I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a brief absence
▪
Everything seemed to have changed during his brief absence.
a brief account
▪
The class were asked to write a brief account of their holidays.
a brief analysis
▪
Let’s start with a brief analysis of the situation.
a brief chat formal:
▪
My manager said he wanted to have a brief chat with me.
a brief examination (= quick, and not very detailed )
▪
In chapter one, there is a brief examination of the economic situation in the country at the time.
a brief exchange (= a short conversation )
▪
There followed a brief exchange between Mitti and Helga in German.
a brief mention
▪
Dillon makes only a brief mention of the idea in his book.
a brief moment
▪
For a brief moment, he looked directly at her.
a brief outline
▪
Each chapter begins with a brief outline of the topics covered in the chapter.
a brief reference
▪
Brief references to the tragedy have appeared in the French press.
a brief/quick comment
▪
I just want to make a very brief comment.
a brief/quick overview
▪
It is useful to give a brief overview of the research done so far.
a brief/short description
▪
There's only a brief description of the hotel on the Internet.
a brief/short message
▪
She left a short message on his answering machine.
a brief/short spell
▪
After a brief spell in a florist's shop, she became a hairdresser.
a brief/short visit
▪
Miss Russell was only able to pay a brief visit.
a brief/short/long hiatus
▪
There was a brief hiatus in the war.
a brief/short/slight pause
▪
"Well, that was a surprise," he said after a brief pause.
a quick/brief glance
▪
I had little time for more than a quick glance around the house.
a quick/brief nap
▪
I like to have a brief nap in the afternoon.
a short/brief ceremony
▪
He became acting president in a brief ceremony yesterday.
a short/brief period
▪
He lived for a short period in Manchester.
a short/brief silence
▪
After a brief silence, Katherine nodded.
a short/brief statement
▪
Police last night issued a brief statement about the incident.
a short/brief stay
▪
No visa is required for short stays.
a slight/brief/momentary etc hesitation
▪
There was a slight hesitation in Jamie’s voice.
brief fame (= being famous for a short time )
▪
Ed achieved brief fame as a pop singer in the late 1980s.
brief flirtation
▪
He started his own business last year, after a brief flirtation with political life.
brief notes (= short and not detailed )
▪
He jotted down some brief notes.
brief respite
▪
a brief respite from persecution
brief/fleeting/quick glimpse (= a very short look )
▪
We only had a fleeting glimpse of the river.
brief/short
▪
The band had rather a brief existence.
▪
The show's existence was extremely short.
Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms
had...brief fling
▪
They had a brief fling a few years ago.
had...brief flirtation
▪
She had a brief flirtation with Tim.
keep a watching brief on
▪
One of his responsibilities is to keep a watching brief on foreign broadcasts.
short/brief
▪
The chairman opened the meeting with a brief speech.
watching brief
▪
One of his responsibilities is to keep a watching brief on foreign broadcasts.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
only
▪
He had undressed but wore only brief sleeping shorts.
▪
As it is, most parents take only brief peeks into classrooms and hear snatches of information about curriculum.
▪
That summer at Aix was not only brief but troubled.
▪
There are no more six-page effusions-\#only brief notes, and those evasive.
▪
No applause interrupted the speech, and only brief , half-hearted, clapping was heard at the end.
▪
Of necessity, the foregoing provides only brief details about the range of ground equipment available.
relatively
▪
Indeed, the relatively brief history of information technology has already demonstrated the dangers of even short-term forecasting.
▪
And increasingly, the relatively brief preoccupation with methodology was seen to have run its course in economics.
▪
The proposals were relatively brief and only suggestive of how future work might proceed.
▪
They come into existence after relatively brief periods of rapid change in a small sub-population of a pre-existing species.
▪
If those who are called before that time are relatively brief , it may not be necessary to impose the limit.
▪
Keep sessions relatively brief - around forty-five minutes.
▪
Pregnancy, however, is a relatively brief and dramatic bodily change, succeeded by reversion to something like the former state.
so
▪
It was so brief , so out of expectation, that it almost didn't register.
▪
But the episode had been so brief , so unreal.
▪
Most of the journeys made by honey bees or Cataglyphis are so brief that its movement is not of great significance.
▪
The story is dreamy, mesmerizing and so brief you can read it in a sitting.
▪
I am sorry my reply is so brief , but having just cut my thumb I am unable to continue writing.
▪
Frustrating or what - it had been so faint and so brief .
▪
A main reason for this is that by comparison its history is so brief .
▪
The kiss was so brief , and he was so surprised, that he had no chance to respond.
very
▪
Here, though, is a very brief account of what has been done to date and what was found.
▪
In his very brief opportunity as the fisherman, Ruodi, Anthony Dean Griffey unveiled an exquisite lyric tenor.
▪
Some guides are indeed very brief , suggesting visits at breakneck speed where only a few items or rooms will be seen.
▪
Develop a very brief abstract to be no longer than one single page describing the project.
▪
The film is about only a very brief sojourn in Gauguin's otherwise racy biography.
▪
In a very brief time I was back in our new position and not thinking of pocket-knives.
▪
I am therefore a man of few words and I have been very brief throughout my professional career.
▪
It is of some interest to note that the press carried very brief notices that Herrera had relinquished the presidency.
■ NOUN
account
▪
Here, though, is a very brief account of what has been done to date and what was found.
▪
The brief accounts in the narrative sources say nothing about Charles.
▪
Give a brief account of the main services provided by major banks. 8.
▪
There is room here to give only the briefest account of the different kinds of vertebrates.
▪
Duroc gave a brief account of his doings in Paris, and of his important visit to Berlin.
▪
The above brief account throws into sharp relief the essential differences between the Keynesian and classical theories of labour market adjustment.
▪
Bearing in mind what you know about them now, write a brief account of your first meeting.
▪
There was a brief account of professional intervention to date.
appearance
▪
Even then, they would only put in a brief appearance in puddings and cakes at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
▪
Jackson and Medina made a brief appearance before a federal magistrate Tuesday on the extortion charge.
▪
And I catch the roots of my Enoch Dream: his grinning mug makes a brief appearance on-screen as an Inspiral slide.
▪
The brief appearance of what may seem like an inconsequential maidservant may end up being the turning event of the story.
▪
It's always fun when Test cricket takes off its fine clothes and makes a brief appearance in ragged jeans and T-shirts.
▪
Tracy Chapman, for example, certainly owes her fame and a lot of her money to her brief appearance at it.
▪
There was something overwhelmingly assured about this brief appearance .
▪
The Director had put in only one brief appearance in the library.
comment
▪
This chapter ends with some brief comments on the nature of knowledge - scientific and mystic.
▪
Although most readers of this book are probably only too well aware of these rates, a brief comment is none the less appropriate.
▪
Franks made his preliminary examination of the body, dictating brief comments to his secretary.
▪
The following brief comments constitute an introduction to legal research.
▪
Although the order does not propose any great innovations, it is worth making some brief comments on its background.
▪
At the meeting, Rice made a few brief comments about how he looked forward to working with the group.
▪
Liberalization and Cities: Conclusions Three brief comments might usefully be made here.
▪
A few examples of bibliographies are noted below, with brief comments on their type and function: 1.
description
▪
And Martin gives a brief description of the type of terrain and gradients that blistered feet will meet.
▪
This disease although now a rarity, does warrant a brief description .
▪
This completes our brief description of the orchestral brass.
▪
This is a brief description of single case research and an explanation as to how to carry out such a monitoring project.
▪
A brief description of our forecasting model follows.
▪
It should be clear from this brief description that these issues are inherently geographical.
▪
Rota reads the laws, finds out what reports are demanded, and writes a brief description for his book.
discussion
▪
This will involve a brief discussion of the approach known in contemporary philosophy as functionalism.
▪
A brief discussion of how to control the page layout and how to avoid widow and orphan line is provided below.
▪
One nice inclusion is a brief discussion of centrifugal methods in the separations chapter.
▪
A brief discussion of the most popular herbs in game cooking is in order.
▪
It is these eddies that relate particularly to the brief discussion above of the correlation measurements in Fig. 21.9.
▪
Holder says he does not recall the brief discussion .
▪
Followed by a brief discussion of how to make all our small pieces of action research available to each other.
▪
We begin with a brief discussion of the methodological issues underlying these two modes of analysis.
glimpse
▪
Shadowy shapes changed position, flying noiselessly, giving brief glimpses .
▪
How could I not resent some stupid clouds robbing me of my one, brief glimpse of eternity?
▪
But even in that brief glimpse , Müller was certain that he was deceiving her.
▪
There may be only brief glimpses of the rabbit and it must be shot quickly and accurately or the opportunity is lost.
▪
Just a brief glimpse ofa white coat then all is done from behind.
▪
The brief glimpse of family lives during the Easter holidays at Dinard had shrivelled into a dream.
▪
He managed to catch a brief glimpse of him talking to a man at the end of the platform.
▪
They caught a brief glimpse of the struggling figures on the practice grounds, the clash of their weapons on the wind.
history
▪
Their brief histories are shown in Appendix 7.
▪
A brief history of Reinberto Lopez AlaIa suggests that it is not a question with a simple answer.
▪
Indeed, the relatively brief history of information technology has already demonstrated the dangers of even short-term forecasting.
▪
A brief history prepared by the Education Coalition, a lobbying group, says California began statewide testing in 1962.
▪
Unlike the previous two, this film attempts to convey the nature of the fighting within a brief history of the war.
▪
Write a brief history of your life as a reader up to the age of 11.
▪
We start next week with a brief history of telecommunications on the personal computer.&038;.
introduction
▪
After this brief introduction the head, who was chairing the meeting, asked staff for comments and questions.
▪
For each total synthesis a brief introduction is given, outlining the biological activity and other syntheses of the target compound.
▪
Each chapter begins with a brief introduction , and ends with a comprehensive list of references - typically in the hundreds.
▪
This section has provided a brief introduction to the question of the relationship between sociology and values.
▪
This brochure is only intended as a very brief introduction to Carmarthen Bay &038; Teifi Valley.
look
▪
Larger animals which are not subject to the whims of wind and current may flash by or come closer for a brief look .
▪
Understanding these latter effects requires a brief look at the brain circuits of bliss.
▪
He leaned forward and slipped a hand into Nicola's jacket pockets, then gave her a brief look of apology.
▪
Following a brief look at inventory investment, the chapter concludes by assessing the role of investment in economic growth.
▪
After I left Sequoia, I visited Yosemite for a brief look around.
▪
First, let us take a brief look at Frege's theory of concepts.
▪
The discussion concluded with a brief look at the structure of the Farnham Castle courses.
mention
▪
The treatment of acute retention of urine occurring in a primary herpetic attack in the female deserves a brief mention .
▪
Work on automatic classification should not be overlooked, although a brief mention only is permitted.
▪
Second, brief mention should be made of the law relating to adultery.
▪
Two other political phenomena deserve brief mention in this context.
▪
Her brief mention of Timmy had shown him that this was the stumbling block.
▪
Nevertheless, one aspect of the AD-AS approach deserves brief mention .
▪
Besides muderrises and kadis, one other group within the learned profession deserves brief mention , namely the muftis.
▪
In this final section, brief mention will be made of that particularly complex policy area, urban finance.
moment
▪
He floundered in panic as, for a brief moment , he could not remember why he was there.
▪
In that one brief moment he knew that he was in trouble.
▪
Life is great and, for a brief moment , the view is spectacular even awesome.
▪
For one brief moment , women thought they saw hope.
▪
For a brief moment in the late 1980s and early 1990s ecstasy broke this mould.
▪
For a brief moment love triumphs over all, but reality soon sets in.
▪
Just that one brief moment of madness ... Then the bitter tears of self-reproach.
▪
Has he traded notoriety and this brief moment for his lifelong dream?
note
▪
This brief note can not do justice to all the facts and arguments involved.
▪
Occasionally Miller jotted down a few brief notes .
▪
The following brief notes are indications as to how one might use drama both to stimulate and support work in specific curriculum areas.
▪
There are no more six-page effusions-only brief notes , and those evasive.
▪
During the presentation, listen carefully and take brief notes . 4.
▪
It had come out of the blue: a brief note from her, saying that she had to undergo a surgical operation.
▪
There were some brief notes to Rose - from Sheffield, Newcastle and other Northern towns.
outline
▪
You may feel, on consideration, that a brief outline would serve your purposes better.
▪
Such, in brief outline , was the Combined Fleet plan for the Midway operation.
▪
Only a brief outline of the main points which currently affect business executives can be given here.
▪
A brief outline will illustrate how the reforms benefit the average eater.
▪
Details of this are described at appropriate stages in this book, so here a brief outline will suffice.
▪
Only a brief outline of the structure will be presented.
▪
What follows is therefore only a brief outline , with a closer examination of certain areas.
▪
This guide is intended to provide a brief outline of resources and services.
pause
▪
Just a few words, but there was a nod of understanding, the briefest pause , before the two men stood.
▪
There was a brief pause , then the caller tried again.
▪
Balvinder Singh dropped me outside during a brief pause in the rain.
▪
The brief pause while he slipped off his clothing was like agony; then he was next to her, hard and demanding.
▪
At last, when there was a brief pause , Woodruffe cleared his throat.
period
▪
This letter detector remains active for some brief period of time, until the pattern mask is presented.
▪
A Louisiana statute authorizing a brief period of silent meditation was also challenged by students.
▪
The Moon experienced only a brief period of intense internal activity early in its history.
▪
For a brief period in the province's history, its affairs became entwined in the broader struggles for the monarchy.
▪
The seizure usually lasts about 1 minute and is typically followed by a brief period of confusion.
▪
These mains spikes sometime consist of surges of thousands of volts, albeit for very brief periods .
▪
The briefest period a monk remained there was one to three months, the longest nine years.
respite
▪
Nearby, the remainder of the squadron was stirring after a brief respite in a busy twenty-four period.
▪
Follow this to a brief respite and winding shed.
▪
The brief respite before the pests could fight back reflects the wait for a mutation.
▪
There have only been brief respites .
▪
However, after a brief respite at Ossett everyone agreed to continue.
▪
Then he, too, requires a brief respite from corporeal entombment.
review
▪
A brief review of events in division four!
▪
To start with, let's have a brief review of major and minor scale harmony.
▪
A brief review of the structure of sierra society will illustrate this point.
▪
This very brief review of about ten conservation programmes can not make the case that all national policies fail.
▪
My brief review of personal care given by relatives has stressed the theme of variation, especially by gender.
▪
A brief review of existing work in library user instruction evaluation was then given and related to the parameters previously described.
▪
Finally, we will conclude with a brief review of freemasonry today.
silence
▪
I had to wait for a brief silence between cuts to pound on the doorframe.
▪
There was a brief silence like an indrawn breath.
spell
▪
The Rumanian talent was world number one for a brief spell in the same year.
▪
It was just a brief spell of ownership; the war meant petrol rationing.
▪
I should know by now that heavy drinkers are awfully fond of high-flown rationalisations for any brief spell of abstinence.
▪
His bedside locker held the conglomerate of offerings, necessities and minor diversions considered indispensable to a brief spell in hospital.
▪
After a brief spell in the newly created Ministry of Labour he returned to the Home Office in 1919.
▪
Then, in 1979, he had a brief spell as manager of non-league Oxford City.
statement
▪
The columns are headed by brief statements of key activities in that stage of the project, laid out in logical order.
▪
He issued a brief statement late Monday noting that he had discussed the matter with Rep.
▪
I conclude this paper with a brief statement about thematic work.
▪
These and all other consultants should be listed by name, title and a brief statement of relevant experience.
▪
He failed to do so in his brief statement from the Dispatch Box.
▪
Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement .
▪
Chapter 2 makes brief statements about value bias, too many variables not enough countries, and equivalence.
▪
He made a brief statement , then he tried to leave.
summary
▪
These objectives and a brief summary of the main tasks are given below.
▪
But in this brief summary we have to choose; and we choose the testimony of the novel for two reasons.
▪
This may be a brief summary of reasons or a full decision dictated by the chairman.
▪
A brief summary is in order for those of you not inclined to keep track of shenanigans and other assorted tomfoolery.
▪
Each one of perhaps a group of four should prepare a brief summary of an article of general interest.
▪
Coleman also gave brief summaries of how each supervisor has done with regard to youth issues.
▪
A brief summary of the rights of each class of shares should be given.
survey
▪
This concludes our brief survey of equilibrium concepts and the models in which they are embedded.
▪
Even in such a brief survey of this notion of contradiction two things become clear.
▪
But a brief survey may establish points of comparison and contrast.
▪
We proceed, therefore, to a brief survey of the relevant aspects of resonator theory { 24,34 }.
▪
The other sites included in the very brief survey are on roads in the south-east.
▪
The following list provides a brief survey of some of the schools that have become major styles in their own right.
▪
It will begin with a brief survey of the corporate economy.
time
▪
They have had to adapt to high temperatures, shortage of water and a very brief time in which to reproduce.
▪
The rooms them-selves were good, the furniture would do for the brief time they would he here.
▪
The brief time taken for this re-polarisation is the refractory period.
▪
In a shockingly brief time , they managed to produce a working computer that ran Smalltalk, sort of an interim Dynabook.
▪
The experience is unsettling, as if voyeuristic, and also uncanny, like a brief time travel, and absurdly pleasing.
▪
By the nineties, he was for a brief time the most celebrated scientist in the world.
▪
She was unusually alert, for her health had deteriorated in the brief time since the upset of Theda's near-dismissal.
▪
For a brief time she was a welfare recipient.
visit
▪
And Miss Russell was only able to pay a brief visit .
▪
Gandhi exclaimed at a meeting in Madras, on October 26, 1896, during a brief visit to his native land.
▪
On that first brief visit I made up my mind that one day I would return there.
▪
But fortunately at that moment her gynaecologist called in for a brief visit and Brian went off to the nursery.
▪
She left the schoolroom and, after a brief visit to her sister, drove away.
▪
Promotion for Mr Wilson followed and after a brief visit to Naples to tie up affairs he returned to London.
word
▪
Sometimes she says brief words to the other athletes or the crowd and unfortunately the video doesn't show it.
▪
Then he took it with a brief word of thanks.
▪
I managed to have a brief word with the rescued pilot as he was carried on a stretcher into the ambulance.
▪
Let me give you a brief word picture of the average transvestite.
▪
Here, in their own brief words , are the stories of just three of them.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
After a brief intermission, the performance continued.
▪
It was impossible to see everything during our brief visit to Paris.
▪
Let's keep the meeting as brief as possible.
▪
Police caught the man after a brief chase.
▪
The book begins with a brief outline of the history of modern China.
▪
The victim's parents read a brief statement to the press.
▪
There was a brief note with the flowers.
▪
We just have to write a very brief piece on what we did in the vacation.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A Louisiana statute authorizing a brief period of silent meditation was also challenged by students.
▪
Blagg had tried a brief smile when Maxim flashed the torch on himself for identification, but didn't speak.
▪
The chapter concludes with a brief examination of decision process and behavioural models of industrial purchasing.
▪
The tale of Trescothick is briefer.
▪
There was a period of comparative stagnation in the nineties and a brief interruption following the financial panic in 1907.
▪
They assembled quickly to hear the brief set of orders that explained their respective tasks in the battle to come.
▪
This late summer would be brief enough, the warm unseasonable days of mellow sunshine couldn't last.
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
legal
▪
These previously undisclosed written statements were made public this week in legal briefs filed by prosecutors.
■ VERB
file
▪
The unions would hire lawyers to file the briefs .
▪
The rival candidates' lawyers filed briefs last weekend.
prepare
▪
Not surprisingly, Whitehall has been hedging its bets with officials preparing briefs to cover a variety of eventualities.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Dealing with financial matters is not part of my brief .
▪
I've prepared a brief on the economic situation in China.
▪
The brief given to the students was quite straightforward.
▪
The architect's brief was to design an extension which would harmonize as much as possible with the existing building.
▪
The committee's brief is to investigate and report on domestic violence in the region.
▪
The drug squad's briefing lasted twenty minutes.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
For all but the simplest actions there should preferably be a written brief which is discussed by all concerned.
▪
His brief was to convey coal as a developing rather than a senescent industry.
▪
The brief comprised a list of about 80 species for each chart, grouped according to pollution tolerance.
▪
Would a seasoned brief have lost it in court so easily?
III. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
well
▪
David D. is always well briefed , usually good-humoured, though he was looking a little frayed by the small hours of Friday.
▪
Tony was well briefed before we descended to the bowels of the earth.
■ NOUN
news
▪
A news briefing would be starting soon in town, but it could wait.
▪
Donald Peterson said at a Pentagon news briefing as heavy snowfall continued to hamper search and rescue efforts near Vail, Colo.
press
▪
At the press briefing , Sen.
▪
At a press briefing on Feb. 11, Brig.
▪
Wetli was absent from the Monday press briefing .
▪
On Jan. 28 at a parliamentary press briefing Viljoen expanded on the government's proposals, giving details of a five-step plan.
▪
Feeley was shown at a press briefing saying it was just some early Christmas shopping.
▪
At the noon press briefing there were questions.
▪
If he is going to see them, Earl Bush, the press aide, will brief him on likely questions.
reporter
▪
A senior State Department official briefed reporters on U.S. objections to the draft.
■ VERB
say
▪
Kim said that briefing will be held later this month, at a date and place still undecided.
tell
▪
Bringing your own people in here, your own scientists ... and not telling them, not briefing them.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
DeGaulle flew back to England to be briefed about the invasion that was about to begin.
▪
It was clear the witness had been well briefed.
▪
Make sure that the PR department are fully briefed on their role.
▪
Police officers were briefed before going out to arrest the suspects.
▪
You'll be picked up from here tomorrow night and briefed on what you have to do.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A reporter who attempted to cover the meeting was asked to leave but was briefed afterward by project officials on what happened.
▪
All teachers were personally briefed on this procedure, which is designed to minimise underreporting of smoking behaviour.
▪
At Question Time the Prime Minister is backed by the civil servants who brief her and try to anticipate supplementary questions.
▪
Barristers may not be approached directly by most clients: they may only be briefed by solicitors.
▪
However, they have not been briefed that in this case the drop zone will be changed at the last minute.
▪
The client should then be briefed.