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Collocations are combinations of two or more words that frequently occur together in English. These pairings sound natural and "right" to native speakers, while other combinations might seem odd or incorrect. Think of them as the "best friends" of the vocabulary world.
Why Collocations Matter
- Natural Flow: They make your speech and writing sound more fluent and native-like.
- Clarity & Precision: They convey your meaning more accurately, as certain word combinations have specific connotations.
- Vocabulary Expansion: Learning collocations is an efficient way to boost your vocabulary and express yourself with nuance.
Categorization of Collocations
Collocations can be categorized based on the types of words they combine:
- Adjective + Noun:
- Examples:
- strong coffee (not powerful coffee)
- heavy rain (not strong rain)
- deep sleep (not profound sleep)
- bright idea (not smart idea)
- Adverb + Adjective:
- Examples:
- deeply moved (not profoundly moved)
- highly unlikely (not strongly unlikely)
- perfectly normal (not completely normal)
- utterly ridiculous (not totally ridiculous)
- Noun + Noun:
- Examples:
- a surge of anger (not a rush of anger)
- a glimmer of hope (not a flicker of hope)
- a stroke of luck (not a piece of luck)
- a pang of guilt (not a sting of guilt)
- Noun + Verb:
- Examples:
- lions roar (not lions shout)
- bombs explode (not bombs detonate)
- time flies (not time rushes)
- alarms go off (not alarms ring)
- Verb + Noun:
- Examples:
- make a mistake (not do a mistake)
- take a chance (not grab a chance)
- catch a cold (not get a cold)
- do homework (not make homework)
- Verb + Adverb:
- Examples:
- whisper softly (not whisper quietly)
- wave frantically (not wave feverishly)
- argue heatedly (not argue hotly)
- agree wholeheartedly (not agree completely)
- Verb + Expression with Preposition:
- Examples:
- burst into tears (not blow up in tears)
- run out of time (not run short of time)
- come up with an idea (not find an idea)
- get away with something (not escape with something)
Learning Collocations
- Reading: Pay attention to word combinations in books, articles, and other texts.
- Dictionaries: Use collocation dictionaries (online or print) to find common pairings.
- Practice: Use the collocations you learn in your own speech and writing.
- Context: Consider the context in which a collocation is used, as meanings can vary.