Cohesive Devices - Exercise

Collocations in English: The Secret to Sounding Fluent

Have you ever wondered why some English sentences sound natural, while others feel a little “off” even though the grammar is correct? The secret often lies in collocations.

A collocation is a natural combination of words that native speakers commonly use together. For example, we say “make a decision”, not “do a decision.” Both are grammatically possible, but only one sounds right to the ear of a fluent speaker.

Think of collocations as “word friendships.” Some words simply like to go together. When you use them correctly, your English sounds smoother and more natural.

Common Examples

Make a mistake (not do a mistake)

Take a break (not make a break)

Save time (not keep time)

Strong coffee (not powerful coffee)

How can you learn collocations?

Read and listen a lot. Notice how words naturally appear together in books, movies, or news articles.

Practice actively. Keep a notebook of collocations instead of single words. For example, write “do homework” instead of just “homework.”

Use them in sentences. The more you practice, the more natural they’ll feel.

 

Some more examples of common collocations to sound fluent:

Make a decision – I need to make a decision about my future career.

Do homework – She is busy doing her homework right now.

Take a risk – Sometimes you have to take a risk to succeed.

Catch a cold – He caught a cold after getting wet in the rain.

Break the news – She didn’t know how to break the news to her parents.

Keep a promise – Always try to keep your promises.

Pay attention – Please pay attention to the instructions.

Save time – Online shopping helps me save time.

Spend money – He likes to spend money on books.

Lose weight – She is exercising to lose weight.

Gain experience – You can gain experience by working part-time.

Have fun – We really had fun at the party.

Make progress – She is making progress in her English.

Tell the truth – Please tell the truth about what happened.

Run a business – His father runs a small business in town.

Give advice – Teachers often give advice to their students.

Keep in touch – Let’s keep in touch after graduation.

Take part – Many students took part in the competition.

Break the rules – If you break the rules, you will be punished.

Catch someone’s eye – The painting caught my eye immediately.

Come to an agreement – After a long meeting, they came to an agreement.

Do research – He is doing research on climate change.

Give a speech – The principal will give a speech at the function.

Have patience – You must have patience with young children.

Keep quiet – The teacher asked us to keep quiet.

Lose your temper – Don’t lose your temper over small issues.

Make friends – It’s easy to make friends if you are kind.

Set a goal – You should set goals for your studies.

Take responsibility – He must take responsibility for his actions.

Win a prize – She won a prize in the singing competition.