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 | |
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| run fast -> correct | |
| run quick -> incorrrect | |
| fast food -> correct | |
| speed food -> incorrect | |
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| do the homework -> correct | |
| make the homework -> incorrrect | |
| fight hard -> correct | |
| fight tough -> incorrect | |
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| 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) | |
| do a favor | to help with something |
| retread tires | to replace worn out material on tires |
| sealed container | container with a firm cover |
| long-distance relationship | relationship when partners are living far from each other |
| file (tax) returns | to submit taxes to authorities |
| rib of beef | meat from a rib section of beef |
| take a loan | to borrow some amount of money |
| fall asleep | to start sleeping |
| full time | working full hours (not part-time) |
| at stake | amount or value which can be won or lost |
| time zone | geographical zone with specific time |
| The best is yet to come | the best experience is still to come |
| move forward | the next step in a process |
| first mate | the first officer on a ship after captain |
| soul mate | person with strong emotional connection |
| to be better off | to be in a better position than before |
| tartar sauce | mayonnaise with chopped pickles |
| give a warm welcome (to someone) | to welcome someone with applause |
| flat tires | tires with no air |
| without consent | without agreement or approval from other person |
| to be on sale | when something is for sale at a discount price |
| take a nap | to have a quick, short sleep |
| nasty freak | pervert person |
| cruise ship | large ship for pleasure voyages |
| so to speak | when you try to get an attention to a choice of words (if metaphoric phrase is used) |
| tell him I said hi | to give greetings |
| snow squall | heavy snow precipitation |
| come as a surprise | to make someone feel surprised |
| I am sorry about your loss | phrase used at funerals to express condolences |
| cake recipe | step by step process for preparing a cake |
| long-distance call | phone call between two distant cities or countries |
| human being | human (man or woman) |
| fall asleep | start sleeping |
| fancy dinner | dinner in an expensive restaurant |
| jumper cables | cables to help start the car engine when an auto battery is low |
| take a look | to have a look |
| to have a point | to be right about something, to provide a good description of a situation |
| meal to go | takeout food, food in plastic container |
| play somebody against somebody | to make someone to have a conflict with someone else |
| happen to notice | to see accidentally |
| whipped cream | cream mixed using a whisk or mixer |
| beat downs | physical attacks |
| evade responsibility | to run away from responsibility |
| on purpose | to do something deliberately with an intention to do it |
| stay put | stay where you are |
| tax evasion | not paying taxes |
| make (something) happen | accomplish or achieve something, not just talking but actually doing it |
| to be of service | to offer service |
| jet lag | conditions of sleep problem when travelling |
| take a while | to take some amount of time |
| keep a promise | to do what was promised |
| senior year | final year in high school |
| best man | friend of the bridegroom at the wedding |
| split x ways | to divide into x parts |
| takeout food | food in plastic container for eating later |
| no offence | without intention to offend somebody |
| unspoken agreement | agreement without saying any words |
| raise an objection (to someone or something) | to disagree or to protest against someone or something |
| never mind | it does not matter |
| take eye off something | to look in the different direction |
| crooked as a politician | corrupted as politician |
| put (something) in action | to turn theory into action |
| take something the wrong way | to misunderstand or misinterpret something |
| get going | to move, to start moving |
| chem analysis | chemical analysis |
| all of a sudden | suddenly, unexpectedly |
| side note | extra piece of information |
| take chances | to go into risk |
| middle of nowhere | far from a civilization |
| bring to the boil | to reach the state when water boils |
| hard wood | floor made of wood |
| take turns | when two or more people alternate in doing something |
| get straight | to make things clear |
| out of reach | unreachable, inaccessible |
| for a while | certain amount of time |
| clam chowder | thick soup with clams (seafood) |
| high tide | rise of a sea level |
| no offense | without intention to offend somebody |
| seat is taken | seat is not vacant, seat is unavailable |
| find (someone) attractive | to think that someone is attractive |
| brain damage | injury to brain |
| make fun of somebody | make jokes about somebody, to mock |
| pick pockets | to steal personal belongings of tourists from pockets |
| criminal charges | formal accusation that somebody has commited a crime |
| in my time | during my life |
| go for something | to start doing something |
| to taste good | to have a good taste |
| on your own | to be solely responsible for something |
| consolation prize | a small prize given to someone who lost in a competition |
| take it slow | to do something slowly |
| Behave yourself | to behave decently |
| cop-watch | watching whether police is not approaching |
| pay attention | to listen carefully and trying to understand the subject matter |
| freshly prepared | recently prepared fresh food |
| flax seeds | seeds of a flax plant |
| snow-capped | covered with snow |
| get to know each other | know other person better |
| come easy | happen easily |
| well-groomed | very well maintained person with regard to dress and appearance |
| all around | all over the place |
| couple of weeks away | in a few weeks |
| This is so us! | This is typical for us! |
| induction day | first day when somebody starts in an organization |
| out of nowhere | when something appears suddenly and unexpectedly |
| all over | everywhere |
| needles to say | when something is known and can be taken for granted, of course |
| by the way | incidentally |
| self-esteem | feeling good about own personality |
| do one’s best | to do the maximum |
| straight up | directly |
| sexual ardour | sexual passion |
| to get something looked at | to get something checked (by a doctor) |
| As you were! | Military command meaning that soldier may return to normal posture |
| in vain | without sense, pointless |
| to stay between us | keep a secret, not to tell to anybody else |
| say hi | form of greeting |
| take a chance | to risk |