ADJ
- Mother
- Mother Nature had served up some terrible weather for their cruise
VERB + NATURE
- commune with
- He believed in spending half an hour each day to relax and commune with nature
- be/get back to
- We built our house in the country because we wanted to get back (= be close) to nature
- be found in
- man-made substances not found in nature
NATURE + VERB
- endow (sb with) sth
- Nature had endowed her with exceptional vitality
- produce sth
- It's unlikely that this gully was produced by nature
PREP
- close to ~
- people who live in the country and are close to nature
- in ~
- We appreciate beauty in nature
PHRASES
- the forces of nature, the laws of nature, a love of nature
- His love of nature was expressed through his wildlife paintings
ADJ
- basic, essential, fundamental, intrinsic, real, true
- artificial
- exact, precise, specific
- I'm not clear about the exact nature of their relationship
- general
- selective
- limited, restrictive
- changing, seasonal, temporary, transitory
- uncertain, unpredictable
- arbitrary, random
- subjective
- the subjective nature of an odour
- abstract
- capricious, fickle
- intractable
- distinctive, unusual
- radical
- complex
- special, specialist
- traditional
- controversial
- contradictory
- problematic
- unsatisfactory
- the unsatisfactory nature of the meeting
- good
- People are always taking advantage of her good nature (= her kindness)
- human
- It's only human nature to want more money
- divine
- confidential, personal, private
- public
- international, local
- the international nature of the business
- repetitive
- routine
- matters of a routine nature
- detailed
- Because of the detailed nature of the work, I have to use a very fine brush
- practical
- physical, psychological, sexual
- They define sexual harassment as unwanted conduct of a sexual nature
- economic, legal, political, social
- Their problems are of an economic nature
- contemplative
- inquisitive
VERB + NATURE
- have
- He has an inquisitive nature
- reveal
- The parties would not reveal the exact nature of the dispute
- conceal
- reflect
- belie
- The gentle lower slopes belie the true nature of the mountain
- be contrary to, be/run against
- It was against his nature to tell lies
- alter, change
- This new information does not change the nature of our findings
- acknowledge, be aware of, recognize
- Are you aware of the nature of the risks involved?
- define, specify
- It is important to define the nature of the problem
- assess, consider, discuss, examine, explore, investigate
- comprehend, realize, understand
- misconceive
- clarify, elucidate, explain, give/offer/provide an insight into
- His theory provides a remarkable insight into the nature of the British constitution
- describe
- determine
- depend on
- The method employed will depend on the nature of the task
- appeal to
- There was no point appealing to her better nature (= kindness)
PREP
- by ~
- He's not by nature an inquisitive person
- concerning the ~
- a debate concerning the nature of violence
- considering/given the ~
- Given the nature of this matter, I am inclined to think it should be managed by you personally
- in ~
- Their strategy was essentially political in nature
- in sb/sth's ~
- It's not in his nature to complain. A certain element of risk is in the nature of the job
- of a … ~
- The legal concept of insanity is of a different nature from the medical
PHRASES
- by its very nature
- By its very nature a secret service is not open to public inspection
- the extent and nature of sth
- We need to understand the true extent and nature of the problem
- a part of sb's nature
- the expressive part of his nature Her view is that aggression is part of human nature
- a side of/to sb's nature
- He had a vicious side to his nature