adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a primitive/simple creature (= one with only a few cells )
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primitive creatures like bacteria
a simple calculation
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A simple calculation will show that these figures are incorrect.
a simple ceremony
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The gymnasium was opened in a simple ceremony on 26th May.
a simple concept
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Cause and effect is a fairly simple concept.
a simple device
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He invented a simple device for chopping onions.
a simple lifestyle (= in which you do not have too many possessions or modern machines )
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He admired the simple lifestyle of the islanders.
a simple majority (= a majority that has been won by most of the votes )
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A simple majority of the people at the meeting were in favour of the changes.
a simple meal
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a simple meal of soup and bread
a simple melody
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I like songs with a simple melody.
a simple misunderstanding (= one that is not serious and is easy to correct )
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It was a simple misunderstanding: I thought the meeting was on Wednesday, not Thursday.
a simple notion
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You cannot rate the project according to a simple notion of ‘value for money’: there are too many factors involved.
a simple precaution
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You can easily reduce the risk of theft by taking a few simple precautions.
a simple question (= one that is easy to answer )
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All you have to do is answer the three simple questions below.
a simple reason (= one that is easy to understand )
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I hate mobile phones, for the simple reason that it is now impossible to get away from them.
a simple technique
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It is amazing what a difference these simple techniques can make.
a simple test
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Your doctor can give you a simple blood test to check for anaemia.
a simple tip
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He has some simple tips for saving money when you're at the supermarket.
a simple/easy matter (= something that is easy to do )
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Putting together the bookcases is a fairly simple matter.
a simple/easy solution
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There is no easy solution to this problem.
by the simple expedient of
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Moore escaped by the simple expedient of lying down in a clump of grass.
easy/difficult/simple etc to use
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Drop-down menus make the program very easy to use.
happy/sensitive/brave/simple etc soul
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He is really quite a sensitive soul.
have a healthy/simple etc lifestyle
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We had very different lifestyles.
lead a healthy/simple etc lifestyle (= live in a particular way )
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You can change your eating habits and lead a healthier lifestyle.
live a healthy/simple etc lifestyle
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I had enough money to live a lavish lifestyle.
plain/simple (= without anything added or without decoration )
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He liked eating simple food, nothing spicy.
simple fracture
simple interest
simple
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He was a man of simple tastes
(= he liked simple things )
simple
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The latest model of the car has a much simpler design.
simple
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The rules of the game are quite simple.
simple
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The children help with simple tasks like carrying in water or logs for the fire.
simple/plain/basic/sheer common sense (= very obviously sensible )
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Locking your doors at night is simple common sense.
the simple/easy answer
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There are a lot of problems and no simple answers.
the simple/plain/naked truth (= the truth, with nothing added, left out, or hidden )
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The simple truth is that there isn’t enough money to pay for it.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
as
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If only it were as simple for military plutonium.
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It is as simple as that.
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Thus, removing Windows software is not as simple as yanking out that directory and the files it contains.
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But then, it's not as simple as that.
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Millions of vacationing seniors have discovered the answer to stress-free, economical travel is as simple as hopping on a bus.
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But the situation isn't as simple as that.
fairly
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Some of the boats chiselled into the rocks are fairly simple .
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Before, the choices were fairly simple: sheer nude or basic black.
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Voice over It's fairly simple to spot the difference between the real thing and a fake.
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It was fairly simple to devise an educational jump-start for her.
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Although the optimum phase resistance can be calculated, in practice it is a fairly simple matter to determine the optimum experimentally.
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Paul Collins's needs are fairly simple: paint and canvas.
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The topological structure of the decision space can be quite complicated in even a fairly simple program.
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It also would be fairly simple to operate, making it more likely that parents would use it.
much
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It was much simpler than that.
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As we will see shortly, it is much simpler to assure ourselves of gains from trade if it is true.
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It was much simpler four years ago.
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It is much simpler and neater-though not necessarily cheaper-simply to start with raw sugar.
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There is a much simpler explanation of the animal's behaviour.
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I think the plot is much simpler .
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Fortunately, there are animals in which the process is not only much simpler but can be observed directly.
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Vivian may as well lose her wits; only something much simpler can help her.
quite
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It was quite simple really - she wouldn't speak to him.
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The choice of which method to use is actually quite simple .
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Most ferreters today would use one of these locators and the procedure is quite simple .
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The reason for this is quite simple .
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But what it really means is quite simple .
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Example B is still quite simple .
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The intention is quite simple: to identify and match likely responders and users to the credit offering.
relatively
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Earlier releases of the software used two relatively simple ways to provide fault tolerance.
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This scheme often works because users tend to choose relatively simple or familiar words as passwords.
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What would the historian want from the relatively simple records of the water authority?
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A schematic version of this relatively simple circuit is shown in Figure 9.2.
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Before the landing, geologists thought Mars' crust was relatively simple , made up mostly of ordinary basaltic lava rock.
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Although the concept of fund accounting is relatively simple , specific applications of it can be difficult to understand.
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Although the puzzles are enjoyable, they are relatively simple to figure out, making the game short work for experienced gamers.
so
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Fishbase is so simple to operate that no documentation file has been considered necessary.
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Something so simple and yet so complicated.
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Things were never so simple and clear again.
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It was all so simple , I nearly gagged for joy when this idea came to me.
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It had all been so simple until now.
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I bought them on the principle that anything so simple , however modest, would be unlikely to go wrong.
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The cells of viruses are so simple , they hardly qualify as cells at all.
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We are so simple sometimes, and fortified so strangely.
that
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Yet things are evidently not that simple .
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Unfortunately, however, things are not quite that simple .
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But of course it wasn't that simple .
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But it isn't quite that simple .
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Life just isn't that simple .
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It's that simple . let's go back to my hotel and fool around.
very
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A modern multi-storey office block is a very simple design.
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There are three very simple but profound advantages to a more casual style of dressing.
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They take the user from very simple counting and progress to adding two numbers up to a total of 20.
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These women ask for little and lead very simple lives.
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Payback Payback is a very simple and useful method, and hence it is popular.
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Now these were very simple men at least in our terms of culture, learning, and civilization.
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I was asked particularly to notice the very simple but effective apparatus for raising the coaches.
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Yet it is very simple to prepare and offers immense satisfaction for those who follow some simple guidelines.
■ NOUN
answer
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There is a short and simple answer to this question.
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We persist in grasping at neat, simple answers , when we should be questioning everything.
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The simple answer is, they do not.
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There is, unfortunately, no simple answer , for our knowledge on the subject will always be limited.
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The simple answer is - yes.
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Absent a definitively superior or ideal network architecture, there is no simple answer .
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This depends entirely on you and your children and there is no simple answer .
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The simple answer , of course, is safety and quality of life.
case
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It would be nice if the two approaches met, but I fear this is true only in the simplest cases .
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In the simple case of Tommy Termite, financial statements will be prepared directly from the general ledger accounts.
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The finite element and dynamic stiffness methods are introduced and exemplified in simple cases .
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In the simplest case , you may not be sure whether you should continue to turn up for work or not.
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Faldo's disqualification was a simple case to administer.
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Instead it's just a simple case of steering into the slides and normal service is resumed.
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We now proceed to examine some simple cases .
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Consider a simple case with only two molecules.
example
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In this simple example , there is an obvious resolution to the dilemma.
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One simple example of the process would be estimating the height of a child by looking at the height of the parents.
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Let us begin with the simplest example and argue from that.
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Smith liked to use simple examples .
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Here is a simple example of the complexity at issue.
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A simple example will make the concept clearer.
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Clause 7.4 of Precedent 3 is a simple example of such a clause.
expedient
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Now down into crawler gear he pushes on, finding regular protection by the simple expedient of removing most of the ice!
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They divined the contents of sealed envelopes by the simple expedient of opening the staples at the other end of the envelope.
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So he adopted the simple expedient of not opening it until it was beyond his power to act on it.
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The Pearl has a 6,500-strong sales force which collects insurance premiums and arranges policies by the simple expedient of house-to-house calls.
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Billy Bragg has the unusual gift of making other people's songs his own by the simple expedient of singing them.
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And moral outrage at the use of simple expedients can still run high.
fact
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The simple fact of the matter is this: Sparrows love cars.
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That simple fact , which would appear to be self- evident, keeps surprising people.
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This simple fact deprives you of most of the information you would normally have about the other person.
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Intelligent water policies can be designed, but they must take into account the simple fact that this a desert.
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The extent to which the Samoan squad has been turned upside down in recent seasons is illustrated by one simple fact .
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I wanted to find the simple facts of her life.
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One of his linguistics professors, a man named Samuel Goldstein, had helped him understand the consequences of that simple fact .
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This simple fact was studiously ignored by ill-disposed critics, then and since.
form
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It is more important in simpler forms of learning such as skill learning when it usually means repetition.
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Couples with no need to itemize deductions can use the 1040A, another relatively simple form .
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White motion gives the simplest form of scaling noise.
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At first glance, his trademark paintings and sculptures seem to be the simplest form of abstraction.
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This is a simple form of learning.
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This forced on builders a simple form of Gothic architecture.
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We will also look at a simple form of self-massage to help banish cellulite.
life
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How simple life would be, if it was as simple as we think!
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The illustrations are very engaging, where you can show your child the beauty of living a simple life .
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He believed in the simple life and slept on a mattress on the floor.
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A simple life , no one to worry about except yourself. --- Till you go and climb a water tower.
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Coming from a group whose aim is the simpler life , such an entry into the market place raises some intriguing questions.
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These women ask for little and lead very simple lives .
matter
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Although the optimum phase resistance can be calculated, in practice it is a fairly simple matter to determine the optimum experimentally.
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Washing her clothes was no simple matter with Hazel there.
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As far as specific benefits are concerned, the removal of inequalities based on age would be technically a relatively simple matter .
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It is a relatively simple matter to translate the structural possibilities of this model into ideal types of heroic action.
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Yet defining capacity in banking is no simple matter .
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It was a simple matter for Venus to bring about a meeting between the two.
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To most Victorians, truth seemed a simple matter , only confused by people like Pontius Pilate, of conformity to facts.
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Beyond that, however labor markets are no longer a simple matter of distinguishing between white and blue collars.
question
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You will hear two simple questions .
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A simple question first: how do you know you are happy with this arrangement?
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Are there any simple questions that can pick out an alcoholic?
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A simple question requiring a long and thoughtful answer.
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Pupils can continually be encouraged to ask simple questions to make this link.
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A larger, more complicated set of questions then came to replace the first simple questions.
reason
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For one very simple reason , my friend.
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It is going to take off for the simple reason that everybody, with the fundamentalists in the lead, wants change.
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It failed for the simple reason that no coherent principles or policies came forward to replace the old ones.
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He built it for a very simple reason .
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But there was a simpler reason than that: his hunch told him he was not in the mood for it.
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Animals with warning colours on average live longer than those without, and there is a simple reason for this.
task
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You find yourself doing the strangest things that can only be because you are no longer capable of doing the simplest tasks .
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Where keeping house and cooking were not female chores but simple tasks of pleasure and survival.
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Handwashing seems such a simple task but in fact is a subject of surprising contention among health professionals.
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People must sit in front of these computers constantly, poking and prodding to do even the simplest task .
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They may become apathetic, unable to do even the simplest task .
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It was no simple task to complete; one workman, thrown into the raging rapids below almost lost his life.
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Voeller could not believe his luck and had the simple task of tapping the ball into an empty goal.
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Moving a carrier from one coast to another is no simple task , Roulstone said.
things
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We like simple things such as lamb and mashed potatoes.
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Of course, complicated things consist of lots of simpler things.
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Another problem is that the wildlife lobby is divided even over simple things like the future of old farm woodlands.
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Four simple things , for example, can be combined in different ways to make twenty-four different complex things.
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Why am I moved by such simple things ?
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Little things , simple things, like a passport with an eagle on the front cover.
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Physics is the study of simple things that do not tempt us to invoke design.
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They have a hard time learning even the simplest things .
truth
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Even so, it took me till I got to my own house to realise the very simple truth .
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The simple truths according to Marx and Lenin are now crowded by doubts.
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No-one wanted to believe the simple truth .
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The simple truth is you don't need to know that much to find your way around.
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One of the simplest truths about history is that progress is not linear.
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Certainly it misses the simple truth of patience.
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John Arlott's armour was his honest thought and simple truth .
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The simple truth is companies with large central data processing facilities will still need these unpleasant, draughty, noisy rooms.
way
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The simple way to make superb sauces.
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It should be explained in a very simple way .
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Earlier releases of the software used two relatively simple ways to provide fault tolerance.
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There is a simple way of calculating your aerobic walking rate.
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This leads to a simple way of stating the amount of distortion: as the ratio of harmonics to fundamental.
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It shows us some simple ways in which we can all join the drive for a better environment.
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Well, the simplest way , when it's feasible, is by direct observation.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be a different/tricky/simple etc proposition
pure and simple
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The motive for the robbery was greed, pure and simple.
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A gratuitous promise, pure and simple, remains unenforceable unless given under seal.
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But lineage pure and simple was not the only consideration.
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But more subtle problems remain-related to sexism, pure and simple.
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If they lived in the Middle East they were bad, pure and simple.
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The bottom line is in the ledger book, pure and simple.
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The first is pure and simple file transfer.
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The man wants revenge, pure and simple, and he's working logically through the family, saving Stone until last.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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simple organisms such as bacteria
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a simple black dress
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Billy was a very simple boy.
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Even the simple act of eating dinner together can make an evening special.
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He couldn't even answer very simple questions.
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His children find European numbering simpler than the Chinese system.
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I'm sure there's a perfectly simple explanation.
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I like this recipe because it's so simple .
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Many vegetarian meals are delicious and simple to prepare.
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Milk is cheap now for one simple reason: there's too much of it available.
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She drew us a simple map so that we wouldn't get lost.
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She liked the building's simple , clean lines.
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She wore a simple black dress.
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Speak slowly and use simple words so that everyone understands.
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The chicken was served with a simple cream sauce.
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The meal was simple , but delicious.
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The new photocopier is much simpler to use than the one we had before.
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The secret of successful dinner parties? Keep it simple .
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The tribes of Central New Guinea use very simple tools such as hammers and axes.
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There must be a perfectly simple explanation.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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In front a simple porch offered a spectacular vista of coconut-fringed beach, lagoon, and open sea beyond.
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Only the simpler, uglier land mine has shed more blood.
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Remember when packing was a simple exercise?
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Salads on the other hand, are simple , satisfying and sizable.
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The simple sieves we have been considering so far in this chapter are all examples of single-step selection.
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The above equation is the next simplest correction, using a non- unit power of the size attribute.
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To the simple call of justice, there are a number of possible objections.