1.  FABRIC

Fabric cloth ▪ material ▪ textile

These are all words for woven or knitted cotton, silk, wool, etc, used for making things such as clothes and curtains, and for covering furniture. fabric woven or knitted cotton, silk, wool, etc, used for making things such as clothes and curtains, and for covering furniture:

cotton fabric

furnishing fabrics

Fabric is often fairly strong material, and is often used when talking about covering furniture or making curtains. cloth fabric made by weaving or knitting cotton, wool, silk, etc:

His bandages had been made from strips of cloth.

Cloth is often fairly light material, especially in a form that has not been printed, treated, or prepared for use in any way. Cloth is frequently used in talking about buying and selling woven material. material fabric used for making clothes, curtains, etc:

‘What material is this dress made of?’ ‘Cotton.’

Material is a more general word than fabric or cloth as it has the related meaning of ‘a substance that things can be made from’. It is not used when it might not be clear which type of material is meant: furnishing material • the material industry • a material manufacturer textile any type of fabric made by weaving or knitting:

He owns a factory producing a range of textiles.

the textile industry

Textile is used mostly when talking about the business of making woven materials. The industry of making textiles is called textiles:

Patterns

woven/​cotton/​woollen fabric/​cloth/​material/​textiles

• synthetic fabric/​material/​textiles
• printed fabric/​cloth/​textiles
• curtain/​dress fabric/​material

 

2. STRUCTURE

framework ▪ form ▪ composition ▪ construction ▪ fabric

 

These are all words for the way the different parts of something combine together or the way that something has been made.

structure the way in which the parts of something are connected together or arranged; a particular arrangement of parts:

the structure of the building/​human body

the social structure of society

the grammatical structures of a language

a salary structure

framework a set of beliefs, ideas or rules that forms the basis of a system or society:

The report provides a framework for further research.

form [U] the arrangement of parts in a whole, especially in a work of art or piece of writing:

As a photographer, shape and form were more important to him than colour.

composition [U] (rather formal) the different parts or people that combine to form something; the way in which they combine:

recent changes in the composition of the workforce

construction [U] the way that something has been built or made:

ships of steel construction

fabric (rather formal) the basic structure of a society or an organization that enables it to function successfully:

This is a trend which threatens the very fabric of society.

Patterns

the basic structure/​framework/​form/​composition/​construction/​fabric of something

a simple/​complex structure/​framework/​form

the economic/​political/​social structure/​framework/​composition/​fabric of something

the chemical/​genetic structure/​composition of something