COLLOCATIONS
Collocations
 | Tell me who you go with and I'll tell you who you are. |
What is a collocation?
A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong". Look at these examples:
| Natural English... | Unnatural English... |
| the fast train fast food | the |
| a quick shower a quick meal | a a |
Why learn collocations?
- Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
- You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
- It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as single words.
How to learn collocations
- Be aware of collocations, and try to recognize them when you see or hear them.
- Treat collocations as single blocks of language. Think of them as individual blocks or chunks, and learn strongly support, not strongly + support.
- When you learn a new word, write down other words that collocate with it (remember rightly, remember distinctly, remember vaguely, remember vividly).
- Read as much as possible. Reading is an excellent way to learn vocabulary and collocations in context and naturally.
- Revise what you learn regularly. Practice using new collocations in context as soon as possible after learning them.
- Learn collocations in groups that work for you. You could learn them by topic (time, number, weather, money, family) or by a particular word (take action, take a chance, take an exam).
- You can find information on collocations in any good learner's dictionary. And you can also find specialized dictionaries of collocations.
Types of Collocation
There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:
- Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT
downrightsatisfied) - Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating
joy) - Noun + Noun: a surge of anger (NOT a
rushof anger) - Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions
shout) - Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT
undertakesuicide) - Verb + Expression With Preposition: burst into tears (NOT
blow up intears) - Verb + Adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave
feverishly)
Collocation Lists
On this page you can find a few short lists of collocations to give you more of an idea about them. Many good learner's dictionaries show collocations associated with specific words. There are also dictionaries of collocations, though these are more difficult to find.
Some common verbs | ||
have | do | make |
have a bath have a drink have a good time have a haircut have a holiday have a problem have a relationship have a rest have lunch have sympathy | do business do nothing do someone a favour do the cooking do the housework do the shopping do the washing up do your best do your hair do your homework | make a difference make a mess make a mistake make a noise make an effort make furniture make money make progress make room make trouble |
take | break | catch |
take a break take a chance take a look take a rest take a seat take a taxi take an exam take notes take someone's place take someone's temperature | break a habit break a leg break a promise break a record break a window break someone's heart break the ice break the law break the news to someone break the rules | catch a ball catch a bus catch a chill catch a cold catch a thief catch fire catch sight of catch someone's attention catch someone's eye catch the flu |
Tags: VOCABULARY
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