What is a collocation? A collocation is made up of two or more words that are commonly used together in English. Thnk of collocations as words that usually go together. There are different kinds of collocations in English. Strong collocations are word pairings that are expected to come together. Good collocation examples of this type of word pairing are combinations with 'make' and 'do'. You make a cup of tea, but do your homework. Collocations are very common in business settings when certain nouns are routinely combined with certain verbs or adjectives. For example, draw up a contract, set a price, conduct negotiations, etc. A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong". Look at these examples: Natural English... Unnatural English... the fast train fast food the quick train quick food a quick shower a fast shower a quick meal a fast meal Why learn collocations? Your language will be more natural and more easily understood. You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself. It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as single words. How to learn collocations Be aware of collocations, and try to recognize them when you see or hear them. Treat collocations as single blocks of language. Think of them as individual blocks or chunks, and learn strongly support, not strongly + support. When you learn a new word, write down other words that collocate with it (remember rightly, remember distinctly, remember vaguely, remember vividly). Read as much as possible. Reading is an excellent way to learn vocabulary and collocations in context and naturally. Revise what you learn regularly. Practise using new collocations in context as soon as possible after learning them. Learn collocations in groups that work for you. You could learn them by topic(time, number, weather, money, family) or by a particular word (take action,take a chance, take an exam). You can find information on collocations in any good learner's dictionary. And you can also find specialized dictionaries of collocations. 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: Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied) Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy) Noun + Noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger) Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout) Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide) Verb + Expression With Preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears) Verb + Adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly) In this lesson we look at some sample collocations, and end with quizzes to check your understanding: 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 do. 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. On this page you can find a few short lists of collocations to give you more of an idea about them. Many Collocations Lists 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 have have have have have have have have have have a bath a drink a good time a haircut a holiday a problem a relationship a rest lunch sympathy do do do do do do do do do do do business nothing someone a favour the cooking the housework the shopping the washing up your best your hair your homework take take take take take take take take take take take a break a chance a look a rest a seat a taxi an exam notes someone's place someone's temperature a fine attention by credit card cash interest someone a compliment someone a visit the bill the price your respects 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 save save save save save save save save save save electricity energy money one's strength someone a seat someone's life something to a disk space time yourself the trouble go go abroad go astray go bad a difference a mess a mistake a noise an effort furniture money progress room trouble catch catch catch catch catch catch catch catch catch catch catch save come come close come complete with come direct make make make make make make make make make make break pay pay pay pay pay pay pay pay pay pay pay make a ball a bus a chill a cold a thief fire sight of someone's attention someone's eye the flu keep keep keep keep keep keep keep keep keep keep keep a diary a promise a secret an appointment calm control in touch quiet someone's place the change Get get a job get a shock get angry come come come come come come come come come come come come come come come come come early first into view last late on time prepared right back second to a compromise to a decision to an agreement to an end to a standstill to terms with to a total of under attack go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go bald bankrupt blind crazy dark deaf fishing mad missing on foot online out of business overseas quiet sailing to war yellow get get get get get get get get get get get get get get get get get divorced drunk frightened home lost married nowhere permission pregnant ready started the impression the message the sack upset wet worried Miscellaneous Time 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 Business English 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 Classifiers a a a a a a a ball of string bar of chocolate bottle of water bunch of carrots cube of sugar pack of cards pad of paper 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 do What do you -- Have you -- -- The children Click for answ er a decision yet? badly in her geography exam. made -- make your bed. one mistake in my English test. -- I'd like to ask you to My husband me a favour. -- Please excuse me while I Click for answ er Click for answ er a mess in the kitchen. We are having guests tonight, so please I only Click for answ er your homework yet? Have you Amber do for a living? Click for answ er Click for answ er Click for answ er the grocery shopping. -- a phonecall. Click for answ er Reset How many exemplars? There are many minimal pairs to choose from here, but in selecting target words for phonological therapy it is definitely not a case of 'more is better'. Elbert, Powell and Swartzlander (1991) found that they could teach as few as 3 to 5 minimal pairs in order for their participants to show spontaneous generalisation to other words containing the target sounds. Elbert, M., Powell, T. W., & Swartzlander, P. (1991). Toward a technology of generalization: How many exemplars are sufficient? Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 34, 81-87. Minimal Pairs The vocabulary on this page represents (non-rhotic) Australian English pronunciation, and although most of the minimal pairs will 'work' in other dialects of English you may need to discard some. 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neat wheat Nick wick knock wok knee wee neigh weigh nine wine kneel wheel Nile while now wow Ned wed nun sun one nag wag nurse worse nip whip knees wheeze lead weed lock wok lick wick light white lyre wire lake wake link wink lead wed let wet late wait leap weep life wife lip whip lei way line wine leak week lay weigh leak weak rock wok rag wag rig wig rake wake ring wing rink wink run one reel wheel red wed way yay woo U wet yet ward yawn woo ewe wham yam whack yak when yen what yacht ewe U ute yabby yacht yak Yale yam yank yap yard yawl yawn yay ye year yell yellow yen yes yet yeti yoke yolk you yum yurt j j p j b j t j d j k j ɡ j f j v j s j z j ʃ j θ j ð j h pot yacht pen yen pay yay Pooh U pet yet pawn yawn Pam yam pack yak Ben yen bay yay boo you bet yet back yak Bess yes boot ute born yawn bard yard yank lank tot yacht ten yen two U torn yawn tam yam tack yak Tess yes toot ute tell yell tall yawl yank tank yacht dot yen den yay day you do yet debt yawn dawn yam dam yell dell yum dumb yacht cot yen Ken yay K yawn corn ute coot yawl call yolk coke yurt Kurt yet get got yacht yes guess yawl gall yum gum year gear fawn yawn fen yen fell yell folk yolk fall yawl Faye yay Yale veil year veer yet vet yawn Vaughan ute suit yell cell yap sap yum sum yak sack yay say yet set yam Sam yolk soak U Sue ewe Sioux you sue ute zoot yap zap yen Zen yak Zach U shoe yell shell yawl shawl ewe shoe yurt shirt yawn shorn ute shoot yak shack yabby shabby U shoe ewe shoo you choux yank shank yay they yawn thorn yum thumb yanks thanks thee ye they yay their year though yo who you who ewe hear year hack yak hen yen hot yacht ham yam horn yawn hay yay hoot ute hard yard hello yellow hurt yurt yank hank j ʧ j ʤ j m j n j l j r j w ewe chew year cheer yellow cello yes chess yay J yet jet yak jack yolk joke yam jam ute jute yeti jetty yacht jot yell gel moo ewe mellow yellow mess yes may yay met yet Mac yak Moke yolk map yap nap yap Nell yell knack yak neigh yay net yet knot yacht lamb yam lei yay lute ute lawn yawn less yes lard yard lot yacht let yet lap yap yank lank ray yay rue U root ute rot yacht rap yap rack yak ram yam yank rank way yay woo U wet yet warn yawn woo ewe wham yam whack yak when yen what yacht Copyright © 1998-2015 Caroline Bowen | Site Designed & Built by iVent Services Minimal Pairs Pronunciation Activities A minimal pair is a pair of words which differ only in one sound. They are a great way to help your students become more aware of their problems with pronunciation. For example, Spanish students often struggle with the pairs "sheet" and "seat", or "cat" and "cut". They can really improve their pronunciation by practicing these pairs. Note: these are short activities (5-15 minutes, depending on how much teacher input is necessary). They can focus on just two sounds (e.g. /s/ and /z/) or lots of different sounds - it's up to you. There is also a list of minimal pairs here if you want some words to use with the activities. I would also thoroughly recommend having a look at this book "Pronunciation Games" by Mark Hancock. The pronunciation journey activity is a terrific way to practise minimal pairs - I wish I'd thought of it myself! Idea 1: Number dictation 1 2 cut cat but bat uncle ankle fun fan Write the minimal pairs on the board in a table, as in the example opposite. Drill the pronunciation around the class. Then, dictate four of the words, but tell the students they only need to write the number, not the word. So, if you say "cut, but, ankle, fun" the students should write "1,1,2,1". Then the students work in pairs - one dictates the words, the other says which number. Idea 2: Silent dictation Exactly as above, but instead of saying the word, you mouth it silently. Note this only works for words which occur in a different place in the mouth - sounds like /p/ and /b/ will look pretty much the same when mouthed! Idea 3: Vocab-Grab Game Students work in groups of 3-4. Put a few minimal pairs on slips of paper (one word per paper) and give a set to each group. Then call out a word. The students race to grab the correct word. Keep calling until there's none left. Then get the students working within their groups. One student calls out the words, the others grab the word he/she said. Encourage lots of competition to keep them motivated. Idea 4: Object Grab Similar to the activity above, but less preparation. Each pair of students needs an object on the table between them (e.g. an eraser) - they compete against their partner. Then tell the class which sound they are listening for (e.g. /b/). You call out a list of words ("vet, vote, big") and as soon as they hear that sound, they grab the object - if they are right they get a point. You can use words other than minimal pairs for this. Idea 5: Shouting Dictation A bit noisy, but great to get students exaggerating the mouth shapes. Students work in pairs. Each student has a different set of words which they must dictate to their partner. But, get them to stand on opposite sides of the room, so they must shout. Play background music to make it even more challenging. Idea 6: Stand-up, sit down As Idea 1, you put the table with your minimal pairs on the board. Assign each sound an action. For example, the sound /r/ could be "stand up", and the sound /l/ could be "sit down". Then you call out the words, and the students should perform the action. The last student to do the correct action becomes 'caller' and calls out the next word. Idea 7: Minimal Pair Bingo I hated bingo at school - I was too shy to draw attention to myself if I thought I'd won. But lots of students love it. Basically, students choose 9 words from the minimal pairs you give and write them in a 3*3 square. You call out the words and they tick them off as they come up. If they think you've said all the words, they shout "Bingo!" Idea 8: Minimal Pair Exploration You need two different minimal pairs for this (e.g. s + z, p + b). Put some words from each pair on the board and drill them. Assign each of the sounds a direction (e.g. s=left, z=right, p=up, b=down). Draw a 5*5 grid on the board. Draw some obstacles and some treasure in the grid. Then give directions by saying the words from the minimal pairs - students follow the directions and say where you end up. Then they draw their own grids and give directions to each other. Idea 9: Minimal Pair Fruit Salad You could use a few minimal pairs for this - one pair for each 6 - 8 students. Give each student a sound (e.g. for 18 students you could have three students with /s/, three with /z/, three with /r/, three with /l/, three with /b/ and three with /v/). Students sit in a circle. Then you call out a word (e.g. 'right'), and students who have their sound in that word (all the /r/ students) should stand and race to swap seats. You should try to steal one of the chairs, so one of the students is left standing. That students then calls out another word and play continues. Sponsors Love it or hate it? Ask your partner which of these things they like. You partner should give reasons and examples for their answers. babies long car journeys dogs dancing computer games buying presents sunbathing watching sport on TV chocolate snow karaoke cocktails cigarette smoke the Internet homework going to the dentist picnics / barbecues washing up flying beards Christmas Do you like long car journeys? I don’t mind them. When I was a child, we visited my grandmother a lot. She lived 3 hours away. We played lots of games in the car and always stopped for a picnic somewhere.http://www.tinyteflteacher.co.uk Instructions for Teachers Level: Elementary to Upper Intermediate, even FCE exam classes will benefit from this practice. You will need: a copy of the handout for pairs/groups of three students Aim: to practise expressing likes/dislikes, focussing on both fluency and accuracy. Procedure Possible expressions to pre-teach with this lesson, depending on the level of your students: I love ... I really like ... I’m really into ... I’m really keen on ... I’m absolutely obsessed with ... I quite like ... I don’t mind ... I don’t really like ... I’m not really into ... I’m not really keen on ... I don’t like ... I hate ... I can’t stand ... I loathe ... I can’t bear ... After you have studied expressions for likes/dislikes, give the discussion handout to students in pairs or threes. They should ask each other about the words and give reasons for their answers. While you are monitoring, note down mistakes with the expressions. Feedback My students (even at Upper Intermediate level) always make the same mistakes with this language: I like the beards. (inappropriate use of “the” for generalisations) I like do homework ( verb rather than verb-ing with like expressions). I like very much dogs. (word order) Yes, I like. (missing out the object from the like expression). Follow-up: Super-Speed Corrections Students should fire questions at their partner, as fast as possible. Their partner must answer in full sentences using the expressions studied. E.g. - Do you like babies? - Yes, I love them. - Do you like buying presents. - No, I don’t enjoy it. - Do you like sunbathing? - Yes, I love it. Do you like beards? - I don’t mind them.