ADJ
- distinct, dramatic, fundamental, major, marked, profound, pronounced, radical, significant, substantial
- discernible
- slight, subtle
- gradual
- abrupt, sudden
- decisive, irreversible, long-term
- climate, cultural, demographic, ideological, policy, population
VERB + SHIFT
- be, represent
- These proposals represent a dramatic shift in policy
- bring about, cause, lead to, produce, result in
- mark, see
- The moment marked a significant shift in attitudes to the war
- detect
- I detected a subtle shift towards our point of view
- explain
- one factor which may explain the president's policy shift
SHIFT + VERB
- occur, take place
- These climate shifts occurred over less than a decade
PREP
- ~ between
- the many shifts between verse and prose that occur in Shakespeare
- ~ (away) from
- the shift away from direct taxation
- ~ in
- a shift in public opinion
- ~ to
- a sudden shift to the right in British politics
- ~ towards
- a shift towards part-time farming
ADJ
- double, long, split
- I agreed to work double shifts for a few weeks
- day, early, late, night
- eight-hour, ten-hour, etc.
- afternoon, evening, morning, weekend
VERB + SHIFT
- be/come/go on, do, work (in) ~s
- I'm doing the early shift this week. I didn't realize that I'd have to work shifts. The clinic is staffed by ten doctors who work in shifts
- change (your) ~s
- It was 8.00 a.m. and the nurses were changing shifts. My husband has changed his shifts, from the afternoon shift to the night one
- be/go/ come off
SHIFT + NOUN
- work
- supervisor, manager, worker
- pattern, system
- They'd altered his shift pattern twice in the past fortnight
PREP
- on a/the ~
- a decision for the chief nurse on each shift
ADV
- slightly
- Julie shifted her position slightly and smiled
- impatiently, restlessly, uncomfortably, uneasily
- She shifted uncomfortably in her chair
- away
PREP
- from
- She shifted her gaze away from the group of tourists
- onto
- He shifted his weight onto his left foot
- to
- Her eyes shifted to his face
ADV
- dramatically, markedly
- The emphasis has shifted markedly in recent years
- slightly
- effectively
- simply
- We cannot simply shift the responsibility onto someone else
- gradually, slowly
- rapidly
- suddenly
- constantly, continually
- constantly shifting alliances
VERB + SHIFT
- attempt to, try to
- trying to shift the blame onto the government
- tend to
- begin to
PREP
- (away) from
- I felt the advantage had suddenly shifted away from us
- onto, to
- His sympathies rapidly shifted to the side of the workers
- towards
- These changes will shift the balance in higher education more towards science subjects
