June, 10, 2020 Movement and speed	
Synonyms of fast (1)	
adjective	collocations	examples	
fast -быстрый

	car, train, lane,
computer, pace	The fast train to London only takes 45 minutes. I don’t like driving in the fast lane on the motorway.	
quick- быстрый, скорый
	look, glance, answer,
decision, shower, lunch
	We had a quick glance at the menu and went in. I think I’ll have a quick shower before going out.	
rapid* -стремительный, скоростной
	growth, decline,
change, progress,
increase, movement
	There has been a rapid decline in the number of seabirds visiting
the island each year. The builders made rapid progress with the new stadium.	
speedy* -скорый, скоростной
	recovery, conclusion,
response, access
	She made a speedy recovery after her operation. The new web pages provide speedy access to airline and train timetables for 52 countries.	
swift* -стремительный, скорый, молниеносный
	action, response,
reaction, recovery
	The government took swift action to change the law. This is an extremely urgent matter. I hope you will be able to give us a swift response.	
prompt* -проворный, быстрый, стремительный
	payment, reply,
response
	Prompt payment of bills is a good idea. I was happy that my letter received such a prompt reply.	
brisk -оживленный, живой
	walk, pace, business,
efficiency
	We had a brisk walk before lunch. She does everything with brisk efficiency.	
hasty -поспешный, скоропалительный
	decision, exit,
conclusion, words
	We should not make a hasty decision; we may regret it later.
He made a hasty exit when he saw his wife enter the room.	
* these are more formal- эти слова более формальные	
Note also these collocations with speed:
	
collocations	examples	
top speed -максимальная скорость
at breakneck speed- с головокружительной скоростью	This car has a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour. 
He drove at breakneck speed along the motorway and was soon stopped by the police.	
Slow movement and stopping (2)	
collocation	example	
in slow motion- в замедленной съемке
	It was fascinating to see the winning goal again in slow motion.	
slow-moving traffic -медленное движение транспорта
	We were stuck in slow-moving traffic for an hour on our way to the airport.	
slow to a crawl - едва двигаться
cоme to a standstill -зайти в тупик
	After the accident the traffic slowed to a crawl and then finally came to a standstill.	
in an unhurried manner - в неторопливой манере
	He always does everything in an unhurried manner. 	
leisurely - неторопливый, размеренный
	We got up late and had a leisurely breakfast. 	
painfully slow -мучительно медленный	I’m trying to learn the violin, but my progress is painfully slow.	
Changes in speed, movement and direction (3)	
collocations	examples	
gather /pick up speed- набрать скорость	As it left the city, the train gathered/picked up speed and headed north.	
take  a shortcut- срезать путь	We took a shortcut through a narrow side-street and saved ourselves a 15-minute walk.	
make/take a detour- объезжать	Several roads were closed, so we had to make/take a detour. 	
lose my balance- терять равновесие	I lost my balance and fell off my bike.	
lose my footing - терять почву под ногами	I lost my footing and fell down the bank into the river.	
steer the conversation- вести беседу, направлять разговор в нужное русло	I tried to steer the conversation away from my terrible exam results. 	
take steps-предпринять шаги	She took a few steps towards the bus, then changed her mind and decided not to go after all.	
turn upside down - перевернуть вверх дном	I turned my bike upside down and tried to repair it.	
go astray- заблудиться, сбиться с пути	One of the packages I posted went astray and never arrived. 	
Exercise 1. Look at 1. Choose the correct collocation.

1 Joe gave Hailey a speedy / fast / quick glance to see if she was OK.
2 If you come to a hasty / prompt / brisk decision, it may well be the wrong one.
3 I marked my email as urgent, so I hope I get a brisk / prompt / rapid response.
4 The missile attacks provoked a fast / swift / hasty reaction from the other side.
5 There has been a fast / rapid / quick increase in the number of tourists visiting the city since the museum was opened.
6 Luke has a passion for quick / swift / fast cars.
7 I’m glad to say that business has been very brisk / prompt / swift all morning.
8 I think I’d better bring the meeting to a brisk / speedy / fast conclusion now, as we are running out of time.
	
Exercise 2. Fill in the missing words in this paragraph about a day out.

Last Saturday we put our bikes on the train and had a lovely day out. At first, the train moved along slowly, but as we reached more open countryside it soon (1) p............................. up speed and after about an hour we had reached our destination, a small town at the foot of the mountains. We took our bikes and got off the train. We were surprised to find a lot of slow- (2) m............................. traffic in the town and indeed after a few minutes the traffic actually came to a (3) s............................. . There was a festival on in the main square. Fortunately, as we were on bikes we were able to (4) m............................. a detour through some back lanes. Eventually we were on a steep road leading to the mountains. I’m not as fit as I should be and cycling uphill was (5) p............................. slow but it was worth it. Near the top we got off our bikes and had a (6) l............................. picnic, enjoying the magnificent views. After lunch, I got up and (7) t............................. a couple of steps back to take some photos. I (8) l............................. my footing and fell. Fortunately, I didn’t hurt myself. Cycling downhill was much easier, though at one point I (9) l............................. my balance and fell off my bike. We had a drink at a cafe in the valley beside a little river. We then (10) t............................. a shortcut across a field and got back to the station in time for the train home.
	
Все материалы из  книги "English Collocations in Use" by M. McCarthy, F. O'Dell.