(1) a close ally and friend of the prime minister
(2) The prince allied himself with the Scots.
(3) Washington would not take such a step without its allies' approval...

(1) abstract knowledge/principles
(2) The research shows that preschool children are capable of thinking in abstract terms.
(3) We may talk of beautiful things but beauty itself is abstract.

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

(1) the strait(s) of Gibraltar
(2) The factory is in dire straits .
(3) She found herself in desperate financial straits.

(1) I can't remember any more─I must have lost consciousness .
(2) She did not regain consciousness and died the next day.
(3) his consciousness of the challenge facing him

(1) a walk-in closet
(2) Homosexuals in public life are now coming out of the closet.
(3) closet gays

(1) The sulfur dioxide combines with water in the air, forming sulfuric acid.
(2) Carbon dioxide emissions are the primary source of greenhouse gases.
(3) The Kyoto Protocol is a commitment to reduce the amounts of carbon dioxide output.

(1) a cartoon character
(2) a Walt Disney cartoon
(3) ...one of Britain's best-loved cartoon characters, Rupert the Bear.

(1) The humidity was becoming unbearable.
(2) These plants need heat and humidity to grow well.
(3) 70% humidity

(1) The camp is for youngsters aged 8 to 14.
(2) Other youngsters are not so lucky...
(3) I was only a youngster in 1935.

(1) He does what he's told without any fuss.
(2) All that fuss over a few pounds!
(3) It's a very ordinary movie─I don't know what all the fuss is about (= why other people think it is so good) .

(1) a litter of puppies
(2) a Labrador puppy
(3) One Sunday he began trying to teach the two puppies to walk on a leash.

(1) A UN spokesman said that the mission will carry 20 tons of relief supplies.
(2) The spokesman made it evident that no compromise was yet in sight.
(3) The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.

(1) a velvet dress
(2) velvet curtains/drapes
(3) ...a charcoal-gray overcoat with a velvet collar...

(1) to complete a questionnaire
(2) (British English)to fill in a questionnaire
(3) (especially North American English)to fill out a questionnaire

(1) political and economic instability
(2) mental/emotional instability
(3) ...unpopular policies, which resulted in social discontent and political instability.

(1) It hurt me to think that he would lie to me.
(2) I didn't want to hurt his feelings .
(3) I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.

(1) a market stall
(2) the front row of the stalls
(3) The car stalled and refused to start again.

(1) The two colleges have a reciprocal arrangement whereby students from one college can attend classes at the other.
(2) They expected a reciprocal gesture before more hostages could be freed...
(3) The department said many countries had reciprocal agreements for health care with Britain.

(1) Several windows had been smashed.
(2) He smashed the radio to pieces.
(3) The glass bowl smashed into a thousand pieces.

(1) The aphid is now laying waste to the wheat and barley fields.
(2) By cereals we mean wheat, oats, rye, barley, and all that.
(3) They looked out across the fields of waving barley.

(1) a severe handicap
(2) His injuries are severe.
(3) severe weather conditions

(1) This paper analyzed abnomml pink and yellowish brown hatching eggs of Chinese mitten crab , Edriocheir sinensis.
(2) One red mitten lying lost under a poplar tree.
(3) There is a hole in the thumb of his mitten.

(1) He made a rude gesture at the driver of the other car.
(2) She finished what she had to say with a gesture of despair.
(3) They communicated entirely by gesture.

(1) whoever says that is a liar.
(2) Send it to whoever is in charge of sales.
(3) Come out of there, whoever you are.

(1) the difficulties inherent in a study of this type
(2) Violence is inherent in our society.
(3) an inherent weakness in the design of the machine

(1) Cruelty was quite alien to him.
(2) alien beings from outer space
(3) an illegal alien

(1) Acceleration and velocity are both vectors.
(2) Because classical PI controllers were used structure of the sensorless vector control was very simple.
(3) Hie resultant vector was checked by expression of phage antibody, ELBA and in vivo recombination.

(1) Sadly, the film is let down by an excessively simple plot.
(2) His private demons drove him to drink excessively for many years.
(3) Hardy has often been criticised for an excessively pessimistic view of life.

(1) a grey, cloudy day
(2) ...a windy, cloudy day.
(3) ...an absurdly cloudy political debate...

(1) to be in a difficult situation
(2) You could get into a situation where you have to decide immediately.
(3) We have all been in similar embarrassing situations.

(1) his elevation to the presidency
(2) The city is at an elevation of 2 000 metres.
(3) the front/rear/side elevation of a house

(1) commonsense now dictates that it would be wise to sell a few shares.
(2) These results are no more than a vindication of commonsense analysis.
(3) commonsense was never your strong point; but is a little too much.

(1) Make sure the paint covers the surface evenly.
(2) She was fast asleep, breathing evenly.
(3) evenly spaced at four cm apart

(1) [不可数名词]White walls can give a feeling of spaciousness.
(2) The house has a spacious kitchen and dining area.
(3) In the spacious sky your charms displaying.

(1) The valley was originally bridged by the Romans.
(2) A plank of wood bridged the stream.
(3) Cultural exchanges are a way of building bridges between countries.

(1) She left the courtroom flanked by armed guards.
(2) They drove through the cotton fields that flanked Highway 17.
(3) Bookcases flank the bed...

(1) a fertile region
(2) The treatment has been tested on healthy fertile women under the age of 35.
(3) a fertile partnership

(1) headquarters in Dublin has/have agreed.
(2) police headquarters
(3) I'm now based at headquarters.

(1) Rick's cooking was always good but this time he really excelled himself.
(2) As a child he excelled at music and art.
(3) The team excels at turning defence into attack.