N

National
*of or relating to an entire nation or country
*local and national governments
*national politics
*the national economy
*the National Museum of Art
Natural
*existing in nature and not made or caused by people
*natural silk
*furniture made of natural materials
*The river forms a natural boundary between the two countries.
*natural soap/yogurt
Navy
*A similar submarine is used by several foreign navies.
*a career in the navy.
*the Russian Navy.
*He plans to join the Navy.
*The shirt comes in black, white, and navy.
Nearly
*I see her nearly every day.
*We very nearly missed the plane.
*I nearly won.
*There's not nearly enough flour for a cake here.
*It's not nearly as late as I thought it was.
Neighbor
*We invited our friends and neighbors.
*our nex-door neighbors
*Please pass your paper to your neighbor.
*Canada is a neighbor of the U.S.
*Venus is Earth's nearest neighbor.

O
Observation
*I'm not criticizing that kind of clothing. I'm just making an observation about the style.
*Her constant observations about the weather bored me.
*These facts are based on close observation of the birds in the wild.
*Children learn by observation.
*Observations made using the telescope have led to new theories.
Observe
*The class will be observing the movements of fish.
*The patient must be observed constantly.
*Children learn by observing their parents and others.
*We observed a large flock of birds heading north.
*She observed that every man in the room had removed his hat.
Obtain
*The information may be difficult to obtain.
*We obtained a copy of the original letter.
*These ideas no longer obtain for our generation.
*The drug is legally obtainable in this country.
*They've obtained the necessary permission to enter.
Occasion
*birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions
*They marked/celebrated the occasion with their families.
*She wrote a song especially for the occasion.
*We usually meet at noon, but on this particular occasion, we met at two o'clock.
*I have on occasion tried to help him with his homework.
Offensive
*He made some offensive remarks.
*offensive words/terms
*His behavior is offensive to many people.
*An offensive odor was coming from the basement.
*an offensive position/strategy

P
Package
*The mail carrier left the package [=parcel] on the front steps.
*All ingredients are listed right on the package.
*She ate the whole package of crackers for lunch.
*The hotel, airfare, and museum fees were all part of our vacation package.
*My new job offers a great benefits package.
Page
*The book is 237 pages long.
*Read the second page out loud.
*The event described in these pages is nothing like what I remember.
*He ripped a page out of the phone book.
*His accomplishments hold a special place in the pages of history.
Painting
*They hung the painting in the living room.
*The woman in that painting is my grandmother.
*I like painting more than sculpture.
*He is studying abstract/Chinese/watercolor painting.
*The room is ready for painting.
Paper
*We'll need pens, glue, and some paper.
*Be sure to print/write the letter on good paper.
*A pile of papers blew off the desk.
*The border guards asked to see my papers.
*They published a landmark paper in 1995.
Parade
*the annual Thanksgiving Day parade
*After the team won the championship, the city threw/had a parade for them.
*The town will put on a parade.
*The prosecution called a parade of witnesses to the stand.
*a shopping parade

Q
Qualify
*His experience qualifies him for the job.
*The training will qualify you to sell insurance.
*They both qualify for the job.
*Lawyers may only work in the state in which they qualified.
*He has just qualified as a doctor/pilot.
Quality
*Pollution affects air/water quality.
*The quality of the service we received was very good.
*The quality of their products has gone down.
*Honesty is a desirable quality.
*She has strong leadership qualities.
Quarter
*Cut the pie into quarters.
*an inch and a quarter
*He was three quarters of an hour early.
*There are two minutes left in the third quarter.
*The move was met with dismay in this quarter.
Queen
*the king and his queen
*She was voted queen of the prom.
*This ship is the queen of all the ocean liners.
*a queen bee
*the queen of the blues
Quiet
*He spoke in a very quiet voice.
*He's a very quiet person.
*During the morning, business was quiet.
*I decided to do a little quiet reading.
*She worked with quiet determination.
R
Race
*Let's go to the races this weekend.
*the race for governor
*It was a race against time to disarm the bomb.
*I'll race you to see who gets there first.
*She races cars/horses for a living.
Radio
*radio communications/signals
*radio programs/shows/stations
*I listen to the radio all the time.
*There's a problem with the car's radio.
*The radio was playing very loudly.
Rail
*She leaned over the rail of the ship.
*We sat on the fence rail and watched the cows.
*rail travel
*He was a promising student but he went off the rails after he started taking drugs.
*old men railing at/against the government
Range
*We'll be covering a range of topics in this class.
*The rugs are available in a range of colors.
*Bicycles come in every price range.
*The song is out of my vocal range.
*Both photographs were shot at close ranges.
Rapid
*There's been rapid growth in the number of new businesses in the town.
*a rapid heartbeat
*rapid breathing
*She carefully guided the boat through the rapid water.
*a rapid change in temperature

S
Sad
*He's feeling sad because his pet died.
*Have you heard the sad news about his wife's illness?
*The sad fact/truth of the matter is that they are right.
*His leaving caused much sadness.
*I felt a deep sadness upon hearing the news.
Safe
*I don't feel safe in this neighborhood.
*The kids were safe in the cabin.
*We need to make sure that the children are safe and sound.
*I found a safe place to take shelter from the storm.
*safe medicine
Sale
*They profited from the sale of the house.
*the company's annual sales
*There is a sale on flights between New York and Paris.
*He has a job in sales.
*The department is in charge of sales and marketing.
Salt
*The soup needs a little more salt.
*mineral/potassium salts
*These folks are the salt of the earth.
*He seems confident, but you should take what he says with a grain of salt.
*Season the meat with salt and pepper.
Sample
*a blood/water/soil sample
*We would like to see a sample of your work.
*Free samples were handed out at the store.
*a sample group
*We sampled the wine/food.

T
Table
*They were sitting at/around the dining/dinner table.
*She reserved a table for two at the restaurant.
*He had the attention of the entire table.
*The able shows the salary of each employee.
*The whole family was at table.
Tail
*the tail of a kite
*a monkey with a long tail
*I call tails.
*He wore a top hat and tails.
*He turned tail and ran from the fight.
Talent
*a singer with an enormous amount of talent
*I have no musical talent.
*She has a job that makes the most of her talents.
*There are many good players on the team, but she's a special talent.
*The company has hired some expensive legal talent for the trial.
Talk
*She never talks at the meetings.
*He did most of the talking during dinner.
*You shouldn't talk to your mother that way.
*I think she's talking a lot of nonsense/rubbish/drivel.
*They talked to each other in a whisper.
Target
*Planes struck at key military targets.
*I aimed at the target and fired.
*Her accusations are way off target.
*We are off target in terms of sales this quarter.
*His predictions are always on target.