noun
1 method/style
ADJECTIVE
▪ convenient , easy , effective , efficient , good , ideal , practical , quick , simple , useful
▪
The best ~ to open it is with pliers.
▪ appropriate , proper , right
▪ wrong
▪ normal
▪ traditional
▪ obvious
▪ sure-fire
▪
a sure-fire ~ to get him to do whatever I want
▪ important
▪
The most important ~ to stop accidental drownings is by education.
▪ subtle
▪
There is no subtle ~ to tell someone that you no longer want them.
▪ clever , ingenious
▪
I would think of some clever ~ to get myself out of this situation.
▪ possible
▪
They've explored every possible ~ of dealing with the problem.
▪ alternative , different
▪ myriad , several , various
▪
Students develop those skills in myriad ~s.
▪ same , similar
▪ unique
▪
a unique ~ of settling disputes
▪ new
▪ old
▪ old-fashioned
▪
We did it the old-fashioned ~.
▪ funny , mysterious , odd , strange
▪
God works in mysterious ~s.
▪ meaningful
▪
They have never contributed in any meaningful ~ to our civilization.
▪ hard
▪
He learned about the dangers of drugs the hard ~.
▪ friendly
▪ winning ( often figurative )
▪
The team got back to their winning ~s with a 2–1 victory.
▪
She isn't known for her winning ~s ( = for being likeable ).
▪ creative , innovative
▪
We are searching for innovative and creative ~s to solve the many problems facing us.
▪ cost-effective
▪
a cost-effective ~ to boost performance
… OF WAYS
▪ number
▪
There are a number of ~s to overcome this problem.
VERB + WAY
▪ have
▪
Fate has a ~ of changing the best of plans.
▪ explore , look at , seek
▪
to look at ~s of improving language teaching
▪ develop , devise , discover , figure out ( esp. AmE ), find , identify
▪
They believe he'll figure out a ~ to make it work.
▪ create , invent
▪
Artists began to invent new ~s of painting.
▪ change , mend
▪
Your father is unlikely to change his ~s now.
▪ choose
▪
I chose a different ~ of collecting data.
▪ react
▪
We expect computers to react a certain ~, in certain situations.
▪ be set in
▪
Grandma is so set in her ~s.
PREPOSITION
▪ in a/the ~
▪
Can I help you in any ~?
PHRASES
▪ in a certain ~
▪
In a certain ~, all of that is true.
▪ in a big ~
▪
He then started spending money in a big ~.
▪ in every ~
▪
They're different in every ~.
▪ in more ~s than one
▪
They're alike in more ~s than one.
▪ in its/your own ~
▪
He was attractive in his own ~.
▪ in some ~s
▪
It's more interesting, in some ~s, to watch what's going on behind the scenes here.
▪ a … kind of ~ , a … sort of ~
▪
He was a handsome man in a sinister sort of ~.
▪ one ~ or another
▪
One ~ or another, I'm going to make it.
▪ in one ~ or another
▪
Most people are creative in one ~ or another.
▪ that's one ~ of putting it
▪
‘She has a slightly abrasive manner.’ ‘Well, that's one ~ of putting it!’
▪ put another ~
▪
Do you remember? Or, put another ~, do you know?
▪ the ~ things are , the ~ things are going
▪
She is content with the ~ things are.
▪
The ~ things are going, I think that's achievable.
▪ a ~ of life
▪
the beliefs and practices of the Hindu ~ of life
▪ ~s and means
▪
Newspapers have ~s and means of getting hold of secret information.
2 route/road
ADJECTIVE
▪ best , quickest , right , shortest
▪ wrong
▪ own , separate ( figurative )
▪
He's always gone his own ~ when it comes to design.
▪ roundabout
▪
This is a roundabout ~ of saying that nothing has been accomplished.
VERB + WAY
▪ go
▪
I'm going your ~, so we can walk together.
▪
When we finished school, we all went our separate ~s. ( figurative )
▪ part
▪
We parted ~s once we went off to college.
▪ go out of ( figurative )
▪
She went out of her ~ to help them.
▪ keep out of , stay out of ( both figurative )
▪
Let's keep out of her ~ while she's in such a bad mood.
▪ bar , block , get in , stand in
▪
A fallen tree blocked the ~.
▪
He wanted to go to college and would let nothing stand in his ~. ( figurative )
▪ clear , pave , prepare , smooth ( all figurative )
▪
The withdrawal of troops should clear the ~ for a peace settlement.
▪ give , make (= allow sb/sth to go first or take your place)
▪
Give ~ to traffic already on the roundabout. ( BrE )
▪
The storm gave ~ to bright sunshine. ( figurative )
▪
Make ~ for the guests!
▪
Tropical forest is felled to make ~ for grassland.
▪ edge , feel , grope , inch , make , push , thread , weave , wend , wind , work
▪
He edged his ~ along the wall.
▪
The river wound its ~ through the valley.
▪ claw , cut , elbow , fight , force , hack , pick , shoulder , shove
▪
She fought her ~ up to the top of the company. ( figurative )
▪
We picked our ~ carefully over the jagged rocks.
▪ bluff , talk , trick ( figurative )
▪
She bluffed her ~ through the exam.
▪ weasel , worm
▪
He had somehow wormed his ~ into her affections.
▪ snake
▪
The procession snaked its ~ through the town.
▪ lose
▪
She lost her ~ in the fog.
▪
This project seems to have lost its ~. ( figurative )
▪ find
▪
He couldn't find a ~ through the bracken.
▪
We will eventually find a ~ out of the crisis. ( figurative )
▪ manoeuvre/maneuver , navigate
▪
He had to navigate his ~ through the city's one-way streets.
▪ ask (sb)
▪
She asked him the ~ to the station.
▪ tell sb
▪ know
▪
Do you know the ~?
▪ come ( figurative )
▪
Have any interesting articles come your ~ recently?
PREPOSITION
▪ along the ~
▪
We saw a dreadful accident along the ~.
▪ in the/your ~
▪
There were several rocks in the ~.
▪ out of the/your ~
▪
Could you please get those boxes out of my ~?
▪ on the/your ~
▪
We stopped for a snack on the ~ here.
▪ out of the/your ~
▪
The library is slightly out of my ~.
▪ ~ across
▪
The ~ across the fields is longer but pleasanter.
▪ ~ from
▪
the quickest ~ from my Edinburgh to Glasgow
▪ ~ out of
▪
Can you tell me the ~ out of here?
▪ ~ through
▪
The ~ through the woods is quicker.
▪ ~ to
▪
the easiest ~ from my house to yours
PHRASES
▪ take the easy ~ out
▪
He took the easy ~ out and paid someone to write the article for him.
▪ the ~ back , the ~ forward
▪
On the ~ back, he invited me to his home for drinks.
▪ the ~ down , the ~ up
▪ the ~ here , the ~ over , the ~ there
▪ the ~ home
▪
We stopped for a drink on the ~ home.
▪ the ~ in , the ~ out
▪ the ~ north, south, etc.
▪
We didn't stop on the ~ north.
▪ on your merry ~
▪
Then he went off on his merry ~.
3 direction/position
ADJECTIVE
▪ both
▪
Look both ~s before crossing the road.
▪ opposite
▪
I went the opposite ~.
▪ right
▪ wrong
▪
They've gone the wrong ~.
VERB + WAY
▪ go
▪
Which ~ did she go?
▪ lead , point , show
▪
He showed us the ~.
▪ head
▪
There's a huge storm heading this ~.
▪ walk
▪
Walk this ~, please.
▪ look
▪
He looked my ~, but didn't seem to recognize me.
PHRASES
▪ the … way around , the … way round ( esp. BrE )
▪
Try it the other ~ around.
▪ the … way up
▪
Which ~ up does this box go?
▪ ~ to go! (used to express approval) ( informal , esp. AmE )
▪
Way to go! I wish I could do that!
4 distance in space/time
ADJECTIVE
▪ long
▪ little , short
VERB + WAY
▪ come , go
▪
We had to go a long ~ before we found a place to eat.
▪
The study of genes has come a long ~ in recent years. ( figurative )
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ from , ~ to
▪
It's quite a ~ from my house to the station.
PHRASES
▪ all the ~
▪
This bus doesn't go all the ~ so you'll have to change.
▪ the whole ~ ( AmE )
▪
the whole ~ to Arizona
▪ the whole ~ through
▪
I watched the movie the whole ~ through.
▪ quite a ~ , some ~
▪
It's quite a ~ to walk to the station.
▪ a … way ahead , a … way away , a … way off
▪
Your birthday is still some ~ off.