Collocations

STUDY PAGES

ideas into words S2

using a noun entry S3-5

using a verb entry S6-7

using an adjective entry S8-9

common verbs S10-11

natural disasters S12

criminal justice S12

education S13

driving S13

politics S14

jobs S15

money S16

Collocations 3rd proofs (study) 16/5/02 12:20 pm Page S1

S T U D Y PA G E S2

photocopiable© Oxford University Press

IDEAS INTO WORDSLook at the entry for idea, sense 1 (plan/suggestion).

1 Look at the adjectives section (labelled ADJ). Find adjectives you mightuse to express the following ideas. Sometimes more than one adjective ispossible. You may want to use another dictionary to check the meaningof any words you don’t know.

2 Now look at the section marked VERB + IDEA. Find verbs that youmight use to express the following ideas. Usually more than one verb ispossible.

3 Look at the section marked IDEA + VERB. Find verbs that you might useto express the following:

4 Finally, look at the PHRASES section and find the expression that means

the beginning of an idea

a an idea that is helpful, rather than being negative or impractical

b an idea that is slightly crazy, in a good way

c an idea that is completely crazy, in a bad way

d an idea that has not been carefully thought out

e an idea that seems very impressive but is not really very practical

a to find an idea

b to suggest an idea

c to suggest an idea in a very forceful way because you really want people to accept it

d to think about an idea for a while before you decide whether or not it is a good idea

e to talk about a number of different ideas before you decide which ideas are the best

a when you think of an idea

b when an idea develops into something important

c when an idea does not develop into anything


S T U D Y PA G ES3


USING A NOUN ENTRYadjectives1 Match each of the adjectives on the left with a suitable noun from the

facing column. Look at the entries for the bold nouns for help.

a bewilderinga biting

a burning a convincing

drivinga fightinga gaping

a staggering

ambitionarray of goodschancechasmrainsum of moneywinwind

a blazinga crushing a hauntinga nagginga piercing

raginga sprawlinga sweeping

defeatinflationpainrow over moneyscreamstatementsuburbmelody

a There were just a few w_______ of cloud in the sky.

b The recent s_______ of attacks has made residents afraid to leave their homes.

c He is on medication to ease his frequent b_______ of depression.

d I just caught a brief s_______ of their conversation as I walked by their table.

e The constant s_______ of traffic past our house makes it difficult to cross the road.

f A p_______ of stray dogs was wandering around the abandoned plant.

g He’s been off school all week with a bad d_______ of flu.

h A couple of c_______ of garlic will improve the flavour of the soup.

i The manager terrified the younger staff with his o_______ of temper.

j The burglars stole several p_______ of jewellery.

quantifiersQuantifiers are words used to talk about the amount of something, such as a drop ofwater or a piece of information.

2 Complete each sentence with a suitable quantifier. Look at the bold noun entries for help.

a He got into/had/made an argument with the barman and was thrown out of the hotel.

b He had to do two jobs to clear/pay off/pay up his debts.

c Someone came up with/presented/put forward the suggestion that we should have an auction.

d The scientists failed to arrive at/decide/draw any firm conclusions from the study.

e The company agreed/came to/struck a deal with the union after lengthy negotiations.

f A meeting has been arranged/programmed/scheduled for next week.

g The supervisor refused to accept/receive/shoulder the blame for the accident.

h He drummed/rattled/tapped his fingers nervously on the desk as he spoke.

i We did/took/went on a trip to a nearby island on a fishing boat.

j I put up my hand to shade/shelter/shield my eyes from the sun.

verb + …3 Cross out any verbs which do not normally collocate with the bold noun.

isps


S T U D Y PA G E S4


I lay in bed, unable to sleep.The winehad f__________ freely at the par ty,

and now my head was t__________

and my stomach was c__________ .

Outside the wind h__________ and

the rain l__________ against the

window. My nerves were o_______

e_______ as I remembered all the

horror films I’d ever seen. Suddenly

I heard the key t__________ in the

front door. My heart began to

h__________ in my chest as heavy

footsteps e__________ on the

stairs. My mind was ra__________ , trying to think how I could save myself.The bedroom

door c__________ open slowly, and as my eyes a__________ to the darkness I could make

out a figure at the end of the bed.The man’s mouth d__________ open when he saw me.

It was my neighbour. I was in the wrong house.

… + verb4 Complete the story with a suitable verb in each gap. Look at the bold

noun entries for help.

a We had to queue for ages at the taxi ________.

b In economy class you don’t get enough leg ________.

c The traffic was held up by a massive protest ________.

d He was seriously injured in a horrific traffic ________.

e They’re collecting money for famine ________.

f I stopped to buy a magazine at the newspaper ________.

g It’s a small office with very little shelf ________.

h School leavers with no qualifications have limited job ________.

… + noun5 Choose a suitable word from the box on the right to complete each

sentence. Look at the bold noun entry for help.

chances room

accident space

kiosk gathering

prospects relief

stall rank

aid crash

rally

rank


S T U D Y PA G ES5


a He was lying on the floor ________ agony.

b Students who do not have a computer are ________ a disadvantage.

c There is still confusion ________ the result of the vote.

d I couldn’t hear what she was saying ________ the noise of the crowd.

e Please submit your requests ________ writing before Friday.

f He died instantly when his bike hit a wall ________ speed.

g She claims she killed him ________ self-defence.

h I’m not going out ________ this rain!

i I saw him a couple of times ________ Christmas.

j Her skill ________ negotiating makes her a valuable asset.

prepositions6 The sentences below can be completed using just three different

prepositions. Look at the bold noun entries to help you.

phrases7 Look at the phrases section in the entries for the bold nouns below to help

you complete and match the heads and tails of the sentences.

in

a Could I ________ a word in your

b I remember clearly the first time I ________

c If this report ________ into the wrong

d I vowed never to ________

e The force of the impact ________ every

bone in his body.

ear?

eyes on her.

foot in the place again.

hands, we’re in trouble.

have


S T U D Y PA G E S6


USING A VERB ENTRYadverbs1 In each of the following sentences one of the adverbs in italics is not a

common collocate of the verb in bold. Decide which it is and cross it out.Use the entry for the bold verb to help you.

a She argued fiercely/heatedly/ hotly about her right to compensation.

b They will fiercely/heatedly/hotly defend their rights.

c He grinned owlishly/sheepishly/wolfishly at her.

d I ruefully/sheepishly/woefully confessed to having forgotten the map.

e His frugal lifestyle contrasted brutally/markedly/starkly with his wife’s extravagance.

f Her tragic story brutally/markedly/starkly illustrates how vulnerable children can be.

a I _____________ accept the invitation to become patron of the charity.

b The company was fined when it _____________ comply with the regulations.

c These unanswered questions _____________ highlight the potential problems.

d I _____________ add that my knowledge of computers is pretty basic.

e We must _____________ ensure that such a disaster can never happen again.

f The minister _____________ resign when the affair became public.

g She _____________ fight for her rights.

h Few patients _____________ pay the full cost of treatment.

a Unfortunately, the plan backfired _________ me.

b Students took to the streets to protest___________ the decision.

c I don’t feel I can comment ___________ theirdecision.

d I think you must be mistaking me ___________someone else.

e She was treated ___________ sunstroke.

verb + …2 Complete each of these sentences with a verb phrase from the box. You

may need to change the form of the verb. Use the entries for the boldverbs to help you.

prepositions3 The following sentences can be completed using just three different prepositions.

Use the entries for the bold verbs to help you.

be determined to be happy to can afford to fail to hasten to offer to serve to take steps to

was happy to

on f The prosecution lawyers have been trying toprejudice the jury ___________ him.

g He accused them of plotting ___________ him.

h We have collaborated ___________ manyprojects over the years.

i The company is appealing ___________ the ruling.

j Nationalist leaders appealed ___________ calm.


S T U D Y PA G ES7


phrases4 Match the two halves of these verb phrases. Then use the phrases to

complete the sentences below. You may need to change the forms of theverbs. Use the entries for the bold verbs to help you.

a The message to drivers is simple: don’t ________________ .

b There’s no point in ________________ ; we can’t change the situation.

c I spent all night ________________ , unable to sleep.

d You can ________________ colours to create your own design.

e ________________ , we heaved the wardrobe upstairs.

drink and drivedrink and pant

mix and drive

moan and turn

toss and match

puff and groan

f The car ________________ outside the station.

g You need a holiday before you ________________ .

h The next morning ________________ .

i Katy was clearly pleased about something: she was ________________ .

j Jack went on arguing, scarcely ________________ .

crack for breath

grin to a halt

dawn from ear to ear

pause bright and cold

brake under the strain

collocations of phrasal verbs5 Complete the following story with words and phrases from the boxes. For

each gap you will need to decide whether the missing word/phrase is anadverb, a verb or a preposition. You may need to change the forms of theverbs. Use the phrasal verbs sections of the bold verb entries to helpyou.

verbs

be left to

have to

try to

prepositions

for

to

adverbs

completely

desperately

entirely

mercilessly

I had ________________ fend for myself in the

deser t.The sun beat down ________________ .

The water holes had dried up ________________ .

I ________________ rely ________________ on

cacti ________________ water. I ________________

hang on ________________ my sanity, clinging

________________ to the hope that I would find my

way out alive.

had been left to


S T U D Y PA G E S8


USING AN ADJECTIVE ENTRYverbs1 Match each of the bold adjectives with a verb that can go before it, then

match the combination with a suitable subject. Use the adjective entriesto help you.

His mistake emerged asleep. _________________________His mistake fell costly. _________________________I nearly grew damp. _________________________The crowd passed empty. _________________________The driver proved impatient. _________________________The house run parallel. _________________________The house smells unnoticed. _________________________The roads stood unscathed. _________________________

I nearly fell asleep.

2 Complete each sentence with a suitable verb. Look at the entry for thebold adjective for help.

a He d_____ me crazy with his constant talking.

b She was h________ captive by rebels for sixmonths.

c Several cars were s________ ablaze by therioters.

d The unions were r________ powerless by thenew laws.

e These programmes are d________ unsuitablefor screening before 10 p.m.

f The robbers b________ the shopkeepersenseless.

g His classmates mostly r________ him aseccentric.

h The sound of a door banging j ________ meawake.

rove

painfully

adverbs3 For each group, find an adverb in the box that collocates with all the

adjectives in the group.

a ___________ b ___________ c ___________ d ___________ e ___________ f ___________

aware boring competitive different enthusiastic inaccurate

honest funny independent odd inaccurate inadequate

shy good loyal uncomfortable optimistic offensive

slow right protective uneasy popular unfair

dead distinctly fiercely grossly painfully wildly


S T U D Y PA G ES9


4 Match each bold adjective with a suitable adverb. Then use each combinationto complete one of the sentences on the right.

unduly concernedblissfully

conspicuously

eerily

justly

notoriously

oddly

outwardly

unduly

absent

composed

concerned

familiar

fickle

proud

silent

unaware

a I’m not

b She is

c He seems

d The former chairman was

e Her voice sounded

f She seemed

g The street was

h The world of fashion is

_______________ by the latest figures.

_______________ of her achievements.

_______________ of the trouble he’s caused.

_______________ from the guest list.

_______________ to me.

_______________ , despite the pressure.

_______________ after the explosion.

_______________ .

prepositions5 Complete and match the heads and tails of these sentences, using the entries

for the bold adjectives to help you.

a The scandal was damaging ____

b I always used to be late ____

c I need some time to get acquainted ____

d She was insistent ____

e His good looks made him irresistible ____

f Tickets are limited ____

g He’s mean ____

h I was alarmed ____

the new software.

his money.

the latest crime statistics.

women.

secrecy.

school.

two per person.

the government.

to

phrases6 Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable word or phrase. Look

in the ‘phrases’ section of the bold adjective entries for help.

a The missing climbers have been found alive and ________ .

b I was so relieved when they got home safe and ________ .

c I’ll show you a dish that’s really quick and ________ .

d If you need any help, I’m ready and ________ .

e His hair is always so neat and ________ .

f By midnight I was worried ________ .

g I forgot my umbrella and I got wet ________ .

h When he told me the news I was thrilled ________ .

i If a dog comes anywhere near me I’m scared ________ .

j The speaker went on and on until we were bored ________ .

well


S T U D Y PA G E S10


COLLOCATIONS with COMMON VERBS

1 Find the nouns in the lists for tasks and duties (for example do the dishes). Which verbis the most often used? Which tasks are exceptions?

2 Find expressions in each column that can be substituted by a single verb.(For example you can do damage to something or just damage something.) Whichcolumn has the most?

3 Find expressions connected with the following:

Can you see any patterns emerging? Are there any exceptions?

make

an appointment an attemptthe beda cakechangesa decisiondinneran effor ta filma fussa guessan impressiona marka messa mistakemoneya noisepeacea photocopyprogressa promisea sketcha speecha suggestionyour will

have

an accidentan argumenta batha breakbreakfastcancer a chata cold difficultya drinka feelingfuna guess a hear t attacka holidayan ideaan interesta looka meetinga par tya napan operationpatienceproblemsa shocka snacktime

take

actiona batha bite a breakthe bus a decisiona deep breathsb’s details a dislike to sban exama guessa holidayan interest in stha looka napnotesa photosize 10a tablet sb’s temperaturea walk

give

sb an answer sb a chancea cry of painsb a headachesb helpsb an ideathe impression that…sb a kisssb lessonssb a liftyour opiniona par tya performancesth a polishsb a presentpriority to sthsb a pushsb a shocka sigha speechsome thought to stha welcome to sb

do

a crossworddamagea degreethe dishesan examthe food for a partyFrench at schoolthe gardenyour hair‘Hamlet’your homeworkjudomiles per hournothingParisa photocopyresearcha sketcha translationthe washingsome writing

speaking experiencingsomething

producingsomething usingyour hands, yourmind or your skill

physical actions

make/give a speech have an accident make dinner have/take a bath


S T U D Y PA G ES11


4 How many items can you find that collocate with more than one of the verbs (for example you can have or take a bath)?

5 Complete each of the following sentences using do, make, have, take or give (more thanone answer may be possible). If the noun in the example is not in the table above, lookfor a similar noun. For example, fortune is not in the list but money is. You can checkyour answers by looking up the entries for the nouns, but try to predict what the verbswill be before you do this.

a Make sure you ___________ a look at theengine before you buy the car.

b After the interview I had to ___________ a test.

c They always ___________ us a welcome whenwe go there.

d I sometimes ___________ a siesta in theafternoon

e Saturday’s my day for ___________ jobs aroundthe house.

f The housing committee are ___________priority to the elderly.

g Let’s ___________ one more swim before wego back to the hotel.

h He ___________ a short laugh when herealized his mistake.

i The moment we met we ___________ a disliketo each other.

j I told her I’d run in the marathon—I’m notgoing to ___________ any promises like thatagain.

k She’s always ___________ an interest incurrent affairs.

l She ___________ her for tune on the stockmarket.

m ___________ a picture of me and your dadtogether.

n The kids are ___________ a terrible racket.

o Her singing ___________ an impression on me.

p ___________ the handle a twist and the doorshould open.

q I don’t know the answer, so I’ll _______ a guess.

r How often do you have to _______ themedicine?

s Everyone else was ___________ notes in thelecture, but I had forgotten my pen.

t The BBC are visiting our school to _______ aprogramme about teaching!

have/take

6 Put each of the following adjectives into one of the sentences in exercise 5, before anoun that it collocates with. If you want to check in the dictionary you will need tolook up the entries for the nouns.

For example: Make sure you have a close look at the engine before you buy the car.

close copious instant keen lasting odd rash sharp top warm wild




NATURAL DISASTERSIn each case, only one of the pair of words in italics forms a commoncollocation with the word in bold. Use the dictionary (looking up the boldword) to decide which is the correct collocation.

Sentences e-h each contain two pairs of italic words. You need to choose onefrom each pair. Again, look up the bold words.

a The famine has already claimed/starved thousands of victims.

b The president visited the affected region in the direct/immediate aftermath of thehurricane.

c Rescue personnel/workers are still looking for survivors.

d A massive relief attempt/effort is underway.

e Several villages have been inundated/soaked by the deepest/severest floods indecades.

f The city was affected/struck by an enormous/a massive earthquake shortly aftermidnight.

g The forest fires, blown/fanned by warm winds, flared/raged out of control for weeks.

h The volcano, which has been dormant/inactive for 50 years, began erupting/explodinglate last night.

CRIMINAL JUSTICEIn each of the sentences, there is an example of incorrect collocation in oneof the two underlined sections. Look at the entries for the bold words to helpyou, then write a word that could be used in place of the incorrect one in thespace on the right.

a The accused men have been sent to custody to await trial. ____________________

b Police carried out a raid on the premises early this ____________________morning and did two arrests.

c The man was judged guilty of assault and sent to prison for ____________________ten years.

d The woman will stand trial, accused with murdering her ____________________husband.

e The woman was charged with threatening behaviour, an ____________________offence which holds a sentence of up to two years in jail.

f The judge summarized and the jury retired to consider its ____________________verdict.

g The jury reported a verdict of guilty and then the judge ____________________passed sentence.

h New evidence came to light and the original verdict was ____________________squashed on appeal.

remanded in


S T U D Y PA G ES13


EDUCATIONUsing the entry for the word in bold to help you, cross out any of the wordsin italics that do not form common collocations.

a He got full/maximum /top marks in the listening test.

b We have to do/make/write a vocabulary test every Friday.

c She’s busy reviewing/revising/studying for her exam.

d How many students have enrolled on/signed up for/undertaken the course?

e She was always losing/missing out/skipping lessons – no wonder she crashed/failed/flunked the exam.

f He suffers badly from exam nerves/stress/worries, which affects his concentrationlength/span/time.

g The teacher made up/set/wrote a difficult exam but checked/corrected/marked itleniently.

h We were supposed to do/compose/write the essay by Friday but I delivered it/gave itin/handed it in late.

DRIVINGIn each case, only one or two of the words in italics form(s) a commoncollocation with the word in bold. Use the dictionary (looking up the boldword) to decide which combinations are possible.

a The taxi brought/screamed/screeched to a halt at the foot/pedestrian/zebra crossing.

b I finished the/ran out of/used up the petrol and had to hitch/hitch-hike/thumb a lift tothe nearest garage.

c There’s always busy/heavy/strong traffic on the motorway, so I usually take theback/minor/small roads.

d I realized it was a one-direction/one-way/single-way street, so I had to carry out/do/makea U-turn.

e The demonstration brought/reduced/slowed traffic to a standstill, and some driversbegan to hit/sound/toot their horns in frustration.

f A car suddenly pulled out/started out/turned out in front of me and I had to hit/slamon/tread on the brakes.

g She was banned/disallowed/disqualified from driving for a year after failing an alcohol/a breath/a breathalyser test.

h The stolen car hit an approaching/a contraflow/an oncoming vehicle and blew upin/burst into/caught flames.




POLITICSComplete each sentence with a verb from the left and a noun from the right.You may need to change the form of the verb. You can check your answersin the dictionary by looking up the entries for the nouns.

fulfil

impose

unveil

commission

hold

rule out

ban

plans

pledge

possibility

referendum

report

opposition

k The opposition leader _____________ a scathing _____________ ongovernment policy.

l Animal rights campaigners have _____________ their _____________for a referendum on hunting.

m The government is _____________ a _____________ over itsdecision to raise the basic rate of tax.

elections

a The opposition has accused the government of _____________ the_____________ .

b A week before the election, the Christian Democrats _____________the _____________ by 12 per cent.

c Which party _____________ the most effective election _____________ ?

d Castorri _____________ for _____________ five times, but was neverelected.

electionrigging

international issues

n An international delegation urged the government to _____________its _____________ on human rights.

o The UN will decide today whether to ___________ peacekeeping_____________ in the area.

p The government _____________ an _____________ to the rebels forall arms to be handed over by the 15th.

q The warring factions have agreed to _____________ a_____________ while negotiations take place.

campaign

election

office

opinion polls

fight

lead

rig

stand

government

e The Minister of Education insists that she will ________ her_____________ to cut class sizes.

f The government is under pressure to _____________ a_____________ on tobacco advertising.

g The Home Secretary yesterday _______________________________________ to reform the prison system.

h The Prime Minister has ________________ any _____________ of anearly election.

i The President confirmed that he intends to _____________ a________________ on the main clauses of the new constitution.

j The Higher Education Minister is to _____________ a_____________ on the state of our universities.

face

launch

renew

attack

backlash

call

call

deploy

honour

issue

ceasefire

forces

promise

ultimatum


S T U D Y PA G ES15


JOBS1 Complete each of these sentences with an adjective from the box. Use the

entries for the words in bold to help you.

team flexible proven short-term skeleton in-service repetitive heavy high-powered competitive

a I saw an interesting ad in the newspaper and decided to ___________ the job.

b The company missed his wealth of experience when he chose to ___________ earlyretirement.

c The whole union ___________ strike in sympathy with the sacked workers.

d Extra skills training could ___________ your job prospects.

e She felt she wasn’t ___________ her full potential in her current job so she ___________her notice.

f The company had no choice but to ___________ her contract when she ___________several important deadlines.

g She had always wanted to ___________ her living as a musician, and she finally___________ her ambition when she was 42.

h I ___________ a brief stint as a waitress when I was a student, but I wouldn’t like to___________ it ___________ a living.

a a short time spent doing sth ____________________

b all that you might possibly achieve ____________________

c your chances of getting a good job ____________________

d the valuable knowledge and skills that you have gained in ____________________ your life and work

a He didn’t want the stress of a _______________job.

b He couldn’t stand the ___________ work of the production line.

c The company offers a ___________ salary.

d Does your job allow you to work ___________hours?

e She’s hired an assistant to help with her___________ workload.

f She joined the company on a ___________contract.

g We gathered in my boss’s office for a___________ meeting.

h Applicants should have a ___________ trackrecord in project management.

i All staff receive ___________ training in IT skills.

j They only have a ___________ staff on dutyduring the holidays.

2 Fill in each gap with an appropriate verb or phrasal verb. Use the entriesfor the words in bold to help you.

3 Now find collocations in the sentences from Exercise 2 that match upwith the definitions below:

high-powered

apply for

brief stint


MONEY1 Fill in the gaps in these sentences with an appropriate word or phrase.

Use the entries for the words in bold to help you. Sometimes more thanone answer is possible.



small healthy falsesmall take-home

pay fortune changebank balance* economy

a Private health insurance might cost an ___________ lot of money, but it’s worth everypenny.

b The shares have almost doubled ___________ value since I bought them.

c Cigarettes are set to ___________ price for the fifth successive year.

d The failure of the business left him ___________ financial ruin.

e An oil spill would ___________ economic ruin for the local fishing industry.

f We’ve been living ___________ a ___________ budget since the baby was born.

g It cost me more to make the chairs than I could sell them for, so I actually ___________ a loss ___________ the deal.

h She ___________ a large bank loan and then had great difficulty ___________ it___________ .

i The favourable exchange ___________ means that holidays in the US are ___________value.

j She ___________ a ___________ for tune ___________ the stock market in the 80s.

a coins of low value ____________________

b a lot of money ____________________

c a fair amount of money in the bank ____________________

d the amount of money that you have left after you have ____________________paid tax on your salary

e an attempt to save money by buying something cheap that ____________________does not really save money at all because the goods are ofpoor quality and do not last very long * look up balance

Sentences f-j have no words in bold. Read the sentences carefully to decidefor yourself which word(s) you need to look up.

2 Choose an adjective from the left-hand box and a noun from the right-hand box and match them up with the definitions below. You can lookup the entries for the nouns to help you.

awful

small change


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