AMERICAN ENGLISH PHRASES

(Collocation same word with multiple combinations) HAVE a drink *** a good time a problem a relationship with lunch sympathy DO do do do do do do do do do do business nothing someone a favor the cooking the housework the shopping the dishes your best your hair your homework make make make make make make make make make make MAKE a difference a mess a mistake a noise an effort furniture money progress room trouble have have have have have have

take take take take take take take take take take take take

TAKE a vacation a bath a break a chance a look a rest a seat a taxi an exam notes someone's place a drink***

break break break break break break break break break break

BREAK a habit a leg a promise a record a window someone's heart the ice the law the news to someone the rules

catch catch catch catch catch catch catch catch catch catch

CATCH a ball a bus a chill a cold a thief fire sight of someone's attention someone's eye the flu

pay pay pay pay pay pay pay pay pay pay

PAY a fine attention by credit card cash interest someone a compliment someone a visit the bill the price your respects

save save save save save save save save save save

SAVE electricity energy money your strength someone a seat someone's life something to a disk space time yourself the trouble

keep keep keep keep keep keep keep

KEEP a diary a promise a secret an appointment in touch quiet the change

COME come close come complete with come straight from (school) come early come first come into view come last come late come on time come prepared come right back come in second (race) come to a compromise come to a decision come to an agreement come to an end come to a standstill come to terms with comes to a total of come under attack

go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go

GO abroad astray bad bald bankrupt blind cra y dark deaf fishing mad on foot online out of business overseas sailing to war

get get get get get get get get get get get get get get get get

GET a haircut a !ob angry divorced drunk home lost married permission ready started the impression the message upset wet fired

BE be be be be late scared or frightened lost worried a a a a a a a

CLASSIFIERS ball of string bar of chocolate bottle of water bunch of carrots pack of cards (notecards) deck of cards pad of paper

TIME early "#th century free time from dawn till dusk great deal of time late #$th century make time for next few days past few weeks right on time run out of time save time spare time

Sample Collocation %here are several different types of collocation& Collocations can be ad!ective ' adverb( noun ' noun( verb ' noun and so on& )elow you can see seven main types of collocation in sample sentences& "& adverb ' ad!ective

*nvading that country was an !tte"l# t!pi$ thing to do& +e entered a "ic%l# $eco"ate$ room& ,re you &!ll# a'a"e of the implications of your action-

#& ad!ective ' noun

%he doctor ordered him to take "e(!la" e)e"ci e& %he %itanic sank on its mai$en *o#a(e& .e was writhing on the ground in e)c"!ciatin( pain&

/& noun ' noun

0et's give 1r 2ones a "o!n$ o& appla! e& %he cea e&i"e a("eement came into effect at ""am& *'d like to buy two +a" o& oap please&

3& noun ' verb

%he lion started to "oa" when it heard the $o( +a",in(& Sno' 'a &allin( as our plane too, o&&& %he +om+ 'ent o&& when he started the car engine&

4& verb ' noun

%he prisoner was hanged for committin( m!"$e"& * always try to $o m# %ome'o", in the morning( after ma,in( m# +e$& .e has been asked to (i*e a p"e entation about his work&

5& verb ' expression with preposition

+e had to return home because we %a$ "!n o!t o& mone#& ,t first her eyes &ille$ 'it% %o""o"( and then she +!" t into tea" & %heir behaviour was enough to $"i*e an#+o$# to c"ime&

6& verb ' adverb

7he place$ her keys (entl# on the table and sat down& 1ary '%i pe"e$ o&tl# in 2ohn's ear& * *a(!el# "emem+e" that it was growing dark when we left&

8ame9:::::::::::::::::::

;ate9:::::::::::

<=<>C*7<
I- C%oo e t%e 'o"$ t%at +e t complete t%e p%"a e. "& +hat do you ::::::::: for a living- (do( make) #& .ave you ::::::::: your homework already- (said( done) /& 1y sister ::::::::: the grocery shopping& (took( did) 3& ,mber ::::::::: badly on her geography test& (said( did) 4& %he children :::::: a mess in the kitchen& (make( made) 5& ?lease ::::::: your bed& (do( make) 6& Can you :::::::: me a favor- (do( make) @& .ave you ::::::::: a decision yet- (make( made) A& ?lease excuse me while * :::::::: a phone call& (do( make)

II-

Complete t%e p%"a e /ma# +e mo"e t%an one 'o"$0

"$& +hat do you do in your :::::::::: time""& +e couldnBt finish because we :::::::: :::::: :: time& "#& Can you ::::::: time for me this weekend"/& +ear your hat today so you donBt ::::::::: a cold& "3& ::::::::::::: an effort to learn something new each day& "4& 7he was tired and wanted to :::::::::::: a bath&

Somet%in( o& inte"e t.

Strong and weak collocation

If we look deeper into collocations, we find that not only do the words "go together" but there is a degree of predictability in their association. Generally, in any collocation, one word will "call up" another word in the mind of a native speaker. In other words, if I give you one word, you can predict the other word, with varying degrees of success. This predictability is not 100 , but it is always much higher than with non!collocates. The predictability may be strong" for e#ample "auspicious" collocates with very few words, as in"

auspicious occasion auspicious moment auspicious event

$r the predictability may be weak" for e#ample, "circuit" collocates with more than 20 words, as in"
CIRCUIT racing lecture talk-show short closed integrated printed printed circuit circuit circuit circuit circuit circuit circuit circuit circuit circuit circuit circuit board board breaker training judge

***Creat resource9 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English