Writing
How to improve your vocabulary using collocations
All students tell me they need to learn more vocabulary but what they don't often realise is that when you learn a new word, you should also learn what verb, adjective or preposition it goes with. The way words are used together is called collocation. Listening Practice: Listen to Liz read how to improve your vocabulary using collocations Here are some sentences to show you what I mean: Regular exercise can be of benefit to most people. After careful analysis of the situation we decided to cancel the trip. I found out about the hotel on the internet. When you make a note of new vocabulary you should also make a note of any collocations. Learning collocations and how to use them will help raise your score for Vocabulary range and accuracy (how wide your vocabulary is and how you can use it correctly). Strong or weak collocation? Collocations can be strong – this means that the link between the words is quite fixed. You can’t use any other word. Some examples of strong collocations are: make a cup of coffee do homework heavy rain agree with someone agree on something depend on Weak collocations: big – car, house, news, city … very – big, interesting, hot, tired … expensive – car, house, holiday … ➱ Here are some practice exercises for you. You should try to use strong collocations when you’re speaking and writing if you can. Intermediate Collocations Activity: Worksheet download Once you have completed the worksheet, download the answer sheet to see how well you’ve done. Answer sheet download Advanced Collocations Activity: If you’d like even more of a challenge, you can find an advanced exercise below. Worksheet download Once you have completed the worksheet, download the answer sheet to see how well you’ve done. Answer sheet download So, if you’d like to do well in your IELTS Speaking and Writing tests, you should follow this advice – do your best to learn collocations too. Hope you have found this useful, we’ll be covering more collocations in later blogs so please come back for more. Liz
1 February, 2021
All students tell me they need to learn more vocabulary but what they don't often realise is that when you learn a new word, you should also learn what verb, adjective or preposition it goes with. The way words are used together is called collocation.
Listening Practice: Listen to Liz read how to improve your vocabulary using collocations
Here are some sentences to show you what I mean:
Regular exercise can be of benefit to most people.
After careful analysis of the situation we decided to cancel the trip.
I found out about the hotel on the internet.
When you make a note of new vocabulary you should also make a note of any collocations. Learning collocations and how to use them will help raise your score for Vocabulary range and accuracy (how wide your vocabulary is and how you can use it correctly).
Strong or weak collocation?
Collocations can be strong – this means that the link between the words is quite fixed. You can’t use any other word. Some examples of strong collocations are:
- make a cup of coffee
- do homework
- heavy rain
- agree with someone
- agree on something
- depend on
Weak collocations:
- big – car, house, news, city …
- very – big, interesting, hot, tired …
- expensive – car, house, holiday …
➱ Here are some practice exercises for you. You should try to use strong collocations when you’re speaking and writing if you can.
Intermediate Collocations Activity:
Once you have completed the worksheet, download the answer sheet to see how well you’ve done.
Advanced Collocations Activity:
If you’d like even more of a challenge, you can find an advanced exercise below.
Once you have completed the worksheet, download the answer sheet to see how well you’ve done.
So, if you’d like to do well in your IELTS Speaking and Writing tests, you should follow this advice – do your best to learn collocations too.
Hope you have found this useful, we’ll be covering more collocations in later blogs so please come back for more.
Liz
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