Converse of object

• shorten: RA may also shorten life expectancy by affecting major organ systems.

• predict: In particular, further information is required on: - To what extent can the following be used to predict actuarial life expectancy?

• extend: Charities are arguing the drugs have been shown to extend life expectancy by four to five months in some patients.

• reduce: Somehow, we have to find a way of reducing the life expectancy of others.

• decrease: Comment This study makes explicit the decreased life expectancy associated with obesity.

• increase: Where these did not increase life expectancy, they tended to reduce pain.

Preposition: at

• birth: Life expectancy at birth is less than 50 years.

Adjective modifier

• average: People's average life expectancy has risen from 35 to 67 years.

• healthy: Healthy life expectancy of females is only two to three years more than that of males 27.

• increased: With the increased life expectancy of people with Down's syndrome, this is a growing problem.

• reduced: Infectious disease is a major cause of reduced life expectancy in developing countries.

• male: By the end of the century, male life expectancy in Russia had sunk to 58 years.

• low: Four hundred years ago: enormous poverty, low life expectancy, very few people in school, terrible ill health.

Modifies a noun

• gap: This amounted to a reduction of nearly two years in the life expectancy gender gap.

• figure: The result is most clearly seen in life expectancy figures.

• increase: As life expectancy increases, the prevalence of AMD is expected to rise dramatically.

Noun used with modifier

• life: The life expectancy of donkeys is low with only 11 % of donkeys sampled being over the age of 15 years.

Preposition: of

• sleeper: A report by Crisis suggested that the average life expectancy of a rough sleeper was 42 years of age.

Preposition: for

• male: Life expectancy for males in social class V is 71.1 years compared to 78.5 years for a male from the professional social class.

• man: Glasgow MP Ian Davidson said: " The average life expectancy for a man in my constituency is 69.