Collocations in Use – Part 28

.Explain the difference between the sentences in each pair

.The rally is a test of the army’s strength
.The rally is a show of the army’s strength

.The police have found vital clues
.The police have found significant clues

.The woman has offered a small reward for the return of her cat
.The woman has offered a substantial reward for the return of her cat

.The politician delivered a passionate speech
.The politician made a passionate speech

.The countries involved in the dispute have agreed to enter into talks
.The countries involved in the dispute have entered into an agreement

:Answers

In the first sentence, the outcome of the rally will show whether the army is strong or not. In the second sentence, the rally is proof of the army’s strength

.The clues in the first sentence are more important than those in the second

.The reward for the cat in the second sentence is large

The verb deliver suggests either a more formal situation for the speech itself or a more formal context for reporting about the speech than is suggested by make

In the first sentence, the countries are going to talk for the first time. In the second sentence they have made an agreement