(1) the musical director of the show
(2) musical talent/ability/skill
(3) musical styles/tastes

(1) "Prices are down 40 per cent since christmas," he lamented.
(2) "Will Joe be here at christmas?" — "I expect so."
(3) Authorities requisitioned hotel rooms to lodge more than 3,000 stranded christmas vacationers.

(1) a chocolate cake
(2) a birthday cake
(3) (British English)a cake tin (= for cooking a cake in)

(1) selfish behaviour
(2) Do you think I'm being selfish by not letting her go?
(3) What a selfish thing to do!

(1) a silver chain
(2) made of solid silver
(3) a silver mine

(1) styling wax for the hair
(2) floor wax
(3) wax crayons

(1) The graph shows how house prices have risen since the 1980s.
(2) Plot a graph of height against age.
(3) Controlling analyzing software plays an important role to display the test data with graph when testing.

(1) The dogs continued to paw and claw frantically at the chain mesh.
(2) It has three pairs of legs, each ending in a large claw.
(3) The Chancellor will try to claw back £3.5 billion in next year's Budget.

(1) She helpfully suggested that I try the local library.
(2) The staff couldn't have been more helpful.
(3) I called the police but they weren't very helpful.

(1) the ten of diamonds
(2) You must play a diamond if you have one.
(3) The lights shone like diamonds.

(1) to offer/send your congratulations to sb
(2) ‘We're getting married! ’ ‘congratulations! ’
(3) congratulations on your exam results!

(1) He got on his bicycle and rode off.
(2) We went for a bicycle ride on Sunday.
(3) I bicycled on towards the sea.

(1) violent crime
(2) Students were involved in violent clashes with the police.
(3) He met with a violent death (= he was murdered, killed in a fight, etc.)

(1) There is now no possibility that she will make a full recovery.
(2) He refused to rule out the possibility of a tax increase.
(3) It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that we'll all meet again one day.

(1) She's my cousin.
(2) We're cousins.
(3) He's a distant cousin of mine.

(1) friction between moving parts had caused the engine to overheat.
(2) The force of friction slows the spacecraft down as it re-enters the earth's atmosphere.
(3) conflicts and frictions that have still to be resolved

(1) The committee has little or no understanding of the problem.
(2) The existence of God is beyond human understanding (= humans cannot know whether God exists or not) .
(3) We finally came to an understanding about what hours we would work.

(1) an interesting question/point/example
(2) interesting people/places/work
(3) It would be interesting to know what he really believed.

(1) They stood in silence with their heads bowed.
(2) The pines bowed in the wind.
(3) She bowed her head in shame.

(1) to take/have/hold French nationality
(2) All applicants will be considered regardless of age, sex, religion or nationality.
(3) The college attracts students of all nationalities.

(1) traditional seaside amusements including boats, go-karts and a funfair
(2) Her eyes twinkled with amusement .
(3) She could not hide her amusement at the way he was dancing.

(1) fierce/heavy/violent storms
(2) A few minutes later the storm broke (= began) .
(3) I think we're in for a storm (= going to have one) .

(1) He was too stubborn to admit that he was wrong.
(2) She can be as stubborn as a mule .
(3) stubborn pride

(1) ‘I saw Ben yesterday. ’ ‘oh yes, how is he? ’
(2) ‘Emma has a new job. ’ ‘oh, has she? ’
(3) oh, how wonderful!

(1) to put up/take down a tent
(2) to pitch (= put up) a tent
(3) Food will be served in the hospitality tent (= for example at an outdoor show) .

(1) Nebula is a specific word concerning the field of astronomy.
(2) We try to arrange observation and recording to special astronomy events.
(3) The book treats of astronomy.

(1) ...a U.S. Army jeep.
(2) Faber flung open the door of the jeep, jumped in and shot off down the hill.
(3) Power steering system for Cherokee jeep consists of a steering vane pump and power steering gear.

(1) She stared at him again, unable to believe the evidence of her senses.
(2) ...a keen sense of smell.
(3) She probably sensed that I wasn't telling her the whole story...

(1) It is not merely a job, but a way of life.
(2) He said nothing, merely smiled and watched her.
(3) They agreed to go merely because they were getting paid for it.

(1) The railway is still under construction.
(2) a disused railway
(3) Her father worked on the railways.

(1) Freezing isn't a bad way of preserving food...
(2) Another way of making new friends is to go to an evening class...
(3) She smiled in a friendly way...

(1) a paintbrush
(2) a hairbrush
(3) a toothbrush

(1) Quaking with fear, Polly slowly opened the door.
(2) The ground quaked as the bomb exploded.
(3) The quake destroyed mud buildings in many remote villages.

(1) The animals were left to starve to death.
(2) pictures of starving children
(3) The new job doesn't pay as much but we won't starve!

(1) announcements of births, marriages and deaths appear in some newspapers.
(2) announcement of the verdict was accompanied by shouts and cheers.
(3) to make an announcement

(1) It is impossible to foresee how life will work out.
(2) No one could have foreseen (that) things would turn out this way.
(3) The extent of the damage could not have been foreseen.

(1) The maple sap was boiled down to a thick syrup.
(2) The house stood amid maple trees.
(3) A maple leaf obtains the colour of the sun when dedicating its youth to it.

(1) a piece/sheet of paper
(2) a package wrapped in brown paper
(3) recycled paper

(1) It was an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life...
(2) I'm going to throw a party, then invest the rest of the money...
(3) ...a man with nice clothes, a Range Rover and the rest...

(1) a degree in biology
(2) How far is human nature determined by biology?
(3) the biology of marine animals