I.adjectiveCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a brief absence
▪ Everything seemed to have changed during his brief absence.
a brief account
▪ The class were asked to write a brief account of their holidays.
a brief analysis
▪ Let’s start with a brief analysis of the situation.
a brief chatformal:
▪ My manager said he wanted to have a brief chat with me.
a brief examination (=quick, and not very detailed)
▪ In chapter one, there is a brief examination of the economic situation in the country at the time.
a brief exchange (=a short conversation)
▪ There followed a brief exchange between Mitti and Helga in German.
a brief mention
▪ Dillon makes only a brief mention of the idea in his book.
a brief moment
▪ For a brief moment, he looked directly at her.
a brief outline
▪ Each chapter begins with a brief outline of the topics covered in the chapter.
a brief reference
▪ Brief references to the tragedy have appeared in the French press.
a brief/quick comment
▪ I just want to make a very brief comment.
a brief/quick overview
▪ It is useful to give a brief overview of the research done so far.
a brief/short description
▪ There's only a brief description of the hotel on the Internet.
a brief/short message
▪ She left a short message on his answering machine.
a brief/short spell
▪ After a brief spell in a florist's shop, she became a hairdresser.
a brief/short visit
▪ Miss Russell was only able to pay a brief visit.
a brief/short/long hiatus
▪ There was a brief hiatus in the war.
a brief/short/slight pause
▪ "Well, that was a surprise," he said after a brief pause.
a quick/brief glance
▪ I had little time for more than a quick glance around the house.
a quick/brief nap
▪ I like to have a brief nap in the afternoon.
a short/brief ceremony
▪ He became acting president in a brief ceremony yesterday.
a short/brief period
▪ He lived for a short period in Manchester.
a short/brief silence
▪ After a brief silence, Katherine nodded.
a short/brief statement
▪ Police last night issued a brief statement about the incident.
a short/brief stay
▪ No visa is required for short stays.
a slight/brief/momentary etc hesitation
▪ There was a slight hesitation in Jamie’s voice.
brief fame (=being famous for a short time)
▪ Ed achieved brief fame as a pop singer in the late 1980s.
brief flirtation
▪ He started his own business last year, after a brief flirtation with political life.
brief notes (=short and not detailed)
▪ He jotted down some brief notes.
brief respite
▪ a brief respite from persecution
brief/fleeting/quick glimpse (=a very short look)
▪ We only had a fleeting glimpse of the river.
brief/short
▪ The band had rather a brief existence.
▪ The show's existence was extremely short.
Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms
had...brief fling
▪ They had a brief fling a few years ago.
had...brief flirtation
▪ She had a brief flirtation with Tim.
keep a watching brief on
▪ One of his responsibilities is to keep a watching brief on foreign broadcasts.
short/brief
▪ The chairman opened the meeting with a brief speech.
watching brief
▪ One of his responsibilities is to keep a watching brief on foreign broadcasts.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
only
▪ He had undressed but wore only brief sleeping shorts.
▪ As it is, most parents take only brief peeks into classrooms and hear snatches of information about curriculum.
▪ That summer at Aix was not only brief but troubled.
▪ There are no more six-page effusions-#only brief notes, and those evasive.
▪ No applause interrupted the speech, and only brief, half-hearted, clapping was heard at the end.
▪ Of necessity, the foregoing provides only brief details about the range of ground equipment available.
relatively
▪ Indeed, the relatively brief history of information technology has already demonstrated the dangers of even short-term forecasting.
▪ And increasingly, the relatively brief preoccupation with methodology was seen to have run its course in economics.
▪ The proposals were relatively brief and only suggestive of how future work might proceed.
▪ They come into existence after relatively brief periods of rapid change in a small sub-population of a pre-existing species.
▪ If those who are called before that time are relatively brief, it may not be necessary to impose the limit.
▪ Keep sessions relatively brief - around forty-five minutes.
▪ Pregnancy, however, is a relatively brief and dramatic bodily change, succeeded by reversion to something like the former state.
so
▪ It was so brief, so out of expectation, that it almost didn't register.
▪ But the episode had been so brief, so unreal.
▪ Most of the journeys made by honey bees or Cataglyphis are so brief that its movement is not of great significance.
▪ The story is dreamy, mesmerizing and so brief you can read it in a sitting.
▪ I am sorry my reply is so brief, but having just cut my thumb I am unable to continue writing.
▪ Frustrating or what - it had been so faint and so brief.
▪ A main reason for this is that by comparison its history is so brief.
▪ The kiss was so brief, and he was so surprised, that he had no chance to respond.
very
▪ Here, though, is a very brief account of what has been done to date and what was found.
▪ In his very brief opportunity as the fisherman, Ruodi, Anthony Dean Griffey unveiled an exquisite lyric tenor.
▪ Some guides are indeed very brief, suggesting visits at breakneck speed where only a few items or rooms will be seen.
▪ Develop a very brief abstract to be no longer than one single page describing the project.
▪ The film is about only a very brief sojourn in Gauguin's otherwise racy biography.
▪ In a very brief time I was back in our new position and not thinking of pocket-knives.
▪ I am therefore a man of few words and I have been very brief throughout my professional career.
▪ It is of some interest to note that the press carried very brief notices that Herrera had relinquished the presidency.
■ NOUN
account
▪ Here, though, is a very brief account of what has been done to date and what was found.
▪ The brief accounts in the narrative sources say nothing about Charles.
▪ Give a brief account of the main services provided by major banks. 8.
▪ There is room here to give only the briefest account of the different kinds of vertebrates.
▪ Duroc gave a brief account of his doings in Paris, and of his important visit to Berlin.
▪ The above brief account throws into sharp relief the essential differences between the Keynesian and classical theories of labour market adjustment.
▪ Bearing in mind what you know about them now, write a brief account of your first meeting.
▪ There was a brief account of professional intervention to date.
appearance
▪ Even then, they would only put in a brief appearance in puddings and cakes at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
▪ Jackson and Medina made a brief appearance before a federal magistrate Tuesday on the extortion charge.
▪ And I catch the roots of my Enoch Dream: his grinning mug makes a brief appearance on-screen as an Inspiral slide.
▪ The brief appearance of what may seem like an inconsequential maidservant may end up being the turning event of the story.
▪ It's always fun when Test cricket takes off its fine clothes and makes a brief appearance in ragged jeans and T-shirts.
▪ Tracy Chapman, for example, certainly owes her fame and a lot of her money to her brief appearance at it.
▪ There was something overwhelmingly assured about this brief appearance.
▪ The Director had put in only one brief appearance in the library.
comment
▪ This chapter ends with some brief comments on the nature of knowledge - scientific and mystic.
▪ Although most readers of this book are probably only too well aware of these rates, a brief comment is none the less appropriate.
▪ Franks made his preliminary examination of the body, dictating brief comments to his secretary.
▪ The following brief comments constitute an introduction to legal research.
▪ Although the order does not propose any great innovations, it is worth making some brief comments on its background.
▪ At the meeting, Rice made a few brief comments about how he looked forward to working with the group.
▪ Liberalization and Cities: Conclusions Three brief comments might usefully be made here.
▪ A few examples of bibliographies are noted below, with brief comments on their type and function: 1.
description
▪ And Martin gives a brief description of the type of terrain and gradients that blistered feet will meet.
▪ This disease although now a rarity, does warrant a brief description.
▪ This completes our brief description of the orchestral brass.
▪ This is a brief description of single case research and an explanation as to how to carry out such a monitoring project.
▪ A brief description of our forecasting model follows.
▪ It should be clear from this brief description that these issues are inherently geographical.
▪ Rota reads the laws, finds out what reports are demanded, and writes a brief description for his book.
discussion
▪ This will involve a brief discussion of the approach known in contemporary philosophy as functionalism.
▪ A brief discussion of how to control the page layout and how to avoid widow and orphan line is provided below.
▪ One nice inclusion is a brief discussion of centrifugal methods in the separations chapter.
▪ A brief discussion of the most popular herbs in game cooking is in order.
▪ It is these eddies that relate particularly to the brief discussion above of the correlation measurements in Fig. 21.9.
▪ Holder says he does not recall the brief discussion.
▪ Followed by a brief discussion of how to make all our small pieces of action research available to each other.
▪ We begin with a brief discussion of the methodological issues underlying these two modes of analysis.
glimpse
▪ Shadowy shapes changed position, flying noiselessly, giving brief glimpses.
▪ How could I not resent some stupid clouds robbing me of my one, brief glimpse of eternity?
▪ But even in that brief glimpse, Müller was certain that he was deceiving her.
▪ There may be only brief glimpses of the rabbit and it must be shot quickly and accurately or the opportunity is lost.
▪ Just a brief glimpse ofa white coat then all is done from behind.
▪ The brief glimpse of family lives during the Easter holidays at Dinard had shrivelled into a dream.
▪ He managed to catch a brief glimpse of him talking to a man at the end of the platform.
▪ They caught a brief glimpse of the struggling figures on the practice grounds, the clash of their weapons on the wind.
history
▪ Their brief histories are shown in Appendix 7.
▪ A brief history of Reinberto Lopez AlaIa suggests that it is not a question with a simple answer.
▪ Indeed, the relatively brief history of information technology has already demonstrated the dangers of even short-term forecasting.
▪ A brief history prepared by the Education Coalition, a lobbying group, says California began statewide testing in 1962.
▪ Unlike the previous two, this film attempts to convey the nature of the fighting within a brief history of the war.
▪ Write a brief history of your life as a reader up to the age of 11.
▪ We start next week with a brief history of telecommunications on the personal computer.&038;.
introduction
▪ After this brief introduction the head, who was chairing the meeting, asked staff for comments and questions.
▪ For each total synthesis a brief introduction is given, outlining the biological activity and other syntheses of the target compound.
▪ Each chapter begins with a brief introduction, and ends with a comprehensive list of references - typically in the hundreds.
▪ This section has provided a brief introduction to the question of the relationship between sociology and values.
▪ This brochure is only intended as a very brief introduction to Carmarthen Bay &038; Teifi Valley.
look
▪ Larger animals which are not subject to the whims of wind and current may flash by or come closer for a brief look.
▪ Understanding these latter effects requires a brief look at the brain circuits of bliss.
▪ He leaned forward and slipped a hand into Nicola's jacket pockets, then gave her a brief look of apology.
▪ Following a brief look at inventory investment, the chapter concludes by assessing the role of investment in economic growth.
▪ After I left Sequoia, I visited Yosemite for a brief look around.
▪ First, let us take a brief look at Frege's theory of concepts.
▪ The discussion concluded with a brief look at the structure of the Farnham Castle courses.
mention
▪ The treatment of acute retention of urine occurring in a primary herpetic attack in the female deserves a brief mention.
▪ Work on automatic classification should not be overlooked, although a brief mention only is permitted.
▪ Second, brief mention should be made of the law relating to adultery.
▪ Two other political phenomena deserve brief mention in this context.
▪ Her brief mention of Timmy had shown him that this was the stumbling block.
▪ Nevertheless, one aspect of the AD-AS approach deserves brief mention.
▪ Besides muderrises and kadis, one other group within the learned profession deserves brief mention, namely the muftis.
▪ In this final section, brief mention will be made of that particularly complex policy area, urban finance.
moment
▪ He floundered in panic as, for a brief moment, he could not remember why he was there.
▪ In that one brief moment he knew that he was in trouble.
▪ Life is great and, for a brief moment, the view is spectacular even awesome.
▪ For one brief moment, women thought they saw hope.
▪ For a brief moment in the late 1980s and early 1990s ecstasy broke this mould.
▪ For a brief moment love triumphs over all, but reality soon sets in.
▪ Just that one brief moment of madness ... Then the bitter tears of self-reproach.
▪ Has he traded notoriety and this brief moment for his lifelong dream?
note
▪ This brief note can not do justice to all the facts and arguments involved.
▪ Occasionally Miller jotted down a few brief notes.
▪ The following brief notes are indications as to how one might use drama both to stimulate and support work in specific curriculum areas.
▪ There are no more six-page effusions-only brief notes, and those evasive.
▪ During the presentation, listen carefully and take brief notes. 4.
▪ It had come out of the blue: a brief note from her, saying that she had to undergo a surgical operation.
▪ There were some brief notes to Rose - from Sheffield, Newcastle and other Northern towns.
outline
▪ You may feel, on consideration, that a brief outline would serve your purposes better.
▪ Such, in brief outline, was the Combined Fleet plan for the Midway operation.
▪ Only a brief outline of the main points which currently affect business executives can be given here.
▪ A brief outline will illustrate how the reforms benefit the average eater.
▪ Details of this are described at appropriate stages in this book, so here a brief outline will suffice.
▪ Only a brief outline of the structure will be presented.
▪ What follows is therefore only a brief outline, with a closer examination of certain areas.
▪ This guide is intended to provide a brief outline of resources and services.
pause
▪ Just a few words, but there was a nod of understanding, the briefest pause, before the two men stood.
▪ There was a brief pause, then the caller tried again.
▪ Balvinder Singh dropped me outside during a brief pause in the rain.
▪ The brief pause while he slipped off his clothing was like agony; then he was next to her, hard and demanding.
▪ At last, when there was a brief pause, Woodruffe cleared his throat.
period
▪ This letter detector remains active for some brief period of time, until the pattern mask is presented.
▪ A Louisiana statute authorizing a brief period of silent meditation was also challenged by students.
▪ The Moon experienced only a brief period of intense internal activity early in its history.
▪ For a brief period in the province's history, its affairs became entwined in the broader struggles for the monarchy.
▪ The seizure usually lasts about 1 minute and is typically followed by a brief period of confusion.
▪ These mains spikes sometime consist of surges of thousands of volts, albeit for very brief periods.
▪ The briefest period a monk remained there was one to three months, the longest nine years.
respite
▪ Nearby, the remainder of the squadron was stirring after a brief respite in a busy twenty-four period.
▪ Follow this to a brief respite and winding shed.
▪ The brief respite before the pests could fight back reflects the wait for a mutation.
▪ There have only been brief respites.
▪ However, after a brief respite at Ossett everyone agreed to continue.
▪ Then he, too, requires a brief respite from corporeal entombment.
review
▪ A brief review of events in division four!
▪ To start with, let's have a brief review of major and minor scale harmony.
▪ A brief review of the structure of sierra society will illustrate this point.
▪ This very brief review of about ten conservation programmes can not make the case that all national policies fail.
▪ My brief review of personal care given by relatives has stressed the theme of variation, especially by gender.
▪ A brief review of existing work in library user instruction evaluation was then given and related to the parameters previously described.
▪ Finally, we will conclude with a brief review of freemasonry today.
silence
▪ I had to wait for a brief silence between cuts to pound on the doorframe.
▪ There was a brief silence like an indrawn breath.
spell
▪ The Rumanian talent was world number one for a brief spell in the same year.
▪ It was just a brief spell of ownership; the war meant petrol rationing.
▪ I should know by now that heavy drinkers are awfully fond of high-flown rationalisations for any brief spell of abstinence.
▪ His bedside locker held the conglomerate of offerings, necessities and minor diversions considered indispensable to a brief spell in hospital.
▪ After a brief spell in the newly created Ministry of Labour he returned to the Home Office in 1919.
▪ Then, in 1979, he had a brief spell as manager of non-league Oxford City.
statement
▪ The columns are headed by brief statements of key activities in that stage of the project, laid out in logical order.
▪ He issued a brief statement late Monday noting that he had discussed the matter with Rep.
▪ I conclude this paper with a brief statement about thematic work.
▪ These and all other consultants should be listed by name, title and a brief statement of relevant experience.
▪ He failed to do so in his brief statement from the Dispatch Box.
▪ Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement.
▪ Chapter 2 makes brief statements about value bias, too many variables not enough countries, and equivalence.
▪ He made a brief statement, then he tried to leave.
summary
▪ These objectives and a brief summary of the main tasks are given below.
▪ But in this brief summary we have to choose; and we choose the testimony of the novel for two reasons.
▪ This may be a brief summary of reasons or a full decision dictated by the chairman.
▪ A brief summary is in order for those of you not inclined to keep track of shenanigans and other assorted tomfoolery.
▪ Each one of perhaps a group of four should prepare a brief summary of an article of general interest.
▪ Coleman also gave brief summaries of how each supervisor has done with regard to youth issues.
▪ A brief summary of the rights of each class of shares should be given.
survey
▪ This concludes our brief survey of equilibrium concepts and the models in which they are embedded.
▪ Even in such a brief survey of this notion of contradiction two things become clear.
▪ But a brief survey may establish points of comparison and contrast.
▪ We proceed, therefore, to a brief survey of the relevant aspects of resonator theory { 24,34 }.
▪ The other sites included in the very brief survey are on roads in the south-east.
▪ The following list provides a brief survey of some of the schools that have become major styles in their own right.
▪ It will begin with a brief survey of the corporate economy.
time
▪ They have had to adapt to high temperatures, shortage of water and a very brief time in which to reproduce.
▪ The rooms them-selves were good, the furniture would do for the brief time they would he here.
▪ The brief time taken for this re-polarisation is the refractory period.
▪ In a shockingly brief time, they managed to produce a working computer that ran Smalltalk, sort of an interim Dynabook.
▪ The experience is unsettling, as if voyeuristic, and also uncanny, like a brief time travel, and absurdly pleasing.
▪ By the nineties, he was for a brief time the most celebrated scientist in the world.
▪ She was unusually alert, for her health had deteriorated in the brief time since the upset of Theda's near-dismissal.
▪ For a brief time she was a welfare recipient.
visit
▪ And Miss Russell was only able to pay a brief visit.
▪ Gandhi exclaimed at a meeting in Madras, on October 26, 1896, during a brief visit to his native land.
▪ On that first brief visit I made up my mind that one day I would return there.
▪ But fortunately at that moment her gynaecologist called in for a brief visit and Brian went off to the nursery.
▪ She left the schoolroom and, after a brief visit to her sister, drove away.
▪ Promotion for Mr Wilson followed and after a brief visit to Naples to tie up affairs he returned to London.
word
▪ Sometimes she says brief words to the other athletes or the crowd and unfortunately the video doesn't show it.
▪ Then he took it with a brief word of thanks.
▪ I managed to have a brief word with the rescued pilot as he was carried on a stretcher into the ambulance.
▪ Let me give you a brief word picture of the average transvestite.
▪ Here, in their own brief words, are the stories of just three of them.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ After a brief intermission, the performance continued.
▪ It was impossible to see everything during our brief visit to Paris.
▪ Let's keep the meeting as brief as possible.
▪ Police caught the man after a brief chase.
▪ The book begins with a brief outline of the history of modern China.
▪ The victim's parents read a brief statement to the press.
▪ There was a brief note with the flowers.
▪ We just have to write a very brief piece on what we did in the vacation.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A Louisiana statute authorizing a brief period of silent meditation was also challenged by students.
▪ Blagg had tried a brief smile when Maxim flashed the torch on himself for identification, but didn't speak.
▪ The chapter concludes with a brief examination of decision process and behavioural models of industrial purchasing.
▪ The tale of Trescothick is briefer.
▪ There was a period of comparative stagnation in the nineties and a brief interruption following the financial panic in 1907.
▪ They assembled quickly to hear the brief set of orders that explained their respective tasks in the battle to come.
▪ This late summer would be brief enough, the warm unseasonable days of mellow sunshine couldn't last.
II.nounCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
legal
▪ These previously undisclosed written statements were made public this week in legal briefs filed by prosecutors.
■ VERB
file
▪ The unions would hire lawyers to file the briefs.
▪ The rival candidates' lawyers filed briefs last weekend.
prepare
▪ Not surprisingly, Whitehall has been hedging its bets with officials preparing briefs to cover a variety of eventualities.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Dealing with financial matters is not part of my brief.
▪ I've prepared a brief on the economic situation in China.
▪ The brief given to the students was quite straightforward.
▪ The architect's brief was to design an extension which would harmonize as much as possible with the existing building.
▪ The committee's brief is to investigate and report on domestic violence in the region.
▪ The drug squad's briefing lasted twenty minutes.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ For all but the simplest actions there should preferably be a written brief which is discussed by all concerned.
▪ His brief was to convey coal as a developing rather than a senescent industry.
▪ The brief comprised a list of about 80 species for each chart, grouped according to pollution tolerance.
▪ Would a seasoned brief have lost it in court so easily?
III.verbCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
well
▪ David D. is always well briefed, usually good-humoured, though he was looking a little frayed by the small hours of Friday.
▪ Tony was well briefed before we descended to the bowels of the earth.
■ NOUN
news
▪ A news briefing would be starting soon in town, but it could wait.
▪ Donald Peterson said at a Pentagon news briefing as heavy snowfall continued to hamper search and rescue efforts near Vail, Colo.
press
▪ At the press briefing, Sen.
▪ At a press briefing on Feb. 11, Brig.
▪ Wetli was absent from the Monday press briefing.
▪ On Jan. 28 at a parliamentary press briefing Viljoen expanded on the government's proposals, giving details of a five-step plan.
▪ Feeley was shown at a press briefing saying it was just some early Christmas shopping.
▪ At the noon press briefing there were questions.
▪ If he is going to see them, Earl Bush, the press aide, will brief him on likely questions.
reporter
▪ A senior State Department official briefed reporters on U.S. objections to the draft.
■ VERB
say
▪ Kim said that briefing will be held later this month, at a date and place still undecided.
tell
▪ Bringing your own people in here, your own scientists ... and not telling them, not briefing them.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ DeGaulle flew back to England to be briefed about the invasion that was about to begin.
▪ It was clear the witness had been well briefed.
▪ Make sure that the PR department are fully briefed on their role.
▪ Police officers were briefed before going out to arrest the suspects.
▪ You'll be picked up from here tomorrow night and briefed on what you have to do.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A reporter who attempted to cover the meeting was asked to leave but was briefed afterward by project officials on what happened.
▪ All teachers were personally briefed on this procedure, which is designed to minimise underreporting of smoking behaviour.
▪ At Question Time the Prime Minister is backed by the civil servants who brief her and try to anticipate supplementary questions.
▪ Barristers may not be approached directly by most clients: they may only be briefed by solicitors.
▪ However, they have not been briefed that in this case the drop zone will be changed at the last minute.
▪ The client should then be briefed.