(1) They tried to reassure her, but she still felt anxious.
(2) The doctor reassured him that there was nothing seriously wrong.
(3) I tried to reassure her, 'Don't worry about it. We won't let it happen again.'...

(1) She's a sensible sort of person.
(2) I think that's a very sensible idea.
(3) Say something sensible.

(1) a pledge of support
(2) Will the government honour its election pledge not to raise taxes?
(3) Management has given a pledge that there will be no job losses this year.

(1) new laws to conserve wildlife in the area
(2) Help to conserve energy by insulating your home.
(3) The republic's factories have closed for the weekend to conserve energy.

(1) The prosecution alleges (that) she was driving carelessly.
(2) It is alleged that he mistreated the prisoners.
(3) He is alleged to have mistreated the prisoners.

(1) She looked at him with contempt .
(2) I shall treat that suggestion with the contempt it deserves.
(3) His treatment of his children is beneath contempt (= so unacceptable that it is not even worth feeling contempt for) .

(1) The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics.
(2) (British English)Antibiotics are only available on prescription .
(3) (North Amercian English)Antibiotics are only available by prescription .

(1) a distortion of the facts
(2) a fairground mirror that distorts your shape
(3) The loudspeaker seemed to distort his voice.

(1) a family reunion
(2) the school's annual reunion
(3) a reunion of the class of '85

(1) All the children were well nourished and in good physical condition.
(2) By investing in education, we nourish the talents of our children.
(3) nourishing food

(1) the components of a machine
(2) the car component industry
(3) Key components of the government's plan are…

(1) Can we deduce from your silence that you do not approve?
(2) We can deduce a lot from what people choose to buy.
(3) Alison had cleverly deduced that I was the author of the letter.

(1) His lecture was readily intelligible to all the students.
(2) The language of Darwin was intelligible to experts and non-experts alike...
(3) The woman moaned faintly but made no intelligible response.

(1) They all babbled simultaneously.
(2) The two guns fired almost simultaneously.
(3) The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.

(1) abnormal levels of sugar in the blood
(2) They thought his behaviour was abnormal.
(3) abnormally high blood pressure

(1) The unions mobilized thousands of workers in a protest against the cuts.
(2) They were unable to mobilize the resources they needed.
(3) The troops were ordered to mobilize.

(1) Thirty thousand spectators watched the final game.
(2) Although professional football is the nation's favorite spectator sport, professional baseball is also very popular.
(3) What is it like having to be a spectator instead of a player?

(1) Higher-rate deposit accounts yield good returns.
(2) The research has yielded useful information.
(3) trees that no longer yield fruit

(1) a seemingly stupid question
(2) a seemingly endless journey
(3) seemingly, he borrowed the money from the bank.

(1) intimate friends
(2) We're not on intimate terms with our neighbours.
(3) The article revealed intimate details about his family life.

(1) People are prepared to commute long distances if they are desperate for work.
(2) She commutes from Oxford to London every day.
(3) He spent that year commuting between New York and Chicago.

(1) We must harness the skill and creativity of our workforce.
(2) attempts to harness the sun's rays as a source of energy
(3) (figurative)In some areas, the poor feel harnessed to their jobs.

(1) He wants to be in control of his own destiny.
(2) I believe there's some force guiding us─call it God, destiny or fate.
(3) the destinies of nations

(1) Nothing breeds success like success.
(2) Fear of failure was bred into him at an early age.
(3) Labradors and other large breeds of dog

(1) There is no simple remedy for unemployment.
(2) There are a number of possible remedies to this problem.
(3) a herbal remedy

(1) a grass verge
(2) He was on the verge of tears.
(3) They are on the verge of signing a new contract.

(1) I could see a dim shape in the doorway.
(2) His eyesight is getting dim.
(3) dim memories

(1) documented evidence
(2) legal documents
(3) travel documents

(1) Workshop I has been designed to cater to industrial designers in all fields, including automotive design.
(2) We are going to cater to your every desire.
(3) We must work out a plan to cater to the need of our clients.

(1) ‘Don't be ridiculous! ’ Pat retorted angrily.
(2) Sam retorted that it was my fault as much as his.
(3) She bit back (= stopped herself from making) a sharp retort.

(1) air/naval/guerrilla, etc. warfare
(2) countries engaged in warfare
(3) class/gang warfare

(1) to amplify a guitar/an electric current/a signal
(2) She refused to amplify further.
(3) You may need to amplify this point.

(1) good/bad/adverse publicity
(2) There has been a great deal of publicity surrounding his disappearance.
(3) The trial took place amid a blaze of (= a lot of) publicity .

(1) There is a general consensus among teachers about the need for greater security in schools.
(2) There seems to be a consensus that the plan should be rejected.
(3) There is a growing consensus of opinion on this issue.

(1) You look wretched─what's wrong?
(2) I felt wretched about the way things had turned out.
(3) She had a wretched time of it at school.

(1) the years preceding the war
(2) His resignation was preceded by weeks of speculation.
(3) She preceded me in the job.

(1) The child stumbled and fell.
(2) I stumbled over a rock.
(3) We were stumbling around in the dark looking for a candle.

(1) The gunman used the hostages as a human shield .
(2) Water is not an effective shield against the sun's more harmful rays.
(3) She hid her true feelings behind a shield of cold indifference.

(1) He has been an active participant in the discussion.
(2) 40 of the course participants are offered employment with the company...
(3) You are expected to be an active participant.

(1) an epidemic of crime in the inner cities
(2) Car theft is now reaching epidemic proportions .
(3) an epidemic of measles