Collocations are particular word combinations that exist in English.

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. My grandfather was a …………………. smoker, so few people were surprised when he died
of oral cancer.

a) serial

b) heavy

c) big

2. She was a / an ……………………. wife who loved her husband more than anything else in
the whole universe.

a) devoted

b) sincere

c) intelligent

3. I always avoid his company because he is a crashing ……………………..

a) bore

b) nuisance

c) guy

4. It is a golden ………………………… If you miss it, you will regret it.

a) chance

b) opportunity

c) offer

5. She seemed quite interested in buying that house, but at the last moment, she changed
her …………………..

a) mind

b) thoughts
c) offer

6. Although I was …………………. annoyed by her attitude, I said nothing.

a) moderately

b) lightly

c) slightly

7. Could you …………………. the oil?

a) inspect

b) check

c) test

Exercise 1

Select a word from the box which you think goes best with the word provided. The last ten
are more difficult! Use each answer only once.

1. cloudy avoided

2. alphabetical beautiful

3. loud biscuit

4. chocolate coffee

5. filter day

6. curly daylight

7. single disaster

8. classical drink

9. soft end

10. direct expanding

11. vivid flight

12. rapidly hair

13. exceptionally imagination

14. major mind

15. bitter music

16. razor sharp noise

17. broad order

18. widely popular

19. hugely read

20. narrowly room

Exercise 2
Now try to fit in one of the phrases from Exercise 1 into the following sentences.

1. She was a tall slim girl with brown

.
2. He is quite serious and prefers
to pop or rock.
3. I'll have a
please as I am driving.
4. Could I have a
for two nights please?
5. I was very lucky and managed to get a
from Nairobi to Manchester.
6. She is probably the most intelligent person in the government with her
.
7. The news was reporting a
in southern Sudan.
8. Honestly I can't believe it! She was robbed in
and nobody tried to help her.
9. I am afraid we can't leave early. We will have to stay to the
.
10. He's extremely
and knows a lot about most subjects.