I.
noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ outer
▪ northern , southern , etc.
▪ three-mile , etc.
▪ city , town (both esp. AmE )
▪
a few miles outside of the city ~s
▪ annual , daily , etc.
▪
Four cups of coffee is my daily ~.
▪ term ( esp. AmE )
▪
term ~s for members of Congress
▪ lifetime
▪
a lifetime ~ of five years for welfare support
▪ absolute , extreme , ultimate
▪
I can offer you $50 but that's my absolute ~.
▪
The vessel is operating at the extreme ~s of the acceptable ranges.
▪ higher , maximum , upper
▪ lower , minimum
▪ severe , strict , stringent , tight
▪
The application must be made within a strict time ~.
▪ narrow
▪
We are forced to operate within relatively narrow ~s.
▪ arbitrary
▪
the EU's arbitrary ~s on fiscal policy
▪ finite
▪
the idea that the planet has finite ~s
▪ age , height , size , speed , temperature , time , weight
▪
There's a weight ~ on the bridge.
▪ physical
▪ practical
▪
There's a practical ~ to how small a portable computer can be.
▪ inherent
▪
the inherent ~s of the hardware
▪ safe , safety
▪
The temperature is within safe operating ~s.
▪ exposure
▪
the exposure ~s to this group of chemicals
▪ emission
▪
The same emission ~s apply to all engines.
▪ budget , contribution ( esp. AmE ), credit , financial ( esp. BrE ), income , overdraft ( BrE ), spending
▪
the IRS contribution ~s
▪
I don't want to go over my overdraft ~.
▪ constitutional , legal , prescribed , statutory
▪ acceptable , allowable , appropriate , permissible , reasonable , recommended
▪ clear , specific
▪
Establish clear ~s, but keep rules to a minimum.
▪ established , fixed , set , specified
▪
Most credit card issuers have set ~s on how low rates can go.
▪ posted ( AmE )
▪
The posted speed ~ is 35 mph.
▪ normal
▪
The engine was still reading well above normal ~s.
▪ theoretical
▪
the theoretical ~s of human knowledge
VERB + LIMIT
▪ have
▪
The new law has its ~s.
▪ approach , near , reach
▪
The industry was approaching the ~s of expansion.
▪ cross
▪ define , determine
▪
the narrow ~s defined by the emperor
▪ explore
▪
She wants Zack to be free to explore his ~s, experiment and try new things.
▪ establish , impose , place , put , set
▪
The government has set a ~ on spending on the arts.
▪ enforce
▪
There's a strict time ~ enforced by a penalty.
▪ respect
▪
We want to respect the ~s that our elders have imposed on us.
▪ accept , acknowledge , recognize
▪
They recognize the ~s of their conventional strategies.
▪ expand , extend , increase , raise
▪ break
▪
She must have broken every speed ~ in Los Angeles getting here.
▪ challenge , push , stretch , test
▪
Their designers have pushed the ~s of technology in order to create something new.
▪ lower , reduce
▪
This led them to reduce the upper age ~ from age 65 to age 59.
▪ exceed
▪
You were exceeding the speed ~.
▪ overcome , transcend
▪ overstep , violate
▪ push sb to
▪
She pushed me to the ~ of my abilities.
PREPOSITION
▪ above a/the ~
▪
The level of radioactivity in the soil was found to be above recommended ~s.
▪ at a/the ~
▪
I was almost at the ~s of my patience.
▪ below a/the ~
▪
The price fell below the lower ~.
▪
The trees are found only below a ~ of 1 500 feet.
▪ beyond a/the ~
▪
Heat levels rose beyond the recommended ~s.
▪
Fishing beyond the twelve-mile ~ is not permitted.
▪ off ~s
▪
The building is off ~s to the public.
▪
She explained it was her room and it was off ~s.
▪ on a/the ~
▪
islands on the outer ~ of the continent
▪ outside a/the ~s
▪
lonely stretch of highway outside the city ~s
▪ over a/the ~
▪
He'd been drinking and was well over the legal ~.
▪ up to a/the ~
▪
You can buy cigarettes up to a ~ of 200 per person.
▪ within a/the ~
▪
They did well within the ~s of their knowledge.
▪
There was no school within a ~ of ten miles.
▪ within ~s
▪
The children can do what they like, within ~s.
▪ without ~
▪
Banks may import currency without ~.
▪ ~ on
▪
There's a ~ on the number of tickets you can buy.
▪ ~ to
▪
There's a ~ to what we can do to help.
II.
verb
ADVERB
▪ drastically , greatly , seriously , severely , sharply , significantly , strictly , substantially
▪ effectively
▪
These regulations effectively ~ our available strategic choices.
VERB + LIMIT
▪ attempt to , seek to , take steps to , try to , work to
▪
They are working to ~ oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
▪ be designed to
▪
The change in the law was designed to ~ the scope for corruption.
▪ agree to
▪ serve to , tend to
▪
Rigid job descriptions can serve to ~ productivity.
▪ refuse to
▪
As a scientist I refuse to ~ myself to these barriers.
PREPOSITION
▪ to
▪
The teaching of history should not be ~ed to dates and figures.
Limit is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ law , ↑ regulation , ↑ restriction , ↑ rule
Limit is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ ability , ↑ access , ↑ ambition , ↑ amount , ↑ availability , ↑ choice , ↑ competition , ↑ damage , ↑ drinking , ↑ duration , ↑ effect , ↑ effectiveness , ↑ emission , ↑ exercise , ↑ expansion , ↑ expenditure , ↑ export , ↑ exposure , ↑ extent , ↑ freedom , ↑ growth , ↑ horizon , ↑ immigration , ↑ import , ↑ influence , ↑ intake , ↑ liability , ↑ membership , ↑ mobility , ↑ movement , ↑ number , ↑ option , ↑ participation , ↑ pollution , ↑ power , ↑ range , ↑ reach , ↑ right , ↑ risk , ↑ scope , ↑ size , ↑ spread , ↑ supply , ↑ use , ↑ usefulness , ↑ utility