Hello lovely students! Today I’m going to be going over collocations with you. Collocations are two or more words that fit perfectly together when spoken or written.
Are you ready to find out more about them?
Let’s get started.
Collocation meaning and what they consist of
The word collocation has two definitions in the Cambridge Dictionary. The first is that collocations are words or phrases that sound natural when put with another word or phrase. The second is that they’re a combination of words formed when two or more words are frequently used together in a way that sounds natural.
Take the phrase fast food.
Fast is an adjective/adverb and food is a noun. Fast has lots of synonyms, including quick and speedy. Yet, saying quick food or speedy food sounds wrong, doesn’t it?
Food also has synonyms such as sustenance or fare. Again saying fast fare or fast sustenance doesn’t sound correct.
This is precisely what is meant by a collocation.
Collocations are made up of adverbs, adjectives, nouns, prepositions and verbs. Find out more about them below.
Why are collocations in English important?
It is vital to learn collocations because they enable you to sound more natural when you speak in English. Also, collocations are helpful to revise as they are like ready-made phrases in your head that do not have to be put together every time you speak. They save time.
For example, imagine you want to say something and a collocation is needed. If you know the collocation, you can say it immediately without thinking about it, as it fits perfectly like a puzzle.
Collocations also help learners to speak more idiomatically. Advanced speakers, whether they be native English speakers or non-native English speakers, use them frequently, meaning they are beneficial to know if you want to go up a level in English.
Collocation types and examples
There are lots of collocation types in English. However, I want to tell you about these five combinations that are used most commonly. I’ve written common collocations and their examples in each section. Take a look at them below.
1) Adverb + adjective collocations
2) Adjective + noun collocations
5) Verb + preposition collocations
1) Adverb + adjective collocations
| Absolutely delighted | Rae was absolutely delighted to win first prize. |
| Perfectly clear | It was perfectly clear that Dale disapproved of Winston. |
| Reasonably priced | Houses in this area are reasonably priced. |
| Fully aware | I’m fully aware you fancy Sam. It’s pretty obvious. |
| Eternally grateful | They’re eternally grateful for your help. |
| Deadly serious | I’m deadly serious. I’m not laughing about it. |
| Deeply regret | She deeply regrets saying that to you. |
| Strictly forbidden | It is strictly forbidden to enter this property. |
| Utterly stupid | We feel utterly stupid for not getting the question right. |
| Highly impressed | The teacher was highly impressed with your piano recital. |
2) Adjective + noun collocations
| Nasty habit | Continuously lying is a nasty habit. |
| Key/main issue | The key issue here is that our investors aren’t willing to listen. |
| Mixed feelings | I have mixed feelings about leaving to move to Spain. |
| Absolute agony | I have a headache, and I’m in absolute agony. |
| Common knowledge | It’s common knowledge we need oxygen to breathe. |
| Weak point | My weak point is that I talk a lot. |
| Soft spot | I have a soft spot for him. |
| Steady job | Burt is doing really well. He has a new house, a dog, and a steady job too |
| Important thing | An important thing to remember is to always be polite. |
| Excruciating pain | He was in excruciating pain after falling off his bike. |
3) Noun + noun collocations
| Abuse of power | Abuse of power in the workplace is illegal. |
| Spice rack | The spice rack in my kitchen is full. I have over 200 jars. |
| Sense of pride | They felt a sense of pride in their country. |
| Board game | Board games are a great way to spend time with family and friends. |
| Round of applause | The audience gave a round of applause after the speech. |
| Hand towel | Use a hand towel after washing your hands. |
| Pang of nostalgia | As I entered my primary school, I felt a pang of nostalgia. |
| Withdrawal symptom | She’s getting withdrawal symptoms from playing The Sims. |
| Side effects | A side effect of working from a desk is having a bad back. |
| Travel expenses | Keep the receipts of your travel expenses. You will get a reimbursement later. |
4) Verb + noun collocations
| Break a promise | You broke your promise and told people my secret. |
| Get the message | He finally got the message and went away. |
| Go bankrupt | I went bankrupt 20 years ago. |
| Make an effort | I like my friend, but she never makes an effort to see me. |
| Have sympathy | She’s acting weird, but I have sympathy for her. She is having a hard time. |
| Pay/give someone a compliment | I paid Joni a compliment, and she said thanks. |
| Make progress | The teacher said I was making progress with my English. |
| Break the news | I was the journalist that broke the news that day. |
| Have a rest | I am so tired. I’m going to have a rest. |
| Catch a bus | I catch the bus to work every day. |
5) Verb + preposition collocations
| Associate with | I do not want to associate with my ex-classmate as he is not nice. |
| Deal with | He doesn’t know how to deal with his finances. He needs help. |
| Refer to | Please use my name when referring to me. |
| Specialise in | I specialise in mechanics. |
| Rely on | They rely on AI too much to do their work. |
| Suffer from | I suffer from terrible hay fever in spring. |
| Worry about | Don’t worry about it. You didn’t do it on purpose. |
| Marvel at | The English students marvelled at how many compound nouns there were in English; they couldn’t believe it. |
| Glance at | He glanced at his homework and decided not to do it. |
| Dream about | I dreamt about my horse. |
Is that everything?
Absolutely not! Head to my YouTube channel English with Lucy for more engaging English content.