collocation

3. I think, …

5. When one door closes, …
… another one is slammed in your face.

6. When the going gets tough, …
… the tough get going – right out the
nearest exit.

7. When life hands you lemon, …
… be careful what you drink.

9. Collocations

10. What is a COLLOCATION?
 A COLLOCATION is a bundle of words.
 It is better to learn the “bundle of words”
instead of just the word by itself.

11. What is a COLLOCATION?
 A collocation is two or more words that often
go together. These combinations just sound
"right" to native English speakers, who use
them all the time. On the other hand, other
combinations may be unnatural and just
sound "wrong".

12. What is a COLLOCATION?

13. Why learn collocations?
 Your language will be more natural and more
easily understood.
 You will have alternative and richer ways of
expressing yourself.
 It is easier for our brains to remember and use
language in chunks or blocks rather than as
single words.

14. What is a “bundle of words”
 MAKE is an often used word. But WHEN can
you use it.

15. MAKE bundles
 MAKE a profit
 MAKE money
 MAKE a telephone call
 MAKE a mess

16. Learn the “bundle”
 It is more useful to learn the bundle than just
the single vocabulary item.
 DO the cooking
 DO your homework
 DO the housework

17. Learning prepositions in a
bundle
 Prepositions like IN, ON, TO, AGAINST are
very difficult to use correctly. It will be easier
if you learn them together with NOUN or a
VERB.

18. Verbs with a PREPOSITION
 DISCRIMINATE is a verb you will be using a
lot this summer. When you use this word,
don’t forget the preposition AGAINST.
 People DISCRIMINATE AGAINST African
Americans.

19. Some other common VERB +
PREPOSITION bundles
 REFUSE TO
 He REFUSED TO answer the questions.
 REASON FOR
 What is his REASON FOR being late.
 ADAPT TO
 We must ADAPT TO change.

20. VERB + NOUN bundles
 TAKE A VACATION
 PLACE AN ORDER
 PLAY A GAME
 RAISE A QUESTION
 RAISE AN OBJECTION

21. ADJECTIVE + NOUN
The Adjective LIGHT
 LIGHT RAIN
 LIGHT BEER
 LIGHT WORKLOAD
 LIGHT JACKET

22. ADVERB + VERB
 COMPLETELY FORGOT
 COMPLETELY RUINED
 COMPLETELY MISUNDERSTOOD
 COMPLETELY BROKEN
 COMPLETELY COVERED

23. ADVERB ADJECTIVE
 TOTALLY AWESOME
 TOTALLY WRONG
 TOTALLY DIFFERENT
 TOTALLY ARTIFICIAL
 TOTALLY HAPPY

24. NOUN + NOUN
 A BUSINESS DEAL
 A BUSINESS PARTNER
 A BUSINESS LETTER
 A BUSINESS SUIT

25. Some common collocations
Take
take a break take an exam
take a chance take notes
take a look take someone's place
take a rest
take a seat
take a taxi

26. Some common collocations
Break
break a habit break the law
break a leg break the news to
someone
break a promise break the ice
break a record break the rules
break a window
break someone's heart

27. Some common collocations
Catch
catch a ball catch fire
catch a bus catch the flu
catch a chill catch a thief
catch a cold
catch sight of
catch someone's attention
catch someone's eye

28. Some common collocations
Pay
pay a fine pay the bill
pay attention pay the price
pay by credit card pay your respects
pay cash
pay interest
pay someone a compliment
pay someone a visit

29. Some common collocations
Time
bang on time past few weeks
dead on time right on time
early 12th century run out of time
free time save time
from dawn till dusk spare time
great deal of time spend some time
late 20th century take your time
make time for time goes by
next few days waste time

30. Some common collocations
Business English
annual turnover draw a conclusion
bear in mind lay off staff
break off negotiations go bankrupt
cease trading make a loss
chair a meeting make a profit
close a deal market forces
close a meeting sales figures
come to the point take on staff
dismiss an offer

31. Some common collocations
Classifiers
a ball of string
a bar of chocolate
a bottle of water
a bunch of carrots
a cube of sugar
a pack of cards
a pad of paper

32. Exercises