Collocations in Use

Unit 1
Collocation: pair or group of words that are often used together.
Compounds: units of meaning formed with two or more words.
Idioms: groups of words in a fixed order that have a meaning that cannot be
guessed by knowing the meaning of the individual words.
Pass the buck: to pass the responsibility for a problem to another person to avoid
dealing with it oneself.
Breed crime: to produce crime.
Pitch dark: extremely dark.

Unit 2
Run a bath
Sharp pain
Give a call
Give a lift
Make your way (home)
Making demands on: to ask for with proper authority.

Unit 3
To soothe/alleviate/ease/lessen/ relieve pain
To experience/feel/suffer pain
To cause/inflict pain
Complain of pain
Pain subsides: to sink to a low or lower level.
Be racked with pain: suffering from severe pain.
To take somebody up on an offer: to accept an offer.

Unit 4
The economy boomed: the economy was very strong.
The company has grown/expanded

The companies merged

Launch the product: introduce the product.
Poses a problem: is a problem.
Create opportunities: bring new opportunities.
A pang of: a sudden sharp feeling of emotional distress.
A surge of: sudden increase.
Blissfully: full of extreme happiness.
Burst into: to start doing something suddenly.

Unit 5
Bored stiff: extremely bored.
Give me a ring: give me a phone call.
Have a think
Alight from the bus: get off the bus.
Cyclists must dismount here: get off their bicycles.
Trespassers will be prosecuted: people who go onto someones land or enter their
building without a permission will be taken to court.
Dispose of: throw away
Receptacle provided: container used for storing or putting objects in.
Axe jobs: make staff redundant.
Slash prices: cut prices drastically.
Crack down: start dealing with it in a more severe way.
An outbreak: a sudden, violent, or spontaneous occurrence.
Submit a tender: present a document offering to do a job and stating the price.
Raise capital: get money to put into a business.
Go into partnership with: agree to start or run a business with someone.
Start up a business
Boarding the aircraft(formal)
Bore the cost of(formal): paid for.
Withdrew from(formal): dropped out of.
Launched into(formal): embarked upon.

Unit 6
HIGHLY + (un)likely, unusual, successful, competitive, profitable, effective,
controversial, recommended.
ABSOLUTELY, UTTERLY (combine with adj. with very extreme meanings where we
cant use very) + ridiculous, stupid, impossible, wrong, alone, appalled (filled with
horror and amazement), convinced, devastated, miserable.
BITTERLY (Carries a feeling of deep sadness)+ disappointing/disappointed, resent,
criticize, regret, complain, cry, weep.
DEEPLY (collocates mainly with words associated with feelings) + ashamed,
concerned, shocked, committed, moved, affected, hurt, regret, care, religious,
unhappy.
RIDICULOUSLY (suggests something extreme which seems unbelievable or
unreasonable) + cheap, expensive, easy, low, high, long, short, small, large, early.
STRONGLY ( collocates with verbs, particularly verbs that relate to having an
opinion) + oppose, influence, believe, deny, recommend, support, condemn,
suggest, feel, argue, object.

Unit 7
Make: it is about producing something.
Do: it is about performing an action.
Do someone a good turn: do someone a favour.

Unit 8
Go (is used for changes in peoples personality, appearance and physical abilities):
Go mad/bald/grey/blind/deaf.
Go (is used for sudden, usually negative, changes): his face went red.
Go (can also be used for slower colour changes): the pages of the book had gone
yellow over the years.
Turn (often collocates with colours): turn gold, red.
Get and become (often used with the same collocations but become is more
formal): become/get angry, depressed, excited, bored, upset, impatient, violent.
Become extinct, (un)popular, homeless, famous.
Alternatives to get and become: to fall ill, to fall silent, to grow older, to grow
louder.

Unit 9

Have a row: have an argument.

Have a go: have a try.
Take a liking to/ take a dislike to: to like/dislike.
Take an interest in
Pay a compliment/your (last) respects/tribute

Unit 10
Words meaning old: ancient, antique (old and valuable), elderly(more polite than
old).
Words meaning with no one or nothing else or with nothing similar: single parent,
lonely place/spot, travelling alone, desperately lonely, solitary figure, sole survivor,
an only child, unique occasion.

Synonym pairs:
Close (meetings, discussions, conferences)/ Shut (your mouth)
Start (used for engines and vehicles)/ Begin (preferred in more formal and
abstract contexts)
Big/ Large
End (decide to stop)/ Finish (complete)
Charge (used for batteries, electrical items)/ Load (used for cargoes, lorries,
vans, ships,)
Injure (collocates with words to do with people / Damage (collocates with
words for things)
Grow (collocates with crops, plants)/ Raise (collocates with animals, children)

Unit 11
Gain power/control/access (often used with abstract nouns relating to political
authority)
Gain a reputation/publicity/recognition/advantage (often used with abstract nouns
that suggest benefit to the gainer)
Win an award/a prize/a medal/a match
Win a battle/a war/ an election
Earn a salary/money (you earn money by working for it)
Make profit/money (you can make money by investing etc., not just by working)
Achieve success, your goals, your aims
Beat, defeat (formal) a team/an opponent
Take clothes

Carry a mobile phone

Wearing a hat
Carry a suitcase
Using a laptop

Unit 12
Flare: show a bright light in the dark.
Blaze: very bright fire.
Metaphors:

Sunny smile/Sunny face (meaning happy)

Face shines/Eyes shine(light is associated with happiness)
Face lights up/Eyes light up (show that they suddenly feel happy)
Atmosphere lightens/Mood lightens(becomes more relaxed and cheerful than
it was)
Dark thoughts (gloomy or sinister ones)
Dark days, times (unpleasant times to live through)
Face darkness/eyes darken/expression darkens (the person is unhappy, often
because they are feeling angry)
Ideas flow, conversation flows (suggests that things progress easily, without
efforts)
A flood/floods of tears, tears streaming down someones face ( suggests the
person is crying a lot)
People pour/stream somewhere (suggest lots of people moving smoothly)
People trickle (suggests a few people moving slowly)
A stream of visitors/traffic (suggests continuous movement)
Heated debate, discussion, conversation (people disagree in an angry way
with each other)
Fiery temper (they often get suddenly angry)
Tempers flared: people became angry with each other
Violence flares up, trouble flare up: problems which existed before suddenly
become serious again
Cheeks burn with embarrassment
Blaze of glory, of publicity: there is a lot of it and it is spectacular.

Unit 13
Unbroken sunshine: only sunshine, no clouds in the sky.
Scorching hot: extremely hot.
Soaking up the sunshine: enjoying the sunshine.
Pouring with rain

Torrential rain: heavy rain.

Freezing cold
Get soaked to the skin: very wet
A break in the clouds
Thick cloud
Looks like rain: looks as if it is going to rain.
A strong wind is blowing
Weather deteriorates: weather is getting worse (opposite: improves).
Thick/dense fog
Patches of fog/mist: small areas of fog/mist.
A blanket of fog/mist: thicker and more extensive.
Fog/mist comes down (opposite: lifts)
Strong sun (opposite: weak)
Heavy rain
Driving rain: rain falling fast and heavily.
Heavy/fresh/crisp (fresh and hard)/thick/driving snow
Hard frost (opposite: light)
High/strong/light/biting (very cold) winds
The wind picks up: it gets stronger (opposite: dies down).
The wind blows/whistles.
Freak storm: very unusual or unexpected.
Freak weather conditions hit: struck, badly affected.
Gale-force winds: extremely strong winds.
Rivers burst their banks: rivers flooded.

Unit 14
Collocations for travel:
-

Travel arrangements
Travel agent
Business travel
Travel brochures

Collocations for journey:

Tiring journey
Return journey: opposite: outward journey
Overnight journey
Safe journey

Collocations for trip:

-

Business trip
Day trip
Boat trip

Collocations connected with flying:

-

In-flight entertainment
Fasten your seatbelts
To board the plane (to go in the plane)
Connecting flight
Domestic flight -> in the same country
Window seat/ aisle seat
Charter flight: flight on a plane rented for special use
Scheduled flight: regular flight organized by the company which owns the
plane
Smooth flight. Opposite: bumpy flight.

Collocations connected with accommodation:

-

Family-run hotel
Run-down hotel -> crumbling, deserted, neglected
Luxury hotel
Smart hotel -> chic, fashionable
Budget accommodation -> very cheap
To make a reservation
Fully booked -> unable to accept any more reservations

Unit 15
Writing about landscape:
-

Surrounding countryside
Familiar landscape
Gentle landscape: a landscape with nothing extreme/threatening about it
Open fields: fields uninterrupted by woods or houses
Bleak landscape: lacking vegetation and exposed to the elements. Empty.
Mountains: Rocky mountains, snow-covered mountains, mountains towering(:
mountains rising dramatically).
To follow a path
To turn a corner: syn.: to round a bend
To catch a glimpse of: see for a moment
To catch sight of
To come into view
To fall into ruin: become a ruin (a decay) -> it lies in ruins
(It is) well worth seeing

Dramatic setting
Steep slope
Fast-flowing river
Unspoilt countryside: countryside that has not been changed by industry or
modern buildings
Dense forest: thick forest
Block the view
Stream winds: makes a lot of bends, doesnt flow in a straight line
Protect the environment

Language of tourism:
-

Uninterrupted view: nothing blocks the view

Panoramic view: view over a very wide area
Spectacular view: very dramatic view
To enjoy/admire a view
Breath-taking scenery: extremely striking and beautiful views
Dominate the landscape: can be seen from a long way away
Beach: the beach stretches (for miles), sandy beach, secluded beach (without
many people), golden sands
Peaceful/tranquil countryside

Unit 16
Describing towns and cities:
-

City skyline (skyline: The outline of a group of buildings or a mountain range

seen against the sky.): City skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint as no two
skylines are alike.
Cobbled: made of a regular pattern of stones
Conservative area -> traditional, conventional
Quaint (old buildings): attractive because of being unusual and especially oldfashioned
Upmarket (shops): for people with expensive tastes
Pricey: expensive in a negative sense
Avenues: The avenue RUNS from to... (north, south, ). Tree-lined avenues.
Overpriced
Good value (/quality)
Relaxed atmosphere
Residential area
High-rise flats: high apartment buildings
Inner city: central part of the city where poorer people live and where there
are often social problems.
Lively bar
Imposing building

Descriptions of the negative aspects of towns and cities:

-

Urban wasteland: a city area which is empty and in a bad condition

No-go (areas): where the police and authorities are afraid to enter
(Streets are) strewn with litter

Run-down (building): in a very bad condition

Deprived areas: not having things that are necessary for a pleasant life, e.g.
enough money, good living conditions
Sprawling (city): spread over a large area (slightly negative)
Bumper-to-bumper (traffic): so many cars and so close that they are almost
touching each other
Exhaust fumes
Volume of traffic
Incessant roar: very loud noise which never stops
Confortable suburbs: a place from which many people travel in order to work
in a bigger town or city
Shanty towns: very poor houses made of discarded materials (e.g. tins,
cardboard, plastic, etc.)

Unit 17
Good company: people enjoy being with them
(Selfish) streak: an element of a specified kind in someone's character. Syn.: touch,
dash. Sometimes acting in a selfish way.
Lose your temper: get mad
Vivid imagination: lively, striking
Fierce(ly): strong(ly), powerful -> stronger than extremely
Razor-sharp mind: the person thinks very clearly and quickly (theyre very sharp)
Painfully (shy): extremely, excessively
Snap (decisions): quick, impulsive decisions
Keep your word: keep your promises
Tendency: an inclination (do to something)
Bear a grudge: have or hold a grudge. Resent for a long time bad times others have
done to you.
Keep ones temper: not get angry
To make a fool (out) of someone: trying to deceive or trick you
Brutally (honest): harshly, extremely, honest in a way that may hurt
To PLAY a joke/trick
Take a joke: dont mind a joke being played on them
Swallow your pride: do something although it embarrassing for you
Throw a tantrum: behave in a very uncontrolled manner
Come to terms with: to accept something psychologically

Reveal your true character: to show your true self

Having a SENSE of humour
Feeling a sense of responsibility
To set high standards: to have very high expectations

Unit 18
Words describing peoples physical appearance:
-

Face: round face/pointed face/oval face (shaped like an egg)

Chubby (cheeks): fat in a pleasant and attractive way
Droopy (mustache): long and hanging down heavily
Nose: straight nose/upturned nose
Slim figure
Slender (waist): attractively slim
Lovely complexion: the natural color and quality of a persons skin
Sleek (hair): smooth and shinny
Shoulder-length (hair)
(Immaculately(: having no stain or blemish)) groomed: their appearance is
always tidy and looked after with great care
Coarse (hair): rough, and not smooth or soft
Broad hips
Well-built: have strong, attractive bodies
Broad shoulders
Going bald: becoming bald
Youthful appearance
Thick hair
Bushy eyebrows: very thick
Tiny tot: a small child
Jet-black hair: completely black
Went grey
Fair hair: light colored hair

More collocations describing appearance:

-

Dumpy woman: short and stout (fat) -> used more often for women than men
Portly gentleman: fat round -> usually used for middle-age and older men
A lanky youth: tall and thin tending to move awkwardly
Dishevelled hair: very untidy -> used of peoples hair and appearance
To bear a striking resemblance to: looks remarkably like
To have a striking appearance: unusual appearance in a positive and
attractive sense
Auburn hair: reddish brown hair (only used for hair)

Unit 19
Nuclear family: parents and children
Extended family: wider network including grandparents, cousins, etc.

Close relative: parents, children or siblings

Distant relatives: seconds cousins (children of a cousin of your mother or
father)/distant cousins
Close/immediate family: people who are your nearest blood relatives
Very close family/close-knit family: the relationship is a very strong one
Collocations connected with family: Loving, respectable, dysfunctional (unhappy,
not working in a healthy way).
Late husband/wife: husband/wife who has passed away
Estranged husband/wife: one who lives in a different place and had a difficult
relationship with their husband/wife
Trial separation to eventually get a divorce
Bitter/acrimonious divorce: full of anger, arguments and bad feeling
Children whose parents have divorces/separated come from a broken home
Stable home: if the family is a strong and loving one
Deprived home: poor family
To START a family
To EXPECT a baby and then HAVE a baby
The baby is DUE (followed by a date): expected to arrive
To raise/bring up children/a family
Apply for custody of give/grant custody. Custody: the legal right or duty to care for a
child after its parents have separated or passed away
To provide for your family: to earn enough money to support your family
Set up a home: to start an independent life in ones own flat or house

Unit 20
To make friends
To strike up a friendship: to start a friendship
To form/develop a friendship
Cement/spoil a friendship
A friendship grows: gets stronger
Close/special friends
Mutual friends: friends you share with someone else

A casual acquaintance: someone you know a little

Have a good relationSHIP with someone
To keep in contact/touch >< to lose contact/touch
To fall madly in love
My love was returned
To be desperately in love
To make a commitment
To love unconditionally (love that is total and does not change regardless of what
you or the object of your love does
Having an affair: have a sexual relationship with someone outside marriage

Unit 21
Blissfully happy: very extremely
Lasting happiness
The happy couple: standard way of referring to a newly married couple
Happy occasion (when referring to marriage) >< sad occasion (e.g. farewell party)
Desperately sad
Deeply depressed
To feel a great sadness
Bitterly disappointed: deeply disappointed: huge disappointment
To let someone down badly
Showing ones feelings
Feeling increasingly anxious
To be worried sick
Mounting (growing) anger
Widespread condemnation: a lot of people in many different places have
condemned (expressed complete disapproval of) it
It aroused feelings of (resentment)
To be seething with anger -> suddenly become very angry
Emotional (collocations): Highly emotional (e.g. experience), emotional response,
emotional involvement, emotional impact, emotional wreck ( in a bad emotional
state)

To finish with someone: to break up with them

Unit 22
Short-let (accommodation): can be rented for short periods of time
Studio flats: small flats designed for one person
To move into a flat/house
Suitable accommodation
Newly-built apartment
Fully-fitted kitchen: kitchen that is already equipped with modern cooker, washing
machine, cupboards, etc.
Dream home
Four-storey house: four floor house
Spacious living room
To have a view of
Cosy study: office in home
Light, airy bedrooms
Overlooks (the garden)
Basement flat
Granny flat
To add an extension/build an extension: build an extra room two onto an existing
house
(Completely) refurbished: renovate and redecorate (something, especially a
building).
To do up (an old house): repair, repaint and decorate (a house)
Dilapidated (building): in a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect.
Draughty (hall): cold and uncomfortable because of currents of cool air.
Chilly (corridor)
Cramped (room): uncomfortably small or restricted.
A place of my own
Affordable housing
To TAKE OUT a mortgage

Housewarming party
Collocations with home:
-

To LEAVE home to move out

To FEEL homesick
To welcome someone home
Make yourself at home
To feel at home
A second home

Unit 23
Junk food: pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value.
Nourishing meals: meals which make you healthy and strong
The fresh produce: foods produced from farming e.g. dairy produce, agricultural
produce
Ready meals: meals already prepared or which need to be heated quickly before
eating
Food additives: substances added to food to improve its taste or appearance to
preserve it
Processed foods: foods which are changed or treated as part of an industrial
operation
GM foods: genetically modified foods
Perishable food: food which goes bad quickly (e.g. fish, cheese)
Meal: light meal, substantial (large) meal, slap-up meal (unusually large and good),
gourmet meal (high-quality)
Home-cooked food
To HAVE a quick snack
To be DYING of hunger
A refreshing drink
A square meal: a substantial, satisfying, and balanced meal.
To have a healthy appetite
A hearty breakfast: filling, generous
A soft drink: e.g. coke
To spoil ones appetite
The set menu: a limited menu offered for a set number of courses, at a fixed price.

To be reasonably priced

Unit 24
A new book/film comes out
To review a book/film -> book reviewers, film critics -> book/film reviews
To give a good/bad review
(the film is) based on a true story
Book/film CAPTURES an atmosphere/ a book/film deals with (a topic)
Opening/closing scenes of a film
Opening/closing chapters of a book
Beginning and end of a book/film (NOT start/finish)
Central characters
Happy ending
To recommend a book/film -> highly recommended
To go on the stage: to become an actor
The big screen: the cinema
Special effects: powerful visual effects, often created using technology
The male lead: main male part
Female lead
To PLAY the role of a
A cameo role: small but special part
To GIVE a performance
To be nominated for an Oscar
Box-office hit: extremely successful with audiences
Full houses: cinemas/theatres with no empty seats
Cast a film: select the actors for a film
Star in a film
Shoot a film
Make a film
About books:

To be engrossed/absorbed in a book
Compulsive reading: so interesting that you cant stop reading
Bedtime reading: what you read before sleeping
An easy read
Take out/borrow/return/renew a library book
To flick/skim through a book
Beautifully written (book)