I.verbCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a positive thought
▪ Think positive thoughts.
abstract thought (=thinking about ideas)
▪ Human beings are the only creatures capable of abstract thought.
banish the memory/thought/image etc (of sb/sth)
▪ They tried to banish the memory from their minds.
be right in saying/thinking etc
▪ I think I’m right in saying they once employed 2000 people.
careful consideration/attention/thought
▪ Careful consideration has been given to all applications.
clarity of vision/purpose/thought etc
▪ Churchill’s clarity of vision impressed all who knew him.
comforting thought
▪ With this comforting thought, Harry fell asleep.
count/consider/think yourself lucky (=believe that you are lucky in a particular situation)
▪ You should count yourself lucky you weren’t seriously hurt.
dismiss a thought
▪ Was he lying? I tried to dismiss the thought.
don’t think much (=I do not think it is good)
▪ I don’t think much of that idea .
dread the thought/prospect of (doing) sth
▪ He dreaded the prospect of being all alone in that house.
find/think of/come up with an explanation
▪ Scientists have been unable to find an explanation for this phenomenon.
have a look/walk/sleep/talk/think etc
▪ We were just having a look around.
▪ Are you going to have a swim?
hope so/think so/say so etc
▪ ‘Will I need my umbrella?’ ‘I don’t think so.’
▪ If you want to go home, just say so.
I dread to think (=I think it will be very bad)
▪ I dread to think what will happen if they get elected .
it is a mistake to think/assume etc sth
▪ It would be a mistake to assume that all snakes are dangerous.
it is comforting to think/have/know etc
▪ It’s comforting to know I can call my parents any time.
it is naive to think/suppose/assume etc
▪ It would be naive to think that this could solve all the area’s problems straight away.
joined-up thinking
▪ the need for joined-up thinking between departments
lateral thinking
look/listen/think etc carefully
▪ You need to think very carefully about which course you want to do.
lost in thought
▪ Harry just stood there, lost in thought.
make up/think up/invent an excuse
▪ I made up some excuse about my car breaking down.
▪ We’d better think up an excuse, fast.
mislead sb into believing/thinking etc sth
▪ Don’t be misled into thinking that scientific research is easy.
pause for thought
▪ 'Of course,' she replied, without pausing for thought.
popularly believed/thought/called etc
▪ Vitamin C is popularly believed to prevent colds.
positive thinking
▪ Many people believe that positive thinking can help your recovery from serious illnesses.
quick thinking
▪ Robertson’s quick thinking had saved the little girl’s life.
rational thought
▪ Babies were thought to be incapable of rational thought.
relish the prospect/thought/idea
▪ I don’t relish the thought of you walking home alone.
right-wing/liberal/economic etc think tank
▪ a leading member of a Tory think tank
sb can’t help feeling/thinking/wondering etc sth
▪ I can’t help feeling that there has been a mistake.
▪ I couldn’t help thinking about the past.
shuddered at the thought of
▪ He shuddered at the thought of the conflict ahead.
sobering thought
▪ It was a sobering thought.
stop to think/consider etc
▪ It’s time we stopped to think about our next move.
strand of thought/opinion/argument
▪ Plato draws all the strands of the argument together.
Take no thought for the morrow (=do not worry about the future)
▪ Take no thought for the morrow .
the thought has (never) crossed my mind (=used to tell someone you have thought of the thing they are suggesting, or have never thought of it)
the very idea/thought (=just an idea or suggestion)
▪ The very idea of acting on stage scares the pants off me.
think aloud (=say the things you are thinking)
▪ ‘What did you say?’ ‘ Sorry, I was just thinking aloud.’
think critically
▪ We teach students to think critically about the texts they are reading.
think deeply
▪ Most doctors think deeply about what their patients want.
think of a reason/see a reason
▪ I see no reason why it shouldn’t work.
▪ I can’t think of any reason why she would want to leave.
think of an answer
▪ She couldn’t think of a suitable answer to his question.
think of/devise a way
▪ I have to think of a way to make some money.
think positive (=think positive thoughts)
▪ Cheer up and think positive.
think positively
▪ They’re encouraged to think positively about themselves and their future.
think tank
▪ a leading member of a Tory think tank
think the unthinkable (=plan for unexpected events or situations)
▪ It was the job of the committee to think the unthinkable .
think/speak highly of sb
▪ I’ve always thought very highly of Michael.
thought long and hard
▪ He had thought long and hard before getting involved with the project.
thought longingly
▪ She thought longingly of returning to Paris.
tremble to think
▪ I tremble to think what will happen when she finds out.
well thought of
▪ Her work is well thought of in academic circles.
wince at the memory/thought/idea
▪ I still wince at the thought of that terrible evening.
wishful thinking
▪ I think she rather likes me. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
about
▪ Think about what you owe, too, in terms of mortgages, credit cards, loans or hire purchase.
▪ How about wearing apparel for the feet, or the things Napoleon thought about the day he died?
▪ Mind, there was one night that I've often thought about.
▪ You think about how you got here and all the work you put in.
▪ Matilda had never once stopped to think about where Miss Honey might be living.
▪ Well, buddy, censor those thoughts right now and start thinking about sleek, contemporary sportswear.
▪ Hopeless, I walked towards the nearest town, which was further away than I cared to think about.
▪ There are too many things to think about.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
I can only think/suppose/assume (that)
▪ As for an Iguana Air, I can only assume it's a tropical airline.
▪ Now if I can only think of their name.
I should think/imagine/hope
▪ He said there might be one way, you know, I should think about it.
▪ I wouldn't mind. I should think he'd be very demanding.
▪ Interesting, I should think, with a name like Hamish.
▪ Look at my dad. I should think he's got half his lunch down his.
▪ Looking forward to getting back to your farm, I should think?
▪ Not for far, I should think - not if its nose has gone.
▪ Rather like seizure, I should imagine.
I would think/imagine/say
▪ And that, I would say, is what we, in our own religious rites, had best be doing too.
▪ Dominic remains, I would say, a preposterously beautiful creature.
▪ Elizabeth: I would say about 185 pounds.
▪ Is there a chance Chrysler might buy Fiat? I would think there's essentially zero chance of that happening.
▪ Perhaps it is more a matter for philosophers than scientists, but I would say not.
▪ Pretty heavily on fire, too, I would think.
▪ That is a prime question, I would say, of this hour in the bringing up of children.
▪ This looks tough, I would think, and then immediately forget about it.
If I should die, think only this of me:/That there's some corner of a foreign field/That is forever England
be inclined to agree/think/believe etc
▪ After reading this book, you might be inclined to think so.
▪ Before then, we are inclined to believe only hip jazz musicians and self-destructive beat poets did dope.
▪ I am inclined to believe the police.
▪ Or did he, as some are inclined to think, actually invent it?
▪ Some conservative politicians were inclined to agree.
▪ Still, when he makes a statement such as you refer to, I would be inclined to believe him.
▪ We are inclined to think of connections between earlier and later events rather than connections between simultaneous events.
▪ You are inclined to agree with their judgement.
deep in thought/conversation etc
▪ Anthea and the professor had been deep in conversation with an eager group of ladies from Leicester, leaving Meryl momentarily alone.
▪ Clarence and the mayor were still deep in conversation.
▪ He was deep in conversation with the daughter of the house, a little girl of about twelve.
▪ The boy-him, he had to remind himself-looked deep in thought.
▪ The Count was deep in conversation with the mayor, who was staring down at his feet.
don't give it another thought
▪ "I'm really sorry about that." "Don't give another thought."
▪ "I'm sorry we had to cancel the party.'' "Oh, please don't give it another thought. It wasn't your fault that you were ill!''
food for thought
▪ The study on poverty certainly offers food for thought to America's leaders.
▪ And there is plenty of food for thought.
▪ He never got past the words food for thought.
▪ Ian Wright also had food for thought as he made a hasty exit from Arsenal's demoralised dressing room.
▪ It's food for thought, though.
▪ Jeffcoate W.. Obesity is a disease: food for thought.
▪ Several interesting issues present some food for thought, however.
▪ That building provides us with food for thought.
▪ The lack of parcels and buses gave us all some food for thought of late.
forward planning/thinking
▪ A bit of forward planning would have ensured a sum was put aside in the budget.
▪ A little bit of forward thinking years ago has put the Eagles in terrific position now.
▪ But he does want to stimulate constructive forward thinking.
▪ Findings relate to expenditure, degree of forward planning, objectives, workforce attitudes, management awareness and use of consultancies.
▪ His introduction to the art of place-kicking, however, was hardly a result of deep forward planning.
▪ In each of the schools, the library was clearly still high on the agenda for forward planning and review.
▪ It is at this point that proper forward planning and the use of the time log become of crucial importance.
▪ The message which emerges is clearly one of forward planning to avoid any undesirable over-involvement in management decisions.
give sb pause (for thought)
▪ High real estate prices have given potential buyers pause.
▪ But it gave you some pause to think of what else might be crawling around there.
▪ Even seemingly innocuous turnstile-exits with interlocking horizontal bars give my sister pause, however.
▪ It gave him pause, but soon enough he had his own retort.-Yeah, right.
▪ Knowing what Edmund has done to his real father might have given Cornwall pause before proclaiming himself the next one.
▪ The breadth of this holding gives one pause.
▪ Their sparring for position of least-favoured son gave me pause for thought.
▪ Yet the offer seems to have given Burton no pause.
great minds (think alike)
▪ Great visions are the signs of great minds and there were few greater visions than those of Newton and Einstein.
▪ Alas, there is no space to give a proper account of the thoughts of these great minds.
▪ Some of the confusion would certainly have been lessened if the two great minds had had opportunities to exchange ideas.
▪ That presents no danger if our great minds are in Paris or London or the United States.
▪ The excitement of the intellectual revolution produced some great minds and some important discoveries.
habit of thought/mind
▪ And such habits of mind survive the passage of time.
▪ But a habit of mind, something much more important, will stay with young people.
▪ Has this become a habit of mind?
▪ If views are similar it's because habits of thought are the same.
▪ The care of the interior demands an obsessive habit of mind.
▪ These habits of thought and action enable a business or work group to take full credit for the triumphs it achieves.
▪ This was his habit of mind.
▪ What habits of thought could matter more?
it was nothing/think nothing of it
it's just a thought
it's the thought that counts
it's/that's a thought!
just think/imagine/look
▪ Anyway, I just thought I'd write to suggest that we meet up at some point.
▪ I just think an organization like this should be hearing how the board thinks.
▪ I just thought something that was see through maybe on that wall would.
▪ I get a headache just looking at a cookbook.
▪ I promised myself I was just looking.
▪ I will spend that day in a field of black smokers, just looking.
▪ Similarly, you should not just look at the eyes or ears when there may be a problem here.
▪ We just thought - obviously very stupidly - that you might be working on something together.
lie back and think of England
little did sb know/realize/think etc
▪ But little did he know at the time, how soon he'd need it.
mean the world to sb/think the world of sb
not believe/think/do sth for a/one moment
▪ His hand had not wavered for a moment.
▪ His leader did not believe for one moment the protestations of innocence.
▪ I do not concede for a moment that this is a devolution measure.
▪ I would not suggest for one moment that they existed here.
▪ Neither team will half-step, not even for a moment.
not give sth a second thought/without a second thought
not think/believe etc for one minute
put on your thinking cap
▪ Instead, put on your thinking cap, and turn those prepared ingredients into new dishes.
say/think/decide etc otherwise
▪ But he knew that people thought otherwise, and that their false impression was his own fault.
▪ But I wanted to have it on the record, in case any of you think otherwise.
▪ Donald thinks otherwise - and the upshot may be that he will sue.
▪ Many might seek to use the asylum route and, indeed, it would be naive to think otherwise.
▪ People think otherwise, surely, from politicians: more simply, about horror, fear, survival?
▪ The rich supposedly think otherwise -- and manage to pay very little.
▪ To say otherwise would be bitterness and we know better than to surrender.
▪ To think otherwise, it seems, is to reveal oneself as an ignoramus who does not know enough characters.
school of thought
▪ According to one school of thought, the disease is caused by a genetic defect.
▪ There are many schools of thought on how yoga should be taught.
▪ There are two schools of thought. One wants to control inflation, while the other is more interested in boosting employment.
▪ Basically, there were two schools of thought.
▪ Each school of thought has enjoyed constant internal debate about assumptions and methods.
▪ Indeed, one school of thought believed that the female brain was biologically different from that of the male.
▪ Inevitably this has meant some over-simplifying, stereotyping and exaggeration in the claims and counter-claims of the different schools of thought.
▪ There are two schools of thought concerning the application of syntactic knowledge.
▪ There are various schools of thought on how captions or short photo-stories should be affixed to photographs.
▪ Two schools of thought emerged during the summer of 1936.
see/think fit (to do sth)
▪ The government has seen fit to start testing more nuclear weapons.
▪ Add details as you see fit.
▪ For example, the firm can implement its own quality and inspection policies and amend these as they see fit.
▪ He was their final court of appeal and punished them as he saw fit.
▪ If particular LEAs see fit to alter their priorities and redeploy funds from one area to another, that is their decision.
▪ Meg had - this gift; the Lord saw fit - no qualms, she stole the jacket.
▪ Once the states knew the message of the day, they could reinforce it as they saw fit.
▪ The public can use, abuse or change the software in any way they see fit.
▪ There were some girls that I thought fit Selena more physically.
serious attention/consideration/thought
▪ A more serious consideration to my mind is the continued quotation of Ingard shares on the Stock Exchange.
▪ Book publishing is another important aspect of the print media to which private organisations and the government should pay serious attention.
▪ But little serious thought has been given to this problem.
▪ Dangerous goods and perishable goods are two examples of operational specializations worth serious consideration.
▪ It does not mean that money has to rule, but it is a necessary and serious consideration.
▪ It was high time she got down to serious thought about her doctorate.
▪ The concept of interleague play in major league baseball is certainly intriguing, worthy of serious consideration.
▪ The fact is that I had already begun to give serious consideration to the possibility of doing away with Dennis Parsons.
spare a thought for sb
▪ But spare a thought for Helen Williams.
▪ But whereas Errol struck it lucky, spare a thought for Instonian Neil Cooke.
▪ Let us take a moment this Advent to spare a thought for what the poorest of our world are waiting for.
▪ While all these contrivances give us the pleasure of moving water, we must spare a thought for the plants beneath.
▪ Whilst knitting your designs you might spare a thought for Giant Pandas now very much an endangered species.
speak/think well of sb
▪ Uncle Brian always thought well of you.
▪ Ensure they speak well of us rather than denigrate us to their friends.
▪ If they did this particularly well, analysts were thought well of by their bosses.
▪ Instead, we were awkward and seething-which didn't encourage scouts, barbers or anyone to speak well of us.
▪ It was important to him to know this, because he wanted her to think well of him.
▪ She speaks well of you, and I am uneasy.
▪ The Newleys' acquaintances spoke well of the dead in order to think ill of the living.
▪ Why was it so important to her whether I thought well of her or not?
the thinking man's/woman's etc sth
they say/think etc
▪ Black children from middle-class or affluent families, they say, are more apt to adopt what is commonly called black slang.
▪ But the president essentially endorsed Rumsfeld's approach, they said.
▪ Employers' groups welcomed the reforms, though they said more are necessary to encourage employers to take on permanent staff.
▪ Goodness only knows what makes them tick, or why they thought they could get away with it here.
▪ I thanked them for praying for me and seeing me now, hoped they thought their efforts worthwhile.
▪ Light a match, they say, and flames flicker over it like brandy on a Christmas pudding.
▪ She asked them why; they said it was because they had information that the two children had been sexually abused.
▪ These others stand on something they said.
think (that) the world revolves around you
think badly of sb/sth
▪ I could easily go in and request part-time work, and no one would think badly of me.
▪ Try not to think badly of me.
think the world owes you a living
think you're it
▪ You think you're it don't you? Well you're not!
think/say etc as much
▪ Archaeological analyses say as much about the interpreters as about the extinct cultures.
▪ Even the defense attorneys who went up against him said as much.
▪ He felt convinced that Aeneas was the son-in-law Faunus had predicted, and he said as much to the envoys.
▪ He said as much to Katherine on their second evening together.
▪ He said as much when he finally let things loose.
▪ Kennedy said as much in the summer of 1961, when he met Khrushchev in Vienna.
▪ The women stood in silence, glad of each other's presence and without the need to say as much.
▪ They will do and say as much as they dare, to get the client's money.
think/see straight
▪ He always saw straight to the point of an argument.
▪ Metaphorically speaking, you could see straight through him to the other side of the room.
▪ On the outermost point of the peninsula we could see straight over to Midland Isle and just beyond that to Skomer Island.
▪ Since that day she had not been able to sleep, or to think straight.
▪ Sooner or later he would be too exhausted to think straight and would give up the fight against himself.
▪ The buzz made it hard to think straight.
▪ Then she might - just might - be able to think straight.
▪ You are horrified, you can not think straight, as you stare at the broken body.
think/speak ill of sb
▪ The candidates clearly did not want to speak ill of each other during the campaign.
▪ But she never speaks ill of anyone.
▪ He spoke ill of me to his friends.
▪ I know speaking ill of the dead and all that.
▪ Surely it is better to speak ill of the dead than of the living.
▪ The Newleys' acquaintances spoke well of the dead in order to think ill of the living.
▪ You wish to think all the world respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of any body.
to my way of thinking
▪ I never could understand what she saw in him - a bit thin and weedy, to my way of thinking.
▪ The artist, to my way of thinking, is a monstrosity, something outside nature.
▪ The frigid lands, to my way of thinking, provide good support of the Catastrophe Theory of Earth's evolution.
train of thought
▪ Problem Too many phone calls breaking my train of thought.
▪ Some one called out, breaking his train of thought.
▪ The first task attempted will be to trace the train of thought in this unit.
▪ The kettle began to whistle, breaking into her train of thought.
▪ These are discussed with a clarity which enables the reader to fully identify with the author's train of thought.
▪ Tracing the train of thought in 6: 12-20 is the task at hand.
▪ Tunes pulled at the hems of her train of thought.
whatever you say/think/want
▪ And she always did whatever she wanted, which was mostly enjoy herself and ignore her homework.
▪ Dare they call her bluff and just let her get on with whatever she thought she could do to inconvenience them?
▪ Eurydice said her daughter could do whatever she wanted to do.
▪ I eat whatever I want and run three miles a day.
▪ I know that I had no intention of stopping the procedure, whatever anyone said or did to influence me.
▪ In my stupidity-or whatever you want to call it-I tried to move around to his left.
▪ The hon. Gentleman can make whatever he wants of it, but it will still not save his seat.
▪ You think you should get whatever you want right away.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ "Did you ask Rita?" "No, I didn't think of that."
▪ "He looks upset," Camilla thought.
▪ "What are you going to do with your day off?" "I don't know - I haven't really thought about it yet."
▪ "What did you do with the keys?" "Hang on, I'm just trying to think."
▪ Be quiet, I'm thinking.
▪ Do you think they'll come to the party?
▪ Give me time to think.
▪ Has she thought of any names for the baby?
▪ He thought and thought but he couldn't remember.
▪ I've been thinking about how to tell Marcia the bad news.
▪ I've just thought of a really good idea.
▪ I think I'll go and see what's happening out there.
▪ I thought we had a good meeting yesterday.
▪ I can't think where I put it.
▪ I never thought her business would be so successful.
▪ If she thought hard enough, she could just about remember what her mother looked like.
▪ It's a difficult question. Think carefully before you answer.
▪ Just let me think what the title was.
▪ She thinks I'm crazy to leave my job.
▪ The builders said the job would be finished tomorrow, but I don't think that's likely.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ As I stripped off the wet suit, I thought over our situation.
▪ I thought it would make a nice little plug for Mortensen and Brannigan.
▪ I thought of the contents of the suitcase and decided that there was something in what he said.
▪ I don't think I do.
▪ I have been thinking of killing a few people.
▪ In their relationship to their government they think of themselves as neither powerless nor, what is more important, alone.
▪ Meg, who thought things ought to be done properly, invited Alan's parents round for tea, just before Christmas.
▪ They would rather just cheer loudly for the athlete and not think about the politics.
II.nounPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
I can only think/suppose/assume (that)
▪ As for an Iguana Air, I can only assume it's a tropical airline.
▪ Now if I can only think of their name.
I hate to think what/how/where etc
▪ But take care of them, darling. I hate to think what we'd do if they had to be replaced.
I should think/imagine/hope
▪ He said there might be one way, you know, I should think about it.
▪ I wouldn't mind. I should think he'd be very demanding.
▪ Interesting, I should think, with a name like Hamish.
▪ Look at my dad. I should think he's got half his lunch down his.
▪ Looking forward to getting back to your farm, I should think?
▪ Not for far, I should think - not if its nose has gone.
▪ Rather like seizure, I should imagine.
I shudder to think
▪ I shudder to think what will happen to him now.
▪ I never know how carefully. I shudder to think.
▪ I regularly see them sent out alone on shopping errands. I shudder to think what might happen on their way home.
▪ Palestrina! I shudder to think what I should do when her next social invitation arrives in the letter box!
I would think/imagine/say
▪ And that, I would say, is what we, in our own religious rites, had best be doing too.
▪ Dominic remains, I would say, a preposterously beautiful creature.
▪ Elizabeth: I would say about 185 pounds.
▪ Is there a chance Chrysler might buy Fiat? I would think there's essentially zero chance of that happening.
▪ Perhaps it is more a matter for philosophers than scientists, but I would say not.
▪ Pretty heavily on fire, too, I would think.
▪ That is a prime question, I would say, of this hour in the bringing up of children.
▪ This looks tough, I would think, and then immediately forget about it.
I'd like to think/believe (that)
▪ I'd like to believe that he's telling the truth.
▪ I'd like to think I know a little about airplanes.
▪ But I 'd like to think that gallantry isn't dead.
▪ Dad and I clashed more than I 'd like to think about.
▪ I 'd like to think Beardsley and Wright will get the nod and Graham doesn't get it wrong again.
▪ I 'd like to think that it does have some meaning.
▪ It is a novelty record in some respects, although I 'd like to think it's a lot deeper than that too.
▪ Perhaps it wasn't very subtle, but I 'd like to think it was funny.
If I should die, think only this of me:/That there's some corner of a foreign field/That is forever England
be inclined to agree/think/believe etc
▪ After reading this book, you might be inclined to think so.
▪ Before then, we are inclined to believe only hip jazz musicians and self-destructive beat poets did dope.
▪ I am inclined to believe the police.
▪ Or did he, as some are inclined to think, actually invent it?
▪ Some conservative politicians were inclined to agree.
▪ Still, when he makes a statement such as you refer to, I would be inclined to believe him.
▪ We are inclined to think of connections between earlier and later events rather than connections between simultaneous events.
▪ You are inclined to agree with their judgement.
come to think of it/come to that
deep in thought/conversation etc
▪ Anthea and the professor had been deep in conversation with an eager group of ladies from Leicester, leaving Meryl momentarily alone.
▪ Clarence and the mayor were still deep in conversation.
▪ He was deep in conversation with the daughter of the house, a little girl of about twelve.
▪ The boy-him, he had to remind himself-looked deep in thought.
▪ The Count was deep in conversation with the mayor, who was staring down at his feet.
don't give it another thought
▪ "I'm really sorry about that." "Don't give another thought."
▪ "I'm sorry we had to cancel the party.'' "Oh, please don't give it another thought. It wasn't your fault that you were ill!''
entertain an idea/hope/thought etc
▪ He had entertained thoughts of marrying her and raising a family, but he entered the Society instead.
▪ Most significantly on my sense of a distant but still valid national identity-until then I had entertained hopes of return.
food for thought
▪ The study on poverty certainly offers food for thought to America's leaders.
▪ And there is plenty of food for thought.
▪ He never got past the words food for thought.
▪ Ian Wright also had food for thought as he made a hasty exit from Arsenal's demoralised dressing room.
▪ It's food for thought, though.
▪ Jeffcoate W.. Obesity is a disease: food for thought.
▪ Several interesting issues present some food for thought, however.
▪ That building provides us with food for thought.
▪ The lack of parcels and buses gave us all some food for thought of late.
forward planning/thinking
▪ A bit of forward planning would have ensured a sum was put aside in the budget.
▪ A little bit of forward thinking years ago has put the Eagles in terrific position now.
▪ But he does want to stimulate constructive forward thinking.
▪ Findings relate to expenditure, degree of forward planning, objectives, workforce attitudes, management awareness and use of consultancies.
▪ His introduction to the art of place-kicking, however, was hardly a result of deep forward planning.
▪ In each of the schools, the library was clearly still high on the agenda for forward planning and review.
▪ It is at this point that proper forward planning and the use of the time log become of crucial importance.
▪ The message which emerges is clearly one of forward planning to avoid any undesirable over-involvement in management decisions.
get to thinking/wondering sth
▪ In any case, she had now got to thinking of other things.
▪ Then they got to thinking that maybe you were dead.
▪ There's blood in your body, and I get to thinking about what would happen if your blood froze.
▪ When you've been around guys like Mr. B. awhile, you get to thinking the way they think.
give sb pause (for thought)
▪ High real estate prices have given potential buyers pause.
▪ But it gave you some pause to think of what else might be crawling around there.
▪ Even seemingly innocuous turnstile-exits with interlocking horizontal bars give my sister pause, however.
▪ It gave him pause, but soon enough he had his own retort.-Yeah, right.
▪ Knowing what Edmund has done to his real father might have given Cornwall pause before proclaiming himself the next one.
▪ The breadth of this holding gives one pause.
▪ Their sparring for position of least-favoured son gave me pause for thought.
▪ Yet the offer seems to have given Burton no pause.
give sb to understand/think/believe sth
▪ A parting sniff as she left the room gave the gentleman to understand that he had disappointed her.
▪ But he had also given her time to think what she was doing.
▪ But the knotted tensions between people and groups of people give us plenty to think about.
▪ He would have given anything to believe that Isambard was lying.
▪ Ireland would be given something new to think about.
▪ It obviously gave him plenty to think about.
▪ She'd given more time to thinking about Lucy than anything else for months.
give sth thought/attention/consideration etc
great minds (think alike)
▪ Great visions are the signs of great minds and there were few greater visions than those of Newton and Einstein.
▪ Alas, there is no space to give a proper account of the thoughts of these great minds.
▪ Some of the confusion would certainly have been lessened if the two great minds had had opportunities to exchange ideas.
▪ That presents no danger if our great minds are in Paris or London or the United States.
▪ The excitement of the intellectual revolution produced some great minds and some important discoveries.
habit of thought/mind
▪ And such habits of mind survive the passage of time.
▪ But a habit of mind, something much more important, will stay with young people.
▪ Has this become a habit of mind?
▪ If views are similar it's because habits of thought are the same.
▪ The care of the interior demands an obsessive habit of mind.
▪ These habits of thought and action enable a business or work group to take full credit for the triumphs it achieves.
▪ This was his habit of mind.
▪ What habits of thought could matter more?
it was nothing/think nothing of it
it's just a thought
it's the thought that counts
it's/that's a thought!
just think/imagine/look
▪ Anyway, I just thought I'd write to suggest that we meet up at some point.
▪ I just think an organization like this should be hearing how the board thinks.
▪ I just thought something that was see through maybe on that wall would.
▪ I get a headache just looking at a cookbook.
▪ I promised myself I was just looking.
▪ I will spend that day in a field of black smokers, just looking.
▪ Similarly, you should not just look at the eyes or ears when there may be a problem here.
▪ We just thought - obviously very stupidly - that you might be working on something together.
let me think
▪ I said well, let me think about it.
▪ These kids were by... gee, let me think.
lie back and think of England
little did sb know/realize/think etc
▪ But little did he know at the time, how soon he'd need it.
mean the world to sb/think the world of sb
not believe/think/do sth for a/one moment
▪ His hand had not wavered for a moment.
▪ His leader did not believe for one moment the protestations of innocence.
▪ I do not concede for a moment that this is a devolution measure.
▪ I would not suggest for one moment that they existed here.
▪ Neither team will half-step, not even for a moment.
not give sth a second thought/another thought
not give sth a second thought/without a second thought
not think/believe etc for one minute
perish the thought!
say/think/decide etc otherwise
▪ But he knew that people thought otherwise, and that their false impression was his own fault.
▪ But I wanted to have it on the record, in case any of you think otherwise.
▪ Donald thinks otherwise - and the upshot may be that he will sue.
▪ Many might seek to use the asylum route and, indeed, it would be naive to think otherwise.
▪ People think otherwise, surely, from politicians: more simply, about horror, fear, survival?
▪ The rich supposedly think otherwise -- and manage to pay very little.
▪ To say otherwise would be bitterness and we know better than to surrender.
▪ To think otherwise, it seems, is to reveal oneself as an ignoramus who does not know enough characters.
sb can be forgiven for thinking/believing/feeling etc sth
school of thought
▪ According to one school of thought, the disease is caused by a genetic defect.
▪ There are many schools of thought on how yoga should be taught.
▪ There are two schools of thought. One wants to control inflation, while the other is more interested in boosting employment.
▪ Basically, there were two schools of thought.
▪ Each school of thought has enjoyed constant internal debate about assumptions and methods.
▪ Indeed, one school of thought believed that the female brain was biologically different from that of the male.
▪ Inevitably this has meant some over-simplifying, stereotyping and exaggeration in the claims and counter-claims of the different schools of thought.
▪ There are two schools of thought concerning the application of syntactic knowledge.
▪ There are various schools of thought on how captions or short photo-stories should be affixed to photographs.
▪ Two schools of thought emerged during the summer of 1936.
see/think fit (to do sth)
▪ The government has seen fit to start testing more nuclear weapons.
▪ Add details as you see fit.
▪ For example, the firm can implement its own quality and inspection policies and amend these as they see fit.
▪ He was their final court of appeal and punished them as he saw fit.
▪ If particular LEAs see fit to alter their priorities and redeploy funds from one area to another, that is their decision.
▪ Meg had - this gift; the Lord saw fit - no qualms, she stole the jacket.
▪ Once the states knew the message of the day, they could reinforce it as they saw fit.
▪ The public can use, abuse or change the software in any way they see fit.
▪ There were some girls that I thought fit Selena more physically.
serious attention/consideration/thought
▪ A more serious consideration to my mind is the continued quotation of Ingard shares on the Stock Exchange.
▪ Book publishing is another important aspect of the print media to which private organisations and the government should pay serious attention.
▪ But little serious thought has been given to this problem.
▪ Dangerous goods and perishable goods are two examples of operational specializations worth serious consideration.
▪ It does not mean that money has to rule, but it is a necessary and serious consideration.
▪ It was high time she got down to serious thought about her doctorate.
▪ The concept of interleague play in major league baseball is certainly intriguing, worthy of serious consideration.
▪ The fact is that I had already begun to give serious consideration to the possibility of doing away with Dennis Parsons.
spare a thought for sb
▪ We should spare a thought for those less fortunate.
▪ But spare a thought for Helen Williams.
▪ But whereas Errol struck it lucky, spare a thought for Instonian Neil Cooke.
▪ Let us take a moment this Advent to spare a thought for what the poorest of our world are waiting for.
▪ While all these contrivances give us the pleasure of moving water, we must spare a thought for the plants beneath.
▪ Whilst knitting your designs you might spare a thought for Giant Pandas now very much an endangered species.
spare a thought for sb
▪ But spare a thought for Helen Williams.
▪ But whereas Errol struck it lucky, spare a thought for Instonian Neil Cooke.
▪ Let us take a moment this Advent to spare a thought for what the poorest of our world are waiting for.
▪ While all these contrivances give us the pleasure of moving water, we must spare a thought for the plants beneath.
▪ Whilst knitting your designs you might spare a thought for Giant Pandas now very much an endangered species.
speak/think well of sb
▪ Uncle Brian always thought well of you.
▪ Ensure they speak well of us rather than denigrate us to their friends.
▪ If they did this particularly well, analysts were thought well of by their bosses.
▪ Instead, we were awkward and seething-which didn't encourage scouts, barbers or anyone to speak well of us.
▪ It was important to him to know this, because he wanted her to think well of him.
▪ She speaks well of you, and I am uneasy.
▪ The Newleys' acquaintances spoke well of the dead in order to think ill of the living.
▪ Why was it so important to her whether I thought well of her or not?
sth doesn't bear thinking about
▪ The reaction I'll get when my parents find out doesn't even bear thinking about.
the thinking man's/woman's etc sth
they say/think etc
▪ Black children from middle-class or affluent families, they say, are more apt to adopt what is commonly called black slang.
▪ But the president essentially endorsed Rumsfeld's approach, they said.
▪ Employers' groups welcomed the reforms, though they said more are necessary to encourage employers to take on permanent staff.
▪ Goodness only knows what makes them tick, or why they thought they could get away with it here.
▪ I thanked them for praying for me and seeing me now, hoped they thought their efforts worthwhile.
▪ Light a match, they say, and flames flicker over it like brandy on a Christmas pudding.
▪ She asked them why; they said it was because they had information that the two children had been sexually abused.
▪ These others stand on something they said.
think (that) the world revolves around you
think badly of sb/sth
▪ I could easily go in and request part-time work, and no one would think badly of me.
▪ Try not to think badly of me.
think that the world owes you a living
think you're it
▪ You think you're it don't you? Well you're not!
think/say etc as much
▪ Archaeological analyses say as much about the interpreters as about the extinct cultures.
▪ Even the defense attorneys who went up against him said as much.
▪ He felt convinced that Aeneas was the son-in-law Faunus had predicted, and he said as much to the envoys.
▪ He said as much to Katherine on their second evening together.
▪ He said as much when he finally let things loose.
▪ Kennedy said as much in the summer of 1961, when he met Khrushchev in Vienna.
▪ The women stood in silence, glad of each other's presence and without the need to say as much.
▪ They will do and say as much as they dare, to get the client's money.
think/see straight
▪ He always saw straight to the point of an argument.
▪ Metaphorically speaking, you could see straight through him to the other side of the room.
▪ On the outermost point of the peninsula we could see straight over to Midland Isle and just beyond that to Skomer Island.
▪ Since that day she had not been able to sleep, or to think straight.
▪ Sooner or later he would be too exhausted to think straight and would give up the fight against himself.
▪ The buzz made it hard to think straight.
▪ Then she might - just might - be able to think straight.
▪ You are horrified, you can not think straight, as you stare at the broken body.
think/speak ill of sb
▪ The candidates clearly did not want to speak ill of each other during the campaign.
▪ But she never speaks ill of anyone.
▪ He spoke ill of me to his friends.
▪ I know speaking ill of the dead and all that.
▪ Surely it is better to speak ill of the dead than of the living.
▪ The Newleys' acquaintances spoke well of the dead in order to think ill of the living.
▪ You wish to think all the world respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of any body.
to my way of thinking
▪ I never could understand what she saw in him - a bit thin and weedy, to my way of thinking.
▪ The artist, to my way of thinking, is a monstrosity, something outside nature.
▪ The frigid lands, to my way of thinking, provide good support of the Catastrophe Theory of Earth's evolution.
train of thought
▪ Problem Too many phone calls breaking my train of thought.
▪ Some one called out, breaking his train of thought.
▪ The first task attempted will be to trace the train of thought in this unit.
▪ The kettle began to whistle, breaking into her train of thought.
▪ These are discussed with a clarity which enables the reader to fully identify with the author's train of thought.
▪ Tracing the train of thought in 6: 12-20 is the task at hand.
▪ Tunes pulled at the hems of her train of thought.
whatever you say/think/want
▪ And she always did whatever she wanted, which was mostly enjoy herself and ignore her homework.
▪ Dare they call her bluff and just let her get on with whatever she thought she could do to inconvenience them?
▪ Eurydice said her daughter could do whatever she wanted to do.
▪ I eat whatever I want and run three miles a day.
▪ I know that I had no intention of stopping the procedure, whatever anyone said or did to influence me.
▪ In my stupidity-or whatever you want to call it-I tried to move around to his left.
▪ The hon. Gentleman can make whatever he wants of it, but it will still not save his seat.
▪ You think you should get whatever you want right away.
you can't hear yourself think