English collocations – how words are put together
DEFINITION:
Collocation is a sequence of words that often occur together, because they sound correct and natural. Similar combination of words describing the same thing or situation might sound unnatural or even funny.
What could be the result?
As a result, it may have a negative impact on your confidence to speak English. Therefore good knowledge of English collocations and phrases is very mportant. It will help you speak more fluently with higher confidence and your English will sound much more natural.
Collocations examples – correct and incorrect:
 |
heavy rain -> correct |
 |
strong rain -> incorrect |
|
|
|
|
run fast -> correct |
|
run quick -> incorrrect |
|
fast food -> correct |
|
speed food -> incorrect |
|
|
|
|
do the homework -> correct |
|
make the homework -> incorrrect |
|
fight hard -> correct |
|
fight tough -> incorrect |
|
|
|
|
well done -> correct |
|
good done -> incorrrect |
Collocation types with examples
There are several forms of collocations in English language. The most common types along with some examples are described in the following table:
| verb + noun | catch a bus, make a call, do a homework, take a photo, pay attention |
| verb + adverb | regret deeply, disagree strongly, deny completely, accuse falsely |
| adjective + noun | heavy rain, strong supporter, fast car, quick shower, big surprise |
| adverb + adjective | bitterly angry, deeply concerned, widely acceptable, highly appreciated |
| noun + noun | round of drinks, sense of humor, smell of success, bar of soap |
This is a short video that explains some of the most common verb + noun collocations.
Collocations versus phrasal verbs / idioms
Unlike phrasal verbs or idioms, collocations can be quite easily understood. That makes them a little bit easier to learn. However, the best way to learn them quickly and correctly is to read a lot of examples.
Here are some useful tips for your self-study:
1. in any situation, try to be aware of any collocation you hear or read
2. if you notice a collocation, write it down or associate it with a situation (context)
3. organize your list by words or by topic
Therefore it’s strongly advisable (another nice example of adverb + adjective collocation) that you read a lot of news articles where you can learn many collocations from daily life.
Our 2-step method:
In order to help you to understand correctly when somebody uses a collocation in a speech or conversation, we have created a concept based on examples from movies.
As you probably know, you can hear lots of collocations in American movies and TV shows. In fact, they are really frequently used in spoken English.
The method is very simple, yet very effective.
STEP 1. Listen to collocations in short video samples in real-life situations
These are the examples of some of them, which you will certainly hear in many conversations with English speakers on a daily basis.
So the best way to master them is to learn them in context in real sentences. And I am pretty sure that the best context is your favorite movie or TV show 🙂
STEP 2. Practice them in short exercises
More examples of sentences with English collocations
1. John was complaining bitterly about the poor attitudes of his staff.
2. Don’t judge him too harshly. You don’t know all the details.
3. Could you please do me a favor and stop smoking?
4. The proposed Enbridge pipeline poses a massive threat to pristine areas across central B.C.
Collocations | Idioms | Phrasal verbs | Words
LIST OF COLLOCATIONS WITH MEANINGS
| (117 terms) | |
| full time | working full hours (not part-time) |
| on your own | to be solely responsible for something |
| seat is taken | seat is not vacant, seat is unavailable |
| cruise ship | large ship for pleasure voyages |
| The best is yet to come | the best experience is still to come |
| long-distance relationship | relationship when partners are living far from each other |
| beat downs | physical attacks |
| all around | all over the place |
| chem analysis | chemical analysis |
| sealed container | container with a firm cover |
| so to speak | when you try to get an attention to a choice of words (if metaphoric phrase is used) |
| middle of nowhere | far from a civilization |
| get to know each other | know other person better |
| hard wood | floor made of wood |
| jet lag | conditions of sleep problem when travelling |
| pick pockets | to steal personal belongings of tourists from pockets |
| side note | extra piece of information |
| split x ways | to divide into x parts |
| in vain | without sense, pointless |
| time zone | geographical zone with specific time |
| couple of weeks away | in a few weeks |
| retread tires | to replace worn out material on tires |
| take a while | to take some amount of time |
| sexual ardour | sexual passion |
| make (something) happen | accomplish or achieve something, not just talking but actually doing it |
| unspoken agreement | agreement without saying any words |
| jumper cables | cables to help start the car engine when an auto battery is low |
| take it slow | to do something slowly |
| long-distance call | phone call between two distant cities or countries |
| nasty freak | pervert person |
| play somebody against somebody | to make someone to have a conflict with someone else |
| straight up | directly |
| take something the wrong way | to misunderstand or misinterpret something |
| As you were! | Military command meaning that soldier may return to normal posture |
| make fun of somebody | make jokes about somebody, to mock |
| whipped cream | cream mixed using a whisk or mixer |
| cake recipe | step by step process for preparing a cake |
| out of nowhere | when something appears suddenly and unexpectedly |
| flat tires | tires with no air |
| get going | to move, to start moving |
| keep a promise | to do what was promised |
| raise an objection (to someone or something) | to disagree or to protest against someone or something |
| to be better off | to be in a better position than before |
| to get something looked at | to get something checked (by a doctor) |
| rib of beef | meat from a rib section of beef |
| take a look | to have a look |
| in my time | during my life |
| to taste good | to have a good taste |
| put (something) in action | to turn theory into action |
| flax seeds | seeds of a flax plant |
| stay put | stay where you are |
| evade responsibility | to run away from responsibility |
| by the way | incidentally |
| all over | everywhere |
| give a warm welcome (to someone) | to welcome someone with applause |
| move forward | the next step in a process |
| brain damage | injury to brain |
| takeout food | food in plastic container for eating later |
| to be on sale | when something is for sale at a discount price |
| to be of service | to offer service |
| clam chowder | thick soup with clams (seafood) |
| pay attention | to listen carefully and trying to understand the subject matter |
| out of reach | unreachable, inaccessible |
| happen to notice | to see accidentally |
| snow-capped | covered with snow |
| take a nap | to have a quick, short sleep |
| induction day | first day when somebody starts in an organization |
| no offence | without intention to offend somebody |
| This is so us! | This is typical for us! |
| file (tax) returns | to submit taxes to authorities |
| Behave yourself | to behave decently |
| without consent | without agreement or approval from other person |
| snow squall | heavy snow precipitation |
| I am sorry about your loss | phrase used at funerals to express condolences |
| first mate | the first officer on a ship after captain |
| go for something | to start doing something |
| do one’s best | to do the maximum |
| crooked as a politician | corrupted as politician |
| to have a point | to be right about something, to provide a good description of a situation |
| tax evasion | not paying taxes |
| fall asleep | start sleeping |
| needles to say | when something is known and can be taken for granted, of course |
| meal to go | takeout food, food in plastic container |
| take eye off something | to look in the different direction |
| all of a sudden | suddenly, unexpectedly |
| never mind | it does not matter |
| well-groomed | very well maintained person with regard to dress and appearance |
| take a loan | to borrow some amount of money |
| tell him I said hi | to give greetings |
| fall asleep | to start sleeping |
| at stake | amount or value which can be won or lost |
| on purpose | to do something deliberately with an intention to do it |
| for a while | certain amount of time |
| cop-watch | watching whether police is not approaching |
| consolation prize | a small prize given to someone who lost in a competition |
| senior year | final year in high school |
| high tide | rise of a sea level |
| take a chance | to risk |
| come easy | happen easily |
| come as a surprise | to make someone feel surprised |
| human being | human (man or woman) |
| find (someone) attractive | to think that someone is attractive |
| self-esteem | feeling good about own personality |
| do a favor | to help with something |
| tartar sauce | mayonnaise with chopped pickles |
| soul mate | person with strong emotional connection |
| to stay between us | keep a secret, not to tell to anybody else |
| criminal charges | formal accusation that somebody has commited a crime |
| freshly prepared | recently prepared fresh food |
| bring to the boil | to reach the state when water boils |
| take chances | to go into risk |
| fancy dinner | dinner in an expensive restaurant |
| take turns | when two or more people alternate in doing something |
| say hi | form of greeting |
| no offense | without intention to offend somebody |
| get straight | to make things clear |
| best man | friend of the bridegroom at the wedding |