• COURSE CODE: GST 111
• COURSE NAME: COMMUNICATION IN ENGLISH
• TOPIC: COLLOCATION IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
• DURATION: ONE HOUR
• LECTURE TIME: 8:00 o’clock AM TUESDAY 12TH MARCH, 2024.
• LECTURER: AJA, Angela N.
• PHONE NUMBER: 09064539371
•
[email protected]• LEARNING OUTCOME: At the end of this topic, the students should
be able to: Explain collocation in English. Mention different forms of
collocation and make right use of collocates.
COLLOCATION IN THE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
INTRODUCTION: The English grammar is a system of structural rules of how
phrases, clauses and sentences are to be organized. It is bound by limited
grammatical rules which is organized by ranks, units and word classes. Lexis, on
the other hand is the lexicon of a language. It is the total number of words in a
language. Grammar is the system of rules for the structure of sentences. Lexis is
not bound by formal rules as grammar is. However, they have to be organized in
such a way as to convey meaning. For instance, ‘book the on table the is’ is
ungrammatical because the arrangement of the lexicons do not follow the
structural rule (SPCA) but it is lexically correct.
Again, ‘bank on’ in ‘you can bank on his words’ is two words in lexis while it is
one word in grammar. collocation is the arrangement of lexical items into the
basic formal pattern of grammar to provide meaningful phrases, clauses and
sentences.
When lexical items are grouped according to their semantic relations or
similar range of collocation/relatedness, it is referred to as a lexical set.
For example, chair and seat can collocate because they are a lexical set
while comfortable and sit cannot collocate because they do not belong to
the same set.
Some lexical items:
Plate cup train shoes
Bus saw hedge match
Taxi goal tree saucer
Hammer sandals aeroplane referee
Ball dish plant socks
Bush player stocking handle
Probable Collocation of the Given Lexical Items
LEXICAL SET COLLOCATION
1. Taxi, bicycle, train, aero-plane, bus distance, go, travel, trip,
fly
2. Shoes, sandals, socks, stocking, slippers pair, wear comfortable,
put on/take off.
3. player, match, goal, ball, referee post, playground, play, foul
4. dish, cup, plate, fork eat, meal, table
From the above arrangement, it is clear that collocation is the system
through which lexical items are brought together to produce
meaningful phrases, clauses and sentences. It is the natural
combination of words.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS
WORDS COLLOCATE
Make/made Bed, mistake, name, effort
Do Assignment, dishes
Take Risk
Give Advice, lift. Hand
Feel Free, well
Come Prepared
Save Time, money, energy
Find Replacement, time
Open An account
Forgive Debt
Land/close A deal
Deposit A check/cheque
Write up A contract
counterfeit money
Collocation can be used to describe emotions using adjectives/intensifiers
with verbs, e.g.
Deeply regret: I deeply regret your loss. I am deeply sorry to have
disappointed you.
Went to great lengths: I went to great lengths in preparing this lecture
note. He went to great lengths to ensure the safety of his children.
Positively encourage: I’d want to positively encourage you to prepare well
for your forthcoming in-course examination.
Absolute (truth, agony): The absolute truth is that I am a girl after all.
Loosing the husband is an absolute agony for Ego.
Utter (confusion, fury, catastrophe): The death of his wife threw him in
utter confusion. Sam was in utter fury over the action of his son.
Big (size, extent, event (not to be used with count nouns)): decision,
disappointment, mistake, surprise
Great: describes nouns which express feelings, admiration, anger, detail,
disappointment, enjoyment, excitement, failure, fun, happiness, joy, length,
number (of) power.
Large is used with uncount noun, amount, population, scale.
Deep: depression, devotion, feeling, sleep, trouble
Heavy: down pour, rain, traffic, snow smoker
Some nouns that take ‘high’ also take ‘low’: cost, density, energy, esteem,
expectation (of), level (of), pressure, price, speed
Strong: criticism, denial, feeling, sense, smell, taste
FIXED COLLOCATION
Car Park
Post Office
Narrow Minded
Shoe Lace
Tea Pot/cup
Merry Christmas
Bright Colour
Major Problem
Key Issue/point
Economy Boom
Company Expand/grow
Pose Problem
Create Opportunity
Surge of Anger
Sense of Pride
Pang of Nostalgia/hunger
COMMON ERRORS
Natural collocate unnatural collocate
Fast train quick train
Fast food quick food
Quick shower fast shower
Good at good in
Make a mistake/meal did a mistake/meal
Heavy meal strong meal
Heavy rain strong rain
Hot sun heat sun
Sunny day sun day
ACTIVITY
• I ___ enjoyed the party A. really B. very
• He has ___ his home work A. made B. done
• We had a __ meal last night A. sumptuous B. sweet
• She __ a mistake A. did B. made
• I am not very good __ Mathematics A. in B. at
THANKS FOR ATTENDING TODAYS
CLASS ON TIME.
GOD BLESS YOU FOR PARTICIPATING.
