DESCRIBING GROUPS & AMOUNTS
A. GROUPS OF ANIMALS
A pack of dogs/wolves
A herd if cattle/elephant
A swarm of bees
A flock of birds/sheep
A pride of lions
A shoal of fish/sardines
A school of dolphins/whales
A tribe of monkey
B. FEELINGS & BEHAVIOUR
*flurry - a sudden short period of sth
1/ A flurry of snow/leaves (moved by sudden gusts of wind)
=> The city is shivering under a rare flurry of snow
=> A sharp gust of wind sent a flurry of powder everywhere, the cold causing her to snap back to reality and start walking
=> Until that moment, Howard stood unmoving, seemingly impervious to the sub-freezing wind and occasional flurries of snow
2/ A sudden short period of activity/interest/excitement
=> On the other side, a flurry of diplomatic activity between Russia and China in recent months continues to
3/ Verb: be moved in small swirling masses by sudden gusts of wind.
=> I looked back up, and saw that it was the first snow of the year was flurrying
*flicker - a brief expression of emotion
1/ The flicker of a candle flame caught our eyes
2/ The flicker of an eyelid
3/ I didn't detect even a flicker of emotion in his cold eyes
A flicker of smile passes across her face
A flicker of hope/interest
4/ Verb:
=> Amusement flickered briefly in his eyes
=> The candle fire flickered and the shadows danced in the room
=> The flame flickered, casting an amber glow over the room and coating it in warmth
=> The music sways like a candle flame flickering in the breeze; it can fade, almost dying altogether, then it suddenly soars high and true
=> The flame flickered and then burnt fiercely, casting a warm yellow light over the small study
*glimmer - a faint indication of sth
1/ A glimmer of hope for the future
2/ A glimmer of light flickered in front of him like a faint dying star, but this star didn't wink out of existence
*touch - a small amount of sth
There was a touch of sadness in her voice as she told us the news
A touch of humor/irony
A touch of class = sophistication
*gamut - the entire range of sth
=> I've experienced the whole gamut of emotions from joy to sorrow
=> This underlines the new Government's commitment to a whole gamut of policies that would take care of agriculture and the concerns of farmers as well as other poorer and weaker sections.
=> The opinions ranged the gamut, from panic to indifference, many with steadfastness and underlying optimism.
=> Her face could register the gamut of human emotions without ever fully revealing her inner nature.
*A stroke of - a bit of
Inviting Jose to join our project, team was a strike of a genius
A stroke of luck
He never does a stroke of work
C. FOOD
A hunk of bread/cheese/meat
A bed of rice
A knob of butter
A (generous) dollop of cream
A drop of brandy
A dash of cream
A sprinkling of cinamon
From "English Collocations in Use - Advanced" by Cambridge University Press
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