I.adjectiveCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a better/greater/deeper understanding
▪ All of this will lead to a better understanding of the overseas market.
a bit better/older/easier etc
▪ I feel a bit better now.
a good/better option
▪ Renting a house may be a better option than buying.
a little more/better/further etc
▪ We’ll have to wait a little longer to see what happens.
a shade better/quicker/faster etc
▪ The results were a shade better than we expected.
against your better judgment (=even though you think your action might be wrong)
▪ I lent him the money, against my better judgment.
are better left unsaid (=it is better not to mention them)
▪ Some things are better left unsaid.
be better off doing sth (=used to give advice or an opinion)
▪ He’d be better off starting with something simpler.
better nature (=his feelings of kindness)
▪ I tried appealing to his better nature but he wouldn’t agree to help us.
better off
▪ She’ll be about £50 a week better off.
better or worse
▪ I wasn’t sure whether his behaviour was getting better or worse.
curiosity gets the better of sb/overcomes sb (=makes you do something that you are trying not to do)
▪ Curiosity got the better of me and I opened her diary.
deserve better (also deserve a better deal) (= deserve to be treated better or to be in a better situation)
▪ They treated him badly at work and I thought he deserved better.
far better/easier etc
▪ The new system is far better than the old one.
▪ There are a far greater number of women working in television than twenty years ago.
greater/better protection
▪ The law should give greater protection to victims.
heaps better/bigger etc (=much better, bigger etc)
higher/better
▪ Workers demanded higher pay.
how much better/nicer/easier etc
▪ I was surprised to see how much better she was looking.
▪ How much better life would be if we returned to the values of the past!
judge it best/better to do sth (=think that something is the best thing to do)
▪ Robert wanted to go and help him, but judged it best to stay where he was.
knew better than to
▪ Eva knew better than to interrupt one of Mark’s jokes.
little more/better etc (than sth)
▪ His voice was little more than a whisper.
move on to higher/better things (=get a better job or social position – used humorously)
▪ Jeremy’s leaving the company to move on to higher things.
much better/greater/easier etc
▪ Henry’s room is much bigger than mine.
▪ These shoes are much more comfortable.
prevention is better than cureBritish English, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure American English (= used to say that it is better to prevent illness than to cure it)
prevention is better than cure (=it is better to stop something bad from happening than to remove the problem once it has happened)
▪ You know what they say, prevention is better than cure.
sb is old enough to know better (=used when you think someone should behave more sensibly)
▪ He’s old enough to know better, but he went and did it anyway!
should know better
▪ It’s just prejudice from educated people who should know better.
significantly better/greater/worse etc
▪ Delia’s work has been significantly better this year.
slightly higher/lower/better/larger etc
▪ January’s sales were slightly better than average.
take a turn for the worse/better
▪ Two days after the operation, Dad took a turn for the worse.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
I couldn't wish for a nicer/better etc ...
I must/I'd better be getting along
I'd better mosey along/be moseying along
I/you can't/couldn't ask for a better sth
a (damn/darned/darn) sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ If he listened to Anthony Scrivener, he would be a darned sight better.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
▪ The Galapagos finch was a darn sight more valuable than Sandra Willmot.
▪ We were a darned sight better than them.
all the better/easier/more etc
▪ He offsets Roberts' operatic evil with a performance that commands all the more notice for its minimalism.
▪ His job was made all the more easier by drivers who hadn't bothered to take measures to stop people like him.
▪ If there is some meat left on the bones, all the better.
▪ It makes it all the more opportune.
▪ Superb defence by Karpov, all the more praiseworthy in that he was now in desperate time trouble.
▪ The dispute was all the more bitter because a prize was at stake.
▪ The inadequacy and treachery of the old leaderships of the working class have made the need all the more imperative.
▪ Weather experts say it was a relatively dry winter which makes the water recovery all the more remarkable.
appeal to sb's better nature/sense of justice etc
better late than never
▪ While ongoing self-monitoring is urged, it is always better late than never.
better luck next time
▪ Ah well, better luck next time, Andy.
▪ And if you didn't win, better luck next time.
▪ Back to the West Indies with it, and better luck next time.
better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)
better/harder/worse etc still
▪ And 245 specialty stock funds that focus on particular industries did better still, averaging a 6. 5 percent gain.
▪ But perhaps the early evening was better still?
▪ He didn't talk because he was afraid of losing the pole or, worse still, falling in.
▪ I started to hunt for a cheap restaurant or, better still, a snack shop.
▪ I thought that it would soon pass, and it did - for you to work harder still.
▪ Or better still, make a real talent show instead.
▪ Or better still, there was the village school practically next door!
▪ With hindsight, it would have better still to lock in a few more gains.
come off best/better/worst etc
▪ Alec Davidson, for example, was one of those who came off worst.
▪ Bullock comes off best because her complaining seems so valid.
▪ His foster-child comes off best, but in addition each of two nurses receives a tenth of his estate.
▪ It may seem, so far, that in terms of clearly defined benefits, the client comes off best out of the deal.
▪ Prior to that Meath had come off best when they accounted for Down in the 1990 league decider.
▪ The lightning, it seemed to Lydia, had undoubtedly come off best in that encounter.
▪ The problem is that history sometimes comes off better.
couldn't be better/worse/more pleased etc
discretion is the better part of valour
even bigger/better/brighter etc
▪ But he actually proved even better than I thought.
▪ He had hoped to play an even bigger, more traditional role.
▪ I sort of thought the accident would make us play even better.
▪ It was even better when I got a hug and a kiss from the former Miss Minnesota!
▪ Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪ There was something spontaneous and lively in his manner of speaking that made whatever he was saying sound even better.
▪ This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪ What is the best way of stemming this decline or, even better, of regenerating the economy?
fare well/badly/better etc
▪ I think the men fared better than the women.
▪ It can be seen that, whilst all regions reflected the higher national unemployment rate, some regions fared better than others.
▪ It still fared better than the broader market.
▪ Life may be regarded as an austere struggle, blighted by fate, where only the rich and the lucky fare well.
▪ Not faring well, but resting.
▪ Obviously some clothiers fared better than others for there were quite a large number of bankruptcies between 1800 and 1840.
▪ The Bloomberg Indiana Index fared better than the benchmark Standard&.
▪ There is no reason to believe that diabetic patients fare better and they may do less well.
for want of a better word/phrase etc
▪ Just horses and ploughs and, for want of a better word, peasants.
▪ Now, hands are, well, handed for want of a better word.
for want of anything better (to do)
good/better/healthy etc start (in life)
▪ A good start is one where you pass close behind the start boat going at speed.
▪ But it wasn't a good start in the lessons of love, and left me very arid in such matters.
▪ He had better start by accepting that if he does the right things, they will not be popular ones.
▪ It wasn't a very good start.
▪ Not a good start, but a start, nevertheless.
▪ The auditor may enjoy the gifts, but he had better start looking for a sympathy engram not yet suspected or tapped.
▪ The problem was the middle and end, when the team sacrificed rebounding for getting out to a good start.
▪ They will, however, be getting a new center, and that is a good start, he believes.
greater/more/better etc than the sum of its parts
▪ Or is the organisation more than the sum of its parts?
half a loaf (is better than none)
have seen better days
▪ Ms. Davis's car had certainly seen better days.
▪ Virginia's car had definitely seen better days.
▪ We are working at Nanking University, in rather cramped and primitive conditions, for the buildings have seen better days.
hotter/colder/better etc than ever
▪ And that incentive was increased when they got personal recognition and satisfaction from doing it better than ever before.
▪ He says the new films are better than ever.
▪ Organised by the Alton and District Arts Council, the week promises to be better than ever.
▪ The moviemaking machine that Walt Disney created sixty years ago is working better than ever today.
▪ The National Health Service is now better than ever.
▪ The opportunities now are better than ever.
▪ This year's attractions are bigger and better than ever, with events running from Tuesday to Saturday.
▪ Watermen talked about their catches so far this year, which they said have been better than ever.
kiss sth better
know better
▪ Parents should know better than their children, but they don't always necessarily do.
▪ The man said it was an 18 carat diamond, but Dina knew better.
▪ But there were some rules he knew better than she ever would.
▪ Even people who should know better have ended up paying a price for denying what they are feeling.
▪ Guess he should have known better.
▪ Now you know better, thass all.
▪ Then I would have known better.
▪ Time you knew better, young lady.
▪ Yamazaki seems unconcerned by the fact that he's taking on problems that have defeated many who should have known better.
light years ahead/better etc than sth
miles older/better/too difficult etc
none the worse/better etc (for sth)
▪ Although the animal glowed rosy-pink, it appeared none the worse for its ordeal.
▪ I recovered, my mouth none the worse for it, after all.
▪ Peter's little pet was clearly none the worse for its time in the underworld.
not know any better
▪ Before Sinai, one could argue, the people had the excuse of not knowing any better.
sb had better/best do sth
sb's elders (and betters)
▪ For our purposes it may be more helpful to use the idea of desire when assessing elders.
▪ He roused himself wearily to exchange greetings with the elders as they passed him, and went in to his foster-father.
▪ In this respect at least, the procedures reflected those of a lineage or tribal meeting of elders and shaikhs.
▪ Indeed, the absence of official elders was a source of wonder to visitors from systems run by a selected few.
▪ Some, like Monta o, believe to this day that the city killed their elders.
▪ The Oaks are the Elders of the Forest and the others are aware of it.
▪ The weary elders of the 1980s take revenge at last upon the hapless victims of the 1960s.
the best/better part of sth
▪ Almost any child will assert that recess is the best part of the school day.
▪ Another child makes the family wretched with his crying for the better part of an hour.
▪ Converse drank the better part of the rum.
▪ For the better part of the next forty years they were to be the decisive restraints.
▪ I spent the better part of my time moping around the house, too dejected to think about practicing my stunts.
▪ It is not widely taught or particularly popular be-cause it takes the better part of a lifetime to master.
▪ This was it, the confrontation-point which he had been dreading for the best part of a week.
the sooner ( ... ) the better
▪ The sooner we get these bills paid off, the better.
▪ They knew they had to leave town, and the sooner the better.
think better of it
▪ She felt like slapping him in the face, but thought better of it.
▪ But he thought better of it and slowly breathed out the air through his nose.
▪ But then she thought better of it.
▪ Cowher said later he momentarily contemplated tackling Hudson, but thought better of it.
▪ He thought better of it, and despite a case of galloping homesickness, decided not to go home at all.
▪ He could have forced the window in time, anyone could, but he seemed suddenly to think better of it.
▪ He passed Miguel the joint but Miguel thought better of it.
▪ Then he thought better of it.
two heads are better than one
you'd better believe it!
▪ "Do they make money on them?" "You'd better believe it!"
your better half/other half
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Angie spent last week painting her bedroom -- it looks much better.
▪ Consumers are demanding lower prices, better quality, and a larger selection of goods.
▪ Here, this one is better - try it.
▪ His latest novel is far better than anything he's written before.
▪ I don't think you should go swimming until you're better.
▪ Lucy's better at mathematics than I am.
▪ My sister is a better student than me.
▪ People's general health is a lot better these days than it used to be.
▪ She's a little better than she was yesterday.
▪ She bought a better car.
▪ The sales figures were better than we expected.
▪ We could either go to Florida or California -- which do you think is better?
▪ You'll get a better deal from a mail-order company.
▪ Your job is better than mine.
▪ Your Spanish is definitely getting better.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Caffeine received no better press in the twentieth century.
▪ He turned down what any of his peers would have called a much better deal today.
▪ Still, he is impressive as the surly, enigmatic intellectual who offers Jane a glimmer of hope for a better life.
▪ Tell the students that you are going to conduct an activity to find out if two ears are better than one.
▪ Women are little better, only weaker in carrying out their ill intentions.
II.adverbCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
able
▪ The result is an epidermis which is better able to mimic the softness and freshness of younger skin.
▪ As a child becomes better able to generalize across stimuli, schemata become more refined.
▪ Handling and ride in the 5-Series is already legendary, and this engine is better able to make the most of it.
▪ She is better able to focus on simpler pictures.
▪ Before the recession, businesses were better able to absorb the problem.
▪ A watercourse viewed primarily as an effluent carrier will be thought better able to tolerate further pollution.
▪ It was agreed that he might return to work from the hospital when he felt better able to cope.
▪ Burns and Stalker found that organic structures were better able to respond to change than mechanistic ones.
■ VERB
become
▪ The first is that Luftwaffe defences became better, too, and that caused a high price to be paid in terms of casualties.
▪ And that might help them become better socialized.
▪ This section will therefore only touch on some of the techniques which have become better understood as the result of scientific research.
▪ You can become better at distinguishing between team versus individual and process versus function only by making choices and moving forward.
▪ At the same time both the army and the navy became better equipped.
▪ Independence and transcending childhood require personality development, not becoming better at a particular task, or doing battle with external difficulties.
▪ The little-known cast is unlikely to become better known.
▪ As a child becomes better able to generalize across stimuli, schemata become more refined.
deserve
▪ Surely they deserve better than this.
▪ I do remember thinking he deserved better.
▪ Surely he deserves better of me than to gaze at him with my policeman's eyes.
▪ Most of the time, though I knew she deserved better, I went ahead and sent them anyway.
▪ They're worth watching and they deserve better than they're getting, but they've got to sharpen up in front of goal.
▪ I figured he deserved better from Ryan, and said so.
▪ He thought she deserved better than that after all her troubles.
▪ Starostin deserves better: he virtually made Spartak.
do
▪ He did better junior year, despite the fact that he spent nearly all of it arguing with the priests.
▪ Hoffert said the business grossed about $ 285,000 last year, and will do better in 2000.
▪ The Labour party did badly in May 1997 and can do better.
▪ Only the Crabbe Huson Special Fund did better.
▪ Alamaro and Patrick think they can do better.
▪ At this she played cards with a bridge-a-matic, that she might do better in the neighborhood club.
▪ Not only do girls generally do better with language, reading, and writing; they are also socially more adept.
▪ It is rarely about disloyalty but invariably about clients believing they can do better.
equip
▪ Few orchestras are better equipped, so you would think, than the Chicago Symphony.
▪ Each bit of progress makes the individual child better equipped to deal with the demands of life.
▪ Confiscated boats and planes could be used by law enforcement agencies and seized money used to train and better equip the forces.
▪ But no one was better equipped for the psychological warfare that lay ahead.
▪ Sometimes they are better equipped than the police itself and have good connections with the West.
▪ In every way save one, this is a campaign that Bush is still better equipped than McCain to fight and win.
▪ Few hotels are better equipped for a Club holiday.
▪ With books like this we shall be much better equipped lo make a contribution.
fare
▪ It can be seen that, whilst all regions reflected the higher national unemployment rate, some regions fared better than others.
▪ Other home builders are thought to have fared better.
▪ There is no reason to believe that diabetic patients fare better and they may do less well.
▪ But investors in the rest of the Southeast fared better.
▪ The Nationalists fared better in their foreign dealings.
▪ Dance based on ethnic themes fared better.
▪ After lunch he fared better returning a 76, taking only 35 shots on the inward nine.
▪ If managing diversity comes to be viewed as a business issue rather than an ethical one, minorities might actually fare better.
feel
▪ Regular exercise could help you - and your child - to feel better, look better and be more alert.
▪ A few choice words here and there can make you feel better, and they might get your point across.
▪ We'd got some work behind us at last, and felt better for it.
▪ The reduction in scrolling and window swapping has made the whole computer feel better and more relaxing to use.
▪ It makes people feel better to pretend otherwise.
▪ After a few minutes he felt better, so he rose and walked upstairs.
▪ I better feel your glove, Ting.
get
▪ She'd better get used to it, Guy thought inflexibly.
▪ Things are going good now and they can only get better.
▪ It was then getting on for three in the morning, but in the last quarter of an hour things had been getting better.
▪ This four-day Grandaddy of Arizona ethnic celebrations just keeps getting better.
▪ When I was getting better, he told me some of the local news.
▪ The neighborhood has been getting better and better, he said.
▪ Look, Neil, you'd better get along to the blue drawing room.
▪ On the one hand, sophomore shows are getting better, as some of the third-year shows did before them.
inform
▪ However, for the twelfth century we are much better informed about the rapidly expanding wine trade.
▪ The task of assessing this forceful leader must necessarily be left to others more competent and better informed than myself.
▪ But you'd better inform Freddy Swanson immediately that there is a problem.
▪ As companies get leaner and better informed, they are much quicker to take action.
▪ An editorial in the latest issue said the event would be a unique opportunity to become better informed and to browse.
▪ You'd better inform Toronto and Montreal.
▪ And being better informed they say, will help those like Gillis to a better recovery.
know
▪ The basic premise is that they think they know better than anyone else.
▪ This astonishing question was asked by a corporate medical department nurse who should know better.
▪ Once established in Bactria, the Yuezhi are far better known in the West as the Kushans.
▪ Kubo is better known for his skill as a political strategist than for his financial acumen.
▪ I knew better than to inquire.
▪ If their pediatrician is telling them to wait, that their child will outgrow it, the parents know better.
leave
▪ Now, if that's all I'd better leave.
▪ Some things were better left unsaid.
▪ I told them there was nothing much more we could usefully do there and we'd better leave before we were ejected.
▪ In fact, for both economic and cultural reasons, elite Western workers are often better left behind these days.
▪ Maybe some things were better left to the natural course of time.
▪ He has invented a special fish dish which he calls Salmon Butter Yaki, better left undescribed.
▪ In that case we had better leave.
▪ Some subjects, I'd learned during the weeks I followed Oscar Wilde, were better left only as implications.
look
▪ It looked better inland, so we decided to go and have a look.
▪ Then they began to look better.
▪ Women who looked better as they got older.
▪ Shaq himself has always looked better in commercials than on the court.
▪ The love affair gave him new life, he looked better, drank less and stayed away from the cafés.
▪ We were ecstatically happy together, and life had never looked better.
▪ Meadows and woodlands are better looked after, but that still leaves many different habitats that do not have sufficient protection.
▪ He stirred again, but she saw that he looked better.
place
▪ They may be better placed financially than many tenants, but their security of tenure can end with retirement.
▪ The world will be a much better place to live in in about 1, 000 days.
▪ And the wretched thing is that Gore is no better placed.
▪ But what better place for Swindon to score their first league win of the season.
▪ What better place to start than on our own doorstep, with the world famous collections of the Barber Institute?
▪ Unionists had a majority in Lloyd George's war cabinet, but were little better placed in his government as a whole.
play
▪ The team plays better with Strachan out!!!
▪ It just makes us play better.
▪ In fact, his colleagues know that if Levi is challenging, they had better play their best golf.
▪ Worldwide, there might be two hundred people who play better than Peter.
▪ But Jahangir admitted Dittmar had never played better.
▪ It might have played better at five hours, rather than six.
▪ The three works collected here have never before been better played.
▪ Some people thought Peter would play better if he spent more money, but he failed to see any logic in that.
serve
▪ Apparently the networks-feeling that minorities were better served elsewhere-decided they themselves had no obligation to show minority faces.
▪ Also, are my present investments wise, and if not, where might my money better serve me?
▪ Other origins for the structure might be as well or better served by hot dark matter.
▪ Kelvim Escobar did a strong job setting up closer Billy Koch, but the team is better served if he can start.
▪ In terms both of quantity and quality, few composers before 1600 have been better served by the record industry.
▪ Surely justice has never been better served.
▪ With his great hands, Jimmy returned the fast serve better than anyone in the history of the game.
▪ Since 1990 it has looked to career academies as a way to restructure its high schools and better serve its students.
start
▪ So you'd better start packing - don't forget a cagoule.
▪ Those other guys better start working harder.
▪ If she wanted to hang on to the shreds of her professional reputation she'd better start by controlling her haywire emotions.
▪ He had better start by accepting that if he does the right things, they will not be popular ones.
▪ But they'd better start thinking about how they are going to pay for it.
▪ I think I'd better go for Dersingham and you'd better start keeping tabs on Hereward.
suit
▪ On the whole, feminists throughout the period agreed that women were better suited by nature to home-related tasks than were men.
▪ On any other label, this could be the recipe for lackluster recordings by players better suited for small groups.
▪ I decided the bird was far better suited to the conditions than me.
▪ Rain had fallen all morning, leaving the field better suited for mud wrestling than for football.
▪ The system is a heavy user of both men and machines and so is probably better suited to contractors and larger farmers.
▪ Light and nimble, it was better suited to the terrain.
▪ She is much better suited to this B format, and coronet is reissuing its titles in B during this year.
▪ Nubby fabrics, for example, better suit a casual style, while smooth fabrics are more formal.
think
▪ He is incredulous when she says that some people might think better of Jason for confessing his fear.
▪ He passed Miguel the joint but Miguel thought better of it.
▪ Then he thought better of it.
▪ Cowher said later he momentarily contemplated tackling Hudson, but thought better of it.
▪ But he thought better of it and slowly breathed out the air through his nose.
▪ Only the mother of the frightened girl started to say something, but thought better of it.
▪ But then she thought better of it.
▪ Norms are changing, and men better think about what they do.
understand
▪ Now he has had a chance to work with them and perhaps better understands the intricacies of their job.
▪ We often watch Western women to understand better how to act like a man.
▪ But it is possible to understand better the man behind those achievements.
▪ S Department of Defense in the hopes of understanding better the concept of deception.
▪ It does help our chances of success however, if we can better understand why reef fish are aggressive towards each other.
▪ Promote effective two-way communication between employees at all levels to understand better the problems and concerns that affect productivity; 7.
▪ Perhaps in the future we may come to better understand more complex processes, such as memory and learning.
▪ But it is better understood as a shift in the continuity-producing frame.
work
▪ Raise the tank temperature to 70°F. before adding it as it works better at higher temperatures.
▪ When you make both the software and the hardware, as Apple does, things work better.
▪ If it is run twice on similar data, it will probably work better the second time.
▪ We continue to have the races working better together.
▪ According to the researchers, the new cell actually works better under cloud cover than in full sunlight.
▪ Graphic animal prints usually work better with strong colors than pastels.
▪ Gel is less sticky than mousse and works better with curly hair.
▪ Newer ones are said to work better, and there are things you can do to increase your comfort level.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
(just) that little bit better/easier etc
▪ We have put together a few of the most popular itineraries to help make your choice that little bit easier.
I couldn't wish for a nicer/better etc ...
I must/I'd better be getting along
I'd better mosey along/be moseying along
I/you can't/couldn't ask for a better sth
a (damn/darned/darn) sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ If he listened to Anthony Scrivener, he would be a darned sight better.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
▪ The Galapagos finch was a darn sight more valuable than Sandra Willmot.
▪ We were a darned sight better than them.
a damn sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
a darn sight better/harder etc
all the better/easier/more etc
▪ He offsets Roberts' operatic evil with a performance that commands all the more notice for its minimalism.
▪ His job was made all the more easier by drivers who hadn't bothered to take measures to stop people like him.
▪ If there is some meat left on the bones, all the better.
▪ It makes it all the more opportune.
▪ Superb defence by Karpov, all the more praiseworthy in that he was now in desperate time trouble.
▪ The dispute was all the more bitter because a prize was at stake.
▪ The inadequacy and treachery of the old leaderships of the working class have made the need all the more imperative.
▪ Weather experts say it was a relatively dry winter which makes the water recovery all the more remarkable.
appeal to sb's better nature/sense of justice etc
better (to be) safe than sorry
▪ I think I'll take my umbrella along - better safe than sorry.
▪ Anyway, better safe than sorry.
▪ The overall message of precaution-better safe than sorry-has intuitive appeal.
better Red than dead
better late than never
▪ While ongoing self-monitoring is urged, it is always better late than never.
better luck next time
▪ Ah well, better luck next time, Andy.
▪ And if you didn't win, better luck next time.
▪ Back to the West Indies with it, and better luck next time.
better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)
better/harder/worse etc still
▪ And 245 specialty stock funds that focus on particular industries did better still, averaging a 6. 5 percent gain.
▪ But perhaps the early evening was better still?
▪ He didn't talk because he was afraid of losing the pole or, worse still, falling in.
▪ I started to hunt for a cheap restaurant or, better still, a snack shop.
▪ I thought that it would soon pass, and it did - for you to work harder still.
▪ Or better still, make a real talent show instead.
▪ Or better still, there was the village school practically next door!
▪ With hindsight, it would have better still to lock in a few more gains.
come off best/better/worst etc
▪ Alec Davidson, for example, was one of those who came off worst.
▪ Bullock comes off best because her complaining seems so valid.
▪ His foster-child comes off best, but in addition each of two nurses receives a tenth of his estate.
▪ It may seem, so far, that in terms of clearly defined benefits, the client comes off best out of the deal.
▪ Prior to that Meath had come off best when they accounted for Down in the 1990 league decider.
▪ The lightning, it seemed to Lydia, had undoubtedly come off best in that encounter.
▪ The problem is that history sometimes comes off better.
couldn't be better/worse/more pleased etc
discretion is the better part of valour
even bigger/better/brighter etc
▪ But he actually proved even better than I thought.
▪ He had hoped to play an even bigger, more traditional role.
▪ I sort of thought the accident would make us play even better.
▪ It was even better when I got a hug and a kiss from the former Miss Minnesota!
▪ Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪ There was something spontaneous and lively in his manner of speaking that made whatever he was saying sound even better.
▪ This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪ What is the best way of stemming this decline or, even better, of regenerating the economy?
fare well/badly/better etc
▪ I think the men fared better than the women.
▪ It can be seen that, whilst all regions reflected the higher national unemployment rate, some regions fared better than others.
▪ It still fared better than the broader market.
▪ Life may be regarded as an austere struggle, blighted by fate, where only the rich and the lucky fare well.
▪ Not faring well, but resting.
▪ Obviously some clothiers fared better than others for there were quite a large number of bankruptcies between 1800 and 1840.
▪ The Bloomberg Indiana Index fared better than the benchmark Standard&.
▪ There is no reason to believe that diabetic patients fare better and they may do less well.
for want of a better word/phrase etc
▪ Just horses and ploughs and, for want of a better word, peasants.
▪ Now, hands are, well, handed for want of a better word.
for want of anything better (to do)
good/better/healthy etc start (in life)
▪ A good start is one where you pass close behind the start boat going at speed.
▪ But it wasn't a good start in the lessons of love, and left me very arid in such matters.
▪ He had better start by accepting that if he does the right things, they will not be popular ones.
▪ It wasn't a very good start.
▪ Not a good start, but a start, nevertheless.
▪ The auditor may enjoy the gifts, but he had better start looking for a sympathy engram not yet suspected or tapped.
▪ The problem was the middle and end, when the team sacrificed rebounding for getting out to a good start.
▪ They will, however, be getting a new center, and that is a good start, he believes.
greater/more/better etc than the sum of its parts
▪ Or is the organisation more than the sum of its parts?
half a loaf (is better than none)
have seen better days
▪ Ms. Davis's car had certainly seen better days.
▪ Virginia's car had definitely seen better days.
▪ We are working at Nanking University, in rather cramped and primitive conditions, for the buildings have seen better days.
hotter/colder/better etc than ever
▪ And that incentive was increased when they got personal recognition and satisfaction from doing it better than ever before.
▪ He says the new films are better than ever.
▪ Organised by the Alton and District Arts Council, the week promises to be better than ever.
▪ The moviemaking machine that Walt Disney created sixty years ago is working better than ever today.
▪ The National Health Service is now better than ever.
▪ The opportunities now are better than ever.
▪ This year's attractions are bigger and better than ever, with events running from Tuesday to Saturday.
▪ Watermen talked about their catches so far this year, which they said have been better than ever.
kiss sth better
know better
▪ Parents should know better than their children, but they don't always necessarily do.
▪ The man said it was an 18 carat diamond, but Dina knew better.
▪ But there were some rules he knew better than she ever would.
▪ Even people who should know better have ended up paying a price for denying what they are feeling.
▪ Guess he should have known better.
▪ Now you know better, thass all.
▪ Then I would have known better.
▪ Time you knew better, young lady.
▪ Yamazaki seems unconcerned by the fact that he's taking on problems that have defeated many who should have known better.
light years ahead/better etc than sth
miles older/better/too difficult etc
none the worse/better etc (for sth)
▪ Although the animal glowed rosy-pink, it appeared none the worse for its ordeal.
▪ I recovered, my mouth none the worse for it, after all.
▪ Peter's little pet was clearly none the worse for its time in the underworld.
not know any better
▪ Before Sinai, one could argue, the people had the excuse of not knowing any better.
sb had better/best do sth
sb's elders (and betters)
▪ For our purposes it may be more helpful to use the idea of desire when assessing elders.
▪ He roused himself wearily to exchange greetings with the elders as they passed him, and went in to his foster-father.
▪ In this respect at least, the procedures reflected those of a lineage or tribal meeting of elders and shaikhs.
▪ Indeed, the absence of official elders was a source of wonder to visitors from systems run by a selected few.
▪ Some, like Monta o, believe to this day that the city killed their elders.
▪ The Oaks are the Elders of the Forest and the others are aware of it.
▪ The weary elders of the 1980s take revenge at last upon the hapless victims of the 1960s.
the best/better part of sth
▪ Almost any child will assert that recess is the best part of the school day.
▪ Another child makes the family wretched with his crying for the better part of an hour.
▪ Converse drank the better part of the rum.
▪ For the better part of the next forty years they were to be the decisive restraints.
▪ I spent the better part of my time moping around the house, too dejected to think about practicing my stunts.
▪ It is not widely taught or particularly popular be-cause it takes the better part of a lifetime to master.
▪ This was it, the confrontation-point which he had been dreading for the best part of a week.
the sooner ( ... ) the better
▪ The sooner we get these bills paid off, the better.
▪ They knew they had to leave town, and the sooner the better.
think better of it
▪ She felt like slapping him in the face, but thought better of it.
▪ But he thought better of it and slowly breathed out the air through his nose.
▪ But then she thought better of it.
▪ Cowher said later he momentarily contemplated tackling Hudson, but thought better of it.
▪ He thought better of it, and despite a case of galloping homesickness, decided not to go home at all.
▪ He could have forced the window in time, anyone could, but he seemed suddenly to think better of it.
▪ He passed Miguel the joint but Miguel thought better of it.
▪ Then he thought better of it.
two heads are better than one
you'd better believe it!
▪ "Do they make money on them?" "You'd better believe it!"
your better half/other half
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Hospitals are much better equipped now.
▪ I liked his last movie better.
▪ Ralph would be able to explain this a lot better than I can.
▪ Relief agencies are hoping to cope better with the famine than they did in 1990.
▪ The car is running much better since I put in new spark plugs.
▪ This country's people are wealthier, healthier, and better educated than ever before.
▪ Vidal is better known as a novelist.
▪ You can see much better from up here.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Apparently the networks-feeling that minorities were better served elsewhere-decided they themselves had no obligation to show minority faces.
▪ I thought we played much better in the third period.
III.nounPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
(just) that little bit better/easier etc
▪ We have put together a few of the most popular itineraries to help make your choice that little bit easier.
I couldn't wish for a nicer/better etc ...
I must/I'd better be getting along
I'd better mosey along/be moseying along
I/you can't/couldn't ask for a better sth
a (damn/darned/darn) sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ If he listened to Anthony Scrivener, he would be a darned sight better.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
▪ The Galapagos finch was a darn sight more valuable than Sandra Willmot.
▪ We were a darned sight better than them.
a damn sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
a darn sight better/harder etc
all the better/easier/more etc
▪ He offsets Roberts' operatic evil with a performance that commands all the more notice for its minimalism.
▪ His job was made all the more easier by drivers who hadn't bothered to take measures to stop people like him.
▪ If there is some meat left on the bones, all the better.
▪ It makes it all the more opportune.
▪ Superb defence by Karpov, all the more praiseworthy in that he was now in desperate time trouble.
▪ The dispute was all the more bitter because a prize was at stake.
▪ The inadequacy and treachery of the old leaderships of the working class have made the need all the more imperative.
▪ Weather experts say it was a relatively dry winter which makes the water recovery all the more remarkable.
appeal to sb's better nature/sense of justice etc
better (to be) safe than sorry
▪ I think I'll take my umbrella along - better safe than sorry.
▪ Anyway, better safe than sorry.
▪ The overall message of precaution-better safe than sorry-has intuitive appeal.
better Red than dead
better late than never
▪ While ongoing self-monitoring is urged, it is always better late than never.
better luck next time
▪ Ah well, better luck next time, Andy.
▪ And if you didn't win, better luck next time.
▪ Back to the West Indies with it, and better luck next time.
better/harder/worse etc still
▪ And 245 specialty stock funds that focus on particular industries did better still, averaging a 6. 5 percent gain.
▪ But perhaps the early evening was better still?
▪ He didn't talk because he was afraid of losing the pole or, worse still, falling in.
▪ I started to hunt for a cheap restaurant or, better still, a snack shop.
▪ I thought that it would soon pass, and it did - for you to work harder still.
▪ Or better still, make a real talent show instead.
▪ Or better still, there was the village school practically next door!
▪ With hindsight, it would have better still to lock in a few more gains.
come off best/better/worst etc
▪ Alec Davidson, for example, was one of those who came off worst.
▪ Bullock comes off best because her complaining seems so valid.
▪ His foster-child comes off best, but in addition each of two nurses receives a tenth of his estate.
▪ It may seem, so far, that in terms of clearly defined benefits, the client comes off best out of the deal.
▪ Prior to that Meath had come off best when they accounted for Down in the 1990 league decider.
▪ The lightning, it seemed to Lydia, had undoubtedly come off best in that encounter.
▪ The problem is that history sometimes comes off better.
couldn't be better/worse/more pleased etc
discretion is the better part of valour
even bigger/better/brighter etc
▪ But he actually proved even better than I thought.
▪ He had hoped to play an even bigger, more traditional role.
▪ I sort of thought the accident would make us play even better.
▪ It was even better when I got a hug and a kiss from the former Miss Minnesota!
▪ Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪ There was something spontaneous and lively in his manner of speaking that made whatever he was saying sound even better.
▪ This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪ What is the best way of stemming this decline or, even better, of regenerating the economy?
fare well/badly/better etc
▪ I think the men fared better than the women.
▪ It can be seen that, whilst all regions reflected the higher national unemployment rate, some regions fared better than others.
▪ It still fared better than the broader market.
▪ Life may be regarded as an austere struggle, blighted by fate, where only the rich and the lucky fare well.
▪ Not faring well, but resting.
▪ Obviously some clothiers fared better than others for there were quite a large number of bankruptcies between 1800 and 1840.
▪ The Bloomberg Indiana Index fared better than the benchmark Standard&.
▪ There is no reason to believe that diabetic patients fare better and they may do less well.
for want of a better word/phrase etc
▪ Just horses and ploughs and, for want of a better word, peasants.
▪ Now, hands are, well, handed for want of a better word.
for want of anything better (to do)
good/better/healthy etc start (in life)
▪ A good start is one where you pass close behind the start boat going at speed.
▪ But it wasn't a good start in the lessons of love, and left me very arid in such matters.
▪ He had better start by accepting that if he does the right things, they will not be popular ones.
▪ It wasn't a very good start.
▪ Not a good start, but a start, nevertheless.
▪ The auditor may enjoy the gifts, but he had better start looking for a sympathy engram not yet suspected or tapped.
▪ The problem was the middle and end, when the team sacrificed rebounding for getting out to a good start.
▪ They will, however, be getting a new center, and that is a good start, he believes.
greater/more/better etc than the sum of its parts
▪ Or is the organisation more than the sum of its parts?
half a loaf (is better than none)
have seen better days
▪ Ms. Davis's car had certainly seen better days.
▪ Virginia's car had definitely seen better days.
▪ We are working at Nanking University, in rather cramped and primitive conditions, for the buildings have seen better days.
hotter/colder/better etc than ever
▪ And that incentive was increased when they got personal recognition and satisfaction from doing it better than ever before.
▪ He says the new films are better than ever.
▪ Organised by the Alton and District Arts Council, the week promises to be better than ever.
▪ The moviemaking machine that Walt Disney created sixty years ago is working better than ever today.
▪ The National Health Service is now better than ever.
▪ The opportunities now are better than ever.
▪ This year's attractions are bigger and better than ever, with events running from Tuesday to Saturday.
▪ Watermen talked about their catches so far this year, which they said have been better than ever.
kiss sth better
know better
▪ Parents should know better than their children, but they don't always necessarily do.
▪ The man said it was an 18 carat diamond, but Dina knew better.
▪ But there were some rules he knew better than she ever would.
▪ Even people who should know better have ended up paying a price for denying what they are feeling.
▪ Guess he should have known better.
▪ Now you know better, thass all.
▪ Then I would have known better.
▪ Time you knew better, young lady.
▪ Yamazaki seems unconcerned by the fact that he's taking on problems that have defeated many who should have known better.
light years ahead/better etc than sth
miles older/better/too difficult etc
none the worse/better etc (for sth)
▪ Although the animal glowed rosy-pink, it appeared none the worse for its ordeal.
▪ I recovered, my mouth none the worse for it, after all.
▪ Peter's little pet was clearly none the worse for its time in the underworld.
not know any better
▪ Before Sinai, one could argue, the people had the excuse of not knowing any better.
sb had better/best do sth
sb's elders (and betters)
▪ For our purposes it may be more helpful to use the idea of desire when assessing elders.
▪ He roused himself wearily to exchange greetings with the elders as they passed him, and went in to his foster-father.
▪ In this respect at least, the procedures reflected those of a lineage or tribal meeting of elders and shaikhs.
▪ Indeed, the absence of official elders was a source of wonder to visitors from systems run by a selected few.
▪ Some, like Monta o, believe to this day that the city killed their elders.
▪ The Oaks are the Elders of the Forest and the others are aware of it.
▪ The weary elders of the 1980s take revenge at last upon the hapless victims of the 1960s.
the best/better part of sth
▪ Almost any child will assert that recess is the best part of the school day.
▪ Another child makes the family wretched with his crying for the better part of an hour.
▪ Converse drank the better part of the rum.
▪ For the better part of the next forty years they were to be the decisive restraints.
▪ I spent the better part of my time moping around the house, too dejected to think about practicing my stunts.
▪ It is not widely taught or particularly popular be-cause it takes the better part of a lifetime to master.
▪ This was it, the confrontation-point which he had been dreading for the best part of a week.
the sooner ( ... ) the better
▪ The sooner we get these bills paid off, the better.
▪ They knew they had to leave town, and the sooner the better.
think better of it
▪ She felt like slapping him in the face, but thought better of it.
▪ But he thought better of it and slowly breathed out the air through his nose.
▪ But then she thought better of it.
▪ Cowher said later he momentarily contemplated tackling Hudson, but thought better of it.
▪ He thought better of it, and despite a case of galloping homesickness, decided not to go home at all.
▪ He could have forced the window in time, anyone could, but he seemed suddenly to think better of it.
▪ He passed Miguel the joint but Miguel thought better of it.
▪ Then he thought better of it.
two heads are better than one
you'd better believe it!
▪ "Do they make money on them?" "You'd better believe it!"
your better half/other half
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Bored in the isolation of his taxi, curiosity and perhaps hunger got the better of him.
▪ On many other issues where he and Mr Bush differ we similarly believe Mr Gore has the better of the argument.
IV.verbCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
lot
▪ And for the sheriff with his bog Buick, yes, lots better.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
(just) that little bit better/easier etc
▪ We have put together a few of the most popular itineraries to help make your choice that little bit easier.
a (damn/darned/darn) sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ If he listened to Anthony Scrivener, he would be a darned sight better.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
▪ The Galapagos finch was a darn sight more valuable than Sandra Willmot.
▪ We were a darned sight better than them.
a damn sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
a darn sight better/harder etc
all the better/easier/more etc
▪ He offsets Roberts' operatic evil with a performance that commands all the more notice for its minimalism.
▪ His job was made all the more easier by drivers who hadn't bothered to take measures to stop people like him.
▪ If there is some meat left on the bones, all the better.
▪ It makes it all the more opportune.
▪ Superb defence by Karpov, all the more praiseworthy in that he was now in desperate time trouble.
▪ The dispute was all the more bitter because a prize was at stake.
▪ The inadequacy and treachery of the old leaderships of the working class have made the need all the more imperative.
▪ Weather experts say it was a relatively dry winter which makes the water recovery all the more remarkable.
better (to be) safe than sorry
▪ I think I'll take my umbrella along - better safe than sorry.
▪ Anyway, better safe than sorry.
▪ The overall message of precaution-better safe than sorry-has intuitive appeal.
better Red than dead
better late than never
▪ While ongoing self-monitoring is urged, it is always better late than never.
better luck next time
▪ Ah well, better luck next time, Andy.
▪ And if you didn't win, better luck next time.
▪ Back to the West Indies with it, and better luck next time.
better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)
better/harder/worse etc still
▪ And 245 specialty stock funds that focus on particular industries did better still, averaging a 6. 5 percent gain.
▪ But perhaps the early evening was better still?
▪ He didn't talk because he was afraid of losing the pole or, worse still, falling in.
▪ I started to hunt for a cheap restaurant or, better still, a snack shop.
▪ I thought that it would soon pass, and it did - for you to work harder still.
▪ Or better still, make a real talent show instead.
▪ Or better still, there was the village school practically next door!
▪ With hindsight, it would have better still to lock in a few more gains.
couldn't be better/worse/more pleased etc
discretion is the better part of valour
even bigger/better/brighter etc
▪ But he actually proved even better than I thought.
▪ He had hoped to play an even bigger, more traditional role.
▪ I sort of thought the accident would make us play even better.
▪ It was even better when I got a hug and a kiss from the former Miss Minnesota!
▪ Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪ There was something spontaneous and lively in his manner of speaking that made whatever he was saying sound even better.
▪ This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪ What is the best way of stemming this decline or, even better, of regenerating the economy?
for want of a better word/phrase etc
▪ Just horses and ploughs and, for want of a better word, peasants.
▪ Now, hands are, well, handed for want of a better word.
for want of anything better (to do)
good/better/healthy etc start (in life)
▪ A good start is one where you pass close behind the start boat going at speed.
▪ But it wasn't a good start in the lessons of love, and left me very arid in such matters.
▪ He had better start by accepting that if he does the right things, they will not be popular ones.
▪ It wasn't a very good start.
▪ Not a good start, but a start, nevertheless.
▪ The auditor may enjoy the gifts, but he had better start looking for a sympathy engram not yet suspected or tapped.
▪ The problem was the middle and end, when the team sacrificed rebounding for getting out to a good start.
▪ They will, however, be getting a new center, and that is a good start, he believes.
greater/more/better etc than the sum of its parts
▪ Or is the organisation more than the sum of its parts?
half a loaf (is better than none)
hotter/colder/better etc than ever
▪ And that incentive was increased when they got personal recognition and satisfaction from doing it better than ever before.
▪ He says the new films are better than ever.
▪ Organised by the Alton and District Arts Council, the week promises to be better than ever.
▪ The moviemaking machine that Walt Disney created sixty years ago is working better than ever today.
▪ The National Health Service is now better than ever.
▪ The opportunities now are better than ever.
▪ This year's attractions are bigger and better than ever, with events running from Tuesday to Saturday.
▪ Watermen talked about their catches so far this year, which they said have been better than ever.
light years ahead/better etc than sth
miles older/better/too difficult etc
none the worse/better etc (for sth)
▪ Although the animal glowed rosy-pink, it appeared none the worse for its ordeal.
▪ I recovered, my mouth none the worse for it, after all.
▪ Peter's little pet was clearly none the worse for its time in the underworld.
sb had better/best do sth
sb's elders (and betters)
▪ For our purposes it may be more helpful to use the idea of desire when assessing elders.
▪ He roused himself wearily to exchange greetings with the elders as they passed him, and went in to his foster-father.
▪ In this respect at least, the procedures reflected those of a lineage or tribal meeting of elders and shaikhs.
▪ Indeed, the absence of official elders was a source of wonder to visitors from systems run by a selected few.
▪ Some, like Monta o, believe to this day that the city killed their elders.
▪ The Oaks are the Elders of the Forest and the others are aware of it.
▪ The weary elders of the 1980s take revenge at last upon the hapless victims of the 1960s.
the best/better part of sth
▪ Almost any child will assert that recess is the best part of the school day.
▪ Another child makes the family wretched with his crying for the better part of an hour.
▪ Converse drank the better part of the rum.
▪ For the better part of the next forty years they were to be the decisive restraints.
▪ I spent the better part of my time moping around the house, too dejected to think about practicing my stunts.
▪ It is not widely taught or particularly popular be-cause it takes the better part of a lifetime to master.
▪ This was it, the confrontation-point which he had been dreading for the best part of a week.
the sooner ( ... ) the better
▪ The sooner we get these bills paid off, the better.
▪ They knew they had to leave town, and the sooner the better.
two heads are better than one
your better half/other half
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ new laws aimed at bettering economic conditions
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ I think you can always better programs.
▪ In my view nothing betters a good ferret box.
▪ Rockefeller believed society could be bettered by public spending and public architecture.