Definition:

A collocation is made up of two or more words that are commonly used together in English. There are different kinds of collocations in English. Strong collocations are word pairings that are expected to come together. Good collocation examples of this type of word pairing are combinations with 'make' and 'do'. You make a cup of tea, but 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.

This feature points to all the vocabulary learning pages on this site which focus on collocation examples. Each page points out key collocations for various areas and includes a number of collocation examples to provide context.

Verb Collocations

These sheets provide a matching game with some of the most common verb + noun collocations used in everyday situations. Here are some examples of the types of verb collocations you will learn:

to feel free
to come prepared
to save time
to find a replacement
to make progress
to do the washing up
etc.

Business Collocations

These collocation sheets provide common collocations used in business and work settings. There are a number of forms including adjectives, nouns and other verbs that combine with these key words. Each sheet includes a number of collocation examples to illustrate usage. Here are some of the collocation examples you will find on these pages:

to key in a PIN
to deposit a check
hard-earned money
protection money
counterfeit money
etc.

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 of these collocation examples:

We'd like to positively encourage you to buy this stock.
I deeply regret the loss of your loved one.
Tom's in an utter fury over the misunderstanding with his wife.
He went to a great length to explain the situation.

Common Adjective Collocations

When describing physical objects you can use a wide variety of adjectives such as: large, big, tiny, minuscule, small, etc. However, when describing nouns that are not physical (e.g. joy, anger, wealth) you need to pay careful attention to the choice of intensifying adjectives. This feature provides a guide to the use of the most common intensifying adjectives for non-physical nouns.

Absolute, complete, total and utter are used to express strong feelings, extreme situations, and other events - especially negative experiences.

absolute agony
complete astonishment
total bliss
(an) utter catastrophe
absolute despair

total ecstasy
utter fury
a complete idiot
utter loathing
total madness

Big

Big tends to describe a happening or a type of person. It is not usually used with uncountable nouns.

a big decision
a big disappointment
a big improvement
a big mistake
a big surprise

a big eater
a big dreamer
a big drinker
a big spender
a big talker

Great

Great usually describes nouns which express feelings or qualities.

Large

Large is often used with nouns concerning numbers and measurements. It is not usually used with uncountable nouns.

Heavy

High - Low. Notice that a number of nouns (but not all) which take 'high' also take 'low'.

Strong

The following verbs are used to express different types of sounds. Many of these words are onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia are words that intimate the sounds they express. A good example is the verb 'sizzle'. Sizzle is the sound that bacon makes as it is frying in the pan.

Buzz

Bees buzz as they fly about collecting pollen.

Hum

I like to hum as I do the cleaning around the house.

Boo

The crowd booed the politician to show their displeasure.

Howl

Sarah howled in pain when she stubbed her toe on the door.

Whimper

The dog whimpered because it missed its owner.

Crunch

The icy snow crunched underneath my feet as I walked across the field.

Whoosh

The air left the tire with a great whoosh.

Screech

The crowd screeched in the distance when it saw the people approaching.

Whir

The computer whirred as it processed the data.

Grind

Don't grind your teeth! You'll wear them down.

Gurgle

I could hear the small brook gurgling in the background.

Chirp

The little songbird chirped happily from the bush.

Rattle

The broken part rattled inside the gadget.

Neigh

The horse neighed as it came to a stop.

Squeak

The little mouse squeaked as it looked for food throughout the house.

Splash

Tom splashed loudly when he jumped into the swimming pool.

Ping

The modem pinged as it connected to the network.

Puff

I stood puffing hard after the two mile run.

Clatter

The dishes clattered in the kitchen while he cleaned up after dinner.

Thud

The book dropped onto the floor with a loud thud.

Moo

The cow mooed loudly as it tried to scare the men walking through the field.

Tinkle

The crystal glass tinkled lightly when I toasted with my wife.

Clang

Could you please be quiet? You're clanging those pots and pans and it's driving me crazy!

Hiss

The snake hissed at the hiker to warn him away.

Read the following paragraph. Notice that this paragraph describes a different person than the person who is writing the introductory paragraph.

Mary is my friend. She is a student at a college in our town. The college is very small. She lives in an apartment in the center of town. She doesn't have a dog or a cat. She studies every day and sometimes works in the evening at a small shop. The shop sells gift items like postcards, games and other small items. She enjoys playing golf, tennis and walking in the countryside.

Tips for Writing a Personal Description about a Friend

• Remember to add 's' to the present simple tense when writing about other people.
• In the present simple tense, 'doesn't' takes the 's' in the negative form. Remember to use 'doesn't + verb' in the negative.
• Use sometimes, often, never, etc. before the main verb in a sentence.
• Remember to use he, his, him for boys and men and she, her, her for girls and women.
• Use 'enjoys doing' when speaking about hobbies. It's okay to connect a few verbs using commas, but place 'and' before the final verb in the list when speaking about someone's hobbies. For example, She enjoys playing tennis, swimming and riding horses.

Hello, my name is James. I'm a programmer and I come from Chicago. I live in Seattle with my wife Jennifer. We have two children and a dog. The dog is very funny. I work at a computer company in the city. The company is very famous and successful. Our daughter is named Anna and our Son is named Peter. She is four years old and he is five. We like living and working in Seattle.

Tips for Writing a Personal Description about Yourself

• Use 'come from' for the city or country where you were born. Use 'live' for the city where you currently live.
• Use the present simple tense to explain what you do every day.
• Use 'have' or 'have got' to speak about your children, pets, etc.
• Use 'a' the first time you mention something. For example, I live in a house. Then use 'the' after the first time you write about it. For example, I live in a house. The house is in Seattle.
• Remember to use he, his, him for boys and men and she, her, her for girls and women. Use 'our' when speaking about the whole family.
• Use 'like doing' when speaking about hobbies.

Practice the ABC Song alone!

برای دانلود شعر روی لینک زیر کلیک کنید

دانلود شعر

Here are some questions to help you start speaking English. Each of these questions help to begin or continue a conversation. The questions are in two categories: Basic Facts and Hobbies / Free Time. There are also a number of questions that can help you continue the conversation after the first question.

Five Basic Facts

These five questions will help you get to know people. They are simple questions with simple answers and provide information so you can ask more questions.

What is your name?
Where do you live?
What do you do?
Are you married?
Where are you from?

More questions for ...

These questions help to continue the conversation after your first question.

"What is your name?"

It's a pleasure to meet you. Where are you from?
That's an interesting name. Is it Chinese / French / Indian, etc.?

"Where do you live?"

How long have you lived there?
Do you like that neighborhood?
Do you live in an apartment or house?

"What do you do?"

Which company do you work for?
How long have you had that job?
Do you like your job?
What's the best / worst thing about your job?
What do you like best / least about your job?

"Are you married?"

How long have been married?
Where did you get married?
What does your husband / wife do?
Do you have any children?

"Where are you from?"

Where is ....?
How long did you live there?
What is XYZ like?
Do you like living here?

Hobbies / Free Time

These questions will help you continue conversations and find out more about people's likes and dislikes.

What do you like doing in your free time?
Can you play tennis / golf / soccer / etc.?
What kind of films / food / vacations do you enjoy?
What do you do on weekends / Saturdays?

More questions for ...

These questions will help you ask for more detail.

"What do you like doing in your free time?"

How often do you (listen to music, eat out in restaurants, etc.)?
Where do you (listen to music, eat out in restaurants, etc.) in this town?
Why do you like (listening to music, eating out in restaurants, etc.) so much?

"Can you play tennis / golf / soccer / etc.?"

Do you enjoy playing tennis /golf /soccer /etc.?
How long have you played tennis /golf /soccer /etc.?
Who do you play tennis /golf /soccer /etc. with?

"What kind of films / food / vacations do you enjoy?"

What's the best place to see /eat / go on vacations?
What's the best type of film /food / vacation, etc. in your opinion?
How often do you watch films / eat out / go on vacation?

"What do you do on weekends / Saturdays?"

Where do you go to ...?
Could you recommend a good place to (go shopping / take my children swimming / etc.)?
How long have you done that?

Claudia Young:

If age imparted wisdom, there wouldn't be any old fools.

Dear Abby (Pauline & Jeanne Phillips):

If we could sell our experience for what they cost us, we'd all be millionaires.

Gracie Allen:

When I was born I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half.

Louisa May Alcott:

I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning to sail my ship.

Marian Anderson:

As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.

Elizabeth Arden:

I'm not interested in age. People who tell me their age are silly. You're as old as you feel.

A: Excuse me, do you mind if I sit down?

B: No. Let me move my bag.

A: Thanks. By the way, do you live in the dorm? I think I've seen you there.

B: Yes, I just moved in last week.

A: I live in the dorm, too.

B: Oh, really? Do you like it?

A: Yeah, it's okay. It takes me about 5 minutes to get to my first class in the morning.

B: I'm not so lucky. My first class is on the other side of the university. But I've got a bicycle, so it doesn't take too long.

A: I've got a bike, too. But I haven't needed it this semester.

B: Well, this is my stop coming up. By the way, my name's Bob.

A: Hi, Bob. I'm Sylvia.

B: Nice meeting you, Sylvia. I'll probably see you around.

A: Okay. Bye, Bob.

برای تمرین بیشتر روی ادامه مطلب کلیک کنید

"Hey, call me up if you want to get together."

"I'll call on you tomorrow around noon."