Collocations

Collocation

A collocation is a combination of two or more words that often go together. Collocations can be made up of any kinds of words such as verbs, nouns, adverbs and adjectives. Collocation refers to the habitual juxtaposition (the instance of placing two or more things side by side often to compare or contrast or to create an interesting effect) of a particular word with another word or words in a language, especially with regard to their frequency of occurrence and the idiomatic meaning that results from the combination. For example, in English, the verb “make” collocates with “decision,” but not “do decision”. Collocations can refer to noun + noun combinations (e.g. “strong coffee”), adjective + noun combinations (e.g. “bright light”), and verb + noun combinations (e.g. “take action”). Understanding and using collocations correctly is an important aspect of achieving fluency in a language.

Examples of collocation :

Heavy rain	do exercise	break a promise
do a favour	do the shopping	break a record
have a bath	make a fortune	take a decision
take a message	have a holiday	miss an opportunity
make a difference	come to an end	get a job
have a chat	the fast train	have a party
quick meal	making a bed	doing homework
saving time	keep a promise	get back /get up /get lost
deeply worried	Absolutely impossible	Highly motivated
Quiet good	Actively involved	Absolutely wrong
Deeply unhappy	Bitterly cold	Reasonably cheap
Fully aware	painfully thin	Big mistake
Daily life	fiercely competitive	absolute agony
artificial limbs	back taxes	distant relative
new generation	regular exercise	nasty comments
native speaker	natural resources	common knowledge
bad breadth	direct flight	heavy traffic
minimum balance	main course	strong smell
casual clothes	clear message	deep feeling
fair deal	early start	easy answer
false impression	flat tyre	Good chance
ill effects	high expectation	action movies
round of applause	comfort zone	birth certificate
Good company	brand name	office hours
health club	distinctly remember	talk about
admire for	never knew	strongly argue
deeply admire	think of	go crazy

Types of Collocations

(1) Adverb + Adjective 

(a) Deeply worried /affected / ashamed / concerned / divided / hurt / moved / shocked / unhappy /care / offended /regrettable / religious / committed 

(b) Absolutely necessary/ alone /amazed / beautiful / impossible / wrong / stupid/ convinced /fantastic / ridiculous / miserable / devastated / appalled 

(c) Highly motivated/ controversial/ effective/ recommended/ profitable/ probable / successful / unusual

(d) Bitterly cold / criticised / disappointed / regret / resent

(e) Strongly opposed / stiff /

(f) Ridiculously cheap /  early /  easy / long/  small

(g) Reasonably happy /  priced / well

(h) Quiet sure / good  , Pretty good , Painfully shy /  thin , Happily married , Fully aware , Blissfully unaware /  ignorant , Strongly opposed , Actively involved , Completely amazed /  different /  fantastic /  strong , Fiercely competitive

Examples

(1) I am deeply worried about her health.

(2) She always looks absolutely beautiful.

(3) I am not at all absolutely convinced  by his answer.

(4) To see those two walking into a club in the evening was absolutely fantastic.

(5) It is absolutely impossible to finish this task in the given time limit.

(6) The language used is absolutely wrong.

(7) It is bitterly cold outside.

(8) The decision was bitterly criticised by her parents.

(9) His parents had been bitterly disappointed at his divorce.

(10) The internet system has been deeply affected by heavy rain.

11) Rohan is deeply ashamed of what he did in exams.

12) Mr Smith deeply care for his pregnant wife.

(13) He is deeply competitive and quite motivated.

(14) We are deeply concerned about her marriage.

(15) She was deeply hurt by his rude behaviour.

(16) My grandmother was deeply religious since her young age.

(17) I was deeply shocked to hear the news about his death.

(18) Meera was deeply unhappy due to failure in science project.

(19) The mother is deeply worried about her child’s health.

(20) The topic of debate was highly controversial yesterday .

(21)  The interactive session was highly effective.

(22) I’m trying to make this a highly profitable business.

(23) This book is highly recommended by teachers.

(24) The plan was highly successful.

(25) There’s no solid evidence, so a guilty verdict seems highly unlikely.

(26) I was strongly opposed to the idea of an arranged marriage.

(27) School fees was ridiculously cheap in that area.

(28) The team didn’t win, but they were reasonably happy with the way we played.

(29) It was clean and softly lit, but ridiculously small.

(30) I am not quite sure who they were.

(31) She looks pretty good at the stage.

(32) Rohan was painfully thin when he was sick.

(33) It is best for that couple if you can stay happily married.

(34) He was fully aware of the difficulties in new project.

(35) My daughter was snoozing away in her car seat, blissfully unaware.

(36) Students are actively involved prior to enrolment.

(37) Was totally amazed at how easy this dish was to prepare.

(38) Every human has a completely different immune system.

(39) Companies have been fiercely competitive since last few years.

(40) When I was a kid I was painfully shy, so it was hard for me to make friends.

(2) Adjective + Noun

(a) Big failure / mistake / disappointment / surprise  , active ingredients , alternative energy , artificial limb , back pay / road / taxes , daily life , dead body , Distant relative , free speech 

(b) old age  , new generation , absolute agony , regular exercise , nasty shock /habit , natural disaster /resources , common knowledge /language  , direct action /flight /quote 

(c) Heavy bag / rain / snow / traffic , native speaker , nice time , bad breath / habit / mood /temper , long time /way , main course , rich vocabulary , strong smell /accent / drink / wind

(d) moral obligation , minimum balance , bright colors , Casual clothes , certain amount , clear message / understanding , deep depression / feeling / sleep / thought /trouble 

(e) Early days /night / start  , easy answer / question / money  , Fair deal , False teeth /impression , Flat tyre /battery , front door / page /row /seat , Good cause / chance / company /deal / idea/ luck /time , hard exam / day , healthy diet / 

(f) Great deal/ detail / anger /disappointment / enjoyment / excitement / fun /happiness / number /power / pride /skill/ quantity / strength /understanding /wealth 

(g) Heavy drinker / features / meal / rain / schedule / traffic / week / workload , high quality /standard / density /energy / expectation /level / opinion /pressure / price /speed , human error /life , ill effects / health , Immediate family / future /response 

Examples 

(1) This is a new generation electronic device.

(2) He had the nasty habit of biting nails.

(3) The Southern India will be hit by a natural disaster as predicted.

(4) We should save natural resources for future generations.

(5) All our teachers are native speakers of English.

(6) We spent a nice time yesterday in the evening.

(7) The main idea is to protect human health and environment.

(8) These products are of high quality and can be used safely.

(9) Diamonds are formed under high pressure deep within the earth.

(10) The project was explained in great details to everyone.

(11)  There is great excitement as the result was about to be announced.

(12) The strong wind stopped us from going for a walk yesterday.

(13) There is some minimum balance required to open an account.

(14) I always want to go to sleep after a heavy meal.

(15) A motorcar costs a great deal of money.

(16)  There is no easy answer to the given problem.

(17) A healthy diet should supply all necessary vitamins and minerals.

(18) Our team has a good chance of winning  the competition.

(19) Some people are still suffering ill effects from the contamination of their water.

(20) We need to make an early start tomorrow.

(21) Both back and front seat passengers were wearing seat belts.

(22) Most of the parents have high expectation from their children.

(23) One of the fundamental bars to communication is the lack of a universally spoken, common language.

(24) She blew up the flat tyre with a bicycle pump.

(25) He went into a deep depression when his wife died.

(26) A clear message was given by teachers about the exam pattern.

(27) Scientists are researching on alternative energy sources.

(28) His teeth were rotten and he had bad breath.

(29) Mary and John have great understanding among themselves.

(30) I’ve booked you on a direct flight to Paris.

(3) Noun + Noun

Examples 

(1) Round of applause – Let’s give a round of applause for all the winners.

(2) Board games – Riya often play board games with her friends.

(3) Action movie – Mohan really hates action movies.

(4) Comfort zone – To achieve something , one has to come out of his comfort zone.

(5) Child care -There is a very good child care center near my house.

(6) Cheese cake – My sister bakes a delicious cheese cake.

(7) boot camp – The soldier was sent home from boot camp after he received another censure from the general.

(8) Brand name – Can you please tell me the brand name of that yellow dress.

(9) Birth certificate – John will submit his birth certificate in the school tomorrow.

(10) Beauty shop –  I often go to a beauty shop on weekend.

(11) auto maker – Sales at some other large auto makers fell or were flat.

(12) Call center – Tom and John often come late from the call center.

(13) car manufacture – A foreign car manufacturer is expected to be among the sponsors

(14) office hours – All telephone lines are open during normal office hours.

(15) Health club – Mrs Ray joined a health club to improve her fitness.

(16) Interest group – Auditors should be responsible to a wider interest group than the shareholders.

(17) Motor vehicle – The exhaust pipe of the motor vehicle emitted poisonous smoke.

(18) kitchen cabinet – The company will customise kitchen cabinet according to the customer.

(19) jail cell – The number of jail cells are very less as per the investigation done.

(20) bars of soap – Yesterday I purchased two bars of soap.

(21) Liquor licence – The shop finally obtained a liquor licence.

(22) peer group – Another significant change in the teen years is the importance of the peer group.

(23) Account executive – She became an account executive and writer at a government agency.

(24) report card – I always get nervous when I see the report card.

(25) School days – School days are the best days of one’s life.

(26) parking ticket – The attendant tore off the parking ticket and handed it back.

(27) Voting right – Everybody have equal voting rights in our country.

(28) Speed limit – The police stopped him for exceeding the speed limit.

(29) Service charge – A four per cent service charge will be levied on all loans.

(30) Tomato soup – The tomato soup was hot, creamy and delicious.

(31) rice pudding – Many people sprinkle cinnamon over their rice pudding.

(32) onion ring – We ordered two plates of onion rings from restaurant yesterday.

(33) vanilla ice cream – My sister love to eat vanilla ice cream.

(34) bank draft – The payment was made by bank draft.

(35) Estate agent – The estate agent had all the pictures of the house.

(36) Factory farming – Factory farming has turned the cow into a milk machine.

(37) Bed-and-breakfast – Does my vacation package include bread-and-breakfast.

(38) cable car – We took the cable car  to see the top most view.

(39) Lie detector – He also offered to take a lie detector test, but was refused.

(40) Music department – The music department will organise a concert for the students.

(4) verb + noun

(1) Have bath / drink/good time / hair cut /holiday /problem / relationship/rest / lunch / chance/ opportunity / appointment / excuse / fun / argument

(2) Break record / habit /promise/ window / news/ rule / law / ice

(3) Make mess / music / difference / mistake / noise / effort / money /progress / room / trouble / arrangements / attempt

(4) Pay money / interest / fine / your respect / the bill / a compliment / the price / a visit

(5) Save electricity / water / someone’s life / space / time / seat / one’s strength / money / energy

(6) Take  break / chance / look / exam / note / seat / taxi / someone’s place / rest

(7) Do your homework / business / exercise / washing / cooking / nothing /harm / well

(8) keep control / in touch / a diary / a secret / calm / appointment / quiet / a change / cautious

(9) Get a job / angry / shock / married / drunk / frightened / lost /permission / started / wet / a sack / wet / worried

(10) Go missing / online / bad / bankrupt / dark / crazy / blind / deaf / crack / mad / sailing

(11) Catch a ball / cold / bus /fire /thief / someone’s eye

(12) Come to an end / decision / close / prepared / right back / last / second / compromise/ first

(13) Give a  gift / appointment / presentation / surprise / look / day / hi fi / smile / money / happiness / your best

Examples 

(1) I always try to do my homework before going to bed.

(2) He has been asked to give a presentation about his work.

(3) We should do our best to achieve success in life.

(4) Improper light can do harm to your eyes.

(5) Will you do me a favour and bring a cup of coffee.

(6) Today I have an appointment with the Doctor at 5 :00 pm.

(7) We usually have a heavy lunch around noon.

(8) We will have a good time together in the holidays.

(9) I don’t have time to talk to them.

(10) I would like to make arrangements for your marriage.

(11) The government is making an attempt to conserve natural resources.

(12) Students made a complaint about dirty floors in the schools.

(13) I can’t make a decision before I discuss this with my parents.

(14) Exercise can make a big difference  if you do it regularly.

(15) We must take a family photo to create beautiful memories.

(16) Take a break , you are working since morning.

(17) We took a test drive with that newly launched car.

(18) It takes time to recover from the Typhoid.

(19) I will give an expensive gift to her on her birthday.

(20) Teacher told students to come prepared to for the test.

(21) I am enjoying my holidays but i will come to an end in 2 days.

(22) My son always come first in the class .

(23) The meeting will start at 10:00 am so come on time.

(24) From Today onwards will go online.

(25) Many men go bald at an early age.

(26) This old man is going to go crazy.

(27) If the company cannot sell its products, it will go bankrupt. 

(28) You should wake up on time if you want to catch your flight.

(29) To catch the thief you need to gather all information.

(30) Wear your woollen clothes otherwise you will catch cold.

(31) I tried to catch the waiter’s eye, so we could order.

(32) I keep in touch with my old friends through social media.

(33) The teacher told the students to keep quiet in Library.

(34) I told the waiter to keep the change.

(35) It is easier to make a promise than to keep a promise.

(36) The teacher likes to keep control of everything.

(37) Give a chance to explain the situation.

(38) Give me a moment to tell you an answer.

(39) I refuse to pay the bill as i am not satisfied with the service.

(40) If you break the law then you have to pay the fine.

(41) The teacher told the students to pay attention in the class.

(42) If you have time and faith , pay a visit to nearby temple.

(43) Those who do wrong certainly deserve punishment.

(44) I’m glad you’re making progress with your Maths.

(45) At the end of the performance, all actors came out on stage and took a bow.

(5) Verb + Preposition

(1) To – Adapt / apologise / consent / agree / add / lead / listen / object / refer / react / reply / belong / talk / turn / speak

(2) From- Borrow / escape / rescue / hide / save / retire /  suffer / infer / prohibit / prevent / resign / separate / protect / recover / distinct / stem / Expect / choose / distinguish

(3) At – aim / arrive / glance / guess / hint / laugh / look/ marvel / wink / smile /frown / point / shout / stare

(4) In – absorb / arrive / believe / confined / implicate / involve / participate / result / specialise / trust / succeed

(5) With – agree / associate / charge / clutter / collide / compare / deal / discuss / tamper / trust / confuse / coincide / confront /cover

(6) On – blame / base / agree / comment / concentrate / depend / elaborate / impose / rely / insist / pride / play / work / congratulate / Count

(7) For – apply / admire / ask / blame / care / head / excuse / long / pay / scold / pray /prepare / search / vote / weight / wish / hope /wait 

(8) About- argue / ask / care / concern / decide / dream / forget / know / laugh / protest / think / worry / decide / boast

Examples 

(1)  He is waiting for the taxi since 20 minutes.

(2) She should apologise to the teacher for her mistake.

(3) I want to talk to you regarding tomorrow meeting.

(4) She is looking at the question paper very carefully.

(5) How much did you pay for the school trip?

(6) I rely on my friends in difficult times.

(7) When will you respond to the queries ?

(8) Priya is working on a new project since few days.

(9) I am thinking of purchasing a new car this week.

(10) Never argue with your parents.

(11) They are listening to the debate.

(12) I like to listen to music while I work.

(13) She is looking at the animals in the zoo.

(14) Radhika should not depend on Meera for her work.

(15) She is very happy with her competition result.

(16) We might go to the beach next month for vacations.

(17) I will only answer to the Headmistress.

(18) The thief confessed to police for stealing a gold chain.

(19) Please contribute to the fund for the flood affected people.

(20) Her presence did not matter to me any more.

(21) Rahul is very interested in learning Guitar.

(22) Every body please concentrate  on the experiment.

(23) I will not impose my decision on him.

(24) He asked me for the tea.

(25) They are thinking about moving to Canada.

(26) They told us about the incident that happened yesterday.

(27) Never talk about me, when i am was not there.

(28) Teacher admires me for my performance.

(29) Rotten vegetables must be separated from fresh ones.

(30) The cover protects the machine from getting dirty.

(31) The customer asks for the bill.

(32) Don’t go , please wait for me.

(33) I will invite you to my birthday party.

(34) I want to apologize for my mistake.

(35) Raman works for a Multi National company.

(36) She could not agree with him anymore.

(37) She will closely compare the two properties before purchasing.

(38) There is no valid excuse for not completing the task on time.

(39) Mehak always agrees with my opinions.

(40) The room was cluttered with toys.

(41) The car collided with the truck on National Highway.

(42) She covered her face with handkerchief because to dust.

(43) I can not deal with this situation right now.

(44) Can i borrow some money from you ?

(45) It was hard to distinguish one twin from the other.

(6) Adverb + Verb

(1) Sincerely hope : I sincerely hope that you will get first prize in the competition.

(2) Fully appreciate : I fully appreciate your work done for the development of this area.

(3) Deeply regret : Later on she will deeply regret her actions.

(4) seriously doubt : I seriously doubt that he will come on time.

(5) Seriously injured : He was seriously injured in a traffic accident.

(6) rise steadily : Temperatures rise steadily all through the summer.

(7) strongly support : My mother strongly support me in my career.

(8) badly damage : The flood badly damaged the whole area.

(9) Deeply rooted : Its people and its culture are deeply rooted in the earth.

(10) Totally agree : I totally agree with his proposal.

(11) Strongly suggest : I strongly suggest you to read Harry Potter series.

(12) Fully recover : He was fully recovered from the injuries last week.

(13) Quite agree : I am quite agree with your proposal.

(14) Firmly believe : I firmly believe that hard work always pay off.

(15) completely destroy : The war has completely destroyed the whole area.

(16) closely examine : Yesterday the doctor closely examine her tooth.

(17) completely forget : I completely forget to convey your message.

(18) Greatly admire : I greatly admire her beauty and innocence.

(19) shortly closed : I restaurant is shortly closed for renovation.

(20) Fully understand : The manager fully understood her employee’s problem.

(21) newly discovered : The newly discovered species of plants are in the research lab.

(22) Strongly argue : I am going to strongly argue with you at this point.

(23) badly damaged : Many properties were badly damaged due to Earthquake.

(24) Freely admit : She freely admitted her mistake and apologised for it.

(25) Strongly advice : The doctor strongly advice Meera to do yoga everyday.

(26) Firmly reject : The proposal was firmly rejected by the authority members.

(27) Hotly deny : The boy hotly deny of stealing the money.

(28) Sincerely hope : She sincerely hope to become a new Head girl of school.

(29) Strongly recommend : I strongly recommend that everyone should finish their task on time.

(30) Never knew : I never knew that she still lives in France.

(31) Thoroughly enjoy : I thoroughly enjoyed my Thailand trip with family.

(32) Humbly apologize : Mehak humbly apologized to him many times.

(33) Badly injured : Her family was badly injured in road accident.

(34) Seriously think : Do you seriously think that there will be no fossil fuels on Earth one day.

(35) Thoroughly inspect : They ordered us to throughly inspect the property papers.

(36) Distinctly remember: I distinctly remember meeting her at the conference.