I. number
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a first/second/third etc edition
▪
The first edition was published in 1986.
a second chance/another chance
▪
The interview went badly, so I didn’t think they would give me a second chance.
a second language (= a language you speak that is not your first language )
▪
Most of the students learned English as their second language.
a second/follow-up interview (= a more detailed interview after you have been successful in a previous interview )
▪
She was asked back for a second interview.
beat sb into second/third etc place
▪
He was beaten into second place in the Monaco Grand Prix.
closing stages/seconds/minutes etc
▪
in the closing years of his life
come first/second etc
▪
She came first in the 200 metres.
come first/second/third etc in a competition
▪
Stuart came second in the swimming competition.
come in first/second etc
▪
His horse came in second to last.
come off second best (= lose a game or competition, or not be as successful as someone else )
engage first/second etc gear (= put the car into gear )
▪
Nick struggled to engage first gear.
enter its third week/sixth day/second year etc
▪
The talks have now entered their third week.
every few seconds/ten days etc
▪
Re-apply your sunscreen every two hours.
finish first/second/third etc
▪
He finished second in the 100 metres, behind Ben Johnson.
first/second etc prize
▪
She won first prize in a poetry competition.
first/second etc quarter earnings (= the amount a company earns during one of the four periods of three months that make up a financial year )
▪
The company’s fourth quarter earnings are excellent.
first/second/last post (= the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day )
▪
The last post is at 5.30.
first/second/next etc in line for
▪
He must be first in line for the editor’s job.
first/second/sixth etc form
▪
examinations taken in the fourth form
first/second/third class honours degree
first/second/third etc gear
▪
The heavy traffic meant that we seldom got out of second gear.
get/buy sth second hand
▪
We got most of our furniture second hand.
heard...second hand
▪
It may not be true – I only heard it second hand .
motion...seconded (= formally supported )
▪
The motion was seconded by Mr. Levin.
on the first/second etc attempt ( also at the first/second etc attempt British English )
▪
The car started at the second attempt.
put the car etc into (first/second/third etc) gear
▪
He put the car into gear, and they moved slowly forwards.
sb's first/second/last etc appearance
▪
This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
sb’s first/second etc marriage
▪
She had two children from her first marriage.
sb’s first/second try
▪
This is his first try at directing.
second base
second best
▪
Allie was the second best shooter on the rifle team.
second best
▪
I’m not going to settle for second best .
second childhood
second class
second hand
▪
We got most of our furniture second hand.
second hand
second home
▪
town-dwellers who buy second homes in the countryside
second language
second lieutenant
Second Life
second name
▪
‘What’s your second name?’ ‘Jones.’
second person
second sight
second/next to last (= last except for one other )
▪
the second to last paragraph
seconds/moments/minutes/hours
▪
We knew we only had a few more precious hours together.
second/third etc from bottom
▪
United currently lie second from bottom of the Premier League.
settle for second best
▪
I’m not going to settle for second best .
split second
▪
For a split second the two men hesitated.
State Second Pension, the
the first/second etc draft
▪
The second draft of the agreement contained a few important changes.
the first/second etc quarter
▪
in the last quarter of the 19th century
the first/second etc tier
▪
The second tier of the programme is in-house training.
the first/second half of the century
▪
In the second half of the century, people's wages began to rise.
the first/second half
▪
Profits doubled in the first half of the year.
the first/second/third/fourth quarter
▪
The home side took the lead in the second quarter.
the first/second/third/fourth quarter
▪
The company’s profits rose by 11% in the first quarter of the year.
the Premier/First/Second/Third/Fourth Division
▪
a second-division club
the second team (= the team with players who are not as good as those in the first team )
▪
He stepped up from the second team when Roberts was injured.
tie for first/second etc place
▪
Woosnam and Lyle tied for fourth place on 264.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(at) second/third/fourth hand
▪
A computer virus A watch with a second hand doing double time.
▪
Deathtraps: Coroner's warning over second hand electrical goods.
▪
Other rates may apply where the development is acquired second hand , or is merely a refurbishment of an existing industrial building.
▪
The Fourth Hand glides to a soft landing in Wisconsin, and readers will be left smiling.
▪
The leader takes a watch with a second hand , points to a player and calls out a letter of the alphabet.
▪
The second hand had its own dial at the bottom of the face.
▪
The story is now taken up at second hand .
▪
There is even a chapter on buying second hand - which has to be a boon for other Leica devotees.
First Class/Second Class Honours
a matter of seconds/weeks/hours etc
▪
Already we read that within a matter of weeks the number of the believers was 120.
▪
At least 30 rounds went off in a matter of seconds.
▪
But these days, the time between orders and shipments has shrunk to a matter of weeks.
▪
Hay says that Sarin would normally degrade in an open environment in a matter of hours.
▪
It seemed to the rector that it all happened within a matter of seconds.
▪
Many other soy sauces are chemically produced in a matter of hours.
▪
More to the point, he prevailed on Amelia to write the text in a matter of weeks.
▪
The new cabinet and other ministerial appointments are announced within a matter of days, sometimes within a matter of hours.
a poor second/third etc
▪
All in all marriage was a pragmatic affair and individual desires came a poor second to the harmony of the group.
▪
Food was taking a poor second on my diet sheet this evening.
▪
It is true though, that where waters are absolutely saturated with maggots, even bread comes a poor second.
▪
Peter hit a poor drive and a poor second, to the right of a nasty greenside bunker.
▪
Saturn is a poor third, and Jupiter is dead last.
▪
The passenger has always come a poor second to the operational integrity of the system.
▪
The Socialists would come a poor second with 26.5%; the Communists could expect no more than 7%.
▪
They have a poor third quarter.
a split second
another/a second bite at the cherry
be first/second/next etc in line to the throne
be placed first/second etc
▪
But it is unwise to assume that parents will inevitably pose a problem when they are placed first.
▪
Fiona Burgess was placed second with Jenny Dwyer improving on past form to gain third position.
▪
Inside the bracket the symbol of the central atom is placed first.
dying moment/minutes/seconds
▪
And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
▪
Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
▪
In the dying minutes, full-back, Paul Bodin burst through.
▪
Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
▪
One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
▪
Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
▪
The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
first/second etc year
▪
By his second year , he said, nearly 30 schools were sending him letters.
▪
Early in the first year his behaviour pattern was showing dips and troughs.
▪
Everything about it has helped me to grapple with the intricacies of machine knitting in this, my second year .
▪
He had discussed this throughout his first year but had found no solution.
▪
In her second year , she met Edgar Lintot.
▪
Oryx Energy, like Melville, made the list for a second year in a row.
▪
That first year , by happy accident, the itinerary was set for every ride that has followed.
first/second/sixth etc former
▪
Debbie is a sixth former at Abergele High School.
first/second/third etc place
▪
But I think I got into drama professionally in the first place by accident.
▪
But it's even more of a comfort for baby if he doesn't get wind in the first place .
▪
In the opening 250 race Robert Dunlop stayed well clear of a hectic battle for second place behind him.
▪
In the second place , it involves some intention to maintain that control on the part of the possessor.
▪
The firm which supplied the scaffold blames the boy's parents for letting him play there in the first place .
▪
There is almost a tinge of predestination in footballers' reflections on how they came to sport in the first place .
▪
We never enjoyed them in the first place .
▪
Why had they come to this country in the first place ?
half a minute/moment/second etc
▪
Add bean sprouts and cook another half minute.
▪
After one and a half minutes the aircraft began to overshoot, correctly making an initial turn to the west.
▪
I pulled to the curb for half a minute.
▪
Poole and Bowman studied the screen in silence for half a minute.
▪
Report repeated two and a half second ticking sounds from plane.
▪
The fireball is visible for about half a minute before the object exits from the atmosphere with its original speed virtually undiminished.
▪
The fireball that came with the flash lasted for half a second and enveloped the whole stumbling figure.
in the dying minutes/seconds/moments (of sth)
▪
And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
▪
Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
▪
Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
▪
One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
▪
Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
▪
The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
just a minute/second/moment
▪
Just a minute, that's not what she told us.
▪
Just a minute. Let me see if he's here.
▪
And he had deliberately caught his flight with just minutes to spare.
▪
Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement.
▪
For just a moment there, tournament golf had taken its toll: Saavedra had lost the head.
▪
I wan na wait, wait, wait just a second.
▪
It takes just a second: One car plows into another and the backup begins.
▪
It went dead for just a second.
▪
Let's continue the story for just a moment in a ridiculous way.
▪
Neighbours pulled her to safety just minutes before flames took hold.
lie (in) second/third/fourth etc (place)
▪
After his win in Frankfurt on Sunday, he lies second in the series just behind Michel Robert.
▪
Driving a Banbury prepared Prodrive Subaru, McRae now lies third in the championship.
not give sth a second thought/another thought
play second fiddle (to sb)
▪
He was never more than a B-movie actor, playing second fiddle to actors like Errol Flynn.
▪
But putts and drives will play second fiddle to schmoozing when top sports celebrities take center stage at the golf club.
▪
Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.
▪
He had been a reluctant ally and may well have resented playing second fiddle to his younger brother.
▪
Mr Pozsgay was simply fed up with playing second fiddle, a characteristic that was to re-emerge later.
▪
She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.
▪
So often he has played second fiddle to Wright and notched only nine goals last season to his partner's 30.
▪
The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.
▪
Throughout her married life she had to play second fiddle to the interests of her husband.
take second place (to sb/sth)
▪
However, religious identity had taken second place to secular nationalism for a whole generation.
▪
However, toilet training took second place to skill with weapons or natural aggression.
▪
It's not unusual for man to be put in this position of taking second place .
▪
Nina was telling Joe that she was here to help but not to take second place to his wife.
▪
Since she was utterly devoted to my father, her children inevitably took second place .
▪
Spider then is able to confront his fear and on the big night, he takes second place in the spelling bee.
▪
There was criticism that books took second place , even when it came to the design of the building.
▪
Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
the 10-second/40% etc barrier
three minutes/ten seconds etc flat
two points/five seconds etc adrift (of sb)
wait a minute/second/moment etc
▪
And wait a minute ... Sage Derby.
▪
And hey, wait a minute.
▪
Beth, can it wait a minute?
▪
But wait a minute! - Wasn't that blood?
▪
But wait a minute, what's this?
▪
I rounded the corner, then stopped, waited a moment and peeked back into the lobby.
▪
They come back, you know, if I wait a minute.
▪
Ward waited a moment by the door.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A second , then third decimation began.
▪
Another forecaster places it second , and two others pick it to tie for runner-up.
▪
He is not paid £20 million a year to come second .
▪
The second was a glass dome, the size of a man, and a little taller than our hero.
▪
Thus this second part is simply the tape that supposed to act on.
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
only
▪
Given any number, it takes her only a second to work out the combination of smaller numbers which add up to it.
▪
The computation of probabilities took Jezrael only seconds .
▪
Now there are only seconds between the sharp bends.
▪
The van burst into flames, giving the two occupants only seconds to get out before it was engulfed.
▪
By now, only seconds after the alarm had been raised, the fire was already well established along its full length.
▪
She knew it was only seconds .
▪
Donna had only seconds to appreciate its beauty; she had other things on her mind.
▪
I was frightened, of course, but only for a second or two.
split
▪
Grant flung himself to one side ... but this time he was just a split second too late.
▪
For a split second , Constance failed to realise that he had released his grip on her.
▪
Unbelievably, for a split second , he was sure he saw a look of relief on the face of Nell Anderson.
▪
In a split second of surprised immobility, Grant saw the deadly muzzle come to bear on him.
▪
In that split second , as she and Benton fell from the train, Donna knew.
▪
It occurred to him, in that split second , to let it fall.
▪
The training officer lifted the phone, and the buzz in the room subsided in a split second .
■ NOUN
half
▪
Analysts are looking for full-year profits approaching £160m, after the important second half .
▪
Arizona made 20 miscues against Oregon State, including a dozen in that sloppy second half .
▪
He put in a superb second half , scored twice and Palace had to come home defeated by 2-3.
▪
Between 1900 and 1910, more people migrated to the United States than in the entire second half of the nineteenth century.
■ VERB
last
▪
The witnesses would say later that the searingly brilliant white flash seemed to last for several seconds .
▪
Ferguson lasted a little longer 17 seconds into the second round than Michael Dokes did in Bowe's first title defence last February.
▪
He gave only one kind of sound, a grating, even-toned grunt that lasted about one second .
▪
It lasted only ten seconds and it was at four in the morning when nobody was around.
▪
Different films were again separated by a blue field lasting five seconds .
▪
The drumroll lasts a second or two.
wait
▪
He waited a few seconds then got into the car and started it up.
▪
I guess so. Wait here a second .
▪
His pursuer smiled grimly, and waited as many seconds as he dared before heaving himself over the wall with surprising agility.
▪
I told myself to wait a second , get a better grip, try it again.
▪
Up in the bows, one of the bureaucrats flashed a torch twice, waited five seconds and repeated the signal.
▪
But wait , Walt, wait another second .
▪
Apply it over the boards with a roller, wait a few seconds , then wipe it up with a clean cloth.
▪
He waited for a few seconds , but the noise did not repeat itself.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Well, first of all, it's too expensive and second , we don't have anywhere to put it.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A second , then third decimation began.
▪
Another forecaster places it second , and two others pick it to tie for runner-up.
▪
He is not paid £20 million a year to come second .
▪
Left fielder Mark Whiten reached out and poked a tailing fastball over the left-field wall in the second .
▪
Ruth understood why in that tender, desperate second .
▪
The second was a glass dome, the size of a man, and a little taller than our hero.
III. adverb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ VERB
come
▪
The college confirmed that he came second .
▪
The West Bank story came second .
▪
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter came second .
finish
▪
The United States, who finished second , were disqualified for an illegal changeover.
▪
Milbrett finished second in scoring with 15 goals and nine assists for the U.S. women's team.
▪
She made the Olympic team last week, then finished second in the 200 backstroke on Monday.
▪
In the first event, he finished second .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
But, second , in the vast majority of markets, efficient production can be attained with a high degree of competition.
IV. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
motion
▪
He sat down to applause and was followed by H B Beale from Gloucestershire who seconded the motion .
staff
▪
I was seconded to the staff of General Schwarzkopf.
■ VERB
propose
▪
These were proposed by and seconded by and carried unanimously.
▪
Names must be proposed and seconded .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(at) second/third/fourth hand
▪
A computer virus A watch with a second hand doing double time.
▪
Deathtraps: Coroner's warning over second hand electrical goods.
▪
Other rates may apply where the development is acquired second hand , or is merely a refurbishment of an existing industrial building.
▪
The Fourth Hand glides to a soft landing in Wisconsin, and readers will be left smiling.
▪
The leader takes a watch with a second hand , points to a player and calls out a letter of the alphabet.
▪
The second hand had its own dial at the bottom of the face.
▪
The story is now taken up at second hand .
▪
There is even a chapter on buying second hand - which has to be a boon for other Leica devotees.
First Class/Second Class Honours
a matter of seconds/weeks/hours etc
▪
Already we read that within a matter of weeks the number of the believers was 120.
▪
At least 30 rounds went off in a matter of seconds.
▪
But these days, the time between orders and shipments has shrunk to a matter of weeks.
▪
Hay says that Sarin would normally degrade in an open environment in a matter of hours.
▪
It seemed to the rector that it all happened within a matter of seconds.
▪
Many other soy sauces are chemically produced in a matter of hours.
▪
More to the point, he prevailed on Amelia to write the text in a matter of weeks.
▪
The new cabinet and other ministerial appointments are announced within a matter of days, sometimes within a matter of hours.
a poor second/third etc
▪
All in all marriage was a pragmatic affair and individual desires came a poor second to the harmony of the group.
▪
Food was taking a poor second on my diet sheet this evening.
▪
It is true though, that where waters are absolutely saturated with maggots, even bread comes a poor second.
▪
Peter hit a poor drive and a poor second, to the right of a nasty greenside bunker.
▪
Saturn is a poor third, and Jupiter is dead last.
▪
The passenger has always come a poor second to the operational integrity of the system.
▪
The Socialists would come a poor second with 26.5%; the Communists could expect no more than 7%.
▪
They have a poor third quarter.
a split second
another/a second bite at the cherry
be first/second/next etc in line to the throne
dying moment/minutes/seconds
▪
And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
▪
Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
▪
In the dying minutes, full-back, Paul Bodin burst through.
▪
Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
▪
One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
▪
Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
▪
The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
first/second etc year
▪
By his second year , he said, nearly 30 schools were sending him letters.
▪
Early in the first year his behaviour pattern was showing dips and troughs.
▪
Everything about it has helped me to grapple with the intricacies of machine knitting in this, my second year .
▪
He had discussed this throughout his first year but had found no solution.
▪
In her second year , she met Edgar Lintot.
▪
Oryx Energy, like Melville, made the list for a second year in a row.
▪
That first year , by happy accident, the itinerary was set for every ride that has followed.
first/second/sixth etc former
▪
Debbie is a sixth former at Abergele High School.
first/second/third etc place
▪
But I think I got into drama professionally in the first place by accident.
▪
But it's even more of a comfort for baby if he doesn't get wind in the first place .
▪
In the opening 250 race Robert Dunlop stayed well clear of a hectic battle for second place behind him.
▪
In the second place , it involves some intention to maintain that control on the part of the possessor.
▪
The firm which supplied the scaffold blames the boy's parents for letting him play there in the first place .
▪
There is almost a tinge of predestination in footballers' reflections on how they came to sport in the first place .
▪
We never enjoyed them in the first place .
▪
Why had they come to this country in the first place ?
half a minute/moment/second etc
▪
Add bean sprouts and cook another half minute.
▪
After one and a half minutes the aircraft began to overshoot, correctly making an initial turn to the west.
▪
I pulled to the curb for half a minute.
▪
Poole and Bowman studied the screen in silence for half a minute.
▪
Report repeated two and a half second ticking sounds from plane.
▪
The fireball is visible for about half a minute before the object exits from the atmosphere with its original speed virtually undiminished.
▪
The fireball that came with the flash lasted for half a second and enveloped the whole stumbling figure.
just a minute/second/moment
▪
Just a minute, that's not what she told us.
▪
Just a minute. Let me see if he's here.
▪
And he had deliberately caught his flight with just minutes to spare.
▪
Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement.
▪
For just a moment there, tournament golf had taken its toll: Saavedra had lost the head.
▪
I wan na wait, wait, wait just a second.
▪
It takes just a second: One car plows into another and the backup begins.
▪
It went dead for just a second.
▪
Let's continue the story for just a moment in a ridiculous way.
▪
Neighbours pulled her to safety just minutes before flames took hold.
take second place (to sb/sth)
▪
However, religious identity had taken second place to secular nationalism for a whole generation.
▪
However, toilet training took second place to skill with weapons or natural aggression.
▪
It's not unusual for man to be put in this position of taking second place .
▪
Nina was telling Joe that she was here to help but not to take second place to his wife.
▪
Since she was utterly devoted to my father, her children inevitably took second place .
▪
Spider then is able to confront his fear and on the big night, he takes second place in the spelling bee.
▪
There was criticism that books took second place , even when it came to the design of the building.
▪
Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
the 10-second/40% etc barrier
three minutes/ten seconds etc flat
two points/five seconds etc adrift (of sb)
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Alderman Keane nominated him and eighteen other committeemen made lengthy speeches seconding the nomination.
▪
Mr Nichol has been seconded to the region for a special project, studying the effects of community care throughout the country.
▪
These economic pressures were seconded by the intrusion of the state.
▪
With Harman's blessing they were seconding her.
V. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
staff
▪
I was seconded to the staff of General Schwarzkopf.
■ VERB
propose
▪
These were proposed by and seconded by and carried unanimously.
▪
Names must be proposed and seconded .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A quieter but potentially important project is currently under way by Sir John Boreham who has been seconded from the government statistical office.
▪
In addition to financial support, personnel are sometimes seconded to projects and charities.
▪
My father works for an oil company and last summer he was seconded to their Texas headquarters for five years.
▪
These economic pressures were seconded by the intrusion of the state.
▪
With Harman's blessing they were seconding her.