relationship

VERBS

have a relationship

• We’ve always had a good relationship with our neighbours.

develop/form/build a relationship

• By that age, children start developing relationships outside the family.

forge a relationship (=develop a strong relationship)

• We want to forge closer relationships with our allies.

cement a relationship (=make it firm and strong)

• We want to cement relationships with other transport associations.

make relationships

• I found it impossible to make new relationships.

ADJECTIVES/NOUN + RELATIONSHIP

good/great

• Over the years, we’ve developed a good relationship.

close

• Laura had a very close relationship with her grandmother.

friendly/harmonious

• My friendly relationship with Scott’s family continued after his death.

strong

• Our relationship is strong enough to survive anything.

a love-hate relationship (=when someone both likes and dislikes someone else)

• The local people have a love-hate relationship with tourists.

a special relationship (=a particularly close relationship)

• I did not want to risk losing this special relationship we shared.

a supportive relationship

• People lacking supportive relationships were expected to be prone to depression.

a working relationship (=a relationship appropriate for people who work together)

• She’s a fine actress and we developed a great working relationship.

family relationships

• Travelling a lot for business can strain family relationships.

a personal relationship

• Drinking affects personal relationships.

human relationships

• Human relationships fascinate me.

a social relationship

• Satisfactory social relationships with adults are very important.

a business/professional relationship

• Both companies want to continue their business relationship into the future.

the doctor-patient/parent-child/teacher-student etc relationship

• A family crisis can adversely affect the developing parent-child relationship.