(1) Can I help you, madam?
(2) Dear madam (= used like Dear Sir in a letter)
(3) She's a proper little madam.

(1) Send it airmail/by airmail.
(2) ...an airmail letter...
(3) Goods are generally shipped by airmail.

(1) The town lies a few kilometres inland.
(2) We travelled further inland the next day.
(3) inland areas

(1) strict rules/regulations/discipline
(2) She left strict instructions that she was not to be disturbed.
(3) He told me in the strictest confidence (= on the understanding that I would tell nobody else) .

(1) We should take some comfort from the ability of the judicial system to fight back against corruption.
(2) The teenage attackers fled when the two men fought back...
(3) He is still fighting for his life in hospital.

(1) a rubbish bag/bin
(2) a rubbish dump/heap/tip
(3) The streets were littered with rubbish.

(1) I'm like, ‘hello! Did you even listen? ’
(2) hello? You didn't really mean that, did you?
(3) hello, hello, what's going on here?

(1) a bar/piece of chocolate
(2) a chocolate cake
(3) a chocolate factory

(1) the rinse cycle (= in a washing machine)
(2) I usually cycle home through the park.
(3) We went for a cycle ride on Sunday.

(1) I have to make a phone call .
(2) The phone rang and Pat answered it.
(3) They like to do business by phone/over the phone .

(1) to send a letter/package/cheque/fax/email
(2) She sent the letter by airmail.
(3) (British English)to send sth by post

(1) to sail into harbour
(2) The dinghy sailed smoothly across the lake.
(3) The ferry sails from Newhaven to Dieppe.

(1) the year 2005 and beyond
(2) The immediate future is clear, but it's hard to tell what lies beyond.
(3) The exercise was beyond the abilities of most of the class.

(1) an error in translation
(2) He specializes in translation from Danish into English.
(3) The book loses something in translation .

(1) He removed his hand from her shoulder.
(2) Illegally parked vehicles will be removed.
(3) Three children were removed from the school for persistent bad behaviour.

(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) a curtain of rain/smoke
(2) She pushed back the curtain of brown hair from her eyes.
(3) When I saw he had a gun, I thought it was curtains for me.

(1) She was knocked unconscious .
(2) They found him lying unconscious on the floor.
(3) unconscious desires

(1) He resigned as manager after eight years.
(2) Two members resigned from the board in protest.
(3) My father resigned his directorship last year.

(1) They tried to get into the club but were refused admission.
(2) She failed to gain admission to the university of her choice.
(3) an admission of guilt/failure/defeat

(1) It wasn't a ghost; it was a real person.
(2) pictures of animals, both real and mythological
(3) In the movies guns kill people instantly, but it's not like that in real life .

(1) We were hungry and thirsty.
(2) Digging is thirsty work (= makes you thirsty) .
(3) He is thirsty for power.

(1) Denmark recycles nearly 85% of its paper.
(2) recycled paper
(3) He recycled all his old jokes.

(1) a ray/pool of sunlight
(2) shafts of bright sunlight
(3) The morning sunlight flooded into the room.

(1) machines have replaced human labour in many industries.
(2) to operate/run a machine
(3) How does this machine work?

(1) ...Niagara falls.
(2) He was elected judge in the fall of 1991...
(3) The Supreme Court will not hear the case until next fall.

(1) Give me five!
(2) We moved to America when I was five (= five years old) .
(3) Shall we meet at five (= at five o'clock) , then?

(1) a press preview (= for journalists only)
(2) a special preview of our winter fashion collection
(3) Turn to page 12 for a preview of next week's programmes.

(1) What kind of soft drink would you like to have, sir?
(2) This soft drink has a nasty aftertaste.
(3) Sometimes cola is served as a soft drink at the dinner table.

(1) Everyone in the class seemed eager to learn.
(2) They're eager to please (= wanting to be helpful) .
(3) the band's eagerly awaited new CD

(1) Water freezes at 0˚C.
(2) It's so cold that even the river has frozen.
(3) The cold weather had frozen the ground.

(1) (figurative)As a child he would often escape into a dreamworld of his own.
(2) They were glad to have escaped the clutches of winter for another year.
(3) She was lucky to escape punishment.

(1) a sugar plantation/refinery/bowl
(2) This juice contains no added sugar .
(3) Do you take sugar (= have it in your tea, coffee, etc.) ?

(1) deep spreading roots
(2) I pulled the plant up by (= including) the roots .
(3) Tree roots can cause damage to buildings.

(1) We are working on the assumption that everyone invited will turn up.
(2) It was impossible to make assumptions about people's reactions.
(3) His actions were based on a false assumption.

(1) ‘He's not an easy person to live with. ’ ‘More fool her for marrying him! ’
(2) I made a complete fool of myself in front of everyone!
(3) Don't be such a fool!

(1) soldiers in uniform
(2) soldiers on duty
(3) He was demoted to the rank of ordinary soldier.

(1) neither answer is correct.
(2) neither of them has/have a car.
(3) They produced two reports, neither of which contained any useful suggestions.

(1) The outside of the house needs painting.
(2) You can't open the door from the outside.
(3) I walked around the outside of the building.

(1) an exhibition of work by contemporary British artists
(2) a graphic artist
(3) a make-up artist