Class 18 - Collocations

What is a collocation?

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".

natural English... unnatural English...

the fast train the quick train

fast food quick food

a quick shower a fast shower

a quick meal a fast meal

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)

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.

Noun-Noun Collocations
advertising agency
advertising campaign
age discrimination
balance sheet
bank loan
benefits package
brand awareness
brand identity
brand name
brand recognition
budget increase
budget reduction
budget surplus
business ethics
business model
business partner
business people
business plan
business trip
company policy
conference call
conference room
cost reduction
customer base
customer satisfaction
customer service
employee benefits
government regulation
human resources
interest rates
labor market
labor union
market leader
market share
mission statement
operating costs
performance review
price controls
price range
price tag
price war
product launch
product line
product placement
profit margin
sales figures
sales team
stock exchange
stock market
stock options
time management
trade secrets
web page

Verb-Noun Collocations
accept an apology
accept a job
accept a meeting request
accept an offer
accept a position
accept responsibility
admit fault
admit a mistake
apply pressure
attract investors
boost confidence
borrow money
break a law
break into a market
build trust
calculate risk
call attention
cancel a meeting
cancel an order
chair a meeting
change one’s mind
choose sides
close a deal
complete a task
confirm suspicion
consider the fact
consider the possibility
consider the risk
cut costs
deliver an order
develop a strategy
exchange ideas
exchange a product
fire someone
fix a problem
gain access
gain experience
gain ground
gain knowledge
hire staff
invest money
invest resources
invest time
join forces
join an organization
join a union
keep someone’s word
launch a product
lend a hand
lend money
lower prices
lower taxes
manage a business
manage a company
manage a store
manage stress
measure progress
meet criteria
meet a deadline
open an account
pay attention
pay bills
pay dividends
pay a fee
pay an invoice
pay taxes
place an order
present a problem
provide assistance
provide support
raise awareness
raise money
raise an objection
raise prices
raise questions
raise taxes
reach an agreement
reach a compromise
reach a consensus
reach a decision
reach a point
recall a product
receive compensation
receive a discount
receive payment
run a business
save money
save time
sell a business
sell shares
send a copy
send a message
send a letter
sign a contract
take out a loan
waive a fee
waste time
waste money
write an email
write a letter
write a note

Collocations with Make

make an appointment
make an attempt
make a change
make a choice
make a comparison
make a complaint
make a connection
make a decision
make a demand
make a difference
make an effort
make ends meet
make an exception
make an excuse
make a fortune
make a living
make a mistake
make money
make an offer
make payments
make plans
make a point
make a profit
make progress
make a promise
make a request
make sense
make something clear
make a suggestion
make sure
make a telephone call
make the best of something
make the most of something
make time

Collocations with Do
do business
do damage
do an experiment
do a favor
do good/bad
do harm
do research
do right/wrong
do something/anything
do well
do your best
do your duty
do your part
do your share

Collocations with Take

take advantage
take a course
take notes
take action
take a break
take a decision (British — make a decision in American English)
take a message
take part in
take responsibility
take a test/quiz
take your time

Collocations with Have

have an appointment
have an argument
have a conversation
have a meeting
have problems
have a talk
have time
have trouble
have coffee/tea
have breakfast/lunch/dinner
have work

Collocations with Get

get a job
get a certification
get angry
get better/worse
get excited
get going
get the message
get motivated
get paid
get permission
get ready
get somewhere/nowhere
get started
get used to

Collocations with Go
go ahead
go bankrupt
go forward
go home
go out of business
go to work
go well

Collocations with Prepositions

accused of
adapt to
agree on something
agree with someone
apply for
approve of
argue about something
argue with someone
aware of
believe in
blame for
by accident
by mistake
cause of
comment on
complain about
concentrate on
consist of
contributed to
count on
credit for
decide on
decrease/increase in
demand for
depend on
fear of
from scratch
good at
graduate from
in charge of
insisted on
matter to
object to
on purpose
participate in
pay for (something)
plan for
plan on
prepare for
proud of
reason for
relationship with
reply to
respond to
responsible for
return to
satisfied with
smile at
take advantage of
tax on
trouble with

Collocations with in
believe in
in a car/taxi
in a fight/argument
in a group
in advance
in charge
in conclusion
in control
in denial
in depth
in detail
in private
in return for
in the mail
in the process of
in trouble
Interested in
involved in
participate in

Collocations with on
ban on something
blame something on someone
decide on
depends on
focus on
on a committee
on a list
on a plane/bus/train
on a team
on average
on call
on display
on duty
On one hand…/On the other hand…
on purpose
on sale
on someone’s side
on the phone
on the radio
on TV
rely on
restrictions on
vote on

Adjective-Noun Collocations
big break
big chance
big decision
big disappointment
big improvement
big mistake
big surprise
bright future
competitive advantage
daily commute
daily routine
deep thought
deep trouble
false advertising
friendly reminder
good chance
good faith
good news
good time
looks good/bad
golden opportunity
great admiration
in great detail
gray area
great pride
great respect
great skill
harsh criticism
heated debate
heavy rain
heavy traffic
hidden agenda
high/low costs
high/low degree
high/low level
high/low price
high/low profile
high/low quality
high/low risk
high/low salary
high/low standards
honest answer
hot topic
huge loss
huge problem
immediate impact
large amount
large number of
large quantity
perfect example
positive attitude
private sector
public sector
raw materials
rising costs
slight chance
sound advice
stiff competition
straight answer
strong belief
strong feeling
strong opinion
top priority
wise choice

Summarize the following text in 320 – 450 words.

In the West, the rise of nationalism derives from the fear of immigration.
For example, in Sweden, despite its pro-migrant tradition, nationalists have
gained prominence, leading all parties to adopt tougher platforms on
immigrants. The blowback of such policies could cause great damage.
Receiving countries become poorer and more intolerant, while those
suffering from poverty, climate change or violence are stuck in dire straits.
Thus, those who defend the right to migrate need to present solid
arguments about its pros and cons.

According to international law, migrants fit into two categories, refugees or

economic migrants. Yet the distinction is not as clear cut. Countries that
neighbor war zones are burdened with thousands of migrants, while
developed countries dodge their commitments. Meanwhile, these very
countries refuse to receive economic migrants, save for those with
outstanding skills or family ties. This creates a severe imbalance between
states.

This situation is unproductive. Migration increases workers’ efficiency and

makes countries richer. However, while migrants themselves enjoy most of
the benefits, the citizens of rich countries are those who decide their
admittance. In states with ageing populations and decreasing workforces,
those migrants would provide an important boon. These negative reactions
have several causes: the fear of insecure borders, the fear of migrants
burdening welfare systems, the supposed harm to local workers, and the
fear of being overtaken by foreign cultures.

Handling these concerns demands creativity. The world needs to assist

refugees at the same time that it promotes legal economic migration.
Furthermore, it should prevent illegal migration and deport those who are
denied asylum. Second, migrants should be encouraged to work and they
should have limited access to welfare systems. The United States does this
well. Sweden does not, for instance. Migrants should also have immediate
access to education and healthcare, so that they can work and contribute to
society. This works well in oil-rich Gulf countries.
Third, the benefits of migration should be more evenly shared between
migrants and citizens. The government could increase public spending in
migrant-welcoming regions, or apply a surtax on migrants and spend that
money with the general population. Finally, for cultural integration to
happen, migrants should work and learn the local language. That way,
resistance against them is reduced.

These imperfections in the migration system mean increased populism and

wasted opportunities. That is an unnecessary risk for the world to face.

The way forward on immigration to the West – The Economist

Composition

Belief in “the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes
before us,” as F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby, is a
characteristic American trait. But hope in a better future is not uniquely
American, even if it has long been a more potent secular faith in the United
States than elsewhere. The belief has older roots. It was the product of a
shift in the temporal location of the golden age from a long-lost past to an
ever-brighter future.

That shift was conceived and realized with the Enlightenment and then the
Industrial Revolution. As human beings gained ever-greater control of the
forces of nature and their economies became ever more productive, they
started to hope for lives more like those of the gods their ancestors had
imagined.

People might never be immortal, but their lives would be healthy and long.
People might never move instantaneously, but they could transport
themselves and their possessions swiftly and cheaply across great
distances. People might never live on Mount Olympus, but they could enjoy
a temperate climate, 24-hour lighting, and abundant food. People might
never speak mind to mind, but they could communicate with as many
others as they desired, anywhere on the planet. People might never enjoy
infinite wisdom, but they could gain immediate access to the knowledge
accumulated over millennia.

All of this has already happened in the world’s richest countries. It is what
the people of the rest of the world hope still to enjoy.
Is a yet more orgiastic future beckoning? Today’s Gatsbys have no doubt
that the answer is yes: humanity stands on the verge of breakthroughs in
information technology, robotics, and artificial intelligence that will dwarf
what has been achieved in the past two centuries. Human beings will be
able to live still more like gods because they are about to create machines
like gods: not just strong and swift but also supremely intelligent and even
self-creating.

Yet this is the optimistic version. Since Mary Shelley created the cautionary
tale of Frankenstein, the idea of intelligent machines has also frightened us.
Many duly point to great dangers, including those of soaring
unemployment and inequality.
The tecno-optimists are wrong – Martin Wolf – Foreign Affairs Magazine

Taking due consideration of the above text, write a 400-450 words

composition on the impact of technology on 21st century international
relations.
1 – Increased productivity and economic efficiency – greater standards of
living, global supply chains, UE, US and China,
2 – In terms of international security – greater destructive power, atomic
bombs, missiles X MAD
3 – Globalization – improved connection between cultures VS. backlash
againt foreigners – rise of populism, far right parties, etc etc Social media
TPS
Read the text and answer the following questions.
Pity the UN ambassador of a small African country each time a vote is called
in the General Assembly. Many of the resolutions will be ones that their
president and most of their compatriots neither know nor care about. Take
Resolution 70/230, adopted just before Christmas and New Year, last year,
when the world’s mind was on how it would recover from one hangover
while bracing for the next. The UN resolved, among other things, to hold a
symposium on basic space technology in South Africa and a workshop on
“human space technology” in Costa Rica. It passed easily.

But what of more contentious resolutions, such as one condemning North

Korea for abuses of human rights? Deciding whether to vote yea or nay
ought to be easy: North Korea has one of the worst records on Earth. Yet
19 countries voted against the resolution, among them Zimbabwe, Burundi
and Algeria. Another 48 abstained, among them Kenya, Mozambique and
Ethiopia. One reason, perhaps, is that China (which dislikes criticism of its
pals in Pyongyang) smiles on nations that agree with it.

AidData, a project based at the College of William and Mary in Virginia,

keeps a huge database on official aid flows. Its number-crunching shows
how much China appears to reward African countries that vote with it. The
relationship is not a simple one, according to Brad Parks, a director of the
organisation. China gives proportionally more money to poorer countries,
for instance. But by and large countries that support China do better.
AidData reckons that if African countries voted with China an extra 10% of
the time, they would get an 86% bump in official aid on average. If Rwanda,
for instance, were to cast its ballot alongside China 93% of the time (instead
of its current 67%), its aid from China could jump by 289%.

A purely self-interested foreign policy would need to take into account

donors other than China, too. America’s Congress receives an annual report
from the State Department showing which countries voted with Uncle Sam.
Many academics claim to have found evidence that America, too, buys UN
votes with aid. (If so, it is hardly consistent. Afghanistan routinely opposes
American positions at the UN, yet still gets great dollops of cash.) Even so,
cash-strapped African leaders should probably hire a data scientist or two
to optimise the yield on their votes, or at the very least make sure their
ambassadors turn up. Burundi, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of
Congo missed almost half of the votes that America considers key.
Swaziland missed two-thirds of its opportunities to cosy up to America or
China. Surely in the business of vote-buying the principle of “no vote, no
pay” applies.
China and Africa: A despot’s guide to foreign aid – The Economist

1 – Choose right or wrong for each item below.

1 – Most African countries are keen on using their participation in the UN
General Assembly to receive foreign aid. E
2 – Most Africans do not care about UN resolutions. E
3 – The United States and China follow similar practices, evidence
suggests. C
4 – The rate of return per vote in the UN General Assembly, in terms of
foreign aid, is steady. E
2 – Choose right or wrong for each item below.
1 – Resolution 70/230 is meaningless. E
2 – China’s sole standard for giving out foreign aid is other countries’
voting pattern in international organizations. E
3 – Afghanistan is one of China’s main recipients of aid. E
4 – The workshop in South Africa and the symposium in Costa Rica
evidence the broad scope of the UN’s actions. E
3 – Choose right or wrong for each item below.
1 – Ideology is important in the way donor and recipient countries use aid
policy. (C)
2 – During the voting regarding a UN resolution, not voting is worse than
voting against a great power. C
3 – Data scientists play an increasingly important role, even in poor
countries. E
4 – All Africans that frequently vote with China are autocracies. E