Common Collocations
Collocations are pairs or groups of words that are commonly used together in English. Learning collocations helps you sound more natural and native-like wh
TL;DR: Collocations are pairs or groups of words that are commonly used together in English. Learning collocations helps you sound more natural and native-li…
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Collocations are pairs or groups of words that are commonly used together in English. Learning collocations helps you sound more natural and native-like wh
Common Collocations
- Heavy rain — Strong rainfall; we do not say strong rain (e.g. Heavy rain caused flooding in the low-lying areas.)
- Take a break — To rest or pause from work; the correct phrase (e.g. Let us take a break after studying for two hours.)
- Make a decision — To decide; we do not say take a decision (in British English) (e.g. She made a difficult decision to move abroad.)
- Pay attention — To focus or listen carefully; the correct phrase (e.g. Please pay attention to the instructions given.)
- Keep a secret — Not to reveal a secret; the correct phrase (e.g. Can you keep a secret about the surprise party?)
- Make a plan — To plan something; the correct phrase (e.g. We need to make a plan for the school trip.)
- Have fun — To enjoy oneself; the common phrase (e.g. We had fun playing games at the party.)
- Run a business — To manage or operate a business (e.g. Her father runs a successful business in the city.)
- Strong coffee — Coffee with a lot of flavor; we do not say heavy coffee (e.g. I prefer strong coffee to help me wake up.)
- Time will tell — The future will reveal the truth or answer (e.g. Whether this decision was right, time will tell.)
- Meet a deadline — To complete something by the required time (e.g. The team worked hard to meet the project deadline.)
- Close attention — Careful observation; the correct phrase (e.g. Pay close attention during the lab experiment.)
- Draw a conclusion — To form an opinion based on evidence (e.g. From the data, we can draw a conclusion about the trend.)
- Bright future — A promising future; the correct phrase (e.g. Good students have a bright future ahead.)
- Get dressed — To put on clothes; the correct phrase (e.g. Get dressed quickly; we are late for school.)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between collocations and phrases?
Collocations are specific word combinations that sound natural to native speakers. Phrases are broader and may include idioms, proverbs, and other multi-word expressions. All collocations are phrases, but not all phrases are collocations.
Why should I learn collocations?
Learning collocations helps you speak and write more naturally. Native speakers use certain word combinations habitually, and using correct collocations makes your English sound fluent and authentic.
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