic trip...
(3) Any escape, once it's detected, sets off the alarm...

(1) pick a number from one to twenty.
(2) She picked the best cake for herself.
(3) He picked his words carefully.

(1) His criticism stuck out a mile to aim at us.
(2) They aim at quality rather than quantity.
(3) I didn't know I was supposed to aim at the same spot all the time.

(1) The report highlights a number of instances of injustice.
(2) In most instances, there will be no need for further treatment.
(3) I would normally suggest taking time off work, but in this instance I'm not sure that would do any good.