I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a strained/tense atmosphere (= not relaxed )
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As soon as I went in, I was aware of the tense atmosphere in the room.
a tense silence
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There was a brief, tense silence.
past tense
present tense
tensed up
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Brian got so tensed up he could hardly speak.
tense/tighten your muscles (= make them more tight )
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He tensed his stomach muscles, ready for the blow.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
atmosphere
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Bored or tense atmosphere . 2.
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I can vividly remember the tense atmosphere prevailing amongst all Washington crews during December 1952 and January 1953.
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I felt a tense atmosphere of anxiousness build between us.
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Humour, too, can be a way of breaking a tense atmosphere .
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There was suddenly a very, very tense atmosphere .
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The generally tense atmosphere also gave rise to perceptual errors.
moment
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It was a tense moment for everyone because he couldn't control where he landed or his speed.
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It is a single-elimination tournament, which should provide many tense moments .
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It was a long, tense moment as they adjusted the ropes and wrestled with the banner in their precarious position.
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They looked horrible and gave their fans some unnecessarily tense moments .
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It was a tense moment but, luckily, he said yes so the seven-part series was under way.
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It's a tense moment not helped by the failure of the electrical apparatus to fire the devices.
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Words are exchanged, and there is a tense moment or two.
silence
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The meal was held virtually in tense silence .
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So they sat in tense silence together, reading.
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The scary bits created tense silence , while relieved cheers followed the good moments.
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Laura and I sat in tense silence , listening to the creak of the stairs.
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Inside the room, tense silence reigned.
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It was a long drive from the airport, made tedious by the unnatural, tense silence in the cab.
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When he sat down again there was a long, tense silence .
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Everyone worked in tense silence , concentrating on their own particular task.
situation
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Families have the worry of trying to keep things together and trying to be supportive in a tense situation .
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You can see it in their eyes -- years of tense situations and busting cocaine mules.
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A tense situation prevailed for the vote, as 5,000 troops and riot police stood in a state of preparedness.
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Chastising By chastising a horse, we only make a tense situation worse.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
the present tense
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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tense muscles
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Her tone was anxious now, her face tense .
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I always feel tense after driving all day.
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I can feel you're really tense in your lower back.
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In the tense silence that followed, the boys fidgeted uneasily.
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In the program, the hostages re-live the tense days they spent under guard in East Africa.
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Mary's problems at work were making her tense and irritable.
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The atmosphere in the waiting room was extremely tense .
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The journey through the mountains went well even though there were a few tense moments when the car skidded.
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The negotiations became increasingly tense as the weeks went by.
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There was a tense silence, and then everyone began to laugh.
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When someone mentioned Andy's time in prison, the atmosphere grew tense .
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Williams looked a little tense before the game.
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You seem awfully tense - why don't you have a drink and try to relax?
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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At night I fall into bed weary instead of tense .
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Faced with this living miscegenation, I had spells of getting all minimalist, which rendered things a bit tense .
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His shoulders felt tense and the top of the range hissed as a tear escaped from his eyes.
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I tried parries, but they were tight, tense , and ineffective.
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So Allen lay tense and still, watching.
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They stared silently at the impenetrable curtain surrounding the ship, and each face was tense with anxiety.
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When you are tense it is hard to relax but that is just what you need to do.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
up
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If you feel yourself tensing up , then spare a few moments to release that tension and see the difference it can make.
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I tensed up , but he was talking about what dumb videos they had at the mall.
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For answer Tom's whole body on the bar stool tensed up .
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Every time the vestibule door opened, he tensed up .
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Recreational skiers tense up when they encounter fear, be it due to difficult snow conditions, moguls or gradient.
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The whole atmosphere would tense up .
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The more you tense up , the worse it gets.
■ NOUN
body
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Piers took a step towards her, and she felt her body tense and her heart begin to beat quickly.
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Stephen, lying in a shellhole with Byrne, felt his body tense with hatred at the sound of them.
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My fingers gripped the telephone receiver; my body tensed in a familiar effort to fight the rising emotion.
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And remembering it - it seemed more as if she relived it - her whole body ached, tensed , fidgeted.
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The body tenses , the neck hunches and the eyes close protectively.
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The dark eyes were glowing with hostility and the man's whole body had tensed .
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They still breathe out when they strike, forcing the air out of their body and tensing their muscles.
muscle
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Your muscles tense in readiness for physical action.
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During practice sessions on relaxation techniques, Patricia recognized that when she had an anxious thought, her muscles tensed .
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Francesca's neck muscles tensed every time she took a breath and her nostrils dilated.
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Your muscles are tensed , your breathing irregular, first shallow, then deep.
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A muscle tensed a fraction in his jaw.
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Every muscle tensed , and she swallowed nervously, but she carried on with her appointed task with renewed concentration.
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When the muscles start to tense , the stretch is beginning.
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If you don't feel the muscles tense , then you are not stretching at all.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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He put his arm around me, and I tensed up.
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Neal tensed slightly as the plane took off.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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But I was not scared and my legs did not tense with the need for flight.
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He frowns, he tenses - he peers into a sloping hollow.
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I tensed on the controls, involuntarily leaning forward, ready to take off.
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She tensed involuntarily, looking into his eyes with growing panic.
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She tensed with the need to resist the powerful feelings he was evoking.
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Stephen, lying in a shellhole with Byrne, felt his body tense with hatred at the sound of them.
III. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
past
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Humans have no problem in determining that this is the past tense of the verb preach.
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This is written in paragraphs explaining in the past tense what has been seen.
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For instance, the past tense of regular verbs is expressed by adding -d or -ed to the infinitive.
present
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The present tense is generally also used when telling a story, as in a summary of the narrative of a novel.
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P make sure the statement is in the present tense .
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The present tense is used in this case because it carries a sense of immediacy and impact.
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Bernstein was unable to construct anything other than disjointed school-book phrases in the present tense .
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Switching from the future to the present tense has other advantages.
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Every time you find a patient talking in past tense instead of present tense he is not returned to an incident.
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She lived in the present tense of the school with its totally absorbing pattern of routine and minor rebellion.
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Harrison writes in the present tense , excising names, places, location, time frame.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Again, the rewriting task will require changing tenses.
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Another section is devoted entirely to grammar drills, including the use of prepositions, comparatives, negatives and verb tenses.
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In Amalgamemnon Brooke-Rose gets round this problem by using non-realized tenses and moods.
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Switching from the future to the present tense has other advantages.
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The former wrote of the apostles in the past tense .