COLLOCATIONS

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Sample Collocations

http://www.englishcollocation.com/

 

Corpus of Contemporary American English (http://corpus.byu.edu/coca/)
British Natinal Corpus (http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/)

* from dawn to / till dusk (all day long): de sol a sol, todo el dia. * bear in mind  * come to the point and get to the point (to get to the important part of sth). He has been talking a long time. I wish he would come to the point. We are talking about money, Bob! Come on, get to the point. * well and truly (independent): completely


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

distinctly: definitely, clearly, obviously, sharply, plainly, unmistakably (without doubt), palpably, precisely.

• I distinctly remember locking the door.
• I'm fully aware of the fact that many people won't agree with me. Full / truly well
• You know full well how much this costs. (Very well, exceedingly well, as in ...)
• I strongly believe that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
• My test this week is quite challenging in places but the one I got last week was absurdly easy.
• There were some exciting moments in the second half of the film but the first ninety minutes were painfully slow in places.
• I am utterly appalled by the thoughtless attitude of people who needlessly endanger other people's lives by using mobiles
• This holiday offer does seem irresistably attractive but I think we are going to have to pass on it because of the (astronomically) high cost.
• Internet access is either unavailable or prohibitedly expensive. ...
• The house of a new house in the UK has become astronomically high over the last few years.
• After all her hard work, Martha was bitterly disappointed when she got a grade B in her CAE exam
• To award a man like Thomas Green with the greatest lifetime achievement award seems blatantly unfair.
• The drug company should not have put a new product on the market with potentially fatal side-effects.
• After a warm start to the month, the weather in the second June of May was unpredictably cold.
• Hugh Tomlinson is widely believed to be the best director of his generation in Hollywood at the momento.

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.

*(brake), break a leg, break a promise, break a habit, break the ice, break the law
(do) do nothing, do business, do the cooking / the housework / the shopping, do the washing up, do your best,
*(catch)  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.
*(come) come close(r), come on time, come right back, come second.
*(go) go astray, go bankrupt, go fishing, go sailing, go overseas, go yellow
*(have) have a good time, have sympathy (for/with)
*(keep) keep a diary, keep a diary, keep a promise, keep a secret, keep an appointment, keep calm, keep in touch, keep quiet, keep the change.
*(make) make a difference, make a mess, make a mistake, make an effort, make money, make progress, make trouble
*(pay) pay a fine, pay attention, pay cash, pay interest, pay someone a compliment,
pay someone a visit, pay the bill, pay the price, pay your respects.
*(save) save electricity, save energy, save money, save one's strength, save someone's life, save something to a disk, save space, save time, save yourself the trouble.
*(take) 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.
6. verb + expression with preposition

*(come) come to a decision, come to a compromise, come to an agreement, come to an end, come to a standstill, come to terms with (llegar a un acuerdo)
*(go) go on foot, go out of business, go to war.
*(keep) keep in touch
*(pay) pay by credit card
* bear in mind

• 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.
• Marcia became a counselor in order to help teenagers who go astray. (off right path, (ir por mal camino) 2. go astray vi + adj (become missing, lost), (figurado). Have you seen my hat, it's gone astray again? (de nuevo se perdió?)

(go) go online (adverb. with or through a computer, especially over a network.)

8. verb + adjective

(go) go bad, go bald (be balding vi. lose your hair), go deaf, go mad, go missing (to be lost),, go quiet, go blind, go crazy, go dark,  go online (1. available or operating on a computer: an online dictionary. 2. by means of or using a computer: online shopping.


9. The verb GET

* Get home / back / here / there. but get to New York / to the station and so on 

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.

Miscellaneous collocations

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 time time goes by time passes waste time	annual turnover bear in mind 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 profit market forces sales figures take on staff	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

Examples absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable: It is imperative that we leave.