Collocations are combinations of words that frequently occur together in the English language.
These word combinations can range from two to three words, and even up to five or six words. Collocations are an essential part of the English language as they make sentences sound natural and fluent.
In this article, we will explore what English collocations are, the seven most common types, and why they are important.
What are English collocations
English collocations are groups of words that commonly appear together and sound natural to native speakers. They are often used in everyday conversation and written communication. Collocations are formed when words are combined in a way that is familiar to native speakers, but may not be immediately apparent to non-native speakers. Learning English collocations is crucial for anyone looking to improve their English fluency, especially those preparing for English exams or hoping to speak more effectively in everyday situations.
The seven most common types of English collocations
The seven most common types of English collocations include:
adjective + noun (such as "hot coffee")
verb + noun (such as "make a decision")
adverb + adjective (such as "extremely difficult")
verb + adverb (such as "run quickly")
noun + preposition (such as "interest in")
verb + preposition (such as "agree with")
adjective + preposition (such as "afraid of").
These combinations of words are used so frequently in the English language that they have become almost like fixed expressions.
Now, are you up for a challenge?
Do you want to test your English and learn something new?
Brilliant, just keep reading!
I have 15 sentences to test your English collocations knowledge.
Can you complete them?
Ready?
Here they are:
Jenny never ________ attention to her teacher.
My bother always _________ a mess when he plays with his friends in the garden.
You should __________ your feelings under control when speaking to the boss!
Kate, can you _____ me a favour and close the door, please?
Your mum will ______ crazy when she'll know what you've done to her car.
The new boiler is ______ too many problems.
My friend Anne is over the moon! The doctor told her she is _______ a baby!
It's been such a busy week, I can't wait for the weekend to ______ a lie-in and relax a bit.
Sarah always _______ up late to read her favourite books.
Look at you! You'd better _____ a haircut before tomorrow's job interview.
The Prime Minister said they would _____ the promise, but instead they raised taxes again.
Don't worry Charlie, your dad should arrive ______ soon.
The school is offering free meals but not many students are ________ advantage of it.
I'm starving! Do you want to go and _____ a bite with me after work?
The new manager likes to _____ tabs on the Admin Team.
Well done, so how did it go?
How many do you think you got right?
Curious to know?
Right, keep reading as you'll find the missing words in the next paragraph!
Let's check them together:
Jenny never pays attention to her teacher.
My bother always makes a mess when he plays with his friends in the garden.
You should keep your feelings under control when speaking to the boss!
Kate, can you do me a favour and close the door, please?
Your mum will go crazy when she'll know what you've done to her car.
The new boiler is causing too many problems.
My friend Anne is over the moon! The doctor told her she is having a baby!
It's been such a busy week, I can't wait for the weekend to have a lie-in and relax a bit.
Sarah always stays up late to read her favourite books.
Look at you! You'd better have a haircut before tomorrow's job interview.
The Prime Minister said they would keep the promise, but instead they raised taxes again.
Don't worry Charlie, your dad should arrive quite soon.
The school is offering free meals but not many students are taking advantage of it.
I'm starving! Do you want to go and have a bite with me after work?
The new manager likes to keep tabs on the Admin Team.
Now that you know the answers, I can tell you that most of these collocations were intermediate level, so if you managed to answer correctly at least 10 of them you surely are on the right path to advance your English and go from intermediate to upper-intermediate (or even advanced English student!).
Here's a full list of the collocations I've used for this exercise:
to pay attention
to make a mess
to keep one's feelings
to do a favour
to make a mess
to cause problems
to have a baby
to have a lie-in
to stay up late
to have a haircut
to keep a promise
quite soon (also pretty soon)
to take advantage of
to have a bite
to keep tabs on someone/something
I'LL TAKE THIS FURTHER AND GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHANCE: can you try and find at least 5 more collocations? Go online, look for authentic materials (articles, posts, videos, etc,) that include one or more English collocations - NEW collocations, not these ones 😉 - copy and paste the sentences in the comments or send me a message either here or on Instagram (@the_language_bee).
READY? GO!
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Why collocations are important
Using collocations correctly is important because it makes your speech and writing sound more natural and fluent. Native speakers use collocations automatically, without thinking about them, and using them correctly can help you sound more like a native speaker. Additionally, using collocations can help you avoid making common grammar mistakes and improve your overall understanding of English grammar.
How to learn collocations
To effectively study and learn English collocations, it is important to:
notice and practise using them in context
read and listen to authentic English materials, such as news articles, podcasts, and TV shows
authentic English materials can help you become more familiar with collocations in context
use a collocation dictionary or app can be a useful tool for learning new collocations and understanding how they are used
think about collocations as single chunks and practise them as often as possible
find words that could go together and form a collocation
learn collocations in groups, for example by topic, number of words or order of words, etc.
Summing up
In conclusion, English collocations are an important aspect of the English language that can greatly improve your fluency and communication skills. By understanding the seven most common types of collocations and practicing their use in context, you can improve your English language skills and sound more natural when speaking and writing. So, let's learn English together and start using collocations to enhance our language proficiency!
Thanks for reading,
Happy learning!
Sarah Catherine
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