(1) Jo was absent from the house all the next day.
(2) My son Colin has just returned from Amsterdam.
(3) ...a group of men travelling home from a darts match.

(1) bright/dark/light/pale blue
(2) The room was decorated in vibrant blues and yellows.
(3) She was dressed in blue.

(1) All main courses come with salad or vegetables.
(2) Is cold meat and salad OK for lunch?
(3) a side salad (= a small bowl of salad served with the main course of a meal)

(1) Here you are, saying these terrible things.
(2) You wanted to have this book . Well, I've brought it . here you are.
(3) here you are. This is my home.

(1) lisa was irritated by the slovenly attitude of her boyfriend Sean.
(2) She was startled when lisa popped up at the door all smiles.
(3) lisa's voice comes through loud and clear.

(1) She never took a taxi, even though she could afford to.
(2) He couldn't afford the money to go on the trip.
(3) (formal)They could ill afford to lose any more staff.

(1) Mr Harris and Mrs Bate and three other teachers were there.
(2) Are there any other questions?
(3) I can't see you now─ some other time , maybe.

(1) a pear tree
(2) This poem flash in my mind, yes, it definitely pear as white as snow.
(3) I like pear, Me too! I like banana, Me too! I like apple, Me too!

(1) I excused myself and ran back to the telephone...
(2) Police believe the gunmen ran off into the woods...
(3) ...when I was running in the New York Marathon...

(1) I'm fourteen years old.
(2) Maurice got the boot after fourteen years and had to find a new job.
(3) She is fourteen years old now.

(1) Five pounds doesn't buy much nowadays.
(2) He can't be bought (= he's too honest to accept money in this way) .
(3) Her fame was bought at the expense of her marriage.

(1) Sylvia shook hands. 'well, you go get yourselves some breakfast.'...
(2) well, I don't like the look of that.
(3) You can lose your perspective. You know, get paranoid? well, that's something I really try and avoid...

(1) I insisted that we should have a look at every car.
(2) So you're going to have a look round?
(3) You should go along and have a look.

(1) She is a shining example of what people with disabilities can achieve.
(2) He is a captain who leads by example .
(3) It would be a mistake to follow his example .

(1) You will be paid in American dollars.
(2) Do you have a dollar?
(3) a dollar bill

(1) It helped being able to talk about it.
(2) She helped (to) organize the party.
(3) Come and help me lift this box.

(1) He had bare feet, a t-shirt and cords on.
(2) He wore a t-shirt that had been tie-dyed in bright colours.
(3) He has on a denim shirt with a t-shirt underneath.

(1) strawberries and cream
(2) strawberry plants
(3) ...strawberries and cream.

(1) There aren't enough books for everyone to have one each.
(2) They lost $40 each.
(3) each day that passed he grew more and more desperate.

(1) He's in the first fifteen.
(2) In India, there are fifteen official languages.
(3) Six from fifteen leaves nine.

(1) She comes of a very good family.
(2) Some good might come of all this gloomy business...
(3) There is a feeling of power that comes from driving fast...

(1) He was employed by them for eighteen years.
(2) The money has to be divided among the eighteen Incorruptibles.
(3) My daughter is eighteen years old and has grown into a beautiful lady.

(1) orange peel
(2) an orange tree
(3) freshly squeezed orange juice

(1) I bought some new clothes for the trip.
(2) to put on/take off your clothes
(3) Bring a change of clothes with you.

(1) the Town clerk
(2) the clerk of the Court
(3) The clerk at the counter gave me too little change.

(1) Reading and writing are important skills.
(2) On the new television sets, the color is locked in so that you don't need to keep changing the control.
(3) She differs from her sister in the color of her eyes.

(1) You are making a big mistake.
(2) She took the stage for her big moment .
(3) (informal)Do you really think we can take on the big boys (= compete with the most powerful people) ?

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

(1) green vegetables (= for example cabbage )
(2) root vegetables (= for example carrots )
(3) a salad of raw vegetables

(1) Is there anybody who can help me?
(2) anybody can use the pool─you don't need to be a member.
(3) She wasn't anybody before she got that job.

(1) There was a big moon and hundreds of stars were shining overhead.
(2) Sirius is the brightest star in the sky.
(3) We camped out under the stars .

(1) ‘I saw Ben yesterday. ’ ‘oh yes, how is he? ’
(2) ‘Emma has a new job. ’ ‘oh, has she? ’
(3) oh, how wonderful!

(1) Two black coffees, please.
(2) a shiny black car
(3) black storm clouds

(1) At least ten people were killed in the crash.
(2) There were a lot of people at the party.
(3) Many young people are out of work.

(1) Is this word a countable noun or an uncountable noun?
(2) An uncountable noun is marked [ U ] in this dictionary.
(3) Water is an uncountable noun.

(1) She was chosen for the first eleven.
(2) ...the Princess and her eleven friends.
(3) He is in the eleven.

(1) Bruce engaged low gear and drove at a terrifying speed, keeping the front wheels astride the crack as he followed its zig - zag course.
(2) What makes zig zag standard manicure special and professional?
(3) Zig - zag line with arrowhead used to indicate a communication link.

(1) She's gone to lunch.
(2) I'm ready for some lunch.
(3) What shall we have for lunch ?

(1) a long-distance/cross-country/marathon , etc. runner
(2) a list of runners (= horses in a race) and riders
(3) a drug runner