Lesson # 10

Collocation
It is very important to understand and practice collocation when you learn the English (IELTS).
Collocation refers to words (often two or three) that are commonly placed together.

 There may be grammatical reasons for this, but there may not be.
 It may be that through long-term usage, it just sounds correct.

Example of some common verb-noun combinations:

To make the bed / money / a noise
To catch a cold / a bus / a fish
To come late / on time / to a decision
To do homework / the shopping / nothing

You cannot say 'do the bed' as these words do not collocate together.
 To improve your English, use less common words, you also need to show to some extent that
you know what other words these less common words are usually used with.
 However, this is important for any group - if you have a bad grasp (mauvaise compréhension)
of them, this will have a negative impact on your writing and your speaking.
 Learn what words are commonly used in combination with it.

Example using ‘to have’:

have lunch have a bath have a shower
have a meeting have a haircut have a rest
have a drink have a good time have a holiday
have a quarrel have a fight have a dispute
have a relationship have a conversation have sympathy
have a problem have an argument have a talk
have a bite have the chance have no trouble
have a bad temper have a break have a look

If you only learn words in isolation, you can go wrong when you try to use them in sentences.
More complex examples using ‘interest’:

Grammar Some Examples Example Sentences

considerable interest He has a vested interest in the future of the
vested (=acquis) interest business.
public/private interest
musical interest I have varied musical interests - I like jazz, pop,
great/deep interest classical and reggae.
historical interest
adjective long-term interest
+ interest annual/monthly interest
powerful interest
controlling interest
majority/minority interest
joint interest
banking/financial interest
business/commercial interest
Grammar Some Examples Example Sentences
greatly interested
deeply interested He is deeply interested in religion.
adverb particularly interested
+ interest very interested I'm very interested in studying abroad.
really interested
quite interested

interest rate
noun interest payment There are political interest groups in m y
+ interest interest charge country that want to change the constitution.
interest group

out of interest I had never heard of the film before but

preposition for interest I went to see it out of interest.
+ interest of interest
against someone’s interest
in the interest of
Grammar Some Examples Example Sentences
interest among
interest interest from His speech generated interest from many
+ preposition interest in people.

take an interest
have an interest I started learning to play the guitar but I lost
show an interest interest very quickly.
lose interest
verb pay interest
+ interest attract interest
generate interest
spark interest
be of interest My friends and I share many interests so we
maintain interest get along very well.
share an interest
express interest
stimulate interest
 There are many words that are commonly used with 'interest' in different contexts.

 If you use the wrong words with it, this will be very noticeable.

Example:
I am completely interested on modern art. Incorrect
I am particularly interested in modern art. Correct
'completely' does not collocate with 'interest' in this sentence, and nor does 'on'.

 Someone using consistently sentences like this would achieve a high score for their writing
because they are demonstrating a good understanding of which words should go together.

 Another way to improve your knowledge of what words collocate is reading.

 The more you read, the more you will notice which words commonly go together.
 Use do for actions, obligations, and repetitive tasks.
 Use make for creating or producing something, and for actions you choose to do.
Do generally refers to the action itself, and make usually refers to the result.
Ex: If you make breakfast : the is an omelet
If you make a suggestion : you have created a recommendation.
HOUSEWORK
do the housework After I got home from the office, I was too tired to do the housework.
do the laundry I really need to do the laundry – I don’t have any clean clothes left!
do the dishes I’ll make dinner if you do (or wash) the dishes afterwards.
do the shopping I went to the bank, did some shopping, and mailed a letter at the post office.
Exception : make the bed = putting blankets, sheets, pillows in the correct place so it looks nice.
WORK/STUDY
do work I can’t go out this weekend – I have to do some work on an extra project.
do homework You can’t watch any TV until you’ve done your homework.
do business We do business with clients in fifteen countries.
do a great job He did a good job organizing the party. (job simply means something well)
do a report I’m doing or writing) a report on the history of American foreign policy.
do a course We’re doing (or taking) a course at the local university.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR BODY
do exercise I do at least half an hour of exercise every day.

do your hair (= style your hair)

I’ll be ready to go in 15 minutes – I just need to do my hair.

do your nails (=paint your nails)

Can you open this envelope for me? I just did my nails and they’re still wet.

GENERAL GOOD or BAD ACTIONS

do anything/something Are you doing anything special for your birthday?
everything/nothing You can’t do everything by yourself, let me help you.

do well I think I did pretty well in the interview.

do badly Everyone did badly on the test – the highest grade was 68.

do good The non-profit organization has done a lot of good in the community.

do the right thing When I found someone’s wallet on the sidewalk, I turned it in to the police
because I wanted to do the right thing.

do your best Don’t worry about getting everything perfect – just do your best.
FOOD
make breakfast/lunch/diner I’m making diner – it’ll be ready in about ten minutes.
make a sandwich Could you make me a turkey sandwich?
make a salad I made a salad for the family picnic.
make a cup of tea Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?
make a reservation I’ve made a reservation for 7:30 at our favorite restaurant.
MONEY
make money I enjoy my job, but I don’t make very much money.
make a profit The new company made a profit within its first year.
make a fortune He made a fortune after his book hit #1 on the bestseller list.
make $____ I made $250 selling my old CDs on the internet.
RELATIONSHIPS
make friends It’s hard to make friends when you move to a big city.
make love (= have sex) The newlyweds made love on the beach during their honeymoon.
make a pass at (= flirt with someone)
My best friend’s brother made a pass at me, he asked if I was single & tried to get my phone #.
make fun of someone (= tease / mock someone)
The other kids made fun of Jimmy when he got glasses, calling him “four eyes.”
make up (=resolve a problem in a relationship) They made up after the fight they had last week.
COMMUNICATION
make a phone call Please excuse me – I need to make a phone call.
make a joke He made a joke, but it wasn’t very funny and no one laughed.
make a point Jim made a good point during the meeting; we should consider his idea.
make a bet I made a bet with Peter to see who could do more push-ups.
make a complaint We made a complaint with our internet provider about their terrible service,
but we still haven’t heard back from them.
make a confession I need to make a confession: I was the one who ate the last piece of cake.
make a speech The company president made a speech about ethics in the workplace.
make a suggestion Can I make a suggestion? You should cut your hair shorter to look better!
make a prediction It’s difficult to make any predictions about the future of the economy.
make an excuse He didn’t finish the work, he started making excuses about how busy he was
make a promise I made a promise (or promised) to help her whenever she needs it.
make a fuss (= demonstrate annoyance)
Stop making a fuss – he’s only late a couple minutes. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.
make an observation
I’d like to make an observation about our plan, it’s not set in stone, so we can be flexible.
make a comment The teacher made a few critical comments on my essay.
Exception: Don’t say “make a question.” The correct phrase is “ask a question.”
PLANS & PROGRESS
make plans We’re making plans to travel to Australia next year.
make a decision/choice I’ve made my decision – I’m going to go to MIT, not UCLA.

make a mistake
You made a few mistakes in your calculations – the correct total is $5430, not $4530.
make progress My students are making good progress. Their spoken English is improving a lot.
make an attempt/effort (=try) I’m making an effort to stop smoking this year.
make up your mind (=decide) Should I buy a notebook or a tablet? I can’t make up my mind.
make a discovery Scientists have made an important discovery in the area of genetics.
make a list I’m making a list of everything we need for the wedding: invitations,
decorations, a cake, a band, the dress…
make sure (=confirm)
Can you make sure we have enough copies of the report for everybody at the meeting?
make a difference Getting 8 hours of sleep makes a big difference in my day. I’ve more energy!
make an exception Normally the teacher doesn’t accept late homework, but she made an
exception for me because my backpack was stolen with my homework inside it.
The commonly known meaning of the word take is when we talk about removing or moving
something (sometimes without permission) or accepting something.
Example: he took my book; take your lunch to work; do they take (accept) credit cards here?
However, there are other take collocations.
Have is also a common meaning of the word, but there are other common examples:

Take Collocation Meaning

Take someone's place Substitute / stand in for someone/thing else
Take place Happen / occur
Take notes Record what is observed or heard
Take a chance Risk something in the hope of a favorable outcome
Take an exam/a test Have / sit an exam or test
Take care of Look after someone/thing
Take a look Have a look at / examine something carefully
Take a break Have a short rest from something
Take a holiday Have a holiday
Take a rest Have a rest
 Some get collocations in the list are fairly common but some are idioms that you may not be
so aware of.
 Read through the list and check you understand the meaning of each.
 Do some further research if you are unsure of any.
 Remember that they are verbs so they can change tense.
 As they can take different tenses, you should just use this as an exercise to become aware of
the word.
 It can be easy to use just one word, but sometimes it's difficult to select the right
combination of words that comes with it, so you need to check out how collocations can be
used in different ways.

Get collocation Meaning

get away Leave
get divorced End a marriage
get drunk Become intoxicated
get excited Look forward to something
get going Start moving / depart
Get collocation Meaning
get the impression A feeling due to experience
get a job Find work
get a life Do something different or interesting
get lost Not know where you are
get the message Understand what is meant
get nowhere Failing to achieve something
get off Leave a vehicle, aircraft ...
get out Move out of / depart from
get over Recover from something
get permission Consent
get the sack Dismissed from a job
get a shock Very surprised by something
get started Begin
get upset Become mentally unsettled (angry, sad …)
get used to Unpleasant at first but becomes better