noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ considerable , dramatic , enormous , extreme , great , major , marked , significant , substantial , tremendous , wide
▪ minor , slight , small , subtle
▪
subtle ~s of light and texture
▪ numerous
▪ endless , infinite
▪ natural
▪ complex
▪ random
▪ systematic
▪ local , regional
▪ climatic , cultural , environmental , genetic , geographic , geographical , linguistic
▪ annual , daily , day-to-day , seasonal , year-to-year
… OF VARIATION
▪ amount , degree , level
VERB + VARIATION
▪ reflect , show
▪
The businesses showed a dramatic ~ in how they treated their staff.
▪ find , observe , see
▪
Considerable ~ was found in the terms offered by different banks.
▪ analyse/analyze
▪ account for , explain
VARIATION + VERB
▪ occur
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ according to
▪
~ according to the time of year
▪ ~ across
▪
She is studying linguistic ~ across the social range.
▪ ~ among
▪
~ among the students in terms of ability
▪ ~ between
▪
~s between different accents
▪ ~ by
▪
There is little ~ by sex or social class in these attitudes.
▪ ~ in
▪
slight ~s in pressure
▪ ~ on
▪
the story is a ~ on ‘Treasure Island’
▪ ~ with
▪
temperature ~ with altitude
▪ ~ within
▪
There may be striking ~s within a species.
PHRASES
▪ a range of ~
▪ a ~ on a theme
▪
His numerous complaints are all ~s on a theme.