Collocations

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 unnatural English...

English...

the fast train the quick train

fast food quick food

a quick shower a fast shower

a quick meal a fast meal

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. Practise 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.
Tell me who you go with and I'll tell you who you
areSaying
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 downright satisfied)

 adjective + noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
 noun + noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
 noun + verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
 verb + noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
 verb + expression with preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up
in tears)
 verb + adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)

Sample Collocations
There are several different types of collocation. Collocations can be
adjective + adverb, noun + noun, verb + noun and so on. Below you can
see seven main types of collocation in sample sentences.

1. adverb + adjective

 Invading that country was an utterly stupid thing to do.

 We entered a richly decorated room.
 Are you fully aware of the implications of your action?

2. adjective + noun

 The doctor ordered him to take regular exercise.

  The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.
 He was writhing on the ground in excruciating pain.

3. noun + noun

 Let's give Mr Jones a round of applause.

 The ceasefire agreement came into effect at 11am.
 I'd like to buy two bars of soap please.

4. noun + verb

 The lion started to roar when it heard the dog barking.

 Snow was falling as our plane took off.
 The bomb went off when he started the car engine.

5. verb + noun

 The prisoner was hanged for committing murder.

 I always try to do my homework in the morning, after making my
bed.
 He has been asked to give a presentation about his work.

6. verb + expression with preposition

 We had to return home because we had run out of money.

 At first her eyes filled with horror, and then she burst into tears.
 Their behaviour was enough to drive anybody to crime.

7. verb + adverb

 She placed her keys gently on the table and sat down.

 Mary whispered softly in John's ear.
 I vaguely remember that it was growing dark when we left.
Common Collocations
On this page you can find a few short lists of common 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.

Verb collocations
have do make

have a bath do business make a difference

have a drink do nothing make a mess
have a good time do someone a favour make a mistake
have a haircut do the cooking make a noise
have a holiday do the housework make an effort
have a problem do the shopping make furniture
have a relationship do the washing up make money
have a rest do your best make progress
have lunch do your hair make room
have sympathy do your homework make trouble

take break catch

take a break break a habit catch a ball

take a chance break a leg catch a bus
take a look break a promise catch a chill
take a rest break a record catch a cold
take a seat break a window catch a thief
take a taxi break someone's heart catch fire
take an exam break the ice catch sight of
take notes break the law catch someone's attention
take someone's place break the news to catch someone's eye
take someone's someone catch the flu
temperature break the rules
pay save keep

pay a fine save electricity keep a diary

pay attention save energy keep a promise
pay by credit card save money keep a secret
pay cash save one's strength keep an appointment
pay interest save someone a seat keep calm
pay someone a compliment save someone's life keep control
pay someone a visit save something to a disk keep in touch
pay the bill save space keep quiet
pay the price save time keep someone's place
pay your respects save yourself the trouble keep the change

come go get

come close go abroad get a job

come complete with go astray get a shock
come direct go bad get angry
come early go bald get divorced
come first go bankrupt get drunk
come into view go blind get frightened
come last go crazy get home
come late go dark get lost
come on time go deaf get married
come prepared go fishing get nowhere
come right back go mad get permission
come second go missing get pregnant
come to a compromise go on foot get ready
come to a decision go online get started
come to an agreement go out of business get the impression
come to an end go overseas get the message
come to a standstill go quiet get the sack
come to terms with go sailing get upset
come to a total of go to war get wet
come under attack go yellow get worried

Miscellaneous collocations
Time Business English Classifiers

bang on time annual turnover a ball of string

dead on time bear in mind
early 12th century break off negotiations a bar of chocolate
free time cease trading
from dawn till dusk chair a meeting a bottle of water
great deal of time close a deal
late 20th century close a meeting a bunch of carrots
make time for come to the point
next few days dismiss an offer a cube of sugar
past few weeks draw a conclusion
right on time draw your attention to a pack of cards
run out of time launch a new product
save time lay off staff a pad of paper
spare time go bankrupt
spend some time go into partnership
take your time make a loss
tell someone the time make a profit
time goes by market forces
time passes sales figures
waste time take on staff
Advanced Collocations
The further information on this page may be of interest to advanced
students and teachers.

You shall know a word by the company it keepsJ R Firth

(British linguist, 1890-1960)

The "father" of collocation is usually considered to be J.R. Firth, a British

linguist who died in 1960. It was he that first used the term "collocation" in
its linguistic sense.

Some definitions:

 to collocate (verb): to appear with another word more frequently

than by chance - The word "white" collocates with "coffee".
 collocation (noun): the combination of two or more words more
frequently than by chance - Learning about collocation helps us
speak more fluent English.
 a collocation (noun): an example of collocation - "White coffee"
is a collocation.

An easy way to remember the meaning of collocation: think of "co-"

(together) and "location" (place) = place together, locate together, go
together

Note also (non-linguistic senses):

 collocate (verb): place side by side or in relation

 collocation (noun): the action of placing things side by side or in
position
 colocate/co-locate (verb): share a location or facility with someone
or something

Strong and weak collocation

If we look deeper into collocations, we find that not only do the words "go
together" but there is a degree of predictability in their association.
Generally, in any collocation, one word will "call up" another word in the
mind of a native speaker. In other words, if I give you one word, you can
predict the other word, with varying degrees of success. This predictability
is not 100%, but it is always much higher than with non-collocates.

The predictability may be strong: for example "auspicious" collocates with

very few words, as in:

 auspicious occasion
 auspicious moment
 auspicious event

Or the predictability may be weak: for example, "circuit" collocates with

more than 20 words, as in:

"circuit" collocates left   "circuit" collocates right with

with

racing circuit  

lecture circuit  

talk-show circuit  

short circuit  

closed circuit  

integrated circuit  

printed circuit  
 "circuit" collocates left   "circuit" collocates right with
with

printed circuit board

  circuit board

  circuit breaker

  circuit training

  circuit judge

Lexical and grammatical collocations

A distinction may, if wished, be made between lexical collocations and
grammatical collocations.

A lexical collocation is a type of construction where a verb, noun,

adjective or adverb forms a predictable connection with another word, as
in:

 adverb + adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)

 adjective + noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
 noun + verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
 verb + noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)

A grammatical collocation is a type of construction where for example a

verb or adjective must be followed by a particular preposition, or a noun
must be followed by a particular form of the verb, as in:

 verb + preposition: depend on (NOT depend of)

  adjective + preposition: afraid of (NOT afraid at)
 noun + particular form of verb: strength to lift it (not strength lifting
it)

When is a collocation NOT a collocation?

The term "collocation" in its linguistic sense is relatively new (dating from
the 1950s) and not all linguists agree on its definition. In fact there is
considerable disagreement and even some confusion. Some linguists treat
fixed phrases as extended collocations (as far as I'm concerned, not on
your life, rather you than me, under the weather, if you've got the time).
Others suggest that when a sequence of words is 100% predictable, and
allows absolutely no change except possibly in tense, it is not helpful to
treat it as a collocation. Such sequences they generally treat as fixed
expressions ("prim and proper") or idioms ("kick the bucket").

A good dictionary of collocations is the Oxford Collocations Dictionary for

Students of English.

Tell me who you go with and I'll tell you who you are.

Collocations Quiz
1. A collocation is two or more words that

 often go together
 have similar meanings
 must be used together

2. Collocations sound "right" to native English speakers because they

 sound unnatural
 are rarely used
 are often used

3. If you learn and use many collocations, your English will sound
  more unusual
 more grammatical
 more natural

4. Which is a very common collocation?

 quick food
 fast food
 rapid food

5. Complete the collocation: "I was running late so I only had time for a
_____ shower."

 short
 quick
 fast

6. It's best for learners to think of collocations as being single

 parts of speech
 blocks of language
 rules of grammar

7. Collocations can be divided into several types such as _________

collocations.

 verb + noun
 subject + object
 first + second

8. Which is an example of a verb + noun collocation?

 a terrible mistake
 commonly mistaken
 make a mistake
9. Complete with a verb + adverb collocation: "You'll do it if you ________
enough."

 try hard
 really try
 want to

10. Which is a common adverb + adjective collocation?

 richly decorated
 richly wealthy
 greedily rich
Correct Answer

1. often go together

2. are often used

3. more natural

4. fast food

5. quick

6. blocks of language

7. verb plus noun

8. make a mistake

9. try hard

10. richly decorated

A collocation is made up of two or more words that are commonly used
together in English. Think of collocations as words that usually go together.
There are different kinds of collocations in English. Strong collocations are
word pairings that are expected to come together, such as combinations with
'make' and 'do': You make a cup of tea, but you do your homework.
Collocations are very common in business settings when certain nouns are
routinely combined with certain verbs or adjectives. For example, draw up a
contract, set a price, conduct negotiations, etc.

Collocation Examples
Here are a number of common collocations in English:

to make the bed I need to make the bed every day.

to do homework My son does his homework after dinner.
to take a risk Some people don't take enough risks in life.
to give someone adviceThe teacher gave us some advice on taking
tests.

Verb Collocations
Some of the most common collocations involve verb + noun collocations used
in everyday situations. Here are some examples of the types of verb
collocations you will need as you continue learning English.

to feel free Please feel free to take a seat and enjoy the show.
to come prepared Make sure to come prepared for the test tomorrow.
to save time You'll save time if you turn off your smart phone and concentrate
on the lesson.
to find a We need to find a replacement for Jim as soon as possible.
replacement
to make progress We're making progress on the project at work.
to do the washing I'll do the washing up and you can put Johnny to bed.
up

Business Collocations
Collocations are often used in business and work settings. There are a number
of forms including adjectives, nouns and other verbs that combine with
keywords to form business expressions. Here are some business collocations
for specific situations.

to open an account Would you like to open an account at our bank?

to forgive a debt Do you think the bank would forgive a debt?
to land a deal We landed a deal worth $3 million.
to key in a PIN Just key in your PIN at the ATM and you can make a deposit.
to deposit a check I'd like to deposit this check for $100.
hard-earned money Once you get a job, you'll know what hard-earned money really
is.
to close a deal I closed a deal on a new account last week.
to write up a Let's write up your contract.
contract
counterfeit money Be on the lookout for counterfeit money in circulation.

Common Expressions
Collocations are often used as short expressions to describe how someone feels
about a situation. In this case, collocations can be used in the adjective form,
or also as emphatic expressions using an intensifier and a verb. Here are a few
examples using some common collocations:

positively encourage someone to We'd like to positively encourage you to buy

do something this stock.
deeply regret the loss of someone / I deeply regret the loss of your loved one.
something
to be in an utter fury over something Tom's in an utter fury over the
misunderstanding with his wife.
to go to great lengths to do something He went to a great length to explain the
situation.

Learn more of these common expressions.

 Common Adjective Collocations

 Emphatic Expressions - Strong Collocations

Get a Collocation Dictionary 

You can learn collocations from a number of resources. Academics and
teachers like to use collocation databases to help study common collocation
uses. However, for students one of the best tools is a collocation dictionary. A
collocation dictionary is different from normal dictionaries in that it provides
you with collocations commonly used with key words rather than a definition.
Here is an example of a few of the collocations used with the verb 'progress':

Progress

 Adverbs: nicely, satisfactory, smoothly, well - You are progressing

smoothly in this course.| further - As you further progress, you will
learn more. 
 Verb + Progress: fail to - He's failing to progress at work.
 Prepositions: beyond - She failed to progress beyond high school. |
from, through - Students should progress from this class with an
improved knowledge of the subject. 
 I highly recommend using the Oxford Collocations Dictionary for
Students of English published by Oxford University Press to begin using
collocations as a means of improving your vocabulary skills in English.