ADJ

huge, large, vast, wide
small
local
She knows the local area very well
surrounding
The storms hit Edinburgh and the surrounding area
central
geographical
isolated, outlying, remote
rural
built up, inner-city, metropolitan, urban
industrial
residential
coastal, mountain
conservation
deprived
people living in socially deprived areas

VERB + AREA

live in
move into/to
A lot of new people have moved into the area recently
leave, move away from
cover
be scattered over, be spread over
Wreckage from the plane was scattered over a large area

AREA + NOUN

manager, office

PREP

in an/the ~
Few homes in the area had electricity
outside an/the ~
I live outside the London area
within an/the ~
~ around/round
the area around London

ADJ

dining, lounge, reception
picnic, play
no smoking, smoking
penalty

PREP

in an/the ~
I'll meet you in the reception area

ADJ

important, key, main
complex, difficult, problem, sensitive
Taxation is a very complex area
growth
The big growth area of recent years has been in health clubs
subject
grey
The proposals contain too many grey areas (= aspects that are not clear)

VERB + AREA

cover
The course covers two main subject areas
identify
The primary need is to identify problem areas

PREP

in an/the ~
There have been some exciting new developments in this area

PHRASES

an area of activity/life
People with this disability can cope well in most areas of life
an area of concern/difficulty
We are generally pleased with how the scheme is operating but there are one or two areas of concern
an area of interest/research/study

ADJ

large
small
total
floor, surface
A large building with a floor area of 100m2

VERB + AREA

cover, have
The estate covers an area of 106 acres