Collocations

COLLOCATIONS

MISS EUNICE MARTÍNEZ G.

START

What is a collocation?

A collocation is a pair or group of words that are often used together.

Some collocations are fixed, or very strong, for example take a photo, where no word other than take collocates with photo to give the same meaning. Some collocations are more open, where several different words may be used to give a similar meaning, for example keep to / stick to the rules. Here are some more examples of collocations.

• You must make an effort and study for your exams (NOT do an effort)
• Did you watch TV last night? (NOT look at TV)
• This car has a very powerful engine. It can do 200 km an hour. (NOT strong engine)
• There are some ancient monuments nearby. (NOT antique monuments)

COMPOUNDS

Examples:

• Car park
• Post office
• Narrow-minded
• Shoelaces
• Teapot
• Football
• Father-in-law
• Well-being

Compounds are units of meaning formed with two or more words. Sometimes the words are written separately, sometimes they have a hyphen and sometimes they are written as one word.

IDIOMS

Examples:

• Take it easy
• Piece of cake
• On the ball
• Once in blue moon
• Hit the sack
• Far cry from
• Up in the air
• Go bananas

Idioms are groups of words in a fixed order that have a meaning that cannot be guessed by knowing the meaning of the individual words/.

1. make collocations from the words in the box

• substantial
• TV
• watch
• dark
• monument

• powerful
• bitterly
• make
• breakfast
• cold

• mistakes
• have
• make
• meal
• strictly

• an effort
• ancient
• engine
• forbidden
• pitch

2. Underline the collocations in this text.

When I left university I made a decision to take up a profession in which I could be creative. I could play the guitar, but I'd never written any songs, nonetheless I decided to become a singer-songwriter. I made some recordings but I had a rather heavy cold so they didn't sound good. I made some more, and sent them to a record company and waited for them to reply. So, while I was waiting to become famous, I got a job in a fast-food restaurant. That was five years ago. I'm still doing the same job.

3. Match the beginning of each sentence on the left with its ending on the right.

her duty. a lecture. a party. an exam. good progress.

1. She's having
2. She's taking
3. She's giving
4. She's making
5. She's doing

4. Underline 11 collocations in this text.

My friend Beth is desperately worried, about her son at the, moment. He wants to enrol on a. course, of some sort but Just can't make a decision about what to study . I gave Beth a ring and we had a long chat about it last night. She said he'd like to study for a degree, but is afraid he won't meet the requirements for university entry. Beth thinks he should do a course In Management because he'd like to set up his own business in the future. I agreed that that would be a wise choice.

5. Put the expressions from the box into the correct category in the table below.

6. Correct the eight collocation errors in this text. Use a dictionary to help you if necessary.

In the morning I made some work in the garden, then I spent a rest for about an hour before going out to have some shopping in town. It was my sister's birthday and I wanted to do a special effort to cook a nice meal for her. I gave a look at a new Thai cookery book in the bookshop and decided to buy it. It has some totally easy recipes and I managed to do a good impression with my very first Thai meal. I think my sister utterly enjoyed her birthday.

Types of collocation

a) Adjectives and nouns Jean always wears red or yellow or some other bright colour. We had a brief chat about the exams but didn't have time to discuss them properly. Unemployment is a major problem for the government at the moment. Improving the health service is another key issue for government. b) Nouns and verbs The economy boomed in the 1990s. The company launched the product in 2002. The company has expanded and now has branches in most major cities. The two companies merged in 2003 and now form one very large corporation.

Types of collocation

c) Noun + noun As Sam read the lies about him, he felt a surge of anger. Every parent feels a sense of pride when their child does well or wins something. I felt a pang of nostalgia when I saw the old photos of the village where I grew up. d) Verbs and expressions with prepositions As Jack went on stage to receive his gold medal for the judo competition you could see his parents swelling with pride. I was filled with horror when I read the newspaper report of the explosion. When she spilt juice on her new skirt the little girl burst into tears.

Types of collocation

e) Verbs and adverbs She pulled steadily on the rope and helped him to safety. He placed the beautiful vase gently on the window ledge. 'I love you and want to marry you,' Derek whispered softly to Marsha. She smiled proudly as she looked at the photos of her new grandson. f) Adverbs and adjectives They are happily married. I am fully aware that there are serious problems. Harry was blissfully unaware that he was in danger.

7. Choose the correct feeling from the box to complete each sentence.

anger horror tears nostalgia pride pride

1 Most older people feel a slight pang of _______________ as they think back on their schooldays. 2 Carla's father was filled with _______________when he saw that she had dyed her beautiful black hair blonde. 3 When Paul saw how harshly the poor were treated by the wealthy landowners he felt a surge of _______________. 4 Swelling with _______________, Dan watched his daughter pick up her violin and play. 5 When she saw her exam results, Kate burst into _______________. 6 If people have a sense of _______________ in their town, they are more likely to behave well there.

8. Complete the questions using collocations.

1 You want a friend to look at a letter you have written before you send it. YOU: Could you ? _______________________________________________________________________. 2 You want to know why your two friends aren't speaking to each other. YOU: Why aren't you speaking to Rosa? Did you ? ______________________________________. 3 A friend comes to school on crutches with a bandage round her head. YOU: What happened? Did you ? _______________________________________________________. 4 You want to know if a friend did lots of enjoyable things on their recent holiday. YOU: How was the holiday? Did you ? __________________________________________________. 5 You are having a meeting with some colleagues. You think it is time to stop for half an hour or so. YOU: Shall we ? _________________________________________________________________________. 6 A friend has just bought a new bicycle. You'd like to ride it to see what it's like. YOU: Nice bike! Can I ? _________________________________________________________________. 7 You want to talk informally to your teacher about what to do next year. YOU: When you're free, could I ? ________________________________________________________. 8 A friend is trying with difficulty to read your address, which you have just written down for them. YOU: What's the matter? Are you ? ______________________________________________________.

9. Choose the correct collocation.

1. The dentist told me to shut / close my mouth.
2. I didn't know what to do when I got into my car and couldn't start / begin the engine.
3. I want to buy a sweater for my dad. He needs one in a big / large size.
4. I haven't finished / ended my essay yet. I can't decide how to finish / end it.
5. At what time do you plan to shut / close the conference?
6. All societies develop their own stories about how the world started / began.
7. It's far too big / large a problem for you to solve on your own.
8. It's never easy to finish /end a relationship.

10. Correct these sentences.

1. Were many people damaged in the earthquake?
2. Single parents growing children without a partner's support are entitled to financial help from the government.
3. My mobile isn't working. I need to load the battery.
4. She has a lot of beautiful elderly jewellery.
5. When we moved house, two men helped us to charge the van.
6. That's not news - it's antique history!
7. I don't know how to charge a gun, let alone fire one.
8. I've never been very successful at raising plants.

THANK YOU!!!