noun
1 space between things
ADJECTIVE
▪ big , huge , large , wide
▪ narrow , small , tiny
VERB + GAP
▪ leave
▪ fill , seal , span
▪
Seal the ~s around the windows with a sealant.
GAP + VERB
▪ appear , open up
▪
He flashed his headlights and changed lanes whenever a ~ opened up.
PREPOSITION
▪ through a/the ~
▪
A rabbit darted through a ~ in the fence.
▪ ~ between
▪
Position the tiles, leaving a narrow ~ between the edges.
▪ ~ in
▪
A huge ~ had appeared in the hedge.
2 period of time
ADJECTIVE
▪ long , short
▪ two-year , etc.
▪ awkward ( esp. BrE )
VERB + GAP
▪ fill
▪
Ads are just there to fill the ~s between quiz shows.
▪
I was wondering how to fill those awkward ~s in the conversation.
GAP + NOUN
▪ year ( BrE )
▪
I'm planning to travel in my ~ year (= the year between school and university) .
PREPOSITION
▪ after a/the ~
▪
She returned to teaching after a twelve-year ~.
▪ ~ between
▪
a job to fill the ~ between high school and college
▪ ~ in
▪
a ~ in his career
3 difference
ADJECTIVE
▪ big , enormous , huge , large , significant , substantial , vast , wide , yawning
▪ unbridgeable
▪
the unbridgeable ~ between the two cultures
▪ ever-widening , growing , widening
▪ narrow
▪ age , generation
▪
Despite the age ~, romance blossomed.
▪ cultural , culture
▪ gender
▪
the gender ~ in earnings
▪ black-white , racial
▪ wealth
▪ credibility
▪
Newspapers were talking of a credibility ~ between what he said and what he did.
▪ achievement , information , knowledge , skills
▪
the knowledge ~ between doctor and patient
▪ trade
▪ income , pay , wage ( esp. AmE )
VERB + GAP
▪ address , bridge , close , eliminate , narrow , reduce , span
▪
an attempt to bridge the ~ between the academic world and industry
▪ widen
▪ highlight
GAP + VERB
▪ open up
▪
A huge ~ has opened up between expectations and what is deliverable.
▪ grow , widen
▪ close , narrow
▪ separate sb/sth
▪
He realized how narrow the ~ was that separated him from his pagan ancestors.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ between
▪
The ~ between rich and poor widened.
4 where sth is missing
ADJECTIVE
▪ big , enormous , great , huge , important , large , serious , significant , yawning
▪
serious ~s in their knowledge
▪ glaring , obvious
VERB + GAP
▪ create , leave
▪
His death left a huge ~ in my life.
▪ identify , see , spot ( esp. BrE )
▪ close , fill , fill in , plug
▪
Her appointment will fill the ~ created when the marketing manager left.
▪ exploit
▪
The company has exploited a lucrative ~ in the market.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ in
▪
legislation to close a ~ in the law
PHRASES
▪ a ~ in the market
▪
We think we've identified a ~ in the market (= a business opportunity) .