adverb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
highly/most/very unlikely
▪
It’s highly unlikely that he’ll survive.
make sth the best/worst/most expensive etc
▪
Over 80,000 people attended, making it the biggest sporting event in the area.
more/most likely
▪
At this age, boys were more likely than girls to be active in sports.
more/most/less/equally importantly
▪
Most importantly, you must keep a record of everything you do.
most anxious
▪
He seemed most anxious to speak to me alone.
most certainly
▪
‘Not smoking has made a real difference.’ ‘It most certainly has.’
most exceptional (= very exceptional )
▪
A child will only be removed from the parental home in the most exceptional of cases.
most kind (= said when thanking someone very politely )
▪
Thank you for your help. You’ve been most kind .
most treasured possession
▪
A battered old guitar was his most treasured possession .
most unfortunate (= very unfortunate )
▪
It’s most unfortunate that your father can’t come to the wedding.
most/very likely
▪
I’d very likely have done the same thing in your situation.
much the best/most interesting etc British English
▪
It’s much the best way to do it.
quite/most extraordinary British English
▪
Chris’s behaviour that morning was quite extraordinary.
second largest/most successful etc
▪
Africa’s second highest mountain
the most exceptional (= the best )
▪
George Best was one of the most exceptional footballers of all time.
the most likely/probable explanation (= one that is probably true )
▪
The most likely explanation is that John missed the bus.
▪
The most probable explanation is that the water was contaminated.
the most natural thing in the world
▪
At the time, accepting his offer had seemed the most natural thing in the world .
very/highly/most satisfactory
▪
After her initial difficulties she has made a very satisfactory recovery.
very/most probably
▪
The building will be replaced, most probably by a modern sports centre.
very/most unfair
▪
We live in a very unfair world.
very/most/highly unusual
▪
Gandhi was a most unusual politician.
What surprised...most
▪
What surprised me most was that she didn’t seem to care.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
appropriate
▪
The Purchaser must be able to elect which measure of damages is most appropriate .
▪
Are current systems for delivering defence services the most appropriate for modern conditions?
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Detailed analysis of this kind should enable the most appropriate method of tension reduction to be chosen for each individual patient.
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Runnymede offered a most appropriate site for such a memorial on account of its historical associations and its closeness to London and Heathrow.
▪
I would be grateful if you could pass the document on to the most appropriate person within your department for information.
▪
An obvious example is the weight to be given to each of the central initiatives and the most appropriate form of implementation.
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In computer selling, for example, successful selling requires an appreciation of which system is most appropriate given customer needs and resources.
▪
It has a name most appropriate to our profession: J Press.
basic
▪
For Ross obligatoriness or rightness, as a property of possible actions, is the most basic ethical property or relation.
▪
Hunger and fear motivate us at the most basic level.
▪
One of his first, and most basic suggestions was that prices must be raised.
▪
Those same cooks forget from year to year the most basic techniques of getting the bird to the table.
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The two most basic benefits are income support and unemployment benefit.
▪
Gentle gnawing on the tiny bones appeals to our most basic , primordial instincts.
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Kin altruism is therefore seen by sociobiologists as the most basic form of co-operative behaviour.
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If cooperation and exchange are to continue to flourish in our most basic social unit, family members also need reliable contracts.
beautiful
▪
She was the most beautiful girl in the entire school.
▪
Rather High Church, I gather, and a most beautiful building.
▪
Meadowgate Farm was situated in one of the most beautiful valleys around Mitford.
▪
Ludovico was the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
▪
Over the years, Rapunzel grew the longest, most beautiful hair in the world.
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I tried to relax my tightening nerves with mind pictures of the most beautiful landscapes of the Rambles.
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And if that were not enough, I was fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful towns in the state.
difficult
▪
This change of emphasis from cash to produce is probably the most difficult mental hurdle.
▪
So, Johnson said, previous conditioning was the most difficult of the many challenges to overcome.
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Many of our most difficult cases are those where buildings belong not to private owners but to institutions or government organizations.
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He is the most difficult to understand, and therefore the most fascinating.
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I hope to show that the incompetence that is most difficult to correct is tightly coupled with skilfulness.
▪
Black seeds are the most pungent, the most rare, and the most difficult to harvest.
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Captains regularly tackle the most difficult jobs with calm confidence.
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The analysis was the most difficult of the three by all odds.
effective
▪
But the immature brain cells were the most effective treatment in the rats, says Sandberg.
▪
But these are not the most effective to prevent kids from smoking.
▪
Thus computed tomography remains the most effective method for diagnosing small pulmonary metastases.
▪
Conversely, for window sizes of less than four words, strong overlap alone is the most effective .
▪
His exit, when he truly is on his last legs, is his most effective gambit.
▪
There may well be situations when the procedures modelled on adjudication are not the most effective or appropriate.
▪
The results can help doctors prescribe the most effective anti-viral drug regimen.
expensive
▪
Economics of nurse training Investigator: K Hartley Nurses are the most expensive single resource in the hospital sector.
▪
Because of this, factoring is the most expensive form of accounts receivable financing.
▪
Doctors are the most expensive health workers.
▪
Christmas and mid-February, Presidents Day, are the most expensive periods.
▪
Pain was the most expensive thing you could buy.
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They are the biggest and the best, the most expensive and the newest.
▪
He said it was the most expensive accident he's ever had.
famous
▪
Daley, the son of Richard J. Daley, one of Chicago's most famous mayors, had been elected in 1989.
▪
Overnight he had become the most famous man on earth.
▪
But this is the most famous club in the world.
▪
Yet Lowry was a popular hero who, when he died in 1977, was the most famous painter in Britain.
important
▪
The Woodland Trust is dedicated to protecting one of the most important features of Britain's heritage - our native broadleaved woodland.
▪
The Motorola chip is perhaps the most important .
▪
But perhaps the most important feature which makes communication possible across different sign languages is the shared culture of deaf people.
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The most important people involved in your personal care are the nurses.
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One of the most important is using information about the type of data stored in order to to prevent howlers.
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The most important thing in teaching basketball is why -- not how.
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Perhaps most important of all is the legitimacy of the system with those who are its subjects.
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But the second most important influence was the school itself.
influential
▪
Advanced classes study the classical works of the most influential writers of the Patristic, Medieval, Reformation and Modern periods.
▪
The most influential critics were either misanthropic or committed to the need for massive reform.
▪
Is it in the most influential publications for your market or is it in small publications with a limited circulation?
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Unknown to the general public, he has become one of the most influential educators of young people in the world.
▪
He was now easily the most influential person in policy-making.
▪
These Partnerships need to be representative of the most influential stakeholders, if the Compact is to be a success.
interesting
▪
But the ceiling was the most interesting part of the flat.
▪
New Line, the most interesting independent, is taking a different tack.
▪
Perhaps the most interesting point which arises from McCullough's article is that it needed to be said.
▪
The first were the most useful; the others were the most interesting .
▪
And that, I am afraid, is just about the most interesting thing you can say about it.
▪
This was the most interesting thing she had ever heard Elizabeth say, because it had undertones of cynicism, of self-mockery.
▪
They were seldom the most interesting .
likely
▪
This unit auto-senses the mains voltage, and adjusts accordingly, so is most likely to benefit international travellers.
▪
The women most likely to answer no?
▪
Statistical information about n-grams has been applied to the output to select a single most likely letter string result.
▪
They are most likely to be attached to primary schools in areas of social need, or to special schools.
▪
However, most of the women in our sample would most likely find that a very risky prospect to attempt at present.
▪
We choose the most likely meaning for it from the world, and in this case the meaning is contextual.
▪
The vocalisation you are most likely to hear is that produced by juveniles when they are playing.
obvious
▪
The most obvious example is the electoral college, the phantom body that stands between voters and the final outcome.
▪
Water, the most obvious and important resource, was not an immediate problem.
▪
Coordination between affiliated firms takes various forms but intercompany stockholding is one of the most obvious .
▪
The most obvious advantage of this system was that it made obsolete the fifty-five spheres of Aristotle.
▪
The stance is the starting-point of every kungfu move, and perhaps the most obvious progression from it is a kick.
▪
For the most obvious thing about them is that they have led to continuous bodily improvement.
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The most obvious form of competition for females is straight forward fighting.
▪
Under Roosevelt and Ickes, the Bureau of Reclamation underwent some fundamental changes, the most obvious of which was in size.
popular
▪
The first is the most popular .
▪
They make it easy to get their most popular product, the Windows 95 version of PKZip 2. 5.
▪
A surprise presentation was also made to one of the region's most popular charity entertainers, Billy Dobson.
▪
They also worry whether the products will include enough of the most popular features.
▪
Amid much razzmatazz PepsiCo announced that the second most popular fizzy drink in the world would henceforth come in blue packaging.
▪
We found out the most popular brand is the Yomega Brain, which costs about $ 10.
▪
The aim is to tell the surgeons about a survey which shows the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery.
▪
One of the most popular sites is the game room, where visitors can play chess, checkers and backgammon with others.
powerful
▪
The most powerful culture is that which reconciles the goals of the individual with those of the collective.
▪
Byrd thought it the most powerful , reliable plane available.
▪
Finally, there's the Acorn Archimedes A3000, which is by far the most powerful home micro available.
▪
Potentially the most powerful of support weapons were Air Force and Navy jets.
▪
The Carmen and the Petra models have two heat settings, but the Carmen model is the most powerful at 250W.
▪
The next most powerful people are successful older men.
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However, the most powerful response of all to the food is to its smell, or fragrance.
▪
Council business is conducted through committees, of which the Finance Committee is the most powerful .
prominent
▪
Mori recent history is commemorated by the town's most prominent statue.
▪
John McCain, R-Ariz., co-sponsor of the most prominent reform proposal on the congressional docket.
▪
The two most prominent rightists were Kim Ku and Syngman Rhee.
▪
Among these, the most prominent is the emphasis cities have placed on programs to develop or attract high-technology industries.
▪
Actually, I had offers on leaving law school from the most prominent New York firms.
▪
Although several might yet face tough races, none of the most prominent Republican governors would be considered underdogs for re-election.
▪
Within the main belt are several distinct orbital families of large asteroids, each family named for its most prominent member.
recent
▪
The calculation is limited to the 20 most recent years with the employer and subject to a maximum week's pay of £205.
▪
Make sure it has the most recent version.
▪
In practical terms this required a duration that recorded the most recent 25 hours of flying.
▪
The most recent purchase, in April, was the stretch between Willits and Novato.
▪
Fertilisations may occur over a period of a month, but the most recent foetuses have the best chance to develop.
▪
The first tranche of shares in 1987 sold at £26,000, and the most recent at a thumping £41,000.
serious
▪
Of the other runners, Yavlinsky seems most serious .
▪
Loneliness and Boredom Perhaps the most serious problem of all was simply that there was not enough adventure or diversion.
▪
The most serious problem about complete participation is a moral one rather than a practical one.
▪
One of the most serious problems is also one of the oldest.
▪
Apart from employment, the most serious implications of the policies of constraint are for housing.
▪
The most serious threat concerns control of rivers and watersheds.
▪
His most serious offence in that time was taking part in a robbery while armed with a crossbow.
▪
Expulsion from Congress is reserved for the most serious misconduct and is considered unlikely in this case.
significant
▪
One of the most significant will be a look at the next generation of fast-breeder nuclear reactors.
▪
A list of some of the most significant and of some reviews of this literature is presented in the Resource Directory.
▪
The most significant is the small goods vehicle.
▪
The most significant and expensive changes are those that go into effect Oct. 1 of this year.
▪
The Texas governorship was generally considered to be one of the most significant of the country's gubernatorial prizes.
▪
The most significant of these may be the use of helium-3 in spacecraft propulsion, in a fusion rocket.
▪
But by far the most significant change is the elevation of newsreader Trevor McDonald to superstar status.
▪
But examination of history brings out one most significant difference.
successful
▪
But the movie was not the most successful of the night.
▪
Perhaps the most successful futures project was conducted by the Florida House of Representatives.
▪
As the company believes that home grown talent is often the most successful , internal promotion is encouraged.
▪
One of the most successful political insurance firms is operated by party ancient Joe Gill.
▪
The most successful title of this type is the heavy metal bible, Kerrang.
▪
When it comes to cancer, a multidisciplinary approach is often the most successful .
▪
Today, Head Start is considered by many one of our most successful antipoverty programs.
■ VERB
interest
▪
You will find it most interesting to devise other test sets for experimental and instructional purposes.
▪
He was the one who was most interesting , because we learned from each other.
▪
Answer: a or c, but option c might be the most interesting .
▪
Some of the most interesting evidence to support this idea comes from studies on those alcohol-preferring mice discovered in the 1950s.
▪
But other details, some of the most interesting , can not be confirmed by such indirect means.
▪
The most interesting features were three narrow slots cut in the body of the raft.
▪
One of the most interesting facts about communicative intentions is that they are intended to be recognized.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
at your best/worst/most effective etc
in large part/for the most part
make the most of sth
▪
Guel made the most of her time on court.
▪
Chuck Levy, meanwhile, was in for 40 offensive plays and made the most of them.
▪
Enjoy, and make the most of, the benefits that this publicity can bring to you.
▪
He made the most of it, continuing to dance.
▪
Meanwhile, Vistec is making the most of the recession and has a Pounds 4m cash pile.
▪
She made the most of it.
▪
So what they do is make the most of each player, maximizing their talent.
▪
The challenge in this book is to make the most of human relationships without becoming a victim. 2.
▪
Ward objectives will give her guidance in making the most of each allocation.
most of the time
▪
Most of the time at work I just answer the phone and type letters.
▪
Most of the time he's a really nice guy, but sometimes he can be really nasty.
▪
Most of the time people vote for the party that offers them financial advantages.
▪
Our two-year-old is happy most of the time , but he wakes up from his naps in an awful mood.
▪
This place is really busy most of the time .
▪
And it works too, most of the time .
▪
Dewar looked gloomy most of the time , being one of life's pessimists.
▪
Even after that, she continued to have headaches almost daily and felt nauseated most of the time .
▪
He took no shit from anybody, gambled constantly, and won most of the time .
▪
I don't like the way I look, most of the time , for all the reasons I've just given.
▪
Raskolnikov lives with his pain, but most of the time he doesn't focus on it.
▪
We were hungry and cold most of the time .
▪
Without visible failure most minds are closed most of the time .
next biggest/most common etc
the biggest/tallest/most expensive etc ... on earth
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
I guess the food I eat most is pasta.
▪
I was most surprised to hear of your engagement.
▪
It's most comfortable if I sit with my legs up.
▪
It was a most interesting experience.
▪
She liked the dark beer most .
▪
That's the most important part!
▪
The part we enjoyed most was the trip to the Grand Canyon.
▪
This style of management is most frequently used in Japan.
▪
What the people here need most of all is food and clean water.
▪
What worries me most is the effect the divorce is having on the children.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Death is the most powerful of these forces.
▪
It is for the local management of the service to determine the most effective deployment of resources to meet performance targets.
▪
One of our most fundamental desires, it seems, is to know and dramatize the richness of physical life.
▪
Stories of even the most important events often depended on the post.
▪
The prison hero is the one who most openly shows anger and contempt for the staff.
▪
Women have long been both the greatest seekers of psy services and the group most heavily victimized by them.