alternative _noun

ADJECTIVES

good, attractive 
・If you don’t want curtains, blinds are a good alternative.

possible, acceptable, satisfactory 
・I’m busy tomorrow but Wednesday is a possible alternative.

cheap 
・Plastic is a cheap alternative to wood.

practical, effective
・This treatment represents a practical alternative to surgery.

only 
 ・If this doesn’t work, the only alternative is to buy a new battery.

real, serious 
・Do you think that wind power is a real alternative to other sources of energy?

viable 
・They want to make public transport a viable alternative for car owners.

clear, obvious 
・It’s not an ideal solution, but there is no obvious alternative.

safe 
・Will there ever be a safe alternative to nuclear power?

healthy 
・Low-fat cookies are a healthy alternative to cake.

VERBS

have 
・We don’t have to stay here – we have alternatives.

suggest, provide, offer 
・I’d like to suggest some alternatives.
・He said that his party offered an alternative.

seek, look 
・People are seeking alternatives to meat-based dishes.

consider, look at 
・We have carefully considered all the alternatives.

find 
・The aim of the research is to find alternatives to oil and natural gas.

exists 
・No real alternative exists.

PREPOSITIONS

to
 ・We need more alternatives to imprisonment.

PHRASES

have no/little alternative 
・He had no alternative but to resign.

leave sb with no alternative
・I was left with no alternative but to seek legal advice.

alternative _adjective

1-) different and able to be used instead of something else

NOUNS

way, approach, method 
・Maybe there is an alternative way of dealing with the problem.

idea, suggestion, proposal 
・She put forward an alternative suggestion which would cost less money.

explanation, interpretation 
・I can’t think of any alternative explanation.

solution 
・The engineers quickly came up with an alternative solution.

route 
・There is an alternative route which avoids all the traffic.

arrangements 
・Our flight was cancelled so we had to make alternative arrangements.

source
・He needs to find an alternative source of income.

employment 
・When the department closed, staff were offered alternative employment within the company.

2-) different from the normal or traditional type of thing

NOUNS

medicine, treatment, therapies
・Various forms of alternative medicine, including acupuncture, may bring pain relief.

music, theatre, comedy
・The festival is aimed at fans of alternative music.

energy sources 
・The need for alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power is now greater than ever.

lifestyles 
・In the 1960s, many young people experimented with alternative lifestyles.

view
・The book provides an alternative view of the causes of poverty in the developing world.