Collocations in Use – Part 53

.Explain the difference in meaning between the sentences in each pair

.N1. The roads are very congested. The streets are very crowded
.N2. We live in the inner city. They live in the leafy suburbs
.N3. He lives in a quiet backwater. She lives in a bustling city center
.N4. I enjoy urban living. I love my rural idyll

:Answers

N1. The first sentence refers to cars and other traffic on the roads, whereas the second sentence refers to shoppers and other pedestrians on the pavements
N2. The first sentence means that the speaker lives in the centre of town, whereas the second sentence is talking about other people who live in quiet, residential and well-off suburbs
N3. The first sentence means that he lives in a very quiet, traditional place where nothing much happens, whereas the second sentence means that she lives in a very busy, active city centre
N4. The first sentence means the speaker loves living in the city, whereas in the second one, the speaker loves living in the country