I.adjectiveCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a possible explanation
▪ Can anyone think of a possible explanation for why this is happening?
a possible motive
▪ The police are still thinking about possible motives for the murders.
a possible outcome
▪ When you throw a die, there are six possible outcomes.
a possible scenario
▪ Defence planners are paid to consider every possible scenario.
a possible solution
▪ There are three possible solutions to this problem.
a possible suspect
▪ Thr police drew up a list of possible subjects.
a possible/acceptable/satisfactory alternative
▪ I’m busy tomorrow but Wednesday is a possible alternative.
a possible/potential candidate (=someone who you might give a job or position to)
▪ There were two women who were possible candidates.
a possible/potential successor
▪ He had been tipped as a possible successor to the president.
as far as possible (=as much as possible)
▪ We’ve kept the original features of the house as far as possible.
as little as possible
▪ My lawyer advised me to say as little as possible.
as long as possible
▪ The fruit should be left on the tree as long as possible.
as long as possible
▪ Try to keep going for as long as possible.
as soon as possible (=as soon as you can)
▪ Please let me know your decision as soon as possible.
as soon as possible
▪ Try and get the car fixed as soon as possible.
at every (possible) opportunity (=whenever possible)
▪ She went to the museum at every opportunity.
difficult/impossible/easy/possible etc to detect
if possible
▪ I want to get back by five o'clock if possible.
in the nicest possible way
▪ He told me, in the nicest possible way, that I was interfering too much.
it is certainly true/possible etc
▪ It is certainly true that there are more courses on offer.
make sth difficult/easy/possible etc
▪ The use of computers has made it possible for more people to work from home.
possible implications
▪ We discussed the possible implications of oil price rises.
the best possible
▪ We sold the house at the best possible time.
the possible/likely consequences
▪ What are the likely consequences of these changes?
whenever possible
▪ a policy of using recycled paper whenever possible
wherever possible (=at all times when it is possible)
▪ I feel I ought to be nice to them wherever possible .
worst possible
▪ What is the worst possible thing that can happen?
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
also
▪ It is also possible to dilute some Araldite resins with toluene for pre-casting soak.
▪ However, it is also possible to consider situations in which the modifiability of a compartment is due to completely intrinsic factors.
▪ The alternative - that these lower levels are partly responsible for the development of oesophagitis - is also possible.
▪ Other answers are, of course, also possible. 4.
▪ Therapeutic input makes heavy use of group work, though individual therapy is also possible.
▪ Yet it is also possible to see the form as a stylized if rather primitive representation of the female deity.
▪ It is also possible to continue as a graduate without eh thought occurring.
▪ The catalysed conversion of methanol to ethanol by reaction with syn-gas, is also possible but not yet commercial.
always
▪ Such comparisons are always possible, and ought to be made, if the worse an to improve.
▪ Nor was it always possible for geophysicists to see the motions of the surface so clearly.
▪ But with central heating, it is now not always possible to provide an ideal plunging environment within the home.
▪ It was always possible to undo things, I thought, but it was not always possible to do them.
▪ It is always possible to blame deficiencies on central government.
▪ In the Dubrovlag, he had said, pity for others is always possible, but self-pity is never possible.
▪ Underdrawing analysis is, however, not always conclusive, nor indeed always possible.
▪ It is not always possible to answer post by return, or to return telephone calls within the next few minutes.
as
▪ In 1967 the Brooklands Society was formed to preserve as much of the area as possible.
▪ She then instructed her subjects to duplicate these postures as precisely as possible.
▪ An immediate potential problem presents as possible ethical infringement upon the doctor-patient relationship.
▪ We must enact as soon as possible the National Human Welfare Act in order to regulate the use of humans in research.
▪ I prepared a diet as free from fat as possible yet incorporating protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals.
▪ Thaw frozen meat in its wrappings in the refrigerator and cook it as soon as possible after thawing.
▪ Family conferences are best conducted in as natural a manner as possible.
▪ The axial plane is a surface that divides a fold as symmetrically as possible.
quite
▪ It's quite possible you won't even realise this, so long as you each mirror the same changes.
▪ It is quite possible that co-operation between various macrophage subsets takes place in Peyer's patches.
▪ However, even in monolinguals, dramatic changes of persona are quite possible.
▪ For one thing, it is quite possible that people may feel free and independent even when they are actually being manipulated.
▪ It is of course quite possible to develop an integrated system based on a single hardware base.
▪ It seemed to him quite possible that Dysart should exploit his official position to save an old friend from bankruptcy.
▪ It is quite possible that some selection factors may point towards your retention while others will, in comparison, favour colleagues.
whenever
▪ Proposed change is whenever possible shown to arise from identified deficiencies.
▪ Therefore, we recommend having the butcher debone them whenever possible.
▪ To ensure that the breeding of such fish is continued we will try to obtain new specimens whenever possible.
▪ She avoided saying them whenever possible.
▪ Pupils will also become aware of the need to check one source against another whenever possible.
▪ Older birds are often very tough and have an unpleasant aroma; they should be avoided whenever possible.
▪ For a balanced look, always put the tallest stalk towards the outside of the garment, whenever possible.
▪ Viewers also are encouraged to interview relatives whenever possible.
where
▪ As well as the more obvious things like reducing energy costs and recycling where possible, the community is benefiting from the programme.
▪ Provision of the real object where possible is usually eagerly explored.
▪ He is the man who wants to take part, who wants to do everything the woman does where possible.
▪ The children live at the Institute during the week, going home at the weekend where possible.
▪ It had to be easy and cheap to build, maintain and operate in addition to using local materials where possible.
▪ Incidentally, it is a good idea to take photographs where possible as sites are still disappearing at a rapid rate.
▪ First, where possible, run!
▪ Make sure you let the notes ring into each other where possible, to get the full harmonic effect.
wherever
▪ It may also be advisable to check the broker's performance record on discretionary service wherever possible.
▪ Nearly every government contractor befriends and hires Pentagon employees and bends the rules wherever possible.
▪ Also - wherever possible keep valuable livestock, feedstuffs or other bulk materials as close to the farmyard as you can.
▪ Perhaps we should be asking our local authorities to install wheelchair access gates in place of ordinary kissing gates wherever possible.
▪ Certainly the new actor should never remain idle but create chances wherever possible.
▪ Participants agreed to share information and resources, review regional training programmes, and cooperate wherever possible.
▪ I am all in favour of an easy life for horse and rider wherever possible.
▪ This process should be wherever possible part of a systematic analysis of diagnostic system requirements.
■ NOUN
cause
▪ Cause of the problem Apart from a damp-proof course problem, what other possible causes are there for structural damp?
▪ I was told a possible cause was water impurities.
▪ What then are the possible causes of conflict within organisations?
▪ Scientists have begun to investigate and to identify some of the possible causes, which may differ from species to species.
▪ The physician must establish a sympathetic rapport with the patient to help elucidate possible causes and contributing factors.
▪ Could you please suggest a possible cause and remedy for the above.
▪ Instead, I explain his so-called options and the possible causes for the aggravation of his breathing.
▪ Recent theoretical work has clarified two possible causes of ageing.
explanation
▪ Three possible explanations can be advanced.
▪ Alistair arrived at that minute, ending any possible explanation.
▪ The reader can decide which of the possible explanations is the most plausible.
▪ There can only be one possible explanation.
▪ One possible explanation lies in the division of labour between women and men.
▪ The committee revises the list of possible explanations to produce a list of designated performance deficiencies.
▪ To some it might seem a possible explanation.
▪ One possible explanation is that the beacons have a history of malfunctioning during bad weather.
way
▪ There are several possible ways of administering tests which might be derived from the Cockcroft Committee's recommendations.
▪ There are various possible ways in which this could be done, and I chose one that I call the triangle trick.
▪ There are two possible ways forward.
▪ Needless to say, there are many possible ways of turning this rule into practice.
▪ If we want something, then we go for it in the best possible way we know.
▪ Now you've crossed Westminster bridge and achieved your goal, we outline the best possible way to recover.
▪ That is not a possible way to combat boredom.
▪ Your competitors may not be doing things in the best possible way.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
humanly possible
▪ Firefighters did everything humanly possible to save lives.
▪ The report was as fair as is humanly possible.
▪ Acquaint yourselves with it as soon as is humanly possible.
▪ Although speechreaders learn the necessity for keen attention and mental focus, it is not humanly possible to focus attention all day.
▪ He should be punished for as long as it is humanly possible to punish him.
▪ If so, will he ensure that a police officer accompanies every military patrol whenever humanly possible?
▪ Our Government is fashioned to fulfill this concept so far as humanly possible.
▪ The task at hand was to devise an immediate gathering of the vestry and to make it as splendid as humanly possible.
▪ They demanded attention which it was not humanly possible to give.
▪ What she must do was concentrate on getting her memory back so that she could get home to them as soon as humanly possible.
not remotely interested/funny/possible etc
▪ Life-ways are opened up which are not remotely possible, even in analogous terms, to any other species.
physically possible/impossible
▪ Also, it isn't physically possible to sit and listen to a rap album all the way through.
▪ But he realized that this was physically impossible.
▪ By the power of his imagination he was trying to do something that was physically impossible.
▪ His hypothesis, while unlikely, is neither logically nor physically impossible.
▪ The illogical, unlikely and physically impossible are treated as natural phenomena.
▪ They were just physically impossible to move in and out of the studios.
technically possible/difficult/feasible etc
▪ Although it is already technically possible for network administrators to monitor Internet traffic, such tracking has been difficult to do.
▪ Berni came into this world on May 12 at 9: 07 a. m. It was a technically difficult delivery.
▪ FLEXthe name of both the machine and its language-was not technically feasible at the time.
▪ One expert achieved unwanted fame by stating, categorically, that it was no longer technically possible to build modern aircraft out of wood.
▪ Subsequent additions and amendments to software may be technically possible, but inadvisable because of subsequent upgrade issues.
▪ The members thought that it was technically feasible and, under the right conditions, could benefit the region.
▪ There is nothing technically difficult about this; if the computer can look one play ahead it can look 20.
▪ There was no question that a tunnel was technically feasible, but 1 wanted to know what the economics would be.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Accidents are always possible in heavy industries like mining.
▪ Detectives can now check every criminal's records, which wouldn't be possible without computers.
▪ Here's a list of possible topics for your next essay.
▪ I want to get back by 5 o'clock if possible.
▪ Is it possible to find a room in a good hotel for less than $100?
▪ It is possible for more than one person to win the competition.
▪ It is possible that the children are still alive.
▪ Please let me know your answer as soon as possible.
▪ Sudden snowstorms are always possible this time of year.
▪ technological changes and their possible effects on our lives
▪ The doctors did everything possible to save her life.
▪ The only possible way a woman could rise in class was to marry into a family of higher social standing than her own.
▪ Travel to other planets may soon be possible.
▪ We must get her to the hospital as quickly as possible.
▪ We will deal with all complaints as soon as is humanly possible.
▪ You can't be a Muslim and a Catholic at the same time - it's just not possible.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Echoes of the signal alert them to possible prey, at ranges up to 80-90 metres in shallow waters.
▪ I planned on saying as little as possible.
▪ It is seldom possible to give a general overall clearance of a product for all export markets.
▪ It is therefore easier to prevent development on the basis of the precautionary principle, rather than look for possible solutions.
▪ They're as unique as it is possible to be without splitting at the seams.
▪ What makes it possible for the speaker to communicate this to the hearer?
II.nounCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ VERB
make
▪ The recurring theme here is that community makes learning possible.
▪ Any such success would make other successes possible.
▪ The modern skyscraper had been made possible by the addition of the electric motor to Elisha Otis's earlier elevator.
▪ This was also the first generation to take full advantage of the decentralized workplaces made possible by information technology.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Dern is another possible for the award.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ He assumed that this could only be because he was one of the possibles.
▪ It's a device which when read by scanner, gives a unique code; one of 34 billion possibles.
▪ There were other possibles - mostly underworld figures - but I discounted them as red herrings.