noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a likely explanation
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What is the most likely explanation for the way she acted?
a rational explanation
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I told myself that there must be some simple, rational explanation.
a reasonable explanation/excuse
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He tried to think of a reasonable excuse.
ask for an explanation
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When he asked for an explanation, no one could give him an answer.
credible explanation/story/account etc
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He was unable to give a credible explanation for his behaviour.
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Her excuse was barely credible.
implausible theory/idea/explanation etc
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Margaret found his excuse somewhat implausible.
lame excuse/explanation
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She gave some lame excuse about missing the bus.
put forward a reason/explanation
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A variety of reasons have been put forward to explain these changes.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
adequate
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It is very hard to provide a simple but adequate explanation .
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The analyst must be sensitive to possible environmental effects when attempting to provide an adequate explanation for a particular political behavior.
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Nor is economic failure an adequate explanation .
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It is, rather, the context in which more adequate explanation can occur, or at least be attempted.
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But is this an adequate explanation ?
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As a result, there is rarely the time to provide adequate explanations as to why a particular step is carried out.
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However, other data presented here suggest that this is not an adequate explanation .
alternative
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But the teams are rapidly running out of alternative explanations for these events.
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Defensible conclusions in analyses of politics often require extensive data, thorough analysis, and consideration of several alternative explanations .
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But an alternative explanation had also come to him which he knew he should not ignore.
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We may need alternative explanations or interpretations.
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This is certainly a very plausible alternative explanation for the demise of the Daily Herald.
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An alternative explanation of such uplifts involves the effects of density changes in minerals in the upper mantle.
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At the same time, it is not alone in the field: there are alternative mystical explanations of misfortune.
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They can be encouraged to consider alternative explanations .
causal
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Among the studies that have found that small farms have higher land productivity, different causal explanations may be found.
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The orbital motion of the earth provided a causal explanation for why the planets appeared to meander across the sky.
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Nor have we tried to decide whether rules and reasons can only be considered in a hermeneutic framework incompatible with causal explanation .
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This view characterises most sociological explanations of crime, including those that fall into the third category of causal explanation: invention.
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Is the meaning account merely preliminary to a real causal explanation ?
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Crucially, therefore, causal explanation is the proper procedure when we engage in natural science but not elsewhere.
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The Smith-Thomson critique offers no causal explanation of precisely why shifts have occurred in the balance of community and state provision.
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From these examples it will begin to be apparent that witchcraft is invoked as a causal explanation of irregularities.
clear
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Each book in this highly-acclaimed series provides clear explanations of some of the main principles behind language teaching.
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It provides clear explanations , under alphabetically ordered entries, of virtually all learners' recurrent difficulties.
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At the very least a clear case is owed a clear explanation if it is rejected.
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We have no clear explanation for the thrombosis of the pseudoaneurysm in our case.
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The tutorials in the maths and science books contain clear explanations for how to arrive at the answers.
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He was himself a greatly talented teacher, a master of clear explanation and a fine blackboard artist.
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I have become confused recently and would appreciate a clear explanation .
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A number of explanations for these results are available, but it is not yet clear which explanations are correct.
detailed
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A good way of breaking up the detailed explanation is to add a quotation or two in this section.
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None the less, the concepts are powerful and provide a way into understanding the more detailed managerial explanations that follow later.
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The Pru is sending a detailed explanation of the accruals method and the full accruals figures for 1991 and 1990 to shareholders.
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Out of necessity these are brief as a detailed explanation would fill a book by itself.
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It is provided for reference purposes; you will find more detailed explanations elsewhere in this manual?
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See Appendix 1 for a detailed explanation of each of these.
different
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Several quite different kinds of explanation might be suggested for these observations.
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Although each approach provides a different explanation of how politics works, they all share two important features. 1.
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Among the studies that have found that small farms have higher land productivity, different causal explanations may be found.
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Could there be a different explanation altogether?
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Marx's work offers a very different explanation for the inequalities within and between societies.
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Pearson also examines the recurrent nature of different explanations of the criminal question.
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This is, however, a revealing case study in that disagreements show up the different modes of explanation clearly.
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There can be a number of different levels of explanation .
full
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Turn to page 25 for a fuller explanation .
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Patients received a full explanation of the relevance of the external sphincter in controlling anorectal functioning before starting biofeedback.
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Mr Wingate was full of explanations , and precious few of them made sense.
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Your answer need not be quite as full as the explanations given here.
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The authors conclude that a combination of the last two models offers the best prospect of a full explanation .
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For a fuller explanation see paragraph 17-02, below.
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See preceding error message in the incident log file for a fuller explanation of the error encountered.
further
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The word merits requires further explanation .
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For them, wealth concentration requires no further explanation .
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So dismissive a judgment requires further explanation .
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Jobs was not available for further explanation .
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Without further explanation , their escorts led the puzzled party away from their quarters.
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Then I drove off, with my clothes and without further explanation , to my parents' house.
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Soon, people in the divisions learn to live with their binds by generating further explanations .
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The traditional term will serve, even if it is one the scope of which requires further explanation .
likely
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Running was the most likely explanation .
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I had suggested some new tropical disease was a far more likely explanation .
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The most likely explanation for this is that the vehicle itself is not actually speeding up, but the cooling fan is!
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These relaxations are a more likely explanation for oesophagopharyngeal reflux than defective basal upper oesophageal sphincter tone.
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The most likely explanation seems to be that stroking makes leaf tissues tougher.
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The more likely explanation is that she was pressurising him to leave your daughter to marry her.
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The most likely explanation was her offer to buy him dinner in return for the loan of the flat.
obvious
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No obvious explanation was available and Customs and Excise raised an assessment.
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For this, there seems to be at least one obvious explanation .
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As goals at Arsenal became fewer, most people plumped for the most obvious explanation .
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There is an obvious materialist explanation .
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The most obvious explanation is that reflux of duodenal content into the stomach after operation is responsible.
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The obvious explanation for the vividness of her memory is that it involved an outstanding event in her athletic career.
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If there is no obvious explanation for this loss of restraint, what is the hidden one?
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Such apparently obvious explanations for the desertion of a settlement are, however, too simplistic.
only
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Moreover, memory may be impaired for a variety of reasons, lack of initial attention is not the only possible explanation .
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Berowne's only explanation had been that he felt it was time for his life to take a new direction.
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That seemed the only possible explanation .
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Is the standard unified model the only possible explanation of the experimental data it so well describes?
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Is the only explanation to be found in the liberal application of intention in interpreting trusts?
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Static electricity - that was the only explanation - although from his bland expression he had felt no similar spark on contact.
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Coalition mongering is the only plausible explanation .
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The only possible explanation is that they are holding a wooden effigy.
other
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Hence, Freeman is refuted since presumably other explanations are conceivable, even if it turns out they aren't very interesting.
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The advantage of the design is that it allows us to exclude other explanations .
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There seemed no other explanation than a hair-line fracture.
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The flashpoints model is therefore inapplicable to this form of disorder and other explanations are therefore necessary.
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There are many other possible explanations for the missing 100 attendances.
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They look around for other explanations and ulterior motives.
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But there could be other explanations .
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In relation to literature at least, two other explanations suggest themselves.
plausible
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This is certainly a very plausible alternative explanation for the demise of the Daily Herald.
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But that scenario presented geophysicists with a radical yet plausible explanation for the anti-continents.
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Try processing all the relevant information contained in the problem to help you come up with one plausible explanation .
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The most plausible explanation of this observation is an abrupt, massive, global acidification of rainwater.
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One plausible area for explanation might lie in the experience of material security or insecurity.
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This explanation fits the facts and is psychologically plausible .
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There is only one really plausible explanation .
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Coalition mongering is the only plausible explanation .
possible
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Three possible explanations come to mind.
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One possible explanation is that the beacons have a history of malfunctioning during bad weather.
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The first child offers a possible explanation which reasonably draws on his knowledge of how water levels in containers can go down.
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Moreover, memory may be impaired for a variety of reasons, lack of initial attention is not the only possible explanation .
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That seemed the only possible explanation .
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Is the standard unified model the only possible explanation of the experimental data it so well describes?
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Unfortunately, since there are so many possible explanations , the correct one is most difficult to ascertain.
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It is worth examining briefly some of the possible explanations for this emphasis on remedial law.
rational
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Only now have scientists begun to offer rational explanations for this phenomenon.
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Through their various plights, the drama questions a world where feminine ideals regularly defy rational explanation .
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This is the mystery of sin which has no rational explanation , for it is ultimately and radically inexplicable.
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Either way, there has to be some rational explanation of Clinton's conduct.
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There was a rational explanation for all this and, when Carol arrived, he'd discover what it was.
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I told myself that there must be some simple, rational explanation , something Illingworth had overlooked.
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In any case, Amiss's mind was racing, grappling with a situation devoid of any rational explanation .
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Some constructs may reflect pre-verbal bases of organization which can not be accounted for by rational explanation .
reasonable
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You're not stupid and you know what you saw but she may have some other reasonable explanation .
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For a majority of things, reasonable explanations have been provided.
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Now he had vanished with no reasonable explanation whatever.
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The statistics indicate a reasonable level of explanation for a difference equation.
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He could give no reasonable explanation .
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A policeman had suspected them for loitering about, they wouldn't give a reasonable explanation or account of themselves.
satisfactory
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We never have a satisfactory explanation of where it comes from.
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So far, neither nature nor nurture has provided a completely satisfactory explanation .
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Can I offer any more satisfactory explanation of the mystery of existence?
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This is an extraordinary ratio, and there has never been a satisfactory explanation for it.
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A more satisfactory explanation might be that different moral considerations apply for different people in similar situations.
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To date, no one has been able to come up with a satisfactory explanation .
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We must now change gear somewhat, and ask what it would take for such relationships to be treated as satisfactory explanations .
scientific
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For this reason, it is important to examine those societies that appear to contradict much of scientific and commonsensical explanation .
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This is still not a scientific explanation .
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The statements can be from other children in the class or they might be standard scientific explanations .
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In traditional macho science, scientific explanations stressed hierarchies and unidirectional causal paths.
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There were sensible, scientific explanations about the effect of the changes in air pressure.
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The concept of purpose is creeping back into scientific explanations .
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To Boltwood, the scientific explanation is immaterial.
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The shared concept of scientific explanation was always contestable and has of late been radically contested.
simple
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There is no simple explanation , but there are two main threads.
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Hence differentiated products provide a simple explanation of intraindustry trade.
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It is very hard to provide a simple but adequate explanation .
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But the simplest explanation is perhaps the most convincing.
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For this there was one simple explanation .
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I told myself that there must be some simple , rational explanation , something Illingworth had overlooked.
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Group behaviour is rarely patient of simple explanations .
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So the simplest explanation is the one that can include the whole range of complex elements within one integral and harmonious scheme.
social
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The very radical autonomy of modernist cultural forms makes their social or social-historical explanation an extremely difficult pursuit.
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How can one possibly advance a social explanation for practices whose very constitutive principle is their independence from society?
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Contemporary political struggles organised on religious lines clearly need social and economic explanations .
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Gender should never be used as a bottom line explanation because it is a social construction needing explanation itself.
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There is an obvious social motive behind explanations with a sharing function.
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For these suggest that holism and individualism can fruitfully be seen as serving different interests in social explanation .
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The polarity between biological and social explanations of subjectivity has been as controversial among western feminists as among psychologists.
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Althusser's abolition of the subject therefore commits him to an unequivocally holist account of social explanation .
■ VERB
accept
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These comparisons ` serve as a rough negative check on accepted historical explanations .
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Because of this people were willing to accept poorly formulated religious explanations which had little or nothing to do with the Bible.
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Whatever Jean saw in you that first occasion was still there and she accepted your explanation about letting her down that evening.
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Neta accepted the explanation at face value.
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He accepted the explanation without question.
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He sat appropriately in his chair and accepted explanations for the work that was to begin.
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It was almost as difficult to accept a natural explanation as a supernatural explanation.
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Cranston just nodded, accepting his explanation as something irrelevant.
demand
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When Matilda had demanded an explanation , Isabel had given it to her, omitting nothing.
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She loved him in ways that were never quite clear, but one does not demand explanations in matters of love.
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Then she hurried into the hall and picked up the telephone, intent upon speaking to Ursula and demanding an explanation .
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Something in the loch has produced some very peculiar sonar traces on some very sophisticated equipment, and that something demands explanation .
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This verbal testimony stems from the silent witness of a quality of life which demands an explanation .
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Trimble demanded an explanation from Sinn Fein.
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With difficulty Shiona resisted the urge to phone him up at home and demand an explanation .
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But later he told a Melbourne radio station that he would demand an explanation if he were asked to step down.
find
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I hope that you find this explanation helpful.
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One can go to the thousands of human societies and find ingenious explanations for each incidence of masculinity and femininity.
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As I think I said, such noises as I have experienced have eventually found explanations .
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And as no-one takes the paradigm seriously, no-one is troubled to try to find an explanation for the seemingly anomalous data.
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I try to find an explanation for him.
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Although they sat up later than their normal bedtime, neither could find any explanation .
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The first school of thought tended to examine data on outcomes in order to find an explanation .
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The demographic evidence on this matter has been examined above and found wanting as an explanation of population growth.
give
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It makes it clear that the fire caused the accident but it doesn't give any explanation of what caused the fire.
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Daniels Cablevision gave a similar explanation for its policy.
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These are the intuitions that give holist and individualist explanations their initial plausibility.
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We can, however, give one self-consistent explanation that agrees with the known facts.
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I want to give an explanation of my own experience described there.
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This theory enables one to give an explanation for the existence of the universe, in terms of a goal or purpose.
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Locke gives much the same explanation .
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He gave no explanation for his action, but it seemed to reflect the edginess with which government authorities view the anniversary.
need
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And Londoners need explanations and reassurance.
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She now feels, however, that she has gone beyond romance and needs explanations of hard real life.
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Experiments with water Older preschoolers will enjoy these simple experiments, which will need your supervision and explanation .
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We may need alternative explanations or interpretations.
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The paradox of this maintained demand, despite the return of higher food prices and periodic scarcities, needs explanation .
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Apparent miracles of complexity in animals act hence need no explanation beyond those involved in how they are built.
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It needs support from an explanation , in terms of the conditional theory, of how there can be such counter-examples.
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Anxiety dreams - which again need little explanation .
offer
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The first child offers a possible explanation which reasonably draws on his knowledge of how water levels in containers can go down.
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He offered another explanation for why Sen.
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Each, in any event, offers explanations at a level deeper than prediction.
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I tried to offer explanations , drawing on my brief legal experience.
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It does not offer another explanation , however.
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They offered no explanation for why they failed to mention the excessive airborne formaldehyde last week.
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Fletcher offered no explanation till he had driven away from the Parc Hotel.
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The approach is cognitive and the books offer a combination of explanations , examples, and a variety of imaginative exercises.
owe
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At the very least a clear case is owed a clear explanation if it is rejected.
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Of course, a decision not to have children is a legitimate choice, and whoever makes it owes no explanation .
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At the same time I felt I was owed an explanation .
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It seemed to me I owed him some explanation .
provide
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The principles of politeness and co-operation are not, on their own, enough to provide the explanation for this inference.
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Although each approach provides a different explanation of how politics works, they all share two important features. 1.
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The orbital motion of the earth provided a causal explanation for why the planets appeared to meander across the sky.
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History-events may occur in addition to the experimental treatment and thus provide alternate explanations of effects.
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And it provides a useful explanation for the power house that fuels certain cosmic sources.
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Without calling Josta a carbonated love potion, Pepsi provides a little explanation on the back of each can.
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Religion plays a vital role in society because it provides an explanation of origin and destiny, of identity and purpose.
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Heather had never seen this in him before but it provided an explanation to something that had been bothering her.
require
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There will, however, be some cases where the minister's decision is more complex, and requires some explanation .
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For them, wealth concentration requires no further explanation .
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The word merits requires further explanation .
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A monistic starting point for the cosmos requires an explanation to account for the variety and multiplicity in the cosmos.
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Relationships between the government and the employing organisation require explanation too.
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The reason for this alliance, though it requires some explanation , was not essentially complex.
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The detail of this book requires more explanation than is possible here, but this is a rewarding book to read.
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These are examples of the many questions about politics that require explanation , not mere descriptive facts.
seek
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One approach is to seek an adaptive explanation .
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The governor and his son declined to return calls seeking explanation for the Symington entry in Melones Internacional incorporation documents.
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The most fruitful procedure might well be to seek lines of explanation other than those associated with the notion of prestige.
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Sitting on the hearthrug, Bobby looked at her, mutely seeking an explanation for his master's absence.
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Science naturally seeks a fuller explanation of that behavior; its goal is the destruction of mystery.
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He telephoned Yorkshire Television to seek explanations and advice, demanding plaintively in a guttural accent.
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We seek explanations when something puzzles or surprises us.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
owe sb an explanation/apology
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At the same time I felt I was owed an explanation.
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At the very least a clear case is owed a clear explanation if it is rejected.
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I guess I owe her an apology.
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I think these people who said those hateful things about him owe him an apology.
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I think you owe an apology to Clegg.
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In light of this, do you feel you owe the world an apology?
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Of course, a decision not to have children is a legitimate choice, and whoever makes it owes no explanation.
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You owe him an apology for misjudging him and suspecting his motives at every turn.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Can you give us a quick explanation of how it works?
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Coach Green wasn't willing to accept his explanation .
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Each diagram is followed by a simple explanation .
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He offered no explanation for his absence at the previous day's meeting.
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I don't know why he tested positive for drugs. The only explanation I can think of is that the samples got mixed up.
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Our guide gave us a detailed explanation of the system of government.
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Scientists have offered various explanations for these changes in climate.
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She offered no explanation as to why she had left so suddenly.
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There are several possible explanations for girls' superior high school performance.
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This work should have been finished a week ago. What's your explanation ?
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What was their explanation for their decision?
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Does the as-if strategy of pragmatism allow a better explanation ?
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One can go to the thousands of human societies and find ingenious explanations for each incidence of masculinity and femininity.
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Some of these critiques give mono-casual, but most give multi-dimensional, explanations of the links between law and society.
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Students can rewrite an explanation for a different audience, such as their younger brothers and sisters.
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The kind of explanation we come up with must not contradict the laws of physics.
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The people who consider themselves to be pentecostals are uncomfortable with explanations of their movement that seem to explain it away.
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This can be ascribed to the absence of any craft-related explanation of the changes.
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Unless Guy came up with an acceptable explanation , the entire Court would be gossiping about them.