(1) The college principal promised to look into the matter.
(2) ‘promise not to tell anyone! ’ ‘I promise. ’
(3) They arrived at 7.30 as they had promised .

(1) I lost my balance and fell backwards.
(2) He took a step backwards.
(3) ‘Ambulance ’ is written backwards so you can read it in the mirror.

(1) the fairness of the judicial system
(2) A tan emphasized the fairness of her hair.
(3) In all fairness to him, he did try to stop her leaving.

(1) Being able to walk to work is an added bonus of the new job.
(2) productivity bonuses
(3) a £100 Christmas bonus

(1) We found out he'd been stealing from us for years.
(2) My wallet was stolen.
(3) I had my wallet stolen .

(1) a concrete floor
(2) concrete evidence/proposals/proof
(3) ‘It's only a suspicion, ’ she said, ‘nothing concrete. ’

(1) a wedding feast
(2) the feast of Christmas
(3) a feast day

(1) the struggle/battle/fight for survival
(2) His only chance of survival was a heart transplant.
(3) Exporting is necessary for our economic survival.

(1) a debate that has split the country down the middle
(2) The committee split over government subsidies.
(3) She split the class into groups of four.

(1) Several presidents attended the funeral.
(2) the president of the United States
(3) president Bush is due to visit the country next month.

(1) We don't have very many copies left.
(2) You can't have one each. We haven't got many.
(3) many people feel that the law should be changed.

(1) The atlantic coast is within sight of the hotel.
(2) atlantic City is the hot favourite to stage the fight.
(3) A tropical storm is gaining strength in the eastern atlantic.

(1) The grandparents sigh and say how things have changed for the worse.
(2) My grandparents have never had a problem accepting me.
(3) My grandparents were quite well off.

(1) three kinds of cakes/cake
(2) music of all/various/different kinds
(3) Exercises of this kind are very popular.

(1) the basic requirements of life
(2) a software package to meet your requirements
(3) Our immediate requirement is extra staff.

(1) When she opened the door she was greeted by a scene of utter confusion.
(2) Loud cheers greeted the news.
(3) The team's win was greeted as a major triumph.

(1) I saw this pretty blouse and bought it on sight.
(2) Do you like that black blouse?
(3) A yellow blouse goes with her blonde hair.

(1) switzerland isn't all cow bells and yodelling, you know.
(2) Two men answer-ing the description of the suspects tried to enter switzerland.
(3) From 1879 to 1888 he wandered about Germany, switzerland, and Italy.

(1) Just point the camera and press the button.
(2) cameras started clicking as soon as she stepped out of the car.
(3) a TV/video camera

(1) They believed ancient greece and Rome were vital sources of learning.
(2) The region was split three ways, between greece, Serbia and Bulgaria.
(3) The cult of Isis was carried from Egypt into greece and Rome.

(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) She was a good organiser.
(2) She was by reputation a good organiser.
(3) The organiser will not be responsible for any loss of personal belongings.

(1) a bargain hunter
(2) ...treasure hunters.
(3) ...a deer hunter.

(1) to offer interest-free credit (= allow sb to pay later, without any extra charge)
(2) We bought the dishwasher on credit .
(3) to get/refuse credit

(1) That section of the road is still closed.
(2) The library has a large biology section.
(3) the tail section of the plane

(1) Jane is very mature for her age.
(2) a mature and sensible attitude
(3) sexually mature

(1) the four corners of a square
(2) Write your address in the top right-hand corner of the letter.
(3) I hit my knee on the corner of the table.

(1) It took a lot of bottle to do that.
(2) The wines are bottled after three years.
(3) bottled beer/water/pickles

(1) Let your eyes focus on objects that are further away from you.
(2) It took a few moments for her eyes to focus in the dark.
(3) In this scene, the camera focuses on the actor's face.

(1) Lucilla often asks her sisters to retell the story...
(2) It is a tale which has often been retold within West Indian literature.
(3) I'll ask two students to retell the dialog . You should use your own words.

(1) The tractor churn ed up the soil.
(2) To make the contract attractive, the contractor subtracted a tractor from it.
(3) It can be used with existing tractor equipment and can be quickly detached.

(1) He relayed the message to his boss.
(2) Instructions were relayed to him by phone.
(3) The game was relayed by satellite to audiences all over the world.

(1) the front/back door (= at the entrance at the front/back of a building)
(2) the bedroom door
(3) the door frame

(1) a mattress filled with straw
(2) a straw hat
(3) He was leaning over the gate chewing on a straw.

(1) Research shows that a high-fibre diet may protect you from bowel cancer...
(2) He was arrested at his home in Southampton after a breath test showed he had drunk more than twice the legal limit for driving...
(3) Figure 4.1 shows the respiratory system...

(1) We hope to be there within the hour (= in less than an hour) .
(2) We're four hours ahead of New York (= referring to the time difference) .
(3) Chicago is two hours away (= it takes two hours to get there) .

(1) He yelled at the other driver.
(2) They yelled with excitement.
(3) She yelled out in pain.

(1) a light switch
(2) an on-off switch
(3) That was in the days before electricity was available at the flick of a switch .

(1) These trousers are a bit tight.
(2) ‘Are you tired? ’ ‘Yes, I am a bit. ’
(3) It costs a bit more than I wanted to spend.