A grammatical collocation is a type of construction where for example a verb or adjective must be followed by a particular preposition, or a noun must be followed by a particular form[r]
(1)30/3/10 Collocations
Tell me who you go with and I'll tell you who you are
1/ What is a collocation? Quick or fast The - train
2 a ……… meal 3.a ……….shower 4.……… food 2/ How many types of collocation
There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc Some of the most common types are:
1 Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied) Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
3 Noun + Noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger) Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
5 Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
6 Verb + Expression With Preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears) Verb + Adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)
3/ Sample Collocations
There are several different types of collocation Collocations can be adjective + adverb, noun + noun, verb + noun and so on Below you can see seven main types of collocation in sample sentences.
1 adverb + adjective
Invading that country was an utterly stupid thing to We entered a richly decorated room
Are you fully aware of the implications of your action? 2 adjective + noun
The doctor ordered him to take regular exercise The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage
He was writhing on the ground in excruciating pain 3 noun + noun
Let's give Mr Jones a round of applause
The ceasefire agreement came into effect at 11am I'd like to buy two bars of soap please
4 noun + verb
The lion started to roar when it heard the dog barking Snow was falling as our plane took off
The bomb went off when he started the car engine
5 verb + noun
The prisoner was hanged for committing murder I always try to do my homework in the morning, after making my bed
He has been asked to give a presentation about his work 6 verb + expression with preposition
We had to return home because we had run out of money At first her eyes filled with horror, and then she burst into tears
Their behaviour was enough to drive anybody to crime 7 verb + adverb
She placed her keys gently on the table and sat down Mary whispered softly in John's ear
I vaguely remember that it was growing dark when we left
Collocations - Further Information
to collocate (verb): to appear with another word more frequently than by chance - The word "white" collocates with "coffee" collocation (noun): the combination of two or more words more frequently than by chance - Learning about collocation helps us speak more fluent English.
a collocation (noun): an example of collocation - "White coffee" is a collocation
An easy way to remember the meaning of collocation: think of "col-" or "co-" (together) and "location" (place) = place together, locate together, go together
Note also (non-linguistic senses):
collocate (verb): place side by side or in relation
collocation (noun): the action of placing things side by side or in position
colocate/co-locate (verb): share a location or facility with someone or something Lexical and Grammatical Collocations
A distinction may if wished be made between lexical collocations and grammatical collocations
A lexical collocation is a type of construction where a verb, noun, adjective or adverb forms a predictable connection with another word, as in:
Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied) Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
A grammatical collocation is a type of construction where for example a verb or adjective must be followed by a particular preposition, or a noun must be followed by a particular form of the verb, as in:
Verb + Preposition: depend on (NOT depend of) Adjective + Preposition: afraid of (NOT afraid at)
(2)4/ Collocation Lists
On this page you can find a few short lists of collocations to give you more of an idea about them Many good learner's dictionaries show collocations associated with specific words There are also dictionaries of collocations, though these are more difficult to find.
Some common verbs
have do make take
have a bath have a drink have a good time have a haircut have a holiday have a problem have a relationship have a rest
have lunch have sympathy
do business nothing someone a favour
do the cooking the housework the shopping the washing up your best your hair your homework
make a difference make a mess make a mistake make a noise make an effort make furniture make money make progress make room make trouble
take a break take a chance take a look take a rest take a seat take a taxi take an exam take notes
take someone's place take someone's temperature
break catch pay keep
break a habit break a leg break a promise break a record break a window break someone's heart break the ice
break the law break the news to someone
break the rules
catch a ball catch a bus catch a chill catch a cold catch a thief catch fire catch sight of catch someone's attention
catch someone's eye
catch the flu
pay a fine pay attention pay by credit card pay cash
pay interest
pay someone a compliment pay someone a visit
pay the bill pay the price pay your respects
keep a diary keep a promise keep a secret keep an appointment keep calm
keep control keep in touch keep quiet
keep someone's place keep the change
come save go get
come close
come complete with come direct
come early come first come into view come last come late come on time come prepared come right back come second
come to a compromise come to a decision come to an agreement come to an end come to a standstill come to terms with come to a total of come under attack
save electricity save energy save money save one's strength save someone a seat
save someone's life save something to a disk
save space save time
save yourself the trouble go abroad go astray go bad go bald go bankrupt go blind go crazy go dark go deaf go fishing go mad go missing go on foot go online
go out of business go overseas go quiet go sailing go to war go yellow
get a job get a shock get angry get divorced get drunk get frightened get home get lost get married get nowhere get permission get pregnant get ready get started
get the impression get the message get the sack get upset get wet get worried
Time Business English Classifiers
bang on time dead on time early 12th century free time
from dawn till dusk great deal of time late 20th century make time for
next few days past few weeks right on time run out of time save time spare time spend some time take your time tell someone the
annual turnover
bear in mind/ don’t forget break off negotiations cease trading
chair a meeting close a deal close a meeting come to the point
dismiss an offer draw a conclusion draw your attention to launch a new product lay off staff
go bankrupt go into partnership make a loss make a profi
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