B b

back|ground

The background to an event or situation consists of the facts that explain what caused it.

• [+of] The meeting takes place against a background of continuing political violence.
• [+to] The background to the experience is important.

ban

1. To ban something means to state officially that it must not be done, shown, or used

• Canada will ban smoking in all offices later this year.
• Last year arms sales were banned
• a banned substance

2. A ban is an official ruling that something must not be done, shown, or used.

• [+on] The General also lifted a ban on political parties.
• calls for an outright ban on arms exports.

bar|ri|er

1. A barrier is something such as a rule, law, or policy that makes it difficult or impossible for something to happen or be achieved.

• [+to] Taxes are the most obvious barrier to free trade.

2. A barrier is a problem that prevents two people or groups from agreeing, communicating, or working with each other.

• When you get involved in sports, a lot of the racial barriers are broken down
• Because of the need to survive, the class barriers were lowered.

ba|sic

1. You use basic to describe things, activities, and principles that are the most important or the simplest aspects of something.

• the basic skills of reading, writing and communicating.
• the basic laws of physics.

2. Basic goods and services are very simple ones which every human being needs.

• shortages of even the most basic foodstuffs
• Hospitals lack even basic drugs for surgical operations
• the basic needs of food and water

3. You can use basic to emphasize that you are referring to the most important aspect of a situation, not the less important details.

• There are three basic types of tea
• The basic design has changed little in 100 years.

ba|sics

The basics of something are its simplest, most important elements, in contrast to more complicated or detailed ones.

• [+of] They will concentrate on teaching the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.
• A strong community cannot be built until the basics are in place.

bat|tle

1. A battle is a violent flight between groups of people, especially one between military forces during a war.

• [+of] the victory of King William III at the Battle of Boyne.
• [+between] a gun battle between police and drug traffickers.
• men who die in battle

2. A battle is a conflict in which different people or groups compete in order to achieve success or control.

• [+over] a renewed political battle over Britain's attitude to Europe.
• [+for] a battle for supremacy

3. You can use battle to refer to someone's efforts to achieve something in spite of very difficult circumstances.

• [+against] the battle against crime
• [+with] She has fought a constant battle with her weight
• Greg lost his brave battle cancer two years age.

be|have

1. The way that you behave is the way that you do and say things, and the things that you do and say.

• [+in] couldn't believe these people were behaving in this way.

2. In science, the way that something behave is the things that it does.

• Under certain conditions, electrons can behave like waves rather than particles.