I. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a positive thought
▪
Think positive thoughts.
abstract thought (= thinking about ideas )
▪
Human beings are the only creatures capable of abstract thought .
banish the memory/thought/image etc (of sb/sth)
▪
They tried to banish the memory from their minds.
be right in saying/thinking etc
▪
I think I’m right in saying they once employed 2000 people.
careful consideration/attention/thought
▪
Careful consideration has been given to all applications.
clarity of vision/purpose/thought etc
▪
Churchill’s clarity of vision impressed all who knew him.
comforting thought
▪
With this comforting thought , Harry fell asleep.
count/consider/think yourself lucky (= believe that you are lucky in a particular situation )
▪
You should count yourself lucky you weren’t seriously hurt.
dismiss a thought
▪
Was he lying? I tried to dismiss the thought.
don’t think much (= I do not think it is good )
▪
I don’t think much of that idea .
dread the thought/prospect of (doing) sth
▪
He dreaded the prospect of being all alone in that house.
find/think of/come up with an explanation
▪
Scientists have been unable to find an explanation for this phenomenon.
have a look/walk/sleep/talk/think etc
▪
We were just having a look around.
▪
Are you going to have a swim?
hope so/think so/say so etc
▪
‘Will I need my umbrella?’ ‘I don’t think so.’
▪
If you want to go home, just say so.
I dread to think (= I think it will be very bad )
▪
I dread to think what will happen if they get elected .
it is a mistake to think/assume etc sth
▪
It would be a mistake to assume that all snakes are dangerous.
it is comforting to think/have/know etc
▪
It’s comforting to know I can call my parents any time.
it is naive to think/suppose/assume etc
▪
It would be naive to think that this could solve all the area’s problems straight away.
joined-up thinking
▪
the need for joined-up thinking between departments
lateral thinking
look/listen/think etc carefully
▪
You need to think very carefully about which course you want to do.
lost in thought
▪
Harry just stood there, lost in thought .
make up/think up/invent an excuse
▪
I made up some excuse about my car breaking down.
▪
We’d better think up an excuse, fast.
mislead sb into believing/thinking etc sth
▪
Don’t be misled into thinking that scientific research is easy.
pause for thought
▪
'Of course,' she replied, without pausing for thought.
popularly believed/thought/called etc
▪
Vitamin C is popularly believed to prevent colds.
positive thinking
▪
Many people believe that positive thinking can help your recovery from serious illnesses.
quick thinking
▪
Robertson’s quick thinking had saved the little girl’s life.
rational thought
▪
Babies were thought to be incapable of rational thought.
relish the prospect/thought/idea
▪
I don’t relish the thought of you walking home alone.
right-wing/liberal/economic etc think tank
▪
a leading member of a Tory think tank
sb can’t help feeling/thinking/wondering etc sth
▪
I can’t help feeling that there has been a mistake.
▪
I couldn’t help thinking about the past.
shuddered at the thought of
▪
He shuddered at the thought of the conflict ahead.
sobering thought
▪
It was a sobering thought .
stop to think/consider etc
▪
It’s time we stopped to think about our next move.
strand of thought/opinion/argument
▪
Plato draws all the strands of the argument together.
Take no thought for the morrow (= do not worry about the future )
▪
Take no thought for the morrow .
the thought has (never) crossed my mind (= used to tell someone you have thought of the thing they are suggesting, or have never thought of it )
the very idea/thought (= just an idea or suggestion )
▪
The very idea of acting on stage scares the pants off me.
think aloud (= say the things you are thinking )
▪
‘What did you say?’ ‘ Sorry, I was just thinking aloud.’
think critically
▪
We teach students to think critically about the texts they are reading.
think deeply
▪
Most doctors think deeply about what their patients want.
think of a reason/see a reason
▪
I see no reason why it shouldn’t work.
▪
I can’t think of any reason why she would want to leave.
think of an answer
▪
She couldn’t think of a suitable answer to his question.
think of/devise a way
▪
I have to think of a way to make some money.
think positive (= think positive thoughts )
▪
Cheer up and think positive.
think positively
▪
They’re encouraged to think positively about themselves and their future.
think tank
▪
a leading member of a Tory think tank
think the unthinkable (= plan for unexpected events or situations )
▪
It was the job of the committee to think the unthinkable .
think/speak highly of sb
▪
I’ve always thought very highly of Michael.
thought long and hard
▪
He had thought long and hard before getting involved with the project.
thought longingly
▪
She thought longingly of returning to Paris.
tremble to think
▪
I tremble to think what will happen when she finds out.
well thought of
▪
Her work is well thought of in academic circles.
wince at the memory/thought/idea
▪
I still wince at the thought of that terrible evening.
wishful thinking
▪
I think she rather likes me. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
about
▪
Think about what you owe, too, in terms of mortgages, credit cards, loans or hire purchase.
▪
How about wearing apparel for the feet, or the things Napoleon thought about the day he died?
▪
Mind, there was one night that I've often thought about .
▪
You think about how you got here and all the work you put in.
▪
Matilda had never once stopped to think about where Miss Honey might be living.
▪
Well, buddy, censor those thoughts right now and start thinking about sleek, contemporary sportswear.
▪
Hopeless, I walked towards the nearest town, which was further away than I cared to think about .
▪
There are too many things to think about .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
I can only think/suppose/assume (that)
▪
As for an Iguana Air, I can only assume it's a tropical airline.
▪
Now if I can only think of their name.
I should think/imagine/hope
▪
He said there might be one way, you know, I should think about it.
▪
I wouldn't mind. I should think he'd be very demanding.
▪
Interesting, I should think, with a name like Hamish.
▪
Look at my dad. I should think he's got half his lunch down his.
▪
Looking forward to getting back to your farm, I should think?
▪
Not for far, I should think - not if its nose has gone.
▪
Rather like seizure, I should imagine.
I would think/imagine/say
▪
And that, I would say, is what we, in our own religious rites, had best be doing too.
▪
Dominic remains, I would say, a preposterously beautiful creature.
▪
Elizabeth: I would say about 185 pounds.
▪
Is there a chance Chrysler might buy Fiat? I would think there's essentially zero chance of that happening.
▪
Perhaps it is more a matter for philosophers than scientists, but I would say not.
▪
Pretty heavily on fire, too, I would think.
▪
That is a prime question, I would say, of this hour in the bringing up of children.
▪
This looks tough, I would think, and then immediately forget about it.
If I should die, think only this of me:/That there's some corner of a foreign field/That is forever England
be inclined to agree/think/believe etc
▪
After reading this book, you might be inclined to think so.
▪
Before then, we are inclined to believe only hip jazz musicians and self-destructive beat poets did dope.
▪
I am inclined to believe the police.
▪
Or did he, as some are inclined to think, actually invent it?
▪
Some conservative politicians were inclined to agree.
▪
Still, when he makes a statement such as you refer to, I would be inclined to believe him.
▪
We are inclined to think of connections between earlier and later events rather than connections between simultaneous events.
▪
You are inclined to agree with their judgement.
deep in thought/conversation etc
▪
Anthea and the professor had been deep in conversation with an eager group of ladies from Leicester, leaving Meryl momentarily alone.
▪
Clarence and the mayor were still deep in conversation.
▪
He was deep in conversation with the daughter of the house, a little girl of about twelve.
▪
The boy-him, he had to remind himself-looked deep in thought.
▪
The Count was deep in conversation with the mayor, who was staring down at his feet.
don't give it another thought
▪
"I'm really sorry about that." "Don't give another thought ."
▪
"I'm sorry we had to cancel the party.'' "Oh, please don't give it another thought . It wasn't your fault that you were ill!''
food for thought
▪
The study on poverty certainly offers food for thought to America's leaders.
▪
And there is plenty of food for thought.
▪
He never got past the words food for thought.
▪
Ian Wright also had food for thought as he made a hasty exit from Arsenal's demoralised dressing room.
▪
It's food for thought, though.
▪
Jeffcoate W.. Obesity is a disease: food for thought.
▪
Several interesting issues present some food for thought, however.
▪
That building provides us with food for thought.
▪
The lack of parcels and buses gave us all some food for thought of late.
forward planning/thinking
▪
A bit of forward planning would have ensured a sum was put aside in the budget.
▪
A little bit of forward thinking years ago has put the Eagles in terrific position now.
▪
But he does want to stimulate constructive forward thinking.
▪
Findings relate to expenditure, degree of forward planning, objectives, workforce attitudes, management awareness and use of consultancies.
▪
His introduction to the art of place-kicking, however, was hardly a result of deep forward planning.
▪
In each of the schools, the library was clearly still high on the agenda for forward planning and review.
▪
It is at this point that proper forward planning and the use of the time log become of crucial importance.
▪
The message which emerges is clearly one of forward planning to avoid any undesirable over-involvement in management decisions.
give sb pause (for thought)
▪
High real estate prices have given potential buyers pause .
▪
But it gave you some pause to think of what else might be crawling around there.
▪
Even seemingly innocuous turnstile-exits with interlocking horizontal bars give my sister pause , however.
▪
It gave him pause , but soon enough he had his own retort.-Yeah, right.
▪
Knowing what Edmund has done to his real father might have given Cornwall pause before proclaiming himself the next one.
▪
The breadth of this holding gives one pause .
▪
Their sparring for position of least-favoured son gave me pause for thought.
▪
Yet the offer seems to have given Burton no pause .
great minds (think alike)
▪
Great visions are the signs of great minds and there were few greater visions than those of Newton and Einstein.
▪
Alas, there is no space to give a proper account of the thoughts of these great minds.
▪
Some of the confusion would certainly have been lessened if the two great minds had had opportunities to exchange ideas.
▪
That presents no danger if our great minds are in Paris or London or the United States.
▪
The excitement of the intellectual revolution produced some great minds and some important discoveries.
habit of thought/mind
▪
And such habits of mind survive the passage of time.
▪
But a habit of mind, something much more important, will stay with young people.
▪
Has this become a habit of mind?
▪
If views are similar it's because habits of thought are the same.
▪
The care of the interior demands an obsessive habit of mind.
▪
These habits of thought and action enable a business or work group to take full credit for the triumphs it achieves.
▪
This was his habit of mind.
▪
What habits of thought could matter more?
it was nothing/think nothing of it
it's just a thought
it's the thought that counts
it's/that's a thought!
just think/imagine/look
▪
Anyway, I just thought I'd write to suggest that we meet up at some point.
▪
I just think an organization like this should be hearing how the board thinks.
▪
I just thought something that was see through maybe on that wall would.
▪
I get a headache just looking at a cookbook.
▪
I promised myself I was just looking.
▪
I will spend that day in a field of black smokers, just looking.
▪
Similarly, you should not just look at the eyes or ears when there may be a problem here.
▪
We just thought - obviously very stupidly - that you might be working on something together.
lie back and think of England
little did sb know/realize/think etc
▪
But little did he know at the time, how soon he'd need it.
mean the world to sb/think the world of sb
not believe/think/do sth for a/one moment
▪
His hand had not wavered for a moment .
▪
His leader did not believe for one moment the protestations of innocence.
▪
I do not concede for a moment that this is a devolution measure.
▪
I would not suggest for one moment that they existed here.
▪
Neither team will half-step, not even for a moment .
not give sth a second thought/without a second thought
not think/believe etc for one minute
put on your thinking cap
▪
Instead, put on your thinking cap, and turn those prepared ingredients into new dishes.
say/think/decide etc otherwise
▪
But he knew that people thought otherwise , and that their false impression was his own fault.
▪
But I wanted to have it on the record, in case any of you think otherwise .
▪
Donald thinks otherwise - and the upshot may be that he will sue.
▪
Many might seek to use the asylum route and, indeed, it would be naive to think otherwise .
▪
People think otherwise , surely, from politicians: more simply, about horror, fear, survival?
▪
The rich supposedly think otherwise -- and manage to pay very little.
▪
To say otherwise would be bitterness and we know better than to surrender.
▪
To think otherwise , it seems, is to reveal oneself as an ignoramus who does not know enough characters.
school of thought
▪
According to one school of thought, the disease is caused by a genetic defect.
▪
There are many schools of thought on how yoga should be taught.
▪
There are two schools of thought. One wants to control inflation, while the other is more interested in boosting employment.
▪
Basically, there were two schools of thought.
▪
Each school of thought has enjoyed constant internal debate about assumptions and methods.
▪
Indeed, one school of thought believed that the female brain was biologically different from that of the male.
▪
Inevitably this has meant some over-simplifying, stereotyping and exaggeration in the claims and counter-claims of the different schools of thought.
▪
There are two schools of thought concerning the application of syntactic knowledge.
▪
There are various schools of thought on how captions or short photo-stories should be affixed to photographs.
▪
Two schools of thought emerged during the summer of 1936.
see/think fit (to do sth)
▪
The government has seen fit to start testing more nuclear weapons.
▪
Add details as you see fit .
▪
For example, the firm can implement its own quality and inspection policies and amend these as they see fit .
▪
He was their final court of appeal and punished them as he saw fit .
▪
If particular LEAs see fit to alter their priorities and redeploy funds from one area to another, that is their decision.
▪
Meg had - this gift; the Lord saw fit - no qualms, she stole the jacket.
▪
Once the states knew the message of the day, they could reinforce it as they saw fit .
▪
The public can use, abuse or change the software in any way they see fit .
▪
There were some girls that I thought fit Selena more physically.
serious attention/consideration/thought
▪
A more serious consideration to my mind is the continued quotation of Ingard shares on the Stock Exchange.
▪
Book publishing is another important aspect of the print media to which private organisations and the government should pay serious attention.
▪
But little serious thought has been given to this problem.
▪
Dangerous goods and perishable goods are two examples of operational specializations worth serious consideration.
▪
It does not mean that money has to rule, but it is a necessary and serious consideration.
▪
It was high time she got down to serious thought about her doctorate.
▪
The concept of interleague play in major league baseball is certainly intriguing, worthy of serious consideration.
▪
The fact is that I had already begun to give serious consideration to the possibility of doing away with Dennis Parsons.
spare a thought for sb
▪
But spare a thought for Helen Williams.
▪
But whereas Errol struck it lucky, spare a thought for Instonian Neil Cooke.
▪
Let us take a moment this Advent to spare a thought for what the poorest of our world are waiting for.
▪
While all these contrivances give us the pleasure of moving water, we must spare a thought for the plants beneath.
▪
Whilst knitting your designs you might spare a thought for Giant Pandas now very much an endangered species.
speak/think well of sb
▪
Uncle Brian always thought well of you.
▪
Ensure they speak well of us rather than denigrate us to their friends.
▪
If they did this particularly well , analysts were thought well of by their bosses.
▪
Instead, we were awkward and seething-which didn't encourage scouts, barbers or anyone to speak well of us.
▪
It was important to him to know this, because he wanted her to think well of him.
▪
She speaks well of you, and I am uneasy.
▪
The Newleys' acquaintances spoke well of the dead in order to think ill of the living.
▪
Why was it so important to her whether I thought well of her or not?
the thinking man's/woman's etc sth
they say/think etc
▪
Black children from middle-class or affluent families, they say, are more apt to adopt what is commonly called black slang.
▪
But the president essentially endorsed Rumsfeld's approach, they said.
▪
Employers' groups welcomed the reforms, though they said more are necessary to encourage employers to take on permanent staff.
▪
Goodness only knows what makes them tick, or why they thought they could get away with it here.
▪
I thanked them for praying for me and seeing me now, hoped they thought their efforts worthwhile.
▪
Light a match, they say, and flames flicker over it like brandy on a Christmas pudding.
▪
She asked them why; they said it was because they had information that the two children had been sexually abused.
▪
These others stand on something they said.
think (that) the world revolves around you
think badly of sb/sth
▪
I could easily go in and request part-time work, and no one would think badly of me.
▪
Try not to think badly of me.
think the world owes you a living
think you're it
▪
You think you're it don't you? Well you're not!
think/say etc as much
▪
Archaeological analyses say as much about the interpreters as about the extinct cultures.
▪
Even the defense attorneys who went up against him said as much .
▪
He felt convinced that Aeneas was the son-in-law Faunus had predicted, and he said as much to the envoys.
▪
He said as much to Katherine on their second evening together.
▪
He said as much when he finally let things loose.
▪
Kennedy said as much in the summer of 1961, when he met Khrushchev in Vienna.
▪
The women stood in silence, glad of each other's presence and without the need to say as much .
▪
They will do and say as much as they dare, to get the client's money.
think/see straight
▪
He always saw straight to the point of an argument.
▪
Metaphorically speaking, you could see straight through him to the other side of the room.
▪
On the outermost point of the peninsula we could see straight over to Midland Isle and just beyond that to Skomer Island.
▪
Since that day she had not been able to sleep, or to think straight .
▪
Sooner or later he would be too exhausted to think straight and would give up the fight against himself.
▪
The buzz made it hard to think straight .
▪
Then she might - just might - be able to think straight .
▪
You are horrified, you can not think straight , as you stare at the broken body.
think/speak ill of sb
▪
The candidates clearly did not want to speak ill of each other during the campaign.
▪
But she never speaks ill of anyone.
▪
He spoke ill of me to his friends.
▪
I know speaking ill of the dead and all that.
▪
Surely it is better to speak ill of the dead than of the living.
▪
The Newleys' acquaintances spoke well of the dead in order to think ill of the living.
▪
You wish to think all the world respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of any body.
to my way of thinking
▪
I never could understand what she saw in him - a bit thin and weedy, to my way of thinking.
▪
The artist, to my way of thinking, is a monstrosity, something outside nature.
▪
The frigid lands, to my way of thinking, provide good support of the Catastrophe Theory of Earth's evolution.
train of thought
▪
Problem Too many phone calls breaking my train of thought.
▪
Some one called out, breaking his train of thought.
▪
The first task attempted will be to trace the train of thought in this unit.
▪
The kettle began to whistle, breaking into her train of thought.
▪
These are discussed with a clarity which enables the reader to fully identify with the author's train of thought.
▪
Tracing the train of thought in 6: 12-20 is the task at hand.
▪
Tunes pulled at the hems of her train of thought.
whatever you say/think/want
▪
And she always did whatever she wanted, which was mostly enjoy herself and ignore her homework.
▪
Dare they call her bluff and just let her get on with whatever she thought she could do to inconvenience them?
▪
Eurydice said her daughter could do whatever she wanted to do.
▪
I eat whatever I want and run three miles a day.
▪
I know that I had no intention of stopping the procedure, whatever anyone said or did to influence me.
▪
In my stupidity-or whatever you want to call it-I tried to move around to his left.
▪
The hon. Gentleman can make whatever he wants of it, but it will still not save his seat.
▪
You think you should get whatever you want right away.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
"Did you ask Rita?" "No, I didn't think of that."
▪
"He looks upset," Camilla thought.
▪
"What are you going to do with your day off?" "I don't know - I haven't really thought about it yet."
▪
"What did you do with the keys?" "Hang on, I'm just trying to think ."
▪
Be quiet, I'm thinking.
▪
Do you think they'll come to the party?
▪
Give me time to think .
▪
Has she thought of any names for the baby?
▪
He thought and thought but he couldn't remember.
▪
I've been thinking about how to tell Marcia the bad news.
▪
I've just thought of a really good idea.
▪
I think I'll go and see what's happening out there.
▪
I thought we had a good meeting yesterday.
▪
I can't think where I put it.
▪
I never thought her business would be so successful.
▪
If she thought hard enough, she could just about remember what her mother looked like.
▪
It's a difficult question. Think carefully before you answer.
▪
Just let me think what the title was.
▪
She thinks I'm crazy to leave my job.
▪
The builders said the job would be finished tomorrow, but I don't think that's likely.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
As I stripped off the wet suit, I thought over our situation.
▪
I thought it would make a nice little plug for Mortensen and Brannigan.
▪
I thought of the contents of the suitcase and decided that there was something in what he said.
▪
I don't think I do.
▪
I have been thinking of killing a few people.
▪
In their relationship to their government they think of themselves as neither powerless nor, what is more important, alone.
▪
Meg, who thought things ought to be done properly, invited Alan's parents round for tea, just before Christmas.
▪
They would rather just cheer loudly for the athlete and not think about the politics.
II. noun
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
I can only think/suppose/assume (that)
▪
As for an Iguana Air, I can only assume it's a tropical airline.
▪
Now if I can only think of their name.
I hate to think what/how/where etc
▪
But take care of them, darling. I hate to think what we'd do if they had to be replaced.
I should think/imagine/hope
▪
He said there might be one way, you know, I should think about it.
▪
I wouldn't mind. I should think he'd be very demanding.
▪
Interesting, I should think, with a name like Hamish.
▪
Look at my dad. I should think he's got half his lunch down his.
▪
Looking forward to getting back to your farm, I should think?
▪
Not for far, I should think - not if its nose has gone.
▪
Rather like seizure, I should imagine.
I shudder to think
▪
I shudder to think what will happen to him now.
▪
I never know how carefully. I shudder to think.
▪
I regularly see them sent out alone on shopping errands. I shudder to think what might happen on their way home.
▪
Palestrina! I shudder to think what I should do when her next social invitation arrives in the letter box!
I would think/imagine/say
▪
And that, I would say, is what we, in our own religious rites, had best be doing too.
▪
Dominic remains, I would say, a preposterously beautiful creature.
▪
Elizabeth: I would say about 185 pounds.
▪
Is there a chance Chrysler might buy Fiat? I would think there's essentially zero chance of that happening.
▪
Perhaps it is more a matter for philosophers than scientists, but I would say not.
▪
Pretty heavily on fire, too, I would think.
▪
That is a prime question, I would say, of this hour in the bringing up of children.
▪
This looks tough, I would think, and then immediately forget about it.
I'd like to think/believe (that)
▪
I'd like to believe that he's telling the truth.
▪
I'd like to think I know a little about airplanes.
▪
But I 'd like to think that gallantry isn't dead.
▪
Dad and I clashed more than I 'd like to think about.
▪
I 'd like to think Beardsley and Wright will get the nod and Graham doesn't get it wrong again.
▪
I 'd like to think that it does have some meaning.
▪
It is a novelty record in some respects, although I 'd like to think it's a lot deeper than that too.
▪
Perhaps it wasn't very subtle, but I 'd like to think it was funny.
If I should die, think only this of me:/That there's some corner of a foreign field/That is forever England
be inclined to agree/think/believe etc
▪
After reading this book, you might be inclined to think so.
▪
Before then, we are inclined to believe only hip jazz musicians and self-destructive beat poets did dope.
▪
I am inclined to believe the police.
▪
Or did he, as some are inclined to think, actually invent it?
▪
Some conservative politicians were inclined to agree.
▪
Still, when he makes a statement such as you refer to, I would be inclined to believe him.
▪
We are inclined to think of connections between earlier and later events rather than connections between simultaneous events.
▪
You are inclined to agree with their judgement.
come to think of it/come to that
deep in thought/conversation etc
▪
Anthea and the professor had been deep in conversation with an eager group of ladies from Leicester, leaving Meryl momentarily alone.
▪
Clarence and the mayor were still deep in conversation.
▪
He was deep in conversation with the daughter of the house, a little girl of about twelve.
▪
The boy-him, he had to remind himself-looked deep in thought.
▪
The Count was deep in conversation with the mayor, who was staring down at his feet.
don't give it another thought
▪
"I'm really sorry about that." "Don't give another thought ."
▪
"I'm sorry we had to cancel the party.'' "Oh, please don't give it another thought . It wasn't your fault that you were ill!''
entertain an idea/hope/thought etc
▪
He had entertained thoughts of marrying her and raising a family, but he entered the Society instead.
▪
Most significantly on my sense of a distant but still valid national identity-until then I had entertained hopes of return.
food for thought
▪
The study on poverty certainly offers food for thought to America's leaders.
▪
And there is plenty of food for thought.
▪
He never got past the words food for thought.
▪
Ian Wright also had food for thought as he made a hasty exit from Arsenal's demoralised dressing room.
▪
It's food for thought, though.
▪
Jeffcoate W.. Obesity is a disease: food for thought.
▪
Several interesting issues present some food for thought, however.
▪
That building provides us with food for thought.
▪
The lack of parcels and buses gave us all some food for thought of late.
forward planning/thinking
▪
A bit of forward planning would have ensured a sum was put aside in the budget.
▪
A little bit of forward thinking years ago has put the Eagles in terrific position now.
▪
But he does want to stimulate constructive forward thinking.
▪
Findings relate to expenditure, degree of forward planning, objectives, workforce attitudes, management awareness and use of consultancies.
▪
His introduction to the art of place-kicking, however, was hardly a result of deep forward planning.
▪
In each of the schools, the library was clearly still high on the agenda for forward planning and review.
▪
It is at this point that proper forward planning and the use of the time log become of crucial importance.
▪
The message which emerges is clearly one of forward planning to avoid any undesirable over-involvement in management decisions.
get to thinking/wondering sth
▪
In any case, she had now got to thinking of other things.
▪
Then they got to thinking that maybe you were dead.
▪
There's blood in your body, and I get to thinking about what would happen if your blood froze.
▪
When you've been around guys like Mr. B. awhile, you get to thinking the way they think.
give sb pause (for thought)
▪
High real estate prices have given potential buyers pause .
▪
But it gave you some pause to think of what else might be crawling around there.
▪
Even seemingly innocuous turnstile-exits with interlocking horizontal bars give my sister pause , however.
▪
It gave him pause , but soon enough he had his own retort.-Yeah, right.
▪
Knowing what Edmund has done to his real father might have given Cornwall pause before proclaiming himself the next one.
▪
The breadth of this holding gives one pause .
▪
Their sparring for position of least-favoured son gave me pause for thought.
▪
Yet the offer seems to have given Burton no pause .
give sb to understand/think/believe sth
▪
A parting sniff as she left the room gave the gentleman to understand that he had disappointed her.
▪
But he had also given her time to think what she was doing.
▪
But the knotted tensions between people and groups of people give us plenty to think about.
▪
He would have given anything to believe that Isambard was lying.
▪
Ireland would be given something new to think about.
▪
It obviously gave him plenty to think about.
▪
She'd given more time to thinking about Lucy than anything else for months.
give sth thought/attention/consideration etc
great minds (think alike)
▪
Great visions are the signs of great minds and there were few greater visions than those of Newton and Einstein.
▪
Alas, there is no space to give a proper account of the thoughts of these great minds.
▪
Some of the confusion would certainly have been lessened if the two great minds had had opportunities to exchange ideas.
▪
That presents no danger if our great minds are in Paris or London or the United States.
▪
The excitement of the intellectual revolution produced some great minds and some important discoveries.
habit of thought/mind
▪
And such habits of mind survive the passage of time.
▪
But a habit of mind, something much more important, will stay with young people.
▪
Has this become a habit of mind?
▪
If views are similar it's because habits of thought are the same.
▪
The care of the interior demands an obsessive habit of mind.
▪
These habits of thought and action enable a business or work group to take full credit for the triumphs it achieves.
▪
This was his habit of mind.
▪
What habits of thought could matter more?
it was nothing/think nothing of it
it's just a thought
it's the thought that counts
it's/that's a thought!
just think/imagine/look
▪
Anyway, I just thought I'd write to suggest that we meet up at some point.
▪
I just think an organization like this should be hearing how the board thinks.
▪
I just thought something that was see through maybe on that wall would.
▪
I get a headache just looking at a cookbook.
▪
I promised myself I was just looking.
▪
I will spend that day in a field of black smokers, just looking.
▪
Similarly, you should not just look at the eyes or ears when there may be a problem here.
▪
We just thought - obviously very stupidly - that you might be working on something together.
let me think
▪
I said well, let me think about it.
▪
These kids were by... gee, let me think.
lie back and think of England
little did sb know/realize/think etc
▪
But little did he know at the time, how soon he'd need it.
mean the world to sb/think the world of sb
not believe/think/do sth for a/one moment
▪
His hand had not wavered for a moment .
▪
His leader did not believe for one moment the protestations of innocence.
▪
I do not concede for a moment that this is a devolution measure.
▪
I would not suggest for one moment that they existed here.
▪
Neither team will half-step, not even for a moment .
not give sth a second thought/another thought
not give sth a second thought/without a second thought
not think/believe etc for one minute
perish the thought!
say/think/decide etc otherwise
▪
But he knew that people thought otherwise , and that their false impression was his own fault.
▪
But I wanted to have it on the record, in case any of you think otherwise .
▪
Donald thinks otherwise - and the upshot may be that he will sue.
▪
Many might seek to use the asylum route and, indeed, it would be naive to think otherwise .
▪
People think otherwise , surely, from politicians: more simply, about horror, fear, survival?
▪
The rich supposedly think otherwise -- and manage to pay very little.
▪
To say otherwise would be bitterness and we know better than to surrender.
▪
To think otherwise , it seems, is to reveal oneself as an ignoramus who does not know enough characters.
sb can be forgiven for thinking/believing/feeling etc sth
school of thought
▪
According to one school of thought, the disease is caused by a genetic defect.
▪
There are many schools of thought on how yoga should be taught.
▪
There are two schools of thought. One wants to control inflation, while the other is more interested in boosting employment.
▪
Basically, there were two schools of thought.
▪
Each school of thought has enjoyed constant internal debate about assumptions and methods.
▪
Indeed, one school of thought believed that the female brain was biologically different from that of the male.
▪
Inevitably this has meant some over-simplifying, stereotyping and exaggeration in the claims and counter-claims of the different schools of thought.
▪
There are two schools of thought concerning the application of syntactic knowledge.
▪
There are various schools of thought on how captions or short photo-stories should be affixed to photographs.
▪
Two schools of thought emerged during the summer of 1936.
see/think fit (to do sth)
▪
The government has seen fit to start testing more nuclear weapons.
▪
Add details as you see fit .
▪
For example, the firm can implement its own quality and inspection policies and amend these as they see fit .
▪
He was their final court of appeal and punished them as he saw fit .
▪
If particular LEAs see fit to alter their priorities and redeploy funds from one area to another, that is their decision.
▪
Meg had - this gift; the Lord saw fit - no qualms, she stole the jacket.
▪
Once the states knew the message of the day, they could reinforce it as they saw fit .
▪
The public can use, abuse or change the software in any way they see fit .
▪
There were some girls that I thought fit Selena more physically.
serious attention/consideration/thought
▪
A more serious consideration to my mind is the continued quotation of Ingard shares on the Stock Exchange.
▪
Book publishing is another important aspect of the print media to which private organisations and the government should pay serious attention.
▪
But little serious thought has been given to this problem.
▪
Dangerous goods and perishable goods are two examples of operational specializations worth serious consideration.
▪
It does not mean that money has to rule, but it is a necessary and serious consideration.
▪
It was high time she got down to serious thought about her doctorate.
▪
The concept of interleague play in major league baseball is certainly intriguing, worthy of serious consideration.
▪
The fact is that I had already begun to give serious consideration to the possibility of doing away with Dennis Parsons.
spare a thought for sb
▪
We should spare a thought for those less fortunate.
▪
But spare a thought for Helen Williams.
▪
But whereas Errol struck it lucky, spare a thought for Instonian Neil Cooke.
▪
Let us take a moment this Advent to spare a thought for what the poorest of our world are waiting for.
▪
While all these contrivances give us the pleasure of moving water, we must spare a thought for the plants beneath.
▪
Whilst knitting your designs you might spare a thought for Giant Pandas now very much an endangered species.
spare a thought for sb
▪
But spare a thought for Helen Williams.
▪
But whereas Errol struck it lucky, spare a thought for Instonian Neil Cooke.
▪
Let us take a moment this Advent to spare a thought for what the poorest of our world are waiting for.
▪
While all these contrivances give us the pleasure of moving water, we must spare a thought for the plants beneath.
▪
Whilst knitting your designs you might spare a thought for Giant Pandas now very much an endangered species.
speak/think well of sb
▪
Uncle Brian always thought well of you.
▪
Ensure they speak well of us rather than denigrate us to their friends.
▪
If they did this particularly well , analysts were thought well of by their bosses.
▪
Instead, we were awkward and seething-which didn't encourage scouts, barbers or anyone to speak well of us.
▪
It was important to him to know this, because he wanted her to think well of him.
▪
She speaks well of you, and I am uneasy.
▪
The Newleys' acquaintances spoke well of the dead in order to think ill of the living.
▪
Why was it so important to her whether I thought well of her or not?
sth doesn't bear thinking about
▪
The reaction I'll get when my parents find out doesn't even bear thinking about.
the thinking man's/woman's etc sth
they say/think etc
▪
Black children from middle-class or affluent families, they say, are more apt to adopt what is commonly called black slang.
▪
But the president essentially endorsed Rumsfeld's approach, they said.
▪
Employers' groups welcomed the reforms, though they said more are necessary to encourage employers to take on permanent staff.
▪
Goodness only knows what makes them tick, or why they thought they could get away with it here.
▪
I thanked them for praying for me and seeing me now, hoped they thought their efforts worthwhile.
▪
Light a match, they say, and flames flicker over it like brandy on a Christmas pudding.
▪
She asked them why; they said it was because they had information that the two children had been sexually abused.
▪
These others stand on something they said.
think (that) the world revolves around you
think badly of sb/sth
▪
I could easily go in and request part-time work, and no one would think badly of me.
▪
Try not to think badly of me.
think that the world owes you a living
think you're it
▪
You think you're it don't you? Well you're not!
think/say etc as much
▪
Archaeological analyses say as much about the interpreters as about the extinct cultures.
▪
Even the defense attorneys who went up against him said as much .
▪
He felt convinced that Aeneas was the son-in-law Faunus had predicted, and he said as much to the envoys.
▪
He said as much to Katherine on their second evening together.
▪
He said as much when he finally let things loose.
▪
Kennedy said as much in the summer of 1961, when he met Khrushchev in Vienna.
▪
The women stood in silence, glad of each other's presence and without the need to say as much .
▪
They will do and say as much as they dare, to get the client's money.
think/see straight
▪
He always saw straight to the point of an argument.
▪
Metaphorically speaking, you could see straight through him to the other side of the room.
▪
On the outermost point of the peninsula we could see straight over to Midland Isle and just beyond that to Skomer Island.
▪
Since that day she had not been able to sleep, or to think straight .
▪
Sooner or later he would be too exhausted to think straight and would give up the fight against himself.
▪
The buzz made it hard to think straight .
▪
Then she might - just might - be able to think straight .
▪
You are horrified, you can not think straight , as you stare at the broken body.
think/speak ill of sb
▪
The candidates clearly did not want to speak ill of each other during the campaign.
▪
But she never speaks ill of anyone.
▪
He spoke ill of me to his friends.
▪
I know speaking ill of the dead and all that.
▪
Surely it is better to speak ill of the dead than of the living.
▪
The Newleys' acquaintances spoke well of the dead in order to think ill of the living.
▪
You wish to think all the world respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of any body.
to my way of thinking
▪
I never could understand what she saw in him - a bit thin and weedy, to my way of thinking.
▪
The artist, to my way of thinking, is a monstrosity, something outside nature.
▪
The frigid lands, to my way of thinking, provide good support of the Catastrophe Theory of Earth's evolution.
train of thought
▪
Problem Too many phone calls breaking my train of thought.
▪
Some one called out, breaking his train of thought.
▪
The first task attempted will be to trace the train of thought in this unit.
▪
The kettle began to whistle, breaking into her train of thought.
▪
These are discussed with a clarity which enables the reader to fully identify with the author's train of thought.
▪
Tracing the train of thought in 6: 12-20 is the task at hand.
▪
Tunes pulled at the hems of her train of thought.
whatever you say/think/want
▪
And she always did whatever she wanted, which was mostly enjoy herself and ignore her homework.
▪
Dare they call her bluff and just let her get on with whatever she thought she could do to inconvenience them?
▪
Eurydice said her daughter could do whatever she wanted to do.
▪
I eat whatever I want and run three miles a day.
▪
I know that I had no intention of stopping the procedure, whatever anyone said or did to influence me.
▪
In my stupidity-or whatever you want to call it-I tried to move around to his left.
▪
The hon. Gentleman can make whatever he wants of it, but it will still not save his seat.
▪
You think you should get whatever you want right away.
you can't hear yourself think