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What are Collocations?
Collocations are groups of two or more words which are generally used together. A collocation is therefore a fixed combination of words which are used in order to convey a specific meaning. For example, the words ‘make’ and ‘belief’ are used together in order to mean ‘fake’.
Consider the following examples:
| Correct | Incorrect |
| Break the law | Crack the law |
| Crack the exam | Break the exam |
The words ‘break’ and ‘crack’ are synonyms. However, we always use ‘break’ and not ‘crack’ with ‘law’. Similarly, ‘crack’ is always used with ‘code’. This predetermined combination of words is known as collocation.
| Correct | Incorrect |
| Fast food | Quick food |
| Quick witted | Fast witted |
| Catch a cold | Grab a cold |
| Grab a bite | Catch a bite |
| Watch TV | Look TV |
| Look into the matter | Watch into the matter |
Importance of Collocations:
Examples:
Types of Collocations
| Adjective and noun | rich vocabulary, stark contrast, heavy traffic, sharp features |
| Verb and noun | accept the offer, brew coffee, entrust responsibility, cry wolf, hold forth |
| Noun and noun | fuel tank, post office, soap bar, printer cartridge, round of applause |
| Verb and adverb | cry bitterly, fail miserably, cost dearly, speak softly, guess correctly |
| Adverb and verb | happily married, highly paid, grossly misunderstood, vaguely remember |
| Verb with preposition and noun | beamed with pride, take after someone, burst into tears |
| Noun and verb | flowers bloomed, plane taxied, bomb went off |
Some Collocations Based on Common Verbs
Make:
| Make arrangements: The staff made arrangements for the picnic |
| Make a choice: The customer has already made a choice |
| Make progress: Raju made great progress in his new business |
| Make an effort: She made an effort to reach out to her friends. |
| Make a contribution: The tenants made contributions to the charity |
| Make a call: Can I use your phone to make a call? |
| Make a change: She is ready to make changes in the presentation |
Do:
| Do ones best: I will try to do my best to find your lost pet. |
| Do business: It is risky to do business with him. |
| Do harm: The humid weather did more harm than good. |
| Do damage: The rumours did considerable damage to his reputation. |
| Do (someone) a favour: My friend did me a favour by letting me lend his house. |
| Do good: The coastal air did her health some good. |
| Do research: The team did research on the deteriorating quality of the city's air |
Have:
| Have an advantage: The company had an advantage over their competitors. |
| Have an appointment: Christina left early since she had an appointment with the doctor. |
| Have an appointment: Christina left early since she had an appointment with the doctor |
| Have fun: The children had fun at the village fair. |
| Have an argument: The tenants had an argument over the destroyed flowerbed |
Collocations Based on Body:
| Collocation | Meaning | Usage |
| Have an eye for | Good at noticing | She has an eye for details |
| Keep an eye on | Observe | Keep an eye on the students lest they copy |
| Foot the bill | Pay the bill | The one who comes late foots the bill. |
| Go hand in hand | Go together | Lying goes hand in hand with stealing |
| Head something | Lead | Marina headed the team |
Collocations Based on Movement:
| Collocation | Usage |
| Walked straight into | He walked straight into the library. |
| Run into | George ran into a debt |
| Take off | The guests took off after the lunch. |
| Push (something) across | Martin pushed the bag across the table. |
Collocations Based on Thinking:
| Collocation | Usage |
| Think out of the box | We need fresh ideas, so please think out of the box |
| Nagging doubt | Meena had a nagging doubt whether she locked the door |
| Fuel speculations | The fight fuelled speculations that they are no longer friends. |
| Think deeply | I thought deeply about her question. |
| Fertile imagination | Little children have a fertile imagination |
Collocations Based on Business:
| Collocation | Usage |
| Record profits | The company announced record profits this year |
| Pay rich dividends | A good decision will pay rich dividends later. |
| Make a profit | The company made profit in the last quarter. |
| Dismiss an offer | The management dismissed Ganesh's offer |
| Go bankrupt | Yasir went bankrupt after his last venture. |
Collocations Based on Education and Knowledge:
| Collocation | Usage |
| Gifted person | She is a gifted person since she possesses so many qualities |
| Thirst for knowledge | What drives him is his thirst for knowledge |
| Fight illiteracy | The new government strives to fight illiteracy |
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