I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a possible explanation
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Can anyone think of a possible explanation for why this is happening?
a possible motive
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The police are still thinking about possible motives for the murders.
a possible outcome
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When you throw a die, there are six possible outcomes.
a possible scenario
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Defence planners are paid to consider every possible scenario.
a possible solution
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There are three possible solutions to this problem.
a possible suspect
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Thr police drew up a list of possible subjects.
a possible/acceptable/satisfactory alternative
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I’m busy tomorrow but Wednesday is a possible alternative.
a possible/potential candidate (= someone who you might give a job or position to )
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There were two women who were possible candidates.
a possible/potential successor
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He had been tipped as a possible successor to the president.
as far as possible (= as much as possible )
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We’ve kept the original features of the house as far as possible .
as little as possible
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My lawyer advised me to say as little as possible .
as long as possible
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The fruit should be left on the tree as long as possible .
as long as possible
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Try to keep going for as long as possible .
as soon as possible (= as soon as you can )
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Please let me know your decision as soon as possible .
as soon as possible
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Try and get the car fixed as soon as possible .
at every (possible) opportunity (= whenever possible )
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She went to the museum at every opportunity.
difficult/impossible/easy/possible etc to detect
if possible
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I want to get back by five o'clock if possible .
in the nicest possible way
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He told me, in the nicest possible way , that I was interfering too much.
it is certainly true/possible etc
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It is certainly true that there are more courses on offer.
make sth difficult/easy/possible etc
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The use of computers has made it possible for more people to work from home.
possible implications
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We discussed the possible implications of oil price rises.
the best possible
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We sold the house at the best possible time.
the possible/likely consequences
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What are the likely consequences of these changes?
whenever possible
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a policy of using recycled paper whenever possible
wherever possible (= at all times when it is possible )
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I feel I ought to be nice to them wherever possible .
worst possible
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What is the worst possible thing that can happen?
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
also
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It is also possible to dilute some Araldite resins with toluene for pre-casting soak.
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However, it is also possible to consider situations in which the modifiability of a compartment is due to completely intrinsic factors.
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The alternative - that these lower levels are partly responsible for the development of oesophagitis - is also possible .
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Other answers are, of course, also possible . 4.
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Therapeutic input makes heavy use of group work, though individual therapy is also possible .
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Yet it is also possible to see the form as a stylized if rather primitive representation of the female deity.
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It is also possible to continue as a graduate without eh thought occurring.
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The catalysed conversion of methanol to ethanol by reaction with syn-gas, is also possible but not yet commercial.
always
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Such comparisons are always possible , and ought to be made, if the worse an to improve.
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Nor was it always possible for geophysicists to see the motions of the surface so clearly.
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But with central heating, it is now not always possible to provide an ideal plunging environment within the home.
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It was always possible to undo things, I thought, but it was not always possible to do them.
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It is always possible to blame deficiencies on central government.
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In the Dubrovlag, he had said, pity for others is always possible , but self-pity is never possible.
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Underdrawing analysis is, however, not always conclusive, nor indeed always possible .
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It is not always possible to answer post by return, or to return telephone calls within the next few minutes.
as
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In 1967 the Brooklands Society was formed to preserve as much of the area as possible .
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She then instructed her subjects to duplicate these postures as precisely as possible .
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An immediate potential problem presents as possible ethical infringement upon the doctor-patient relationship.
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We must enact as soon as possible the National Human Welfare Act in order to regulate the use of humans in research.
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I prepared a diet as free from fat as possible yet incorporating protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals.
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Thaw frozen meat in its wrappings in the refrigerator and cook it as soon as possible after thawing.
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Family conferences are best conducted in as natural a manner as possible .
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The axial plane is a surface that divides a fold as symmetrically as possible .
quite
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It's quite possible you won't even realise this, so long as you each mirror the same changes.
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It is quite possible that co-operation between various macrophage subsets takes place in Peyer's patches.
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However, even in monolinguals, dramatic changes of persona are quite possible .
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For one thing, it is quite possible that people may feel free and independent even when they are actually being manipulated.
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It is of course quite possible to develop an integrated system based on a single hardware base.
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It seemed to him quite possible that Dysart should exploit his official position to save an old friend from bankruptcy.
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It is quite possible that some selection factors may point towards your retention while others will, in comparison, favour colleagues.
whenever
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Proposed change is whenever possible shown to arise from identified deficiencies.
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Therefore, we recommend having the butcher debone them whenever possible .
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To ensure that the breeding of such fish is continued we will try to obtain new specimens whenever possible .
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She avoided saying them whenever possible .
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Pupils will also become aware of the need to check one source against another whenever possible .
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Older birds are often very tough and have an unpleasant aroma; they should be avoided whenever possible .
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For a balanced look, always put the tallest stalk towards the outside of the garment, whenever possible .
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Viewers also are encouraged to interview relatives whenever possible .
where
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As well as the more obvious things like reducing energy costs and recycling where possible , the community is benefiting from the programme.
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Provision of the real object where possible is usually eagerly explored.
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He is the man who wants to take part, who wants to do everything the woman does where possible .
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The children live at the Institute during the week, going home at the weekend where possible .
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It had to be easy and cheap to build, maintain and operate in addition to using local materials where possible .
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Incidentally, it is a good idea to take photographs where possible as sites are still disappearing at a rapid rate.
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First, where possible , run!
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Make sure you let the notes ring into each other where possible , to get the full harmonic effect.
wherever
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It may also be advisable to check the broker's performance record on discretionary service wherever possible .
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Nearly every government contractor befriends and hires Pentagon employees and bends the rules wherever possible .
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Also - wherever possible keep valuable livestock, feedstuffs or other bulk materials as close to the farmyard as you can.
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Perhaps we should be asking our local authorities to install wheelchair access gates in place of ordinary kissing gates wherever possible .
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Certainly the new actor should never remain idle but create chances wherever possible .
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Participants agreed to share information and resources, review regional training programmes, and cooperate wherever possible .
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I am all in favour of an easy life for horse and rider wherever possible .
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This process should be wherever possible part of a systematic analysis of diagnostic system requirements.
■ NOUN
cause
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Cause of the problem Apart from a damp-proof course problem, what other possible causes are there for structural damp?
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I was told a possible cause was water impurities.
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What then are the possible causes of conflict within organisations?
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Scientists have begun to investigate and to identify some of the possible causes , which may differ from species to species.
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The physician must establish a sympathetic rapport with the patient to help elucidate possible causes and contributing factors.
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Could you please suggest a possible cause and remedy for the above.
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Instead, I explain his so-called options and the possible causes for the aggravation of his breathing.
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Recent theoretical work has clarified two possible causes of ageing.
explanation
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Three possible explanations can be advanced.
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Alistair arrived at that minute, ending any possible explanation .
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The reader can decide which of the possible explanations is the most plausible.
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There can only be one possible explanation .
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One possible explanation lies in the division of labour between women and men.
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The committee revises the list of possible explanations to produce a list of designated performance deficiencies.
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To some it might seem a possible explanation .
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One possible explanation is that the beacons have a history of malfunctioning during bad weather.
way
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There are several possible ways of administering tests which might be derived from the Cockcroft Committee's recommendations.
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There are various possible ways in which this could be done, and I chose one that I call the triangle trick.
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There are two possible ways forward.
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Needless to say, there are many possible ways of turning this rule into practice.
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If we want something, then we go for it in the best possible way we know.
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Now you've crossed Westminster bridge and achieved your goal, we outline the best possible way to recover.
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That is not a possible way to combat boredom.
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Your competitors may not be doing things in the best possible way .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
humanly possible
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Firefighters did everything humanly possible to save lives.
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The report was as fair as is humanly possible.
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Acquaint yourselves with it as soon as is humanly possible.
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Although speechreaders learn the necessity for keen attention and mental focus, it is not humanly possible to focus attention all day.
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He should be punished for as long as it is humanly possible to punish him.
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If so, will he ensure that a police officer accompanies every military patrol whenever humanly possible?
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Our Government is fashioned to fulfill this concept so far as humanly possible.
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The task at hand was to devise an immediate gathering of the vestry and to make it as splendid as humanly possible.
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They demanded attention which it was not humanly possible to give.
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What she must do was concentrate on getting her memory back so that she could get home to them as soon as humanly possible.
not remotely interested/funny/possible etc
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Life-ways are opened up which are not remotely possible, even in analogous terms, to any other species.
physically possible/impossible
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Also, it isn't physically possible to sit and listen to a rap album all the way through.
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But he realized that this was physically impossible.
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By the power of his imagination he was trying to do something that was physically impossible.
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His hypothesis, while unlikely, is neither logically nor physically impossible.
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The illogical, unlikely and physically impossible are treated as natural phenomena.
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They were just physically impossible to move in and out of the studios.
technically possible/difficult/feasible etc
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Although it is already technically possible for network administrators to monitor Internet traffic, such tracking has been difficult to do.
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Berni came into this world on May 12 at 9: 07 a. m. It was a technically difficult delivery.
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FLEXthe name of both the machine and its language-was not technically feasible at the time.
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One expert achieved unwanted fame by stating, categorically, that it was no longer technically possible to build modern aircraft out of wood.
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Subsequent additions and amendments to software may be technically possible, but inadvisable because of subsequent upgrade issues.
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The members thought that it was technically feasible and, under the right conditions, could benefit the region.
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There is nothing technically difficult about this; if the computer can look one play ahead it can look 20.
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There was no question that a tunnel was technically feasible, but 1 wanted to know what the economics would be.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Accidents are always possible in heavy industries like mining.
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Detectives can now check every criminal's records, which wouldn't be possible without computers.
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Here's a list of possible topics for your next essay.
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I want to get back by 5 o'clock if possible .
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Is it possible to find a room in a good hotel for less than $100?
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It is possible for more than one person to win the competition.
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It is possible that the children are still alive.
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Please let me know your answer as soon as possible .
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Sudden snowstorms are always possible this time of year.
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technological changes and their possible effects on our lives
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The doctors did everything possible to save her life.
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The only possible way a woman could rise in class was to marry into a family of higher social standing than her own.
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Travel to other planets may soon be possible .
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We must get her to the hospital as quickly as possible .
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We will deal with all complaints as soon as is humanly possible .
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You can't be a Muslim and a Catholic at the same time - it's just not possible .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Echoes of the signal alert them to possible prey, at ranges up to 80-90 metres in shallow waters.
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I planned on saying as little as possible .
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It is seldom possible to give a general overall clearance of a product for all export markets.
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It is therefore easier to prevent development on the basis of the precautionary principle, rather than look for possible solutions.
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They're as unique as it is possible to be without splitting at the seams.
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What makes it possible for the speaker to communicate this to the hearer?
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ VERB
make
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The recurring theme here is that community makes learning possible .
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Any such success would make other successes possible .
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The modern skyscraper had been made possible by the addition of the electric motor to Elisha Otis's earlier elevator.
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This was also the first generation to take full advantage of the decentralized workplaces made possible by information technology.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Dern is another possible for the award.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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He assumed that this could only be because he was one of the possibles.
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It's a device which when read by scanner, gives a unique code; one of 34 billion possibles.
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There were other possibles - mostly underworld figures - but I discounted them as red herrings.