(1) Bombs were exploding all around the city.
(2) There was a huge bang as if someone had exploded a rocket outside.
(3) Bomb disposal experts exploded the device under controlled conditions.

(1) champagne bubbles
(2) a bubble of oxygen
(3) blowing bubbles into water through a straw

(1) I'm tired of having to pretend all the time.
(2) Of course I was wrong; it would be hypocritical to pretend otherwise .
(3) He pretended to his family that everything was fine.

(1) to read for pleasure
(2) He takes no pleasure in his work.
(3) She had the pleasure of seeing him look surprised.

(1) May I suggest a white wine with this dish, Sir?
(2) A solution immediately suggested itself to me (= I immediately thought of a solution) .
(3) I suggest (that) we go out to eat.

(1) We waited three months before going back to see the specialist.
(2) Sir , these aspersions are , in truth, always idle, and even mischievous.
(3) I intend to amortize the total cost of the car over three years.

(1) May I borrow it for a day or two?
(2) He broke the bar of chocolate in two and gave me half.
(3) People arrived in twos and threes.

(1) There's only one seat so you'll have to sit on my lap .
(2) She sat with her hands in her lap .
(3) the fastest lap on record

(1) He surrounds himself with attractive, intelligent, or well-known people...
(2) He is well-known to the local police...
(3) It may be a well-known fact, but I didn't know it...

(1) Use a sun block that filters UVA effectively.
(2) (figurative)My secretary is very good at filtering my calls (= making sure that calls that I do not want do not get through) .
(3) The doors opened and people started filtering through.

(1) plants that are resistant to disease
(2) Elderly people are not always resistant to change.
(3) disease-resistant plants

(1) He had a practical outlook on life.
(2) Most Western societies are liberal in outlook .
(3) The outlook for jobs is bleak.

(1) to behave honourably
(2) the Honorable Alan Simpson, US senator
(3) If my honourable Friend would give me a chance to answer,…

(1) He resigned after his implication in a sex scandal.
(2) He criticized the Director and, by implication , the whole of the organization.
(3) The implication in his article is that being a housewife is greatly inferior to every other occupation.

(1) the central area of the brain
(2) The flat is very central─just five minutes from Princes Street.
(3) a central location

(1) an employment bureau
(2) the Federal bureau of Investigation
(3) ...the Federal bureau of Investigation.

(1) They embraced and promised to keep in touch.
(2) She embraced her son warmly.
(3) to embrace democracy/feminism/Islam

(1) Season with salt and pepper
(2) freshly ground pepper
(3) peppered steak

(1) to found a club/company
(2) Her family founded the college in 1895.
(3) The town was founded by English settlers in 1790.

(1) pour the sauce over the pasta.
(2) Although I poured it carefully, I still managed to spill some.
(3) Tears poured down his cheeks.

(1) the British and German navies
(2) He's joined the navy/the navy .
(3) an officer in the navy/the navy

(1) I could feel anger boiling up inside me.
(2) (British English) Bring the soup to the boil , then allow it to simmer for five minutes.
(3) (North Amercian English) Bring the soup to a boil .

(1) This land is ripe for development.
(2) The conditions were ripe for social change.
(3) Reforms were promised when the time was ripe .

(1) I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions.
(2) The police are very unwilling to interfere in family problems.
(3) She never allows her personal feelings to interfere with her work.

(1) two wine glasses, filled to the brim
(2) a wide-brimmed hat
(3) Her eyes brimmed with tears.

(1) the pursuit of happiness/knowledge/profit
(2) She travelled the world in pursuit of her dreams.
(3) We drove away with two police cars in pursuit (= following) .

(1) Despite the steady progress of building work, the campaign against it is still going strong...
(2) The improvement in standards has been steady and persistent, but has attracted little comment from educationalists...
(3) Get as close to the subject as you can and hold the camera steady...

(1) a friend of his
(2) The choice was his.
(3) He broke his leg skiing.

(1) Sulphur gases were emitted by the volcano.
(2) The metal container began to emit a clicking sound.
(3) The new device emits a powerful circular column of light.

(1) Damage to the building was assessed at £40 000.
(2) It's difficult to assess the effects of these changes.
(3) to assess a patient's needs

(1) the fight for justice and democracy
(2) parliamentary democracy
(3) the principles of democracy

(1) There is no known cure but the illness can be treated.
(2) Doctors cannot effect a cure if the disease has spread too far.
(3) The cure took six weeks.

(1) party politics
(2) local politics
(3) He's thinking of going into politics (= trying to become a Member of Parliament, Congress, etc.)

(1) a rude comment
(2) The man was downright rude to us.
(3) She was very rude about my driving.

(1) to go sightseeing
(2) Did you have a chance to do any sightseeing ?
(3) a sightseeing tour of the city

(1) Sexual attraction is a large part of falling in love.
(2) Buckingham Palace is a major tourist attraction .
(3) The main attraction at Giverny is Monet's garden.

(1) The population has increased from 1.2 million to 1.8 million.
(2) The rate of inflation increased by 2%.
(3) The price of oil increased.

(1) a rocky/sandy shore
(2) to swim from the boat to the shore
(3) a house on the shores of the lake

(1) A lamp was suspended from the ceiling.
(2) Her body was found suspended by a rope.
(3) Production has been suspended while safety checks are carried out.

(1) 2 kilograms of rice
(2) Flour is sold by the kilogram.
(3) ...a parcel weighing around 4.5 kilograms.