(1) Dickens' ‘A tale of Two Cities ’
(2) a fairy/moral/romantic, etc. tale
(3) I love listening to his tales of life at sea.

(1) a backward part of the country, with no paved roads and no electricity
(2) a backward child
(3) (British English,informal)She's not backward in coming forward (= she's not shy) .

(1) We shouldn't blame ourselves for what happened.
(2) Let's just relax and enjoy ourselves.
(3) We'd like to see it for ourselves.

(1) skim the scum off the jam and let it cool.
(2) skim the jam and let it cool.
(3) We watched the birds skimming over the lake.

(1) He was jailed in february 1992 and could be released next year.
(2) Sow the seed in a warm place in february/March.
(3) Average weekly cinema attendance in february was 2.41 million.

(1) general education
(2) a general hospital
(3) They fired in the general direction of the enemy.

(1) Good heavens, what are you doing?
(2) Four tall trees stretched up to the heavens.
(3) The island is truly a heaven on earth .

(1) overhead/underground cables
(2) a 10 000 volt cable
(3) fibre-optic cable

(1) A second terminal was opened in 1998.
(2) a railway/bus/ferry terminal
(3) a positive/negative terminal

(1) international/foreign trade
(2) trade between the two countries has increased.
(3) the international trade in oil

(1) Queen Elizabeth came/succeeded to the throne in 1952.
(2) when Henry VIII was on the throne (= was king)
(3) ...the Queen's 50th anniversary on the throne.

(1) Lee was ill so I went instead.
(2) He didn't reply. instead, he turned on his heel and left the room.
(3) She said nothing, preferring instead to save her comments till later.

(1) Wendy popped in for a quick bite to eat on monday night.
(2) The orchestra gave its first performance on Whit monday.
(3) Broughton took a sickie on monday to paint his fence.

(1) We couldn't agree what to do.
(2) We agreed to meet on Thursday.
(3) Do you think he'll agree to their proposal?

(1) lieutenant Paul Fisher
(2) a lieutenant colonel
(3) lieutenant Campbell ordered the man at the wheel to steer for the gunboat.

(1) a company that builds and hosts e-commerce sites
(2) to host a dinner
(3) Germany hosted the World Cup finals.

(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) How many people does the company employ?
(2) For the past three years he has been employed as a firefighter.
(3) A number of people have been employed to deal with the backlog of work.

(1) I met Wilma once, briefly...
(2) Since that evening I haven't once slept through the night...
(3) Lung cells die and are replaced about once a week...

(1) a mountain goat
(2) goat's milk/cheese
(3) A goat is different from a sheep.

(1) What do you think is the chief charcteristic for a stewardess?
(2) The stewardess hurried the passengers onto the plane.
(3) Please show your ticket to the stewardess when you board the plane.

(1) They broke my windows and threatened me.
(2) The attacker threatened them with a gun.
(3) He was threatened with dismissal if he continued to turn up late for work.

(1) loud laughter
(2) a deafeningly loud bang
(3) She spoke in a very loud voice.

(1) He watched the smoke rise from his cigarette...
(2) The powdery dust rose in a cloud around him.
(3) Luther rose slowly from the chair...

(1) the Panama/Suez canal
(2) an irrigation canal
(3) ...the Grand Union canal.

(1) In the course of time , this kind of lantern has become an exclusive of the Shens.
(2) Chen Xiang: Mom, How this could be a magic lantern?
(3) The Spring Festival lasts till the 15 th of the first lunar month, or the lantern Festival.

(1) This revisionist thesis departs even further from marxist assertions.
(2) The film retells the famous legend with a marxist spin.
(3) The new vicar's a marxist that'll set the cat among the pigeons!

(1) It may be necessary to buy a new one.
(2) It doesn't seem necessary for us to meet.
(3) Only use your car when absolutely necessary.

(1) She began to cry.
(2) It was beginning to snow.
(3) I was beginning to think you'd never come.

(1) Make sure you grab a lifejacket. Have you ever been in a canoe before?
(2) As you hurl the rock, the canoe moves forward.
(3) A war canoe advances.

(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) colonel Jim Edge
(2) ...colonel Edward Staley.
(3) This particular place was run by an ex-Army colonel.

(1) It was in aid of a worthwhile cause (= a charity, etc.) .
(2) The smile on her face made it all worthwhile.
(3) High prices in the UK make it worthwhile for buyers to look abroad.

(1) It was time for the sheep to be shorn.
(2) sheep shearing
(3) shorn hair

(1) cuddly/soft toys
(2) The children were playing happily with their toys.
(3) executive toys

(1) dog dirt
(2) Do you have any dirt on the new guy?
(3) His clothes were covered in dirt.

(1) ‘Is this your car? ’ ‘yes, it is. ’
(2) ‘Are you coming? yes or no? ’
(3) ‘I enjoyed her latest novel. ’ ‘yes, me too. ’

(1) Tell them the news.
(2) What are you doing with those matches? Give them to me.
(3) Did you eat all of them?

(1) a double helping
(2) two double whiskies
(3) double doors

(1) Her children can be a real handful.
(2) Only a handful of people came.
(3) a handful of rice