I.
noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ rapid
▪ slow
▪ dental ( esp. BrE ), tooth
▪ industrial ( esp. BrE ), urban
▪ moral , physical , social
VERB + DECAY
▪ cause
▪
Bacteria stick to food debris in the teeth, causing ~.
▪ stop
▪
Without a lot of money, the mayor won't be able to stop urban ~.
▪ reverse
▪
This government promises to reverse industrial ~.
▪ prevent
▪
The wood is treated with preservative to prevent ~.
▪ fall into
▪
old buildings that had fallen into ~
PREPOSITION
▪ in ~
▪
The derelict buildings are the signs of a town in ~.
▪ ~ in
▪
Smoking accelerates ~ in the heart and arteries.
▪ ~ of
▪
the slow ~ of the castle and the surrounding buildings
PHRASES
▪ the process of ~
▪ signs of ~
▪
My dentist could not find any signs of ~.
▪ an odour/odor of ~ , a smell of ~ , a stench of ~
▪
A smell of ~ pervaded the air.
▪ a state of ~
II.
verb
Decay is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ rubbish , ↑ timber