Mastering English Collocations: Words That Naturally Go Together
Have you ever heard someone say “make a decision” or “take a risk” and wondered why they used that specific verb? Welcome to the world of collocations — natural word combinations that native speakers use all the time. Understanding collocations is a key to sounding fluent and natural in English.
What Are Collocations?
Collocations are pairs or groups of words that often go together. Using the correct collocation makes your English sound more authentic. For example, while “do a decision” is grammatically understandable, native speakers say “make a decision.”
Common Types of Collocations
- Verb + Noun: make a mistake, take a nap, give advice
- Adjective + Noun: heavy rain, strong coffee, deep sleep
- Verb + Adverb: apologize sincerely, drive carefully
- Adverb + Adjective: deeply sorry, highly effective
Why Are Collocations Important?
Learning collocations helps you:
- Speak and write more naturally
- Avoid awkward or unnatural phrasing
- Boost your confidence in conversations
Tips to Learn Collocations
- Read and listen to real English content (books, podcasts, news)
- Keep a vocabulary notebook with collocations, not just single words
- Practice using them in sentences
Visual Guide
Keep Exploring
Want to learn more? Check out these related posts:
And for advanced examples of collocations, explore the Cambridge Dictionary’s collocation guide.
No comments:
Post a Comment