(1) a letter of complaint
(2) a skin complaint
(3) (formal)to file/lodge (= make) a complaint

(1) a realistic assessment
(2) We have to be realistic about our chances of winning.
(3) It is not realistic to expect people to spend so much money.

(1) He believes in islam, and is very pious.
(2) Its distinctive characteristics , which differ from Sunni islam today, are mostly originated from this period.
(3) But other schools train leaders in Judaism , islam, Buddhism and other faith traditions.

(1) to make generalizations about sth
(2) Try to avoid generalization.
(3) a speech full of broad/sweeping generalizations

(1) the technical specifications of the new model (= of car)
(2) The house has been built exactly to our specifications .
(3) The office was furnished to a high specification .

(1) She has a seat on the board of directors.
(2) He had ripped up the carpet, leaving only the bare boards.
(3) a blackboard

(1) lifting/towing/winding, etc. gear
(2) (British English)The party organization is moving into top gear as the election approaches.
(3) (North Amercian English)to move into high gear

(1) Nothing would induce me to take the job.
(2) drugs which induce sleep
(3) a drug-induced coma

(1) I deeply resented her criticism.
(2) He bitterly resents being treated like a child.
(3) She resented him making all the decisions.

(1) glass/metal filaments
(2) Yarn Material used: Stretch nylon filament, acrylic, wool, cotton yarn and spandex.
(3) The Mechanical properties of glass fiber filament yarn stressunder a cyclic load.

(1) The wind had snapped the tree in two.
(2) He snapped a twig off a bush.
(3) Suddenly, the rope snapped.

(1) We need changes in the law governing school attendance.
(2) All his decisions have been entirely governed by self-interest.
(3) Prices are governed by market demand.

(1) a composite picture (= one made from several pictures)
(2) The document was a composite of information from various sources.
(3) Galton devised a method of creating composite pictures in which the features of different faces were superimposed over one another.

(1) He returned to Britain in 1939, having resided abroad for many years.
(2) The source of the problem resides in the fact that the currency is too strong.
(3) The ultimate authority resides with the board of directors.

(1) empirical evidence/knowledge/research
(2) an empirical study
(3) Such claims need to be tested empirically.

(1) She wore shabby old jeans and a T-shirt.
(2) The old man was shabby and unkempt.
(3) She tried to make up for her shabby treatment of him.

(1) What do we get if we cross woodpecker with a homing pigeon?
(2) The woodpecker pecked a hole in the tree.
(3) What do we get if we cross a woodpecker with a homing pigeon?

(1) a bronze statue
(2) a figure cast in bronze
(3) bronze skin

(1) The car and the van collided head-on in thick fog.
(2) The car collided head-on with the van.
(3) As he fell, his head collided with the table.

(1) personal prestige
(2) There is a lot of prestige attached to owning a car like this.
(3) jobs with low prestige

(1) There is very little likelihood of that happening.
(2) In all likelihood (= very probably) the meeting will be cancelled.
(3) The likelihood is that (= it is likely that) unemployment figures will continue to fall.

(1) inorganic fertilizers
(2) ...roofing made from organic and inorganic fibres.
(3) Abstract: Polyphosphazenes are inorganic polymeric functional materialsthat have unique characterization.

(1) The apple was brought over here by the colonists when they came.
(2) ...the early American colonists.
(3) Many of the old puritan colonist retain their factious temperament in the new world.

(1) a school/health/safety, etc. inspector
(2) inspector Maggie Forbes
(3) The mill was finally shut down by state safety inspectors.

(1) The disease is thought to have originated in the tropics.
(2) Locke originated this theory in the 17th century.
(3) The disease originated in Africa...

(1) The opposition claimed the report was a whitewash.
(2) a 7–0 whitewash
(3) a whitewash victory

(1) The mechanics work hard to keep the he-licopters airworthy.
(2) Both quantum mechanics and chaos theory suggest a world constantly in flux.
(3) What are the mechanics of this new process?

(1) the growing economic crisis and resultant unemployment
(2) At least a quarter of a million people have died in the fighting and the resultant famines.
(3) Hie resultant vector was checked by expression of phage antibody, ELBA and in vivo recombination.

(1) There is always a flaw in the character of a tragic hero.
(2) The argument is full of fundamental flaws.
(3) The report reveals fatal flaws in security at the airport.

(1) The dog stood listening, its ears cocked.
(2) to cock a snook at authority
(3) I really cocked that exam up!

(1) the velocity of light
(2) to gain/lose velocity
(3) a high-velocity rifle

(1) jams made with fruit juice concentrate
(2) mineral concentrates found at the bottom of rivers
(3) In this lecture I shall concentrate on the early years of Charles's reign.

(1) They deliberated on whether to continue with the talks.
(2) a deliberate act of vandalism
(3) The speech was a deliberate attempt to embarrass the government.

(1) the tiny yellow flame of a match
(2) The flames were growing higher and higher.
(3) The building was in flames (= was burning) .

(1) Everyone's fingerprints are unique.
(2) a unique talent
(3) The preview offers a unique opportunity to see the show without the crowds.

(1) to unlock the door
(2) The divers hoped to unlock some of the secrets of the seabed.
(3) He unlocked the car and threw the coat on to the back seat...

(1) Her eyes were tightly closed.
(2) He held on tightly to her arm.
(3) a tightly packed crowd of tourists

(1) She tried desperately to engage him in conversation .
(2) It is a movie that engages both the mind and the eye.
(3) He is currently engaged as a consultant.

(1) The fog began to disperse.
(2) The crowd dispersed quickly.
(3) Police dispersed the protesters with tear gas.

(1) a pertinent question/fact
(2) Please keep your comments pertinent to the topic under discussion.
(3) She had asked some pertinent questions...