(1) He was a big man in his forties, smartly dressed in a suit and tie.
(2) Steel cans were introduced sometime during the forties.
(3) With the chill factor, it's nearly minus forty here.

(1) She was forced to retire early from teaching because of ill health.
(2) My dream is to retire to a villa in France.
(3) He has no plans to retire as editor of the magazine.

(1) early-flowering spring bulbs
(2) The plant has a beautiful bright red flower.
(3) The roses are in flower early this year.

(1) She rang the bell and waited.
(2) Have you been waiting long?
(3) I've been waiting (for) twenty minutes.

(1) a faint glow/glimmer/light
(2) a faint smell of perfume
(3) We could hear their voices growing fainter as they walked down the road.

(1) administration costs are passed on to the customer.
(2) the day-to-day administration of a company
(3) I work in the Sales administration department.

(1) the commander of the expedition
(2) military/allied/field/flight commanders
(3) ...commander Bob Marks.

(1) She was chatting away, nineteen to the dozen.
(2) They have nineteen days to make up their minds.
(3) It's nineteen hour Beijing time.

(1) Troops were sent to the islands to restore order last november.
(2) He was bailed to appear before local magistrates on 5 november.
(3) He only got a plurality on november 3rd, just 49 percent.

(1) She went to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune .
(2) to achieve/win instant fame
(3) to rise/shoot to fame overnight

(1) She wants to go into teaching (= make it a career) .
(2) the teaching profession
(3) the teachings of Lenin

(1) a dance company/troupe
(2) Let's have a dance.
(3) He did a little dance of triumph.

(1) western Spain
(2) western Europe
(3) the western slopes of the mountain

(1) Speaking through an interpreter , the President said that the talks were going well.
(2) a sign language interpreter (= a person who translates what sb is saying into sign language for deaf people)
(3) She is one of the finest interpreters of Debussy's music.

(1) Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you.
(2) She's not easily frightened.
(3) She doesn't frighten easily (= it is not easy to make her afraid) .

(1) My life seems empty without you.
(2) words that were empty of meaning
(3) She stood staring emptily into space.

(1) We chose Paul Stubbs as/for chairperson.
(2) You'll have to choose whether to buy it or not.
(3) We chose to go by train.

(1) The bore of the gun remained fixed on me.
(2) He had not been able to fix his position...
(3) The satellite fixes positions by making repeated observations of each star.

(1) the bonds of oppression/injustice
(2) We entered into a solemn bond.
(3) a firm bond between the two surfaces

(1) He broke his nose in the fight.
(2) She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
(3) He blew his nose (= cleared it by blowing strongly into a handkerchief ) .

(1) I hated him with my whole being.
(2) The Irish Free State came into being in 1922.
(3) A new era was brought into being by the war.

(1) They were standing in the river spearing fish.
(2) She speared an olive with her fork.
(3) spear a piece of fish with a carving fork and dip it in the batter...

(1) Switch to an interest-paying current account and stay in credit. Most banks and larger building societies now offer these accounts...
(2) A steering committee has been formed. these people can make decisions in ten minutes which would usually take us months.
(3) Your camcorder should have these basic features: autofocus, playback facility, zoom lens...

(1) Who invented the steam engine?
(2) What excuse did he invent this time?
(3) Many children invent an imaginary friend.

(1) a vase of flowers
(2) ...a vase of red roses.
(3) ...lead crystal vases.

(1) They decorated the room with flowers and balloons.
(2) The cake was decorated to look like a car.
(3) I hate decorating.

(1) We must stop him from seeing her somehow.
(2) somehow or other I must get a new job.
(3) somehow, I don't feel I can trust him.

(1) a calm and orderly life
(2) vegetables planted in orderly rows
(3) an orderly demonstration

(1) land owned by the crown
(2) a Minister of the crown
(3) Who's appearing for the crown (= bringing a criminal charge against sb on behalf of the state) in this case?

(1) tall/old/historic buildings
(2) the building of the school
(3) There's building work going on next door.

(1) There were thousands of people there.
(2) The cost ran into the thousands.
(3) ...five thousand acres...

(1) a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich
(2) sliced tomatoes
(3) tomato plants

(1) There were no messages for me at the hotel.
(2) I left a message on your answering machine.
(3) Jenny's not here at the moment. Can I take a message?

(1) How do you measure the volume of a gas?
(2) jars of different volumes
(3) the sheer volume (= large amount) of business

(1) army/airforce/naval, etc. officers
(2) a commissioned/non-commissioned officer
(3) The matter was passed on to me, as your commanding officer .

(1) Some people disagree with this argument.
(2) No, I disagree. I don't think it would be the right thing to do.
(3) I disagree with violent protests.

(1) Please confirm your acceptance of this offer in writing.
(2) He made a short acceptance speech/speech of acceptance .
(3) The new laws have gained widespread acceptance .

(1) fried fish
(2) the smell of bacon frying
(3) You'll fry on the beach if you're not careful.

(1) The centre is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
(2) open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(3) If you want to avoid the crowds, it's best to come on a weekday...

(1) Pat sounded very cold and distant on the phone.
(2) There was a distant look in her eyes; her mind was obviously on something else.
(3) Somewhere, distantly, he could hear the sound of the sea.