Common English Collocations
20 useful word partnerships for life and work.
Created by Denis M., British English teacher.
Your goal: Choose natural word combinations and use five of them in a clear message.
Read, try each short Say it task aloud, then compare with a model. Finish with the mastery quiz.
Use the lesson together. Pause at each Say it task for a brief exchange, then continue to the mastery quiz.
1. Learn the partnership, not just the word
A collocation is a combination that English speakers commonly use together. We normally say heavy rain and make a decision. A word-for-word translation may produce an understandable but unnatural combination.
Learn a complete chunk
We need to make a decision today.
Keep the article a and the usual partner make.
Change the grammar, keep the partnership
We made a decision yesterday.
They are making progress.
The verb changes for time or subject. The useful partnership remains.
Study efficiently: learn five combinations first. Cover the examples and retrieve them from memory. Add the next group when those five feel familiar.
2. Make, do and take
Five useful combinations with make
make a decision: choose after thinking.
We must make a decision before Friday.
make progress: move closer to a goal.
You are making progress with your listening.
make an effort: try hard.
I made an effort to remember everyone’s name.
make a mistake: do something incorrectly.
I made a mistake in the booking.
make a difference: have a useful or noticeable effect.
Ten minutes of daily practice can make a difference.
Five useful combinations with do and take
do research: investigate a subject.
We did research before choosing the course.
do your best: try as well as you can.
I cannot promise to win, but I will do my best.
take responsibility: accept that you should deal with something.
I will take responsibility for the arrangements.
take a break: stop briefly to rest.
Let’s take a break after this section.
take notes: write down important points.
Take notes while you listen.
Useful starting point: make often goes with a result; do often goes with work or activity. This is a guide, not a rule that predicts every combination. Learn the chunks. Say make progress and do research without a in these general meanings.
Hear the partnerships in context
Listen for the whole chunk. Pause after each group, repeat one sentence, then change one detail.
Amanda models an American accent. The written lesson uses British English conventions.
Model transcript and listening guidance
Make: five partnerships: Make a decision. Make progress. Make an effort. Make a mistake. Make a difference. We made an effort, and our work made a difference.
Do and take: Do research. Do your best. Take responsibility. Take a break. Take notes. I did some research and took notes before the meeting.
Work and problem-solving: Meet a deadline. Raise concerns. Reach an agreement. Solve a problem. Pay attention. We raised concerns, solved the problem, and met the deadline.
Natural descriptions: Heavy rain. Strong coffee. A close friend. Highly likely. Deeply disappointed. A close friend was deeply disappointed when heavy rain stopped the match.
Listening guidance: The action combinations use make, do, take, meet, raise, reach, solve and pay. The final group contains descriptions. You do not need to memorise the whole recording at once.
3. Work with people and solve problems
meet a deadline: finish by the required time.
We worked together to meet the deadline.
raise concerns: express worries for discussion.
Several residents raised concerns about the noise.
reach an agreement: arrive at a shared decision.
After two meetings, we reached an agreement.
solve a problem: find a way to deal with a difficulty.
This small change could solve the problem.
pay attention: focus on something.
Please pay attention to the final instructions.
Keep the next word too: take responsibility for, raise concerns about, pay attention to. A complete chunk helps you build the next part of the sentence.
4. Make descriptions sound natural
heavy rain: a large amount of rain.
Heavy rain delayed the match.
strong coffee: coffee with an intense taste or effect.
I prefer strong coffee in the morning.
a close friend: a friend you know well and trust.
I discussed the problem with a close friend.
highly likely: very probable.
A further delay is highly likely.
deeply disappointed: very unhappy about an outcome.
They were deeply disappointed by the cancellation.
Are other combinations always wrong?
No. A word may have several natural partners: strong coffee and black coffee describe different qualities. Strong rain is not the usual combination in ordinary weather descriptions; heavy rain is the useful default.
Collocations are broader than idioms. The meaning of heavy rain is fairly transparent. An idiom such as spill the beans has a figurative meaning that the individual words do not directly explain. Learn each expression in context.
Repair and explain
Try each repair aloud or in writing before opening the answer.
“We did a decision after making research.”
Check the repair
We made a decision after doing research.
The usual partnerships are make a decision and do research.
“Please pay attention on this problem and take responsibility of it.”
Check the repair
Please pay attention to this problem and take responsibility for it.
Keep the preposition as part of the chunk: attention to; responsibility for.
Mastery quiz
Choose one answer for each question. Check your answers, read the explanations, then retry any you missed.
Full answer key with explanations
- make. Make a decision means choose after thinking.
- She is making progress.. Make progress is the usual chunk; progress is uncountable here.
- do research. Do research means investigate to learn more.
- meet. Meet a deadline means finish by the required time.
- raise concerns. Raise concerns means express worries so they can be considered.
- to. The full chunk is pay attention to something.
- Heavy rain. Heavy rain is the natural weather collocation.
- highly likely. Highly likely means very probable.
- I will take responsibility for the trip.. Take responsibility for clearly expresses accepting the duty.
- Write reach an agreement, an example, and your own sentence.. A complete chunk plus context helps you retrieve and use the combination.
Put it into practice
Without looking back, explain a plan in four sentences. Use five collocations, including one description and one preposition partnership.
Self-check: Five useful combinations appear in a coherent message. Check verb forms, articles and prepositions.
Together: Your tutor asks one follow-up question. Answer it, then improve one of your sentences.
Compare with a model
Heavy rain is highly likely tomorrow. We need to make a decision about the outdoor meeting. I’ll take responsibility for finding a room. If we work together, we can solve the problem.