Name ______________________________________

Section ___________________________

A collocation is when two or more words naturally go together and sound correct together. Test your
understanding of collocations with this vocabulary exercise. Each sentence given below contains an
incomplete collocation. Complete the collocation by supplying a suitable word. Choose your answers
from the options given below each question.

1. If you park there, you will have to ………………………….. a fine.

a) pay b) take c) have
2. He …………………………… no attention to my requests.
a) paid b) took c) had
3. I ……………………….. a cough to catch her attention.
a) gave b) paid c) took
4. Although the doctors tried hard, they couldn’t ………………………….. his life.
a) save b) bring c) take
5. Abbreviations ………………………… space and hence they are very common in newspaper headlines.
a) catch b) save c) take
6. Do you ……………………….. a diary?
a) keep b) have b) save
7. Few people can …………………………. a secret.
a) keep b) save c) have
8. He still ……………………………. in touch with most of his old school mates.
a) keeps b) saves c) take
9. I asked her what her problem was but she ……………………………….. quiet.
a) kept b) took c) saved
10. They ………………………….. close to hitting each other.
a) came b) took c) brought
11. My grandfather was a …………………. smoker, so few people were surprised when he died of oral
cancer.
a) serial b) heavy c) big
12. She was a / an ……………………. wife who loved her husband more than anything else in the whole
universe.
a) devoted b) sincere c) intelligent
13. I always avoid his company because he is a crashing ……………………..
a) bore b) nuisance c) guy
14. It is a golden ………………………… If you miss it, you will regret it.
a) chance b) opportunity c) offer
15. She seemed quite interested in buying that house, but at the last moment, she changed her
…………………..
a) mind b) thoughts c) offer
16. Although I was …………………. annoyed by her attitude, I said nothing.
a) moderately b) lightly c) slightly
17. Could you …………………. the oil?
a) inspect b) check c) test
18. The meeting took almost five hours so it was impossible to …………………….. attention all the time.
a) give b) keep c). pay
19. The problem is difficult to …………………. under control.
a) keep b) do c) make
20.) It took us all day to clean up the office after the burglary – the thieves ………………… a terrible mess.
a) make b) took c) did
21. I don't think we should ……………………….. a decision yet; we should wait.
a) make b) hold c) do
22. Only 31% of the students who ………………….. the final exam passed it.
a. wrote b) made c) took
23. I think we should look for a new supplier – the one we have at the moment ………………….. us too
many problems.
a) make b) causes c). does
24. Could you ………………. me a favor and post these letters on your way home?
a) bring b) give c) do
25. I've told him ten times that he's got the wrong telephone number. I'll …………….. crazy if they call
again.
a) go b) get c) be