(1) Some birds which were once a common sight are now becoming rare.
(2) a common spelling mistake
(3) They share a common interest in photography.

(1) an item/article of clothing
(2) protective clothing
(3) the high cost of food and clothing

(1) She's been off work since Tuesday.
(2) We've lived here since 1994.
(3) I haven't eaten since breakfast.

(1) She raised the gun and fired.
(2) He raised a hand in greeting.
(3) She raised her eyes from her work.

(1) Can you skate?
(2) It was so cold that we were able to go skating on the lake.
(3) He skated an exciting programme at the American Championships.

(1) a 28p stamp
(2) Could I have three first-class stamps, please?
(3) He has been collecting stamps since he was eight.

(1) writers of poetry
(2) a travel/cookery, etc. writer
(3) the writer of this letter

(1) They are all glued to the olympic games.
(2) equestrian events at the olympic games
(3) Right now they are preparing themselves for the olympic games.

(1) Kaspar had spoken know-ledgeably about the state of agriculture in europe.
(2) He is one of the most wanted criminals in europe.
(3) Physical and ideological barriers had come down in Eastern europe.

(1) We collected shells on the beach.
(2) snail shells
(3) walnut shells

(1) She won't allow herself to be dictated to.
(2) He allowed his mind to wander.
(3) Smoking is not allowed in the hall.

(1) particularly good/important/useful
(2) Traffic is bad, particularly in the city centre.
(3) I enjoyed the play, particularly the second half.

(1) I couldn't stop coughing.
(2) to cough nervously/politely/discreetly
(3) Sometimes she coughed (up) blood.

(1) The main topic of conversation was Tom's new girlfriend.
(2) The article covered a wide range of topics.
(3) The weather is a constant topic of conversation in Britain…

(1) tourists from every corner of the globe
(2) ...a globe of the world...
(3) Three large globes stand on the floor.

(1) How many goals has he missed this season?
(2) The bullet missed her by about six inches.
(3) She threw a plate at him and only narrowly missed .

(1) He is wonderful and strange and who knows how old he is, he thought.
(2) Your behavior is causing our name to be dragged through the mud.
(3) His behavior under fire approved him a man of courage.

(1) a monster with three heads
(2) prehistoric monsters
(3) Their dog's an absolute monster!

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

(1) the London marathon
(2) to run a marathon
(3) The interview was a real marathon.

(1) an extra large T-shirt
(2) She tried extra hard.
(3) to charge/pay/cost extra

(1) He walked towards the summerhouse, at first furtively, then with more confidence.
(2) Dart, who had at first been very tense, at last relaxed.
(3) at first I really didn'tcare whether he came or not.

(1) He brought me a large package.
(2) The plaster has buckled because of the settling of the house.
(3) He brought a new book with him.

(1) to fly a kite
(2) to kite checks
(3) check kiting

(1) a packet/pack of cigarettes
(2) to light a cigarette
(3) He went out to buy a packet of cigarettes.

(1) His constant joking was beginning to annoy her.
(2) It really annoys me when people forget to say thank you.
(3) It annoys me to see him getting ahead of me.

(1) quite big/good/cold/warm/interesting
(2) He plays quite well.
(3) I quite like opera.

(1) A flock of birds flew towards us slowly from far away.
(2) Michael sat down as far away from her as possible.
(3) Gil downed his food wordlessly, his attention far away.

(1) a figure/speed skater
(2) Extreme skaters perform jumps, spins, flips, etc.
(3) I actually skated, and despite some teetering I did not fall on the ice...

(1) He has run out of food; his children are hungry.
(2) A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.
(3) The performing group began well, but seemed to run out of steam halfway through the year.

(1) The fact that I was a foreigner was a big disadvantage.
(2) I have always been regarded as a foreigner by the local folk.
(3) They are discouraged from becoming close friends with foreigners.

(1) Dr Amid was assisted by a young asian nurse.
(2) Chinese good athletes won 148 gold medals in the 11 th asian Games.
(3) The asian Games meet every four years.

(1) a careful piece of work
(2) a careful examination of the facts
(3) After careful consideration we have decided to offer you the job.

(1) You mustn't break the rule that no one but drivers can enter the cab.
(2) A certain ( some ) person HAs seeing you break the rule.
(3) If you dare to break the rule, you will be punished.

(1) He was annoyed to find himself going red.
(2) I was annoyed that they hadn't turned up.
(3) I bet she was annoyed at having to write it out again.

(1) Are you absolutely certain about this?
(2) I'm not certain who was there.
(3) To my certain knowledge he was somewhere else at the time (= I am sure about it) .

(1) a pair of gloves/shoes/earrings, etc.
(2) a huge pair of eyes
(3) The vase is one of a matching pair .

(1) several letters arrived this morning.
(2) He's written several books about India.
(3) several more people than usual came to the meeting.

(1) a big department store
(2) a health food store
(3) a liquor store

(1) All you ever do is criticize!
(2) We were taught how to criticize poems.
(3) The government has been criticized for not taking the problem seriously.