| strain hear | 2.70 | You strain to hear. | ||
| strain see | 1.84 | I strain to see my face in his. | ||
| strain keep | 1.05 | He strained to keep his feet extended. | ||
| strain get | 0.86 | Parade watchers strained to get a better look. | ||
| strain catch | 0.66 | Her voice was so low he had to strain to catch it. | ||
| strain find | 0.66 | I strained to find them. | ||
| strain be | 0.59 | At times, both strained to be credible. | ||
| strain keep_up | 0.53 | Last Friday, some Web sites were already straining to keep up with demand. | ||
| strain make | 0.53 | We strained to make this offer. | ||
| strain remove | 0.46 | Strain to remove lavender. | ||
| strain follow | 0.39 | As officials strained to follow these orders, there were some glaring inconsistencies. | ||
| strain understand | 0.39 | Cousins strain to understand her when she talks. | ||
| strain hold | 0.33 | I could feel the stitches in my shoulder straining to hold my severed flesh together. | ||
| strain lift | 0.33 | And I had to strain to lift it. | ||
| strain provide | 0.33 | They strain to provide books and professors, laboratories and majors. | ||
| strain catch_a_glimpse_of | 0.26 | I sat forward on the suitcase, straining to catch a glimpse of the stage. | ||
| strain maintain | 0.26 | Kemp is straining to maintain a straight face. | ||
| strain speak | 0.26 | Again, he strained to speak. |