3
general::
rate
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + rate
high
• Rates of adult illiteracy are still too high.
low
• The hospital’s death rate is the lowest in the region.
a rising/falling rate
• A falling mortality rate led to a gradual increase in the proportion of the aged in the population.
the unemployment rate
• In April, the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent, a 23-year low.
the death/mortality rate
• The death rate among the homeless is three times higher than the rest of the population.
the birth rate
• In many developing countries, birth rates are falling.
the crime rate
• Our crime rate is one of the lowest in the country.
the divorce rate
• The UK has one of the highest divorce rates in Europe.
the success/failure rate
• The success rate is still extremely low.
the survival rate
• The survival rate of twins and triplets has increased in recent years.
sb’s heart/pulse rate
(= the number of beats per minute )
• A miner’s resting heart rate can be between 40 and 60 beats a minute.
metabolic rate
(= the rate at which the body changes food into energy )
• Metabolic rate rises with any form of activity.
verbs
the rate goes up
( also the rate rises/increases more formal )
• The crime rate just keeps going up.
the rate goes down
( also the rate falls/decreases more formal )
• We are expecting unemployment rates to fall.
rate 2
adjectives
high
• You ought to switch to an account that pays a higher rate of interest.
low
• Wage rates in the industry are still too low, he says.
a special/reduced rate
(= a lower charge )
• Reduced rates are available for groups of 10 or more visitors.
the hourly/weekly rate
(= the amount someone is paid per hour or per week )
• Women have lower hourly rates of pay than men.
the going rate
(= the usual amount paid )
• She could not afford to pay them the going rate.
a flat/fixed rate
(= one that does not change )
• Profits were taxed at a flat rate of 45 percent.
the interest rate
(= the amount of interest charged on a loan or paid on savings )
• Interest rates have remained high.
a mortgage rate
(= the rate charged by a bank on a loan to buy a house )
• Higher mortgage rates should slow down the rapid rise in house prices.
a tax rate
• People objected to higher property tax rates.
the exchange rate
(= the value of the money of one country compared to the money of another country )
• the exchange rate between the dollar and sterling
the wage rate
• What is the hourly wage rate?
the base rate
British English (= the rate of interest set by the Bank of England, on which all British banks base their charges )
• The interest charged on your overdraft changes in line with bank base rates.
the prime rate
(= the lowest rate of interest at which companies can borrow money from a bank )
• The amount above the prime rate is determined by the bank’s assessment of the risk involved in making the loan.
phrases
the rate of interest/pay/tax etc
• They believe that Labour would raise the basic rate of tax.
at a rate of
• Some customers are paying interest at a rate of over 15%.
verbs
raise/put up the rate
• If the banks raise interest rates, this will reduce the demand for credit.
cut/reduce/lower a rate
• The Halifax Building Society is to cut its mortgage rate by 0.7 percent.
rate 3
adjectives
a faster/slower rate
• The urban population has grown at a faster rate than the rural population.
a rapid rate
• The plant’s ability to thrive in these conditions is partly due to its rapid rate of growth.
an alarming rate
• The alarming rate of increase in pollution levels has concerned environmentalists.
a tremendous/phenomenal rate
• He started to produce movies at a tremendous rate.
an unprecedented rate
(= a rate that is faster than ever before )
• We are losing species at an unprecedented rate.
a constant/steady rate
• The process takes place at a constant rate.
transnet.ir
4
general::
noun speed/frequency ADJ. constant, expected, regular, steady | slow the slow rate of change | fast, rapid | alarming, phenomenal The costs of the project are rising at an alarming rate. | low There is a low survival rate among babies born before 22 weeks. | high | ever-increasing, rocketing | seasonally-adjusted The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in December stood at 5%. | success | divorce, marriage | death, mortality | survival | birth, fertility | accident | crime | growth, inflation | metabolic, pulse, respiratory We need to eat less as we get older and our metabolic rate slows down. VERB + RATE improve, increase, speed up | cut, hold down, reduce, slow down trying to hold down the rate of inflation | stabilize | maintain | increase RATE + VERB be/go/shoot up, grow, increase, rise, rocket, skyrocket, soar | be/come/go down, decline, decrease, drop, fall, plummet, plunge, slow, slip PREP. at a/the ~ The water was escaping at a rate of 200 gallons a minute. amount of money paid ADJ. competitive, cheap, low, moderate, reasonable We have a wide range of vehicles available for hire at competitive rates. Calls are cheap rate after 6 p.m. | extortionate, high | excellent, good | poor The account offers a poor rate of interest. | fixed, flat You can opt to pay a flat rate for unlimited Internet access. | usual | going I'll pay you at the going rate (= the present usual rate of payment). | variable | annual, hourly, weekly | base, basic, standard | top paying the top rate of tax | average | market current market rates for borrowing | group, preferential, reduced Ask about the special group rates for entrance to the house and gardens. | bank, exchange, interest, lending, mortgage, tax VERB + RATE determine, fix, set | increase, lift, put up, raise | cut, lower, reduce | hold We will hold these rates until 1 April. | charge They charge the usual rate of interest. | pay | give (sb), offer (sb) RATE + VERB go/shoot up, increase, rise Their hourly rates have gone up. | come/go down, drop | fluctuate Exchange rates are fluctuating wildly. | apply to sth Standard rates of interest apply to these loans. PREP. at a/the ~ borrowing money at a high rate of interest | ~ for the average rate for an unskilled worker | ~ of an increase in the rate of taxation PHRASES a drop in interest rates, a rise in mortgage rates, etc. a one-point rise in base lending rates | a rate of return safe investments which give a good rate of returnPER CENT (for more verbs), verb ADV. highly Silver was rated more highly than gold. PREP. among a golf course that is rated among the top ten in America | as It is rated as one of the city's best hotels. | for a university that is highly rated for its research work
Oxford Collocations Dictionary