(1) The Secretary-General was asked to mediate in the dispute.
(2) An independent body was brought in to mediate between staff and management.
(3) to mediate differences/disputes/problems

(1) The two teams have always been rivals.
(2) The Japanese are our biggest economic rivals.
(3) This latest design has no rivals (= it is easily the best design available) .

(1) imaginary fears
(2) The equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the earth.
(3) ...creating an imaginary world.

(1) He has been Milan's most consistent player this season.
(2) We must be consistent in applying the rules.
(3) a consistent approach to the problem

(1) Inflation continues to accelerate.
(2) Exposure to the sun can accelerate the ageing process.
(3) The runners accelerated smoothly around the bend.

(1) accusations of political bias in news programmes (= that reports are unfair and show favour to one political party)
(2) Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias.
(3) Some institutions still have a strong bias against women.

(1) We encourage all members to strive for the highest standards.
(2) striving against corruption
(3) Newspaper editors all strive to be first with a story.

(1) In the sentences ‘I'm angry ’ and ‘He became a politician ’, ‘angry ’ and ‘politician ’ are complements.
(2) We've taken our full complement of trainees this year.
(3) The team needs players who complement each other .

(1) Pollution can aggravate asthma.
(2) Military intervention will only aggravate the conflict even further.
(3) [不可数名词, 可数名词]The drug may cause an aggravation of the condition.

(1) The world's resources are rapidly diminishing.
(2) His influence has diminished with time.
(3) Our efforts were producing diminishing returns (= we achieved less although we spent more time or money) .

(1) He would never do anything to jeopardize his career.
(2) He has jeopardised the future of his government...
(3) The talks may still be jeopardized by disputes.

(1) scatter the grass seed over the lawn.
(2) scatter the lawn with grass seed.
(3) They scattered his ashes at sea.

(1) The washing instructions are on the label.
(2) price/address labels
(3) We tested various supermarkets' own label pasta sauces (= those marked with the name of the shop/store where they are sold) .

(1) They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them.
(2) She refused to be intimidated by their threats.
(3) [不可数名词]the intimidation of witnesses

(1) Our dog has a bald patch on its leg.
(2) a bald tyre (= a tyre whose surface has become smooth)
(3) The bald fact is that we don't need you any longer.

(1) Residents were warned not to be extravagant with water, in view of the low rainfall this year.
(2) an extravagant present
(3) the extravagant claims/promises of politicians

(1) (especially North American English)Kerry's concession speech (= when he admitted that he had lost the election)
(2) the concession of university status to some colleges
(3) tax concessions

(1) the brutalities of war
(2) He was brutally assaulted.
(3) Let me be brutally frank about this.

(1) The Foreign Minister held talks with his Chinese counterpart.
(2) The women's shoe, like its male counterpart, is specifically designed for the serious tennis player.
(3) The Foreign Secretary telephoned his Italian counterpart to protest.

(1) The company is forging ahead with its plans for expansion.
(2) She forged into the lead (= in a competition, race, etc.) .
(3) He forged through the crowds to the front of the stage.

(1) Political and personal ambitions are starting to prevail over economic interests.
(2) Justice will prevail over injustice.
(3) It was an argument in which neither side could prevail over the other.

(1) to initiate legal proceedings against sb
(2) The government has initiated a programme of economic reform.
(3) Many of them had been initiated into drug use at an early age.

(1) a notable success/achievement/example
(2) His eyes are his most notable feature .
(3) The town is notable for its ancient harbour.

(1) The ruling set a precedent for future libel cases.
(2) historical precedents
(3) There is no precedent for a disaster of this scale.

(1) a marginal improvement in weather conditions
(2) The story will only be of marginal interest to our readers.
(3) marginal groups in society

(1) The economy remains extremely fragile.
(2) fragile beauty
(3) The woman's fragile face broke into a smile.

(1) His paintings capture the essence of France.
(2) In essence (= when you consider the most important points) , your situation isn't so different from mine.
(3) (British English) coffee/vanilla/almond essence

(1) British exports have been handicapped by the strong pound.
(2) Not speaking the language proved to be a bigger handicap than I'd imagined.
(3) mental/physical/visual handicap

(1) (North Amercian English)a bounce (= increase) in popularity
(2) one bounce of the ball
(3) There's not much bounce left in these balls.

(1) a strange/an extraordinary/a remarkable coincidence
(2) What a coincidence! I wasn't expecting to see you here.
(3) It's not a coincidence that none of the directors are women (= it did not happen by chance) .

(1) Swallows migrate south in winter.
(2) Thousands were forced to migrate from rural to urban areas in search of work.
(3) The infected cells then migrate to other areas of the body.

(1) to plan/lead/go on an expedition to the North Pole
(2) Three members of the Everest expedition were killed.
(3) a shopping expedition

(1) Gas ignites very easily.
(2) (figurative)Tempers ignited when the whole family spent Christmas together.
(3) Flames melted a lead pipe and ignited leaking gas.

(1) Offenders will be liable to a seven-year prison term.
(2) Such a figure is liable to be attacked as a blasphemer.
(3) You know you are liable to be cross-examined mercilessly about the assault.

(1) The rebellion was brutally suppressed.
(2) The police were accused of suppressing vital evidence.
(3) to suppress a smile

(1) She refuses to acknowledge the need for reform.
(2) a generally acknowledged fact
(3) I did not acknowledge that he had done anything wrong.

(1) a trivial detail
(2) I know it sounds trivial , but I'm worried about it.
(3) I'll try to fix it ─ but it's not trivial (= it may be difficult to fix) .

(1) She pondered over his words.
(2) They were left to ponder on the implications of the announcement.
(3) The senator pondered the question for a moment.

(1) The underlying assumption is that the amount of money available is limited.
(2) Unemployment may be an underlying cause of the rising crime rate.
(3) the underlying rock formation

(1) Our students are oriented towards science subjects.
(2) We run a commercially oriented operation.
(3) profit-orientated organizations