What are collocations? (and how do I use them?)

A collocation is when two or more words often go together. For example, in English we usually say use the verb ‘strike’ before the noun ‘deal’. So the collocation is ‘strike a deal’ which means to succeed in securing a deal with a company. Although you could say we ‘hit a deal’ it sounds unnatural, when to ‘strike a deal’ is a natural example.  Some common verbs used in collocations are: have, go, make, do, take, break, catch, save, keep, pay, among many others.

Don’t forget to download your free Collocations Cheat Sheet at the bottom of the blog!

What’s the difference between a collocation and a phrasal verb?

As stated in the first paragraph, a collocation is a group of words that naturally go together. Some examples include: ‘make a mistake’, ‘take a break’, ‘break a record’, etc.

A phrasal verb is very close to a collocation but the main difference is the way it is formed. A phrasal verb is made up of a verb + preposition. For more information about phrasal verbs, check out our blog.

It is important to remember that the meaning of a phrasal verb is different to the original verb. For example: ‘Look after’ means to care for someone whilst ‘look’ means to use your eyes to see something.

A note on ‘have’ and ‘make’

We typically use the verb ‘have’ when we’re talking about possession/ownership. For example: I have a dog. (The dog belongs to me. / I own the dog.)

When we use collocations, ‘have’ is typically used when we talk about fixed events, such as a meeting. For example: Let’s have a meeting. / We’re having a meeting. You can find more collocations about meetings over at the meetings course.

We typically use the verb ‘make’ when we talk about creating something. For example: I’m going to make you a promise. (I’m going to create a promise for you.)

When we use collocations with ‘make’ we’re usually talking about planned activities. For example: I made an appointment with the doctor.

Natural v Unnatural

Let’s start by looking at some more examples of natural collocations versus unnatural ones.

Have a rest (natural).

Do a rest (unnatural).

Make a noise (natural).

Make a haircut (unnatural).

Commit a crime (natural).

Commit a goal (unnatural).

Fast food (natural).

Quick food (unnatural).

Examples

Below are a few examples of collocations. A comprehensive list would be the length of an entire book so I’ve just gathered a few ideas here.

take, break, catch, save, keep, pay, catch

Have	Make
Have children	Make a mess
Have surgery	Make a noise
Have a good time	Make a fuss
Have difficulty	Make a fool of yourself
Have a feeling / Have a funny feeling	Make a cup of tea / make some food
Have breakfast / lunch / dinner	Make friends
Have no fear	Make a profit
Have a bite	Make a phone call
Have a busy day	Make a comment

Go	Do
Go on through	Do the ironing
Go on an adventure	Do the dishes
Go out of business	Do some research /work
Go to the beach / cinema	Do my hair
Go figure	Do (someone) a favour
Go bankrupt	Do nothing
Go through me	Do over
Go on holiday	Do without
Go to university	Do my best

Break	Take
Break a habit	Take a bow
Break a promise	Take a look
Break the law / rules	Take a message
Break even	Take a photograph
Break loose	Take a nap
Break new ground	Take a risk
Break a window	Take an opportunity
Break (someone’s) heart	Take (good) care of
Break free	Take part

Exercise

Match the words to form natural collocations.

Make	a photograph
Have	the dishes
Do	part
Take	a crime
Fast	a habit
Commit	over
Do	bankrupt
Take	a fuss
Break	food
Go	a rest

Answers

Make	a fuss
Have	a rest
Do	over
Take	a photograph
Fast	food
Commit	a crime
Do	the dishes
Take	part
Break	a habit
Go	bankrupt

Bonus Exercise

Create ten sentences using a collocation in each. You can then book a lesson with one of our teachers to discuss your sentences.

Grab your free downloadable collocations cheat sheet right here!

 
 
The Intrepid English Academy
 
Your personal path to success in English
 

Subscribe
Enter your name and email address below to receive news, English tips and offers.
Subscribe
Thanks for subscribing to our newsletter!