Athletes collapsed in exhaustion after the race.

Meaning: The athletes were so tired after the race that they fell to the ground.

Choice of Words: Athletes are people who compete in sports, collapsed means fell to the ground, exhaustion means feeling very tired, race is a competition of speed.

Alternative Expressions

The athletes fell down because they were very tired after the race.

Meaning: This means the same thing as the first sentence, but it uses different words.

Choice of Words: Athletes are people who are trained to compete in sports. Fell down means to drop to the ground. Because means that something happened as a result of something else. Very tired means to be extremely exhausted. After means following something in time or order. Race is a competition where people run or drive as fast as they can. When you put them together, this sentence tells us that people who compete in sports dropped to the ground because they were very tired after a competition where they ran or drove as fast as they could.

The athletes were so tired after the race that they couldn't stand up.

Meaning: This means the same thing as the first two sentences, but it uses different words.

Choice of Words: Athletes are people who are trained to compete in sports. Were is the past tense of the verb to be. So tired means to be extremely exhausted. After means following something in time or order. Race is a competition where people run or drive as fast as they can. Couldn't stand up means to be unable to rise to a standing position. When you put them together, this sentence tells us that people who compete in sports were unable to rise to a standing position because they were very tired after a competition where they ran or drove as fast as they could.

Related Expressions