(1) He was anxious to preserve his reputation.
(2) Efforts to preserve the peace have failed.
(3) (humorous)Is he really 60? He's remarkably well preserved .

(1) to have a wide/limited vocabulary
(2) your active vocabulary (= the words that you use)
(3) your passive vocabulary (= the words that you understand but don't use)

(1) I wonder who she is.
(2) I was just beginning to wonder where you were.
(3) ‘Why do you want to know? ’ ‘No particular reason. I was just wondering. ’

(1) Her evidence suggests a different interpretation of the events.
(2) It is not possible for everyone to put their own interpretation on the law.
(3) Dreams are open to interpretation (= they can be explained in different ways) .

(1) a trade mission to China
(2) a fact-finding mission
(3) a mercy mission to aid homeless refugees

(1) Water had spilled out of the bucket onto the floor.
(2) He startled her and made her spill her drink.
(3) Thousands of gallons of crude oil were spilled into the ocean.

(1) Coconut is a basic ingredient for many curries.
(2) Our skin cream contains only natural ingredients.
(3) the essential ingredients for success

(1) She spent a year in jail.
(2) He has been released from jail.
(3) a ten-year jail sentence

(1) She was hot and sweat dripped into her eyes.
(2) Water was dripping down the walls.
(3) The tap was dripping.

(1) Always chew food well before swallowing it.
(2) The pills should be swallowed whole.
(3) I had a sore throat and it hurt to swallow.

(1) Make sure the firm is competent to carry out the work.
(2) He's very competent in his work.
(3) The case was referred to a competent authority.

(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) The people are demanding a chance to participate more in government.
(2) I couldn't assent to, much less participate in such proceeding.
(3) You may well participate with us in our gains.

(1) illegal immigrants/aliens
(2) It's illegal to drive through a red light.
(3) an illegally parked car

(1) I hadn't bargained on them being here.
(2) I didn't bargain on finding them here as well.
(3) When he agreed to answer a few questions, he got more than he bargained for (= he got more questions, or more difficult ones, than he had expected) .

(1) the maximum speed/temperature/volume
(2) For maximum effect do the exercises every day.
(3) a maximum security prison

(1) The students' work varies considerably in quality.
(2) The quality of the students' work varies considerably.
(3) New techniques were introduced with varying degrees of success.

(1) substantial sums of money
(2) a substantial change
(3) substantial numbers of people support the reforms.

(1) a brief résumé of events so far
(2) to resume talks/negotiations
(3) She resumed her career after an interval of six years.

(1) She closed her eyes tightly in a vain attempt to hold back the tears.
(2) I knocked loudly in the vain hope that someone might answer.
(3) She's too vain to wear glasses.

(1) First loosen the nuts, then take off the wheel.
(2) The rope holding the boat loosened.
(3) He loosened his grip and let her go.

(1) He thrust the baby into my arms and ran off.
(2) She thrust her hands deep into her pockets.
(3) She thrust past him angrily and left.

(1) The city is a mixture of old and new buildings.
(2) We listened to the news with a mixture of surprise and horror.
(3) cake mixture

(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) the need to improve facilities for leisure and recreation
(2) the increasing use of land for recreation
(3) His recreations include golf, football and shooting.

(1) the skin's natural moisture
(2) a material that is designed to absorb/retain moisture
(3) When the soil is dry, more moisture is lost from the plant...

(1) a videotaped interview
(2) She videotaped the entire trip.
(3) Rebecca gets a videotape from the Boston School of Music.

(1) (North Amercian English) community parks/libraries (= paid for by the local town/city)
(2) The local community was shocked by the murders.
(3) health workers based in the community (= working with people in a local area)

(1) The recommended retail price is £9.99.
(2) department stores and other retail outlets
(3) the retail trade

(1) The male bird is easily distinguishable from the female.
(2) The coast was barely distinguishable in the mist.
(3) She has already distinguished herself as an athlete.

(1) Chop the onions finely.
(2) French onion soup
(3) Will you chop an onion up for me?...

(1) a grassy slope
(2) The town is built on a slope .
(3) the eastern slopes of the Andes

(1) He turned a deaf ear to the rumours.
(2) He was deaf to my requests for help.
(3) Her advice fell on deaf ears.

(1) subsequent generations
(2) subsequent events confirmed our doubts.
(3) Developments on this issue will be dealt with in a subsequent report.

(1) a pair of pants
(2) a new pair of pants
(3) ski pants

(1) We sat there in dumb silence.
(2) That was a pretty dumb thing to do.
(3) If the police question you, act dumb (= pretend you do not know anything) .

(1) What frustrates him is that there's too little money to spend on the project.
(2) The rescue attempt was frustrated by bad weather.
(3) These questions frustrated me...

(1) a boat to/from the mainland
(2) The Hebrides are to the west of the Scottish mainland.
(3) [只用于名词前]mainland Greece

(1) Rye is tolerant of poor, acid soils.
(2) acid fruit
(3) an acid wit

(1) This was one aspect of her character he hadn't seen before.
(2) Events began to take on a more sinister aspect.
(3) The book aims to cover all aspects of city life.