What is a collocation? With so many words for so many different things in the English language, it can feel a little bit like you’re not going anywhere fast as you try to understand it all. But don’t worry, collocations are simple enough things to understand, and they’ll actually benefit you a great deal when you start to use them yourself. This is because collocation is so often used in English speech and writing, so mastering the use of them is essential for you to be able to speak and write in a way that is both commonly understood, and grammatically correct.
What is A Collocation?
Collocations are words that are frequently placed together. So, a collocation in English is a group of two or more words that are often found together either in English speech or English writing.
This is important because whilst there are other words available that certainly make sense, collocations are the words that are most often used together. To understand which words go together most often in English is to really show your mastery of the language by highlighting how you are aware of the words that fit best together, because it is used in that way more often than not. There are different types of collocations though, so we’ll take a look at some examples of these to better understand what a collocation really is.
Some typical collocation examples are “pay attention”, “fast food”, “make an effort”, and “powerful engine”.
Collocations make it easier to avoid overused or ambiguous words like “very”, “nice”, or “beautiful”, by using a pair of words that fits the context better and has a more precise meaning. Using collocations will help your English sound naturally like a native speaker.
Collocation Examples
Examples of collocations with take, get, do, make, go…
- He had intended to take a holiday in New York.
- He wanted to see if he could get a job with us.
- I might take a lesson from you.
- My goals were to go back to school and get a degree.
- I’ll take a look at the website and let you know what I think.
- He was beginning to get angry.
- Couldn’t you do a favour and leave me alone?
- She should make a right choice.
- Could you do a report for me?
- We are to make a contract for a supply of raw silk with the company.
- I like to do homework.
- We need to make a deal for this project.
- The company is about to go bankrupt.
Collocations
Types of Collocations
It’s important to understand that the English language has a large number of collocations, but they all fall into the following categories. Of course, there isn’t enough room in this guide to list all possible collocations, but later on, we will discuss how you can learn more for yourself. For now, here are the different types of collocations for you to consider.
Adverbs and Adjectives
These collocations relate to how you describe something in particular. There are words that could be used instead, but in English, we almost always see them like this:
Happily married – if we are describing a joyful marriage, we always say happily married. You wouldn’t expect to see anybody saying something like “They were joyfully married”. Whilst yes, it makes sense and everybody would understand what you meant, it falls slightly odd on English speakers ears because they are just so used to the adverb and adjective collocation of ‘happily married’.
Other examples of collocations with adverb and adjective: fully aware, happily married, highly controversial, highly effective, highly probable, highly profitable…
Adjective and Noun
To describe (adjective) something (noun) using collocations is to describe it in a way that is most often seen in English. Below is a common example:
Major problem – if you are trying to say that something has gone wrong, then telling somebody that you are facing a ‘major problem’ is the correct collocation. If we changed the noun instead of the adjective, you can see that describing other things as major just sounds a little odd. Saying you had a ‘major solution’ to that problem wouldn’t sound right. So you can see how some words just fit together better because they are most commonly put together, allowing us to grow used to hearing or seeing them in that way.
Collocation examples with adjectives and nouns: internal injury, internal organ, irreparable damage, joint account, just cause, key issue, key role…
Noun and Verb
When attributing a verb to a noun, some phrases are just more often combined than others, so this forms a collocation because we become used to seeing the words combined:
Lions roar – when describing what a lion does in an aggressive fight for example, you would expect to see it being described as a ‘lions roar’. Whilst you could say ‘lions shout’ or even ‘bears roar’, it’s less common because they just aren’t put together and it will sound a little odd.
Verb and Noun
This is just the combination above but with the verb first and the noun second. There are phrases here that make more sense when combined together than others:
Booming economy – if you are trying to express how a country’s economy is doing really well at the moment, then you can say that the country has a ‘booming economy’. To say it had a ‘flourishing economy’ would make sense, but it just isn’t seen often enough for people to know instantly what you were talking about. After a little thought on the reader or listener’s side, they would understand the meaning, but when talking or writing our key objective should be to get our point across clearly.
Other examples of collocations with verb and noun: go on a date, go on a picnic, go on foot, have a fight, have a fit, have a game, keep quiet, keep records…
Verbs and Expressions with Prepositions
This is slightly more complicated, but it’s just a way of expressing how something was done. It gives slightly more information than simply saying someone was ‘scared’ etc. Here’s an example of a collocation using this combination of words:
Filled with horror – this tells you that somebody was scared, but by using the verb ‘filled’ and the preposition ‘with’ to express their ‘horror’ or ‘fear’. If you wanted to describe how somebody was feeling worried, you wouldn’t expect to see somebody saying they were ‘filled with nervousness’.
Examples of collocations with verbs and prepositions: allow for, apologize for, ask for, object to, pray to, prefer to …
Verb and Adverb
A collocation made up of a verb and adverb is a collocation that describes how something was done again, but without the use of prepositions:
Cry hysterically – if somebody is really upset they could be said to ‘cry hysterically’, but you wouldn’t expect to see somebody said to ‘cry frantically’ or hear of somebody who was said to ‘smile hysterically’ because it just isn’t common.
More collocation examples with verb and adverb: go far, go first, go upstairs, guess correctly, hit hard, judge harshly, know well…
Noun and Noun
Again these nouns are the ones placed together most often to form a collocation:
Sense of pride – if somebody is proud of somebody else, then they could be said to have a ‘sense of pride’. If we try changing the second noun, you can see how this doesn’t work as well because it’s not something we are used to seeing. Describing somebody as having a ‘sense of shame’ when they feel embarrassed by somebody’s actions is just not commonly used, even if it technically makes sense.
More examples of collocations with noun and noun: core values, corporate finance, cottage industry, creation science, credit bureau, credit union…
Other Types of Collocations
- Adverb and adverb: only just, pretty well, quite a lot, quite enough, quite often, right away…
- Adverb and verb: badly damage, deeply rooted (in), never knew, quite agree…
- Adjective and preposition: comfortable with, concerned with, nasty of, nervous of, nice of, furious about, guilty about…
- Noun and preposition: date with, dealing with, difficulty with, debate on, information on, hold on…
Collocations Examples in Sentences
Examples of collocations with prepositions at, in, on, to, with…
- He’s brilliant at football.
- They are excellent at planning fun parties.
- The teacher was surprised at the student’s question.
- She has lost her belief in God.
- There was no change in the patient’s condition overnight.
- I need some lessons in how to set up a website.
- I congratulate you on your new job!
- I insist on Peter’s studying every day for two hours.
- Can we rely on this old car to get us there?
- I feel very proud to be a part of the team.
- People are scared to use the buses late at night.
- It’s nice to know you.
- You are blessed with many talents.
- Don’t be careless with your ATM card.
- The fall in retail sales is directly connected with the decline in employment.
How to Learn Collocations
Collocations are important if you want to show yourself off to be somebody who truly understands the use of the English language in a way that is common. The best way to learn them is to speak with other people and read other people’s work. You’ll see that certain words are combined in certain ways more often than others, so by copying them you will become used to the words that simply ‘sound right’ when put together and realize when words will ‘sound wrong’, so that you don’t use them anymore. The best part about talking with others is that they can point out when something isn’t right and it gives you the correct collocation instead.
This guide will have hopefully taught you more about collocations and the best way to use them in speech and writing.
Collocations List
List of Expressions with Ask
- Ask a favour
- Ask a question
- Ask about
- Ask after somebody
- Ask for advice
- Ask for directions
- Ask for something
- Ask permission
- Ask sb out
- Ask if/ whether
Examples of Collocations with ASK
Ask a favour
- Can I ask a favour?
Ask a question
- Sally interrupted me in midstream to ask a question.
Ask about
- I want to ask you about your opinion about this book.
Ask after somebody
- Tell your father I was asking after him.
Ask for advice
- You should go to your doctor and ask for advice.
Ask for directions
- How do you ask for directions in Korea?
Ask for something
- He never speaks to me other than to ask for something.
Ask permission
- You must ask permission if you want to leave early.
Ask sb out
- He asked her out to dinner.
Ask if/ whether
- Tom asked if she wanted a cup of coffee.
List of Expressions with Break
- Break a bone
- Break a code
- Break a habit
- Break a law
- Break a promise
- Break a record
- Break a window
- Break ground
- Break new ground
- Break the news
- Break one’s fall
- Break someone’s heart
- Break the rules
- Break the silence
- Break the spell
Examples of Collocations with Break
Break a bone
- Tom broke his bone while striking his final goal.
Break a code
- Scientists worked day and night to break the code.
Break a habit
- Do you know it takes 28 days to break a habit?
Break a law
- If you break a law, you go to prison.
Break a promise
- I know he wouldn’t break a promise to me, so I try to keep this promise.
Break a record
- “You and me, today we’re going to break a record, ” he said.
Break a window
- I had to break a window to get into the house.
Break ground
- They will break ground on the new housing project next week.
Break new ground
- I don’t have to break new ground here.
Break the news
- The police had to break the news to the boy’s parents.
Break one’s fall
- Luckily, a bush broke his fall.
Break someone’s heart
- It would break her heart when they’d have to leave .
Break the rules
- If you break the rules and get caught, you should be penalized.
Break the silence
- I was the first one to break the silence in my family.
Break the spell
- We have to make our own rules to break the spell.
List of Expressions with Catch
- Catch (on) fire
- Catch a ball
- Catch a bus/ a train
- Catch a chill
- Catch a cold
- Catch a glimpse
- Catch a thief
- Catch a whiff
- Catch sight of
- Catch someone’s attention
- Catch someone’s eye
- Catch the flu
- Catch You Later!
- Catch your breath
Collocation Examples with Catch
Catch (on) fire
- The plane catches fire just as it is reaching the destination.
Catch a ball
- His son could catch a ball coming toward his left or right.
Catch a bus/ a train
- You’d really need to catch a bus.
Catch a chill
- If you have a small hat available, put it on the baby so it doesn’t catch a chill.
Catch a cold
- If you get caught in the rain, you might catch a cold.
Catch a glimpse
- Perhaps I might catch a glimpse of Frank.
Catch a thief
- You’re here to catch a thief.
Catch a whiff
- I caught a whiff of peachy perfume.
Catch sight of
- As the group turns to leave, Sayid catches sight of the cat.
Catch someone’s attention
- The silver plated caster on the dining table catch her attention.
Catch someone’s eye
- I caught her eye and smiled.
Catch the flu
- Tom seems to catch the flu every year.
Catch You Later!
- See you again. Catch you later.
Catch your breath
- You never got a chance to catch your breath.
List of Expressions with Come
- Come clean about
- Come close
- Come complete with
- Come early
- Come first
- Come into view
- Come last
- Come on time
- Come prepared
- Come right back
- Come to a compromise
- Come to a conclusion
- Come to a decision
- Come to a realization
- Come to a stop
- Come to an agreement
- Come to an end
- Come to life
- Come to sb’s rescue
- Come to terms with
- Come under attack
- Come up with
Collocations with COME with Example Sentences
Come clean about
- Mom, I need to come clean about the vase, I broke it not Tommy.
Come close
- The movie was so boring that I came close to walking out of the cinema.
Come complete with
- Our machines come complete with a ten-year warranty.
Come early
- I always come early for meetings.
Come first
- For me family always comes first.
Come into view
- We were watching the stars when suddenly a shooting star came into view.
Come last
- Greg comes last in every race.
Come on time
- The movie starts at 9 am. Please come on time.
Come prepared
- There is a test next week, come prepared.
Come right back
- Where’s Johnny? He went to get some coffee, he said he’ll come right back.
Come to a compromise
- We need to come to a compromise about our vacation plans.
Come to a conclusion
- The debate did not come to a conclusion until yesterday.
Come to a decision
- We must come to a decision about what to do next by tomorrow.
Come to a realization
- I have just come to a realization!
Come to a stop
- Suddenly the music came to a stop.
Come to an agreement
- It is great that we were able to come to an agreement.
Come to an end
- I wondered if my football career was coming to an end.
Come to life
- One team will try to make those four stories come to life.
Come to sb’s rescue
- He was about to drop a huge tray of dishes when Brad came to his rescue.
Come to terms with
- He had to figure out how to come to terms with her.
Come under attack
- The new policy has come under attack by environmentalists.
Come up with
- I couldn’t come up with any good ideas for my mom’s 50th birthday party.
List of Expressions with DO
- Do a course
- Do a deal
- Do a favour
- Do a good/great/terrible job
- Do a report
- Do anything/something/everything
- Do badly
- Do better
- Do business
- Do the crossword
- Do damage
- Do exercise
- Do experiments
- Do good
- Do gymnastics
- Do harm
- Do homework
- Do laundry
- Do nothing
- Do research
- Do someone a favour
- Do something right
- Do something wrong
- Do sums
- Do the cleaning
- Do the cooking
- Do the dishes
- Do the housework
- Do the ironing
- Do the math
- Do the maximum
- Do the minimum
- Do the paperwork
- Do the right thing
- Do the shopping
- Do the washing up
- Do well
- Do work
- Do your best
- Do your duty
- Do someone’s hair
- Do your makeup
Examples of Collocations with DO
Do a course
- I want to do a course in Math.
Do a deal
- The unions are ready to do a deal over pay.
Do a favour
- Couldn’t you do a favour and leave me alone?
Do a good/great/terrible job
- He may be able to do a good job, but I doubt it.
Do a report
- Could you do a report for me?
Do anything/something/everything
- You can’t do everything by yourself – let me help you.
Do badly
- Children do badly at school for a variety of reasons.
Do better
- We’ll do better next time, I’m sure.
Do business
- It’s been a pleasure to do business with you.
Do the crossword
- I like to sit down and do the crossword.
Do damage
- Did the flood do much damage?
Do exercise
- I really enjoy doing exercise every day.
Do experiments
- In my business, we have to do experiments every day.
Do good
- If I do good next year, I can come out then.
Do gymnastics
- We don’t do gymnastics at school.
Do harm
- Drugs can do harm to you.
Do homework
- I like to do homework.
Do laundry
- She loves to do laundry.
Do nothing
- I can do nothing about it.
Do research
- He stayed on at university to do research.
Do someone a favour
- Could you do me a favour and pass these sandwiches round?
Do something right
- I did something right at work
Do something wrong
- He did something wrong and felt bad
Do sums
- Calculators were forbidden until students could do sums in their heads.
Do the cleaning
- It’s your turn to do the cleaning.
Do the cooking
- I don’t mind eating in if you do the cooking.
Do the dishes
- He often helps his wife do the dishes.
Do the housework
- We take it in turns to do the housework.
Do the ironing
- I have to do the ironing, and there’s lots of it.
Do the math
- Why do you have no savings? You do the math.
Do the maximum
- I’ll just do the maximum possible and I am happy with that.
Do the minimum
- He thought he was smart to save everything and do the minimum.
Do the paperwork
- I’ll do the paperwork, even if she stays less than a month.
Do the right thing
- He was relying on his bosses to do the right thing.
Do the shopping
- I always do the shopping on a Monday.
Do the washing up
- It’s your turn to do the washing up!
Do well
- A business can’t do well without good management.
Do work
- Students do work experience in local firms.
Do your best
- It doesn’t matter if you fail, just do your best.
Do your duty
- Do your duty without regard to the consequences.
Do someone’s hair
- She was sitting in front of the mirror doing her hair.
Do your makeup
- How long does it take you to do your makeup?
List of Collocations with GET
- Get a call
- Get a chance
- Get a clue
- Get a cold
- Get a degree/ a diploma
- Get a job
- Get a joke
- Get a letter (receive)
- Get a shock
- Get a splitting headache
- Get a tan
- Get a ticket
- Get a/the right
- Get angry
- Get changed (change clothes)
- Get cool
- Get dark
- Get divorced
- Get dressed/ undressed
- Get drunk
- Get fired
- Get frightened
- Get good/top/bad marks
- Get home (arrive)
- Get hot(ter)
- Get hungry
- Get into trouble
- Get lost
- Get married
- Get nowhere
- Get old
- Get one’s hair cut
- Get out of breath
- Get permission
- Get pregnant
- Get ready for
- Get sleep
- Get started
- Get stuck (in a traffic jam)
- Get the impression
- Get the message
- Get the ticket (buy)
- Get tired
- Get to sleep
- Get together
- Get upset
- Get wet
- Get worried
Examples of Collocations with GET
List of collocations with get with example sentences.
Get a call
- I didn’t get a call from anyone
Get a chance
- I get a chance to sleep in at the weekend.
Get a clue
- You get a clue, and follow that up.
Get a cold
- It’s tough because you always get a cold in the wintertime.
Get a degree/ a diploma
- My goals were to go back to school and get a degree.
Get a job
- He wanted to see if he could get a job with us.
Get a joke
- I go there to get a joke each day.
Get a letter (receive)
- I got a letter from my friend in Bangkok.
Get a shock
- They’ll get a shock when they get this bill.
Get a splitting headache
- Tom says he’s got a splitting headache and falls in half.
Get a tan
- I wish I could get a tan like that.
Get a ticket
- Can you get a ticket for me?
Get a/the right
- We cast our net wide to get the right person for the job.
Get angry
- He was beginning to get angry.
Get changed (change clothes)
- I didn’t have time to get changed before the party.
Get cool
- It will probably get cool later, so bring a coat.
Get dark
- It gets dark very early in the winter.
Get divorced
- I got divorced when I was about 31.
Get dressed/ undressed
- The first thing I do in the morning is get dressed.
Get drunk
- She got drunk and fell over.
Get fired
- She didn’t want to get fired.
Get frightened
- She gets frightened when he shouts at her.
Get good/top/bad marks
- If Peter is lazy, he will get bad marks.
Get home (arrive)
- I didn’t get home till after dinnertime.
Get hot(ter)
- It’s getting hotter.
Get hungry
- If you get hungry , there’s some cold chicken in the fridge.
Get into trouble
- If you get into trouble, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Get lost
- We always get lost in London.
Get married
- Tom and Sarah are getting married.
Get nowhere
- You’ll get nowhere if you follow his instruction.
Get old
- He’s getting old and his hearing isn’t very good.
Get one’s hair cut
- I want to know where Sarah got her hair cut.
Get out of breath
- If you get out of breath at any time, go back to walking.
Get permission
- You need to get permission from the owner.
Get pregnant
- My wife took 2 years to get pregnant.
Get ready for
- Are you ready, Tom? I got ready for bed.
Get sleep
- It’s important to get sleep so don’t stay up too long.
Get started
- We couldn’t wait to get started on the next job.
Get stuck (in a traffic jam)
- I got stuck in a traffic jam.
Get the impression
- I got the impression she was a little preoccupied.
Get the message
- We want to get the message to them and let them decide.
Get the ticket (buy)
- Where am I going to get a ticket?
Get tired
- I get tired of educating people.
Get to sleep
- He couldn’t get to sleep because he was too excited.
Get together
- Shall we get together on Friday and go for a drink or something?
Get upset
- I knew John would get upset when he got the sack.
Get wet
- You get wet in the rain.
Get worried
- I started to get worried when they didn’t arrive home.
List of Expressions with Give
- Give a call (a ring, a buzz)
- Give a chance
- Give a choice
- Give a damn
- Give a hand
- Give a headache
- Give a hug or kiss
- Give a lecture or speech or performance
- Give a ride
- Give an advice
- Give an answer
- Give an example
- Give an idea
- Give an opinion
- Give birth
- Give credit
- Give evidence
- Give notice
- Give permission
- Give priority
- Give rise to
- Give somebody a call
- Give somebody a chance
- Give somebody a lift
- Give something a go
- Give the impression
- Give thought (to)
- Give hope
- Give way
Examples of Collocations with Give
Learn common collocations with give with example sentences.
Give a call (a ring, a buzz)
- Give me a call to let me know you’ve arrived safely.
Give a chance
- Let me give a chance for the youngsters
Give a choice
- I was given no choice; I had to go to the boring lecture.
Give a damn
- She doesn’t give a damn about her job.
Give a hand
- He always give a hand to anyone in difficulty.
Give a headache
- The noise was giving her a headache.
Give a hug or kiss
- Come here and give me a hug!
Give a lecture or speech or performance
- The president will give a long speech.
Give a ride
- I’ve got to get into town. Can you give me a ride?
Give an advice
- We are here to give people advice about health issues.
Give an answer
- John always gives perfect answers in class.
Give an example
- John gave Iceland as an example of a cold country.
Give an idea
- He gave an idea for new project so he got a promotion.
Give an opinion
- He didn’t give an opinion on the matter.
Give birth
- I’m pregnant and I’ll give birth.
Give credit
- You have to give credit to her for turning the match around.
Give evidence
- I was asked to give evidence at the trial.
Give notice
- She’s given notice that she intends to leave.
Give permission
- The city authorities gave permission for the rally to take place.
Give priority
- They must also give priority to looked after children in care.
Give rise to
- They can give rise to cosmetic concerns.
Give somebody a call
- I’ll give you a call later in the week.
Give somebody a chance
- It gives me a chance to get away from soccer a little.
Give somebody a lift
- Please give me a lift onto the saddle.
Give something a go
- I doubt if he’ll listen to advice from me, but I’ll give it a go.
Give the impression
- His body did not give the impression of age.
Give thought (to)
- Have you given any more thought to going back to school?
Give hope
- This book can and will give hope to the hopeless.
Give way
- You must give way to any pedestrians on the crossing.
List of Expressions with Have
- Have a bab
- Have a backache
- Have a bad fall
- Have a bad temper
- Have a bath
- Have a birthday
- Have a bite
- Have a break
- Have a business trip
- Have a busy day
- Have a career/a goal
- Have a chance
- Have a chat
- Have a cold
- Have a competition
- Have a confrontation
- Have a conversation/chat
- Have a cup of tea/ coffee
- Have a dance
- Have a day off
- Have a discussion
- Have a dispute
- Have a doubt
- Have a dream
- Have a drill
- Have a drink
- Have a feeling
- Have a fight
- Have a fit
- Have a game
- Have a glass of wine
- Have a go
- Have a goal
- Have a good time
- Have a good/nice/etc day!
- Have a great weekend
- Have a haircut
- Have a hard time
- Have a headache
- Have a holiday
- Have a jacuzzi
- Have a jog
- Have a laugh
- Have a lecture
- Have a lesson
- Have a lie down
- Have a limp
- Have a lisp
- Have a listen
- Have a look
- Have a massage
- Have a meal
- Have a meeting
- Have a moment
- Have a nap
- Have a night mare
- Have a party/concert
- Have a passion for
- Have a plan
- Have a problem
- Have a quarrel
- Have a relationship
- Have a rest
- Have a ride
- Have a right
- Have a run
- Have a safe journey
Have a salad - Have a sandwich
- Have a scrub
- Have a shave
- Have a shower
- Have a smell
- Have a snack
- Have a snooze
- Have a stretch
- Have a stroke
- Have a swim
- Have a talk
- Have a taste
Have a temperature - Have a think
- Have a touch
- Have a try
- Have a walk
- Have a wash
- Have a wish
- Have a word
- Have a workout
- Have access (to)
- Have an accident
- Have an appointment with
- Have an argument
- Have an effect (on)
- Have an energy bar
- Have an event
- Have an exam
- Have an excuse
- Have an experience
- Have an ice-cream
- Have an idea
- Have an interview
- Have an opportunity
- Have breakfast/lunch/dinner
- Have difficulty
- Have faith
- Have food
- Have fun/a good time
- Have no education
- Have no fear
- Have patience
- Have a rest
- Have room
- Have self-esteem
- Have sex
- Have skills
- Have some sugar/ milk
- Have something to eat
- Have soul
- Have success
- Have sympathy
- Have the chance (to)
- Have time
- Have trouble
- Have work
Examples of Collocations with Have
List of common collocations with Have with example sentences.
Have a baby
- She’s going to have a baby.
Have a backache
- My father has a backache so he couldn’t sleep well.
Have a bad fall
- My friend had a bad fall.
Have a bad temper
- I know I have a bad temper sometimes.
Have a bath
- I can’t remember the last time I had a bath.
Have a birthday
- Well, you can’t have a birthday without a cake.
Have a bite
- Can I have a bite of your hot dog?
Have a break
- Let’s have a break when you finish this exercise
Have a business trip
- My dad has a business trip so we could not visit our grandmother together.
Have a busy day
- I have a busy day.
Have a career/a goal
- I wanted to have a career as a singer.
Have a chance
- We have a chance to make things better.
Have a chat
- I’ll have a chat to John about it.
Have a cold
- She has a cold so she is very tired.
Have a competition
- Next week, we will have a competition at school.
Have a confrontation
- Our company has a confrontation between employers and unions.
Have a conversation/chat
- Can we have a conversation before we make any decision?
Have a cup of tea/ coffee
- Would you like to have a cup of tea/coffee?
Have a dance
- Let’s have a dance together.
Have a day off
- I have a day off to take care of my grandmother.
Have a discussion
- We should have a discussion about this topic to understand deeply.
Have a dispute
- I have a dispute with anyone who would challenge us.
Have a doubt
- Teacher, I have a doubt about this.
Have a dream
- I had a dream that I won the lottery.
Have a drill
- We have a drill. We’re going to drill.
Have a drink
- Would you like to have a drink after work?
Have a feeling
- I have a feeling that something is wrong.
Have a fight
- My best friend and I had a fight.
Have a fit
- If your mother finds out about this, she’ll have a fit.
Have a game
- He said we could have a game.
Have a glass of wine
- I have a glass of wine with a meal.
Have a go
- Can I have a go on your guitar?
Have a goal
- You now have a goal to aim for.
Have a good time
- I had a good time with my family.
Have a good/nice/etc day!
- Wish you have a good day with your boy friend.
Have a great weekend
- Did you have a great weekend?
Have a haircut
- She has a haircut.
Have a hard time
- Companies are having a hard time finding and retaining their people.
Have a headache
- If you have a headache, you should take some aspirin.
Have a holiday
- I want to have a holiday with my family.
Have a jacuzzi
- Spa rooms also have a Jacuzzi bath.
Have a jog
- You should have a jog in the evening.
Have a laugh
- We just muck around in training and have a laugh.
Have a lecture
- I will have a lecture tomorrow.
Have a lesson
- I have a lesson in 15 minutes.
Have a lie down
- I’ll go home and have a lie down instead.
Have a limp
- As you know, I have a limp from my service in Gaul.
Have a lisp
- If they have a lisp, don’t mention it or laugh at it secretly or openly.
Have a listen
- Finally, Adam tells me to have a listen.
Have a look
- Can I have a look at your wedding photos?
Have a massage
- Does this hotel have a massage room?
Have a meal
- Seldom, if ever, do I have a meal alone.
Have a meeting
- We have a meeting at 9:00. Don’t be late!
Have a moment
- I’m just letting her have a moment.
Have a nap
- I was exhausted so I had a nap on the sofa.
Have a night mare
- I had a scary nightmare last night.
Have a party/concert
- It’s your birthday nextweek, let’s have a party!
Have a passion for
- I have a passion for math.
Have a plan
- Don’t worry, I have a plan to fix this.
Have a problem
- Our school is having financial problem.
Have a quarrel
- Mrs. Ridgewell asked if they’d had a quarrel.
Have a relationship
- I have a relationship with that brand.
Have a rest
- You look awful. Lie down and have a rest.
Have a ride
- Can I have a ride with you?
Have a right
- People have a right to be heard and express their views.
Have a run
- You have a run in your stocking.
Have a safe journey
- Charts are absolutely essential to having a safe journey.
Have a salad
- Maybe for dessert we could have a salad of local fresh fruits.
Have a sandwich
- He did not have a sandwich.
Have a scrub
- If you don’t have a scrub, you can make your own.
Have a shave
- I’ll just have a shave before we go.
Have a shower
- I usually have two showers a day.
Have a smell
- They have a smell unlike any smell on earth.
Have a snack
- We have a snack with them before the class.
Have a snooze
- I’m going to have a snooze after lunch.
Have a stretch
- If your machine does not have a stretch stitch, use a zigzag stitch.
Have a stroke
- I was too young to have a stroke.
Have a swim
- This afternoon I have a swim meet.
Have a talk
- We can have a talk about it some other time.
Have a taste
- I’m inviting you to have a taste of it.
Have a temperature
- There was no improvement; she continued to have a temperature.
Have a think
- He doesn’t eat meat, he’s avoiding cheese, he’ll have a think about wine.
Have a touch
- We’ve allowed someone to have a touch, turn and shoot at our goal.
Have a try
- I’ll explain what to do and then you can have a try.
Have a walk
- We would often have a walk of an evening.
Have a wash
- I need to have a wash before dinner.
Have a wish
- Human beings have a wish for closure, to get on with their lives.
Have a word
- My boss had a word with me about my actions.
Have a word
- Can I have a word with you?
Have a workout
- Normally I have a workout on the beach when I stay here.
Have access (to)
- Who had access to my computer while I was away?
Have an accident
- Josh had a car accident last night.
Have an appointment with
- I have an appointment with the doctor today.
Have an argument
- I had an argument with my father.
Have an effect (on)
- Did increasing the price have much effect on sales?
Have an energy bar
- When that’s not an option, have an energy bar for a snack.
Have an event
- Why not have an event here?
Have an exam
- I have an exam tomorrow, wish me luck.
Have an excuse
- She has an excuse for everything.
Have an experience
- I had a frightening experience the other day.
Have an ice-cream
- Can I have an ice-cream, please?
Have an idea
- I’ve just had a really good idea!
Have an interview
- He has an interview tomorrow, and he’s a little nervous.
Have an opportunity
- You’ve already had lots of opportunities.
Have breakfast/lunch/dinner
- I’m having lunch with Linda today.
Have difficulty
- She had difficulty in starting her car.
Have faith
- Personally, I do have faith.
Have food
- We have food banks in this country.
Have fun/a good time
- Did you have fun at the party.
Have no education
- There are many children who have no education, food, or family.
Have no fear
- In any case, I have no fear of death”.
Have patience
- You’ve got to have patience.
Have a rest
- You should go to your room and have a rest.
Have room
- We don’t have room for a pool table in our apartment.
Have self-esteem
- I have self-esteem now that I’ve never had before.
Have sex
- I had heard that the girls are forced to have sex.
Have skills
- The company needs more people who have skills.
Have some sugar/ milk
- Could I have some milk please?
Have something to eat
- You should have something to eat.
Have soul
- They don’t really have soul.
Have success
- You have to have success and failure.
Have sympathy
- I really have sympathy for them.
Have the chance (to)
- You will have the chance to ask questions at the end.
Have time
- Hopefully we should have time to prepare.
Have trouble
- I know you have trouble with eye contact.
Have work
- I can’t stand here talking – I have work to do.
List of Expressions with Make
- Make a break for
- Make a be
- Make a cake
- Make a call
- Make a choice
- Make a comment
- Make a complaint
- Make a confession/ an admission
- Make a contract
- Make a cup of tea
- Make a deal
- Make a decision
- Make a difference
- Make a discovery
- Make a dress
- Make a fire
- Make a fool of yourself
- Make a fortune
- Make a fuss
- Make a habit
- Make a joke
- Make a list
- Make a living
- Make a mess
- Make a mistake
- Make a move
- Make a note (of)
- Make a pass at
- Make a phone call
- Make a point
- Make a prediction
- Make a presentation
- Make a profit
- Make a promise
- Make a recovery
- Make a reservation
- Make a rude gesture
- Make a salad
- Make a sales call
- Make a sandwich
- Make a snack
- Make a sound
- Make a speech
- Make a statement
- Make a suggestion
- Make a takeover bid
- Make a threat
- Make amends
- Make an agreement
- Make an allusion
- Make an appearance
- Make an appointment
- Make an arrangement
- Make an attempt
- Make an effort
- Make an enquiry
- Make an exception
- Make an excuse
- Make an impression
- Make an objection
- Make an observation
- Make an offer
- Make an arrangement
- Make believe
- Make breakfast/ lunch/ dinner
- Make changes
- Make coffee
- Make contact
- Make ends meet
- Make food
- Make friends
- Make fun of someone
- Make furniture
- Make love
- Make money
- Make noise
- Make peace
- Make plans
- Make progress
- Make an effort
- Make room
- Make sense
- Make someone angry/ mad/ happy/ sad
- Make something easy
- Make sure
- Make the bed
- Make time
- Make tracks
- Make trouble
- Make up your mind
- Make war
- Make your bed
Examples of Collocations with Make
List of common collocations with make with example sentences.
Make a break for
- They decided to make a break for it that night.
Make a bed
- I can make a bed for you in the other bedroom.
Make a cake
- Don’t scant the butter when you make a cake.
Make a call
- Can you wait a second while I make a call?
Make a choice
- She should make a right choice.
Make a comment
- I’d just like to make a comment.
Make a complaint
- I made a complaint to the manager about the poor service in the restaurant.
Make a confession/ an admission
- I want to make a confession to you, love.
Make a contract
- We are to make a contract for a supply of raw silk with the company.
Make a cup of tea
- John always makes himself a cup of tea when he gets to work.
Make a deal
- We need to make a deal for this project.
Make a decision
- Have you made a decision yet?
Make a difference
- I can make a difference in this world.
Make a discovery
- Later, when they go to let her out, they make a discovery.
Make a dress
- She makes beautiful dresses.
Make a fire
- I didn’t even know spiders could make fire.
Make a fool of yourself
- I just want to make sure you don’t make a fool of yourself.
Make a fortune
- I could make a fortune as a research consultant on these projects.
Make a fuss
- I didn’t make a fuss over their costumes, or dress up myself.
Make a habit
- Mr. Wells doesn’t plan to make a habit of this.
Make a joke
- Harold always make jokes, but no one finds them funny.
Make a list
- She is making a list of everyone who has expressed an interest.
Make a living
- She will worry about making a living when she gets there.
Make a mess
- She didn’t like to make a mess.
Make a mistake
- It’s easy to make a mistake.
Make a move
- I never had the courage to make a move.
Make a note (of)
- I’ll make a note of our next meeting in my diary.
Make a pass at
- I make a pass at a new club member.
Make a phone call
- Kate had to make a phone call during her break.
Make a point
- Mark made some good points in his presentation, we should consider his project.
Make a prediction
- It’s difficult to make any predictions about the future of the economy.
Make a presentation
- They will then make a presentation to the employer who will evaluate it.
Make a profit
- We can’t undertake that you will make a profit.
Make a promise
- I made a promise to my mother to always take care of my siblings.
Make a recovery
- Abstain from the cigarette or you by no means make a recovery.
Make a reservation
- We make a reservation with an airline or travel agent.
Make a rude gesture
- He responded by making a rude gesture, prompting the other car to stop.
Make a salad
- I made a salad for the family picnic.
Make a sales call
- I need to make a sales call.
Make a sandwich
- My mom always makes me a sandwich to school
Make a snack
- When I take a break from studying I make myself a snack.
Make a sound
- Everyone laughed when I failed to make a sound.
Make a speech
- I have to make a speech tonight for a fund-raiser.
Make a statement
- He’s getting ready to make a statement.
Make a suggestion
- I tried to make a suggestion but she snubbed me.
Make a takeover bid
- The company made a takeoverbid for one of its rivals.
Make a threat
- Never make a threat you are not prepared to carry out.
Make amends
- She tried to make amends by inviting him out to dinner.
Make an agreement
- Think carefully before you make an agreement.
Make an allusion
- Just by mistake! I really don’t make an allusion to what you said last night on purpose.
Make an appearance
- You should get to the shower, make an appearance.
Make an appointment
- I’d like to make an appointment with Doctor Evans, please.
Make an arrangement
- I’m sure we can make an arrangement for that to happen, he said.
Make an attempt
- Belatedly, I make an attempt to steer the interview back on course.
Make an effort
- We need to make an effort to do well in this competition.
Make an enquiry
- I want to make an enquiry about train times.
Make an exception
- I thought I’d make an exception for family.
Make an excuse
- I suppose I could make an excuse.
Make an impression
- It was a big deal, and he wanted to make an impression.
Make an objection
- The commitee has made serious objections to that plan.
Make an observation
- Before I conclude, I wish to make an observation.
Make an offer
- I’ve decided to make an offer on it.
Make an arrangement
- We could make an arrangement with you, not a special discount.
Make believe
- Let’s make believe we are doctors.
Make breakfast/ lunch/ dinner
- I’m making dinner – it’ll be ready in about ten minutes.
Make changes
- We need to make some changes to the schedule.
Make coffee
- I fell into the habit of making some frothy coffee for my breakfast.
Make contact
- We’d like to make contact with other schools in the area.
Make ends meet
- I can’t make ends meet on my small salary.
Make food
- I did make food for the kids.
Make friends
- They made friends with the children next door.
Make fun of someone
- A lot of the comedy now is about making fun of someone.
Make furniture
- In their spare time, they make furniture.
Make love
- He refused to make love before they were married.
Make money
- Jennifer makes enough money to pay her rent and bills.
Make noise
- Don’t make noise when you eat soup.
Make peace
- Stop fighting you two – shake hands and make peace!
Make plans
- We’re making plans to travel to Australia next year.
Make progress
- We will just be looking to make progress from last year.
Make an effort
- We need to make an effort to do well in this competition.
Make room
- I had taken a big painting off the wall to make room.
Make sense
- They tried to make sense of her mumblings.
Make someone angry/ mad/ happy/ sad
- You should not make your mother angry.
Make something easy
- He didn’t make it easy for me to leave.
Make sure
- Can you make sure we have enough copies of the report for everybody at the meeting?
Make the bed
- I make the bed in my bedroom everyday.
Make time
- It’s important to make time to read to your children.
Make tracks
- It’s getting late, Jim – I think we should make tracks.
Make trouble
- He could make trouble for me if he wanted to.
Make up your mind
- It’s now or never, so make up your mind.
Make war
- If you make war on me, I must make war in return.
Make your bed
- You should make your bed every morning.
List of Expressions with Go
- Go abroad
- Go bad
- Go bald
- Go bankrupt
- Go blind
- Go crazy
- Go deaf
- Go fishing
- Go insane (idiom)
- Go mad/angry
- Go missing
- Go on a date
- Go on a picnic
- Go on foot
- Go online
- Go out of business
- Go out of fashion
- Go overseas
- Go quiet
- Go sailing
- Go smoothly
- Go to the beach/to the movie
- Go to war
Examples of Collocations with Go
Go abroad
- We should go abroad on holiday this year.
Go bad
- The milk will go bad if it is not kept in the fridge.
Go bald
- Many men go bald at an early age.
Go bankrupt
- The company is about to go bankrupt.
Go blind
- The old cat is starting to go blind.
Go crazy
- The old man is going to go crazy.
Go deaf
- Many old people go deaf.
Go fishing
- I would like to go fishing this weekend.
Go insane (idiom)
- If you don’t stop making that noise, I’m going to go (completely) insane!
Go mad/angry
- I’d go mad if I was stuck at home all day.
Go missing
- Cats often go missing in the city.
Go on a date
- As for myself I doubt I’ll ever go on a date.
Go on a picnic
- We could go on a picnic today.
Go on foot
- I don’t have a car, so I will go on foot.
Go online
- I’ll just go online and look up her address.
Go out of business
- The farmer is going out of business.
Go out of fashion
- Their music will never go out of fashion.
Go overseas
- I often go overseas on business trips.
Go quiet
- The animals go quiet when there’s a predator around.
Go sailing
- I want to go sailing.
Go smoothly
- The process did not always go smoothly.
Go to the beach/to the movie
- I want to go to the beach with my friends at weekend.
Go to war
- We were always told we would never have to go to war.
Learn more with a huge list of verb-noun collocations in English.
List of Expressions with Take
- Take (sb) to court
- Take (sb’s) temperature
- Take a bite
- Take a bow
- Take a break
- Take a call
- Take a chance
- Take a class
- Take a decision (make)
- Take a holiday
- Take a lesson
- Take a look
- Take a message
- Take a nap
- Take a number
- Take a photo/ a photograph
- Take a picture
- Take a rest
- Take a risk
- Take a seat
- Take a shower (have)
- Take a step
- Take a taxi/bus/train/plane
- Take a test
- Take a while/ a minute/ five minutes
- Take action
- Take advantage (of)
- Take advice
- Take ages
- Take an exam/ a test/ a course
- Take care of
- Take charge (of)
- Take drugs
- Take exercise
- Take medicine
- Take notes
- Take notice
- Take part
- Take place
- Take pride in
- Take somebody’s place
- Take someone’s temperature
- Take time
- Take turns
- Take up space
- Take your time
Examples of Collocations with Take
List of collocations with take with example sentences.
Take (sb) to court
- I will take you to court if you persist in pestering my client.
Take (sb’s) temperature
- We take temperature readings every two hours.
Take a bite
- I make up a soft taco and take a bite.
Take a bow
- During the show, I could barely take a bow.
Take a break
- I wanted to take a break and work on some things.
Take a call
- Apologies for the delay, I had to take a call.
Take a chance
- We will take a chance to have the party outdoor.
Take a class
- You could just walk in, sit down and take a class.
Take a decision (make)
- You have to take lots of decisions in life.
Take a holiday
- He had intended to take a holiday in New York.
Take a lesson
- I might take a lesson from you.
Take a look
- I’ll take a look at the website and let you know what I think.
Take a message
- The manager is out, can I take a message?
Take a nap
- I usually take a nap after lunch.
Take a number
- I think it will take a number of months for this to play out.
Take a photo/ a photograph
- Why did you take so many photos on holiday?
Take a picture
- Could I take a picture of you?
Take a rest
- Take a rest from your hard work.
Take a risk
- She is left with little choice but to take a risk.
Take a seat
- Take a seat while I get you something to drink.
Take a shower (have)
- I usually take a shower before having my breakfast.
Take a step
- I take a step into the center of the circle.
Take a taxi/bus/train/plane
- Let’s not take a taxi; we can easily walk over.
Take a test
- Have you taken your driving test yet?
Take a while/ a minute/ five minutes
- It might take a while for this file to upload.
Take action
- We must take action to cut vehicle emissions.
Take advantage (of)
- Many schools don’t take full advantage of the Internet.
Take advice
- We don’t have to take advice from him.
Take ages
- It’ll probably take ages to find a parking space.
Take an exam/ a test/ a course
- Do you have to take an exam in French?
Take care of
- We had a chance to take care of our own business.
Take charge (of)
- The policeman said he would take charge of the gun.
Take drugs
- He does not smoke or take drugs.
Take exercise
- Take exercise if you’re out of shape.
Take medicine
- Take medicine when you get gripes.
Take notes
- He drew out his notebook and began to take notes.
Take notice
- This news made us all sit up and take notice.
Take part
- He will take part in this contest.
Take place
- The wedding will take place in October.
Take pride in
- I take pride in my work.
Take somebody’s place
- He has just begged off, can you take his place in the team?
Take someone’s temperature
- I took my temperature and I found that I am running a fever.
Take time
- Her mental scars will take time to heal.
Take turns
- We take turns to answer the phone.
Take up space
- You take up space and you slow me down.
Take your time
- Whatever you do, slow down and take your time.
List of Expressions with Tell
- Tell a joke
- Tell a lie
- Tell a secret
- Tell a story
- Tell the time
- Tell the difference
- Tell someone’s future
- Tell the truth
- Tell your name
Examples of Collocations with Tell
Tell a joke
- The host tell a joke to his guest to break the ice.
Tell a lie
- My mother and dad taught me never to tell a lie.
Tell a secret
- Come over here, Luke wants to tell you a secret.
Tell a story
- Gather (a)round and I’ll tell you a story.
Tell the time
- My daughter has just learned to tell the time.
Tell the difference
- Can you tell the difference between apes and monkeys?
Tell someone’s future
- At the fair, there was a lady who told your fortune.
Tell the truth
- I felt it was my duty to tell them the truth.
Tell your name
- If I get an award I’ll tell your name first on the stage.
List of Expressions with Keep
- Keep a diary
- Keep a promise
- Keep a secret
- Keep calm
- Keep control
- Keep in touch
- Keep quiet
- Keep records
- Keep score
- Keep someone’s place
- Keep the change
- Keep your balance
Examples of Collocations with Keep
Keep a diary
- I decided to keep a diary of our trip to Toronto.
Keep a promise
- It is easier to make a promise than to keep a promise.
Keep a secret
- Can I trust you to keep a secret?
Keep calm
- Please, whatever happens, try to keep calm.
Keep control
- My mother likes to keep control of everything.
Keep in touch
- I keep in touch with a lot of my friends around the world.
Keep quiet
- Please, keep quite when I’m on the phone.
Keep records
- It’s usual to keep records of all expenses.
Keep score
- We have to keep scoring the points in the fourth quarter.
Keep someone’s place
- Would you mind keeping my place for a minute?
Keep the change
- I told the taxi driver to keep the change.
Keep your balance
- You must learn to keep your balance in skating.
List of Expressions with Pay
- Pay a bill
- Pay a fine
- Pay a visit
- Pay attention
- Pay by credit card
- Pay cash
- Pay interest
- Pay one’s respects
- Pay someone a compliment
- Pay someone a visit
Examples of Collocations with Pay
Pay a bill
- I refuse to pay a bill if I am not satisfied with the service.
Pay a fine
- If you break the law, you sometimes have to pay a fine.
Pay a visit
- If you have time, pay a visit to the local museum.
Pay attention
- The teacher told the student to pay attention to his spelling.
Pay by credit card
- You can shop online and pay by credit card.
Pay cash
- We’ll have to pay cash for the tickets.
Pay interest
- Afterward, they pay interest at a rate of 6.65 percent.
Pay one’s respects
- We should go over and pay our respects to the new neighbors.
Pay someone a compliment
- Tom paid Bill a compliment when he told him he was intelligent.
Pay someone a visit
- We need to pay grandma a visit.
List of Expressions with Say
- Say a word
- Say for certain/sure
- Say goodbye
- Say hello
- Say no more
- Say nothing
- Say something
- Say sorry
- Say yes/no
Collocations with Say with Example Sentences
Say a word
- He’d never say a word to me.
Say for certain/sure
- I cannot say for sure what will happen.
Say goodbye
- I just have to say goodbye to Jane.
Say hello
- We came to say hello as we were passing through.
Say no more
- I will say no more on these matters, important though they are.
Say nothing
- I’ll say nothing about you.
Say something
- Let me say something before we go.
Say sorry
- Why should I say sorry when it’s not my fault?
Say yes/no
- You can say “yes” if you agree with my opinion.
List of Expressions with Save
- Save electricity
- Save energy
- Save lives
- Save money
- Save one’s strength
- Save someone a seat
- Save someone’s life
- Save something
- Save space
- Save time
- Save yourself the trouble
Examples of Collocations with Save
Save electricity
- Turn off the light when you leave a room to save electricity.
Save energy
- What are ways that we can save energy?
Save lives
- Spotting the disease early can save lives.
Save money
- We stayed in a cheapo hotel to save money.
Save one’s strength
- You’re sick so save your strength, and don’t try to do anything.
Save someone a seat
- I will be late to the movie. Will you save me a seat?
Save someone’s life
- Wearing a seat belt in a car can save your life.
Save something
- It’s just a wonderful feeling to save something.
Save space
- She saved some space in her suitcase for souvenirs.
Save time
- It’ll save time if we go by cab.
Save yourself the trouble
- You should save yourself the trouble.
Other Verb + Noun Collocations
- Abuse drugs
- Accept (a) defeat
- Accept a challenge
- Accept an apology
- Accept an invitation
- Accept responsibility
- Achieve a goal
- Admit defeat
- Against the law
- Answer a letter
- Answer a prayer
- Answer a question
- Answer an advertisement
- Answer the door
- Answer the phone
- Apply for a job
- Attract attention
- Attract sb’s attention
- Balance a budget
- Bear a resemblance (to sb/sth)
- Beat a record
- Beat to death
- Blow your nose
- Book a flight
- Boost morale
- Bring about change
- Bring attention to
- Bring to an end
- Bring to justice
- Call a meeting
- Call a name
- Call a strike
- Call an election
- Call attention to
- Call in sick
- Call sb names
- Call the police
- Carry weight
- Cast a spell
- Cast a vote
- Cast doubt
- Cause trouble
- Change course
- Change the subject
- Change your mind
- Claim responsibility
- Close the gap
- Commit suicide
- Conduct research
- Consider a possibility
- Cost a fortune
- Cover costs
- Cross sb’s mind
- Cut costs
- Declare war
- Deliver a baby
- Doesn’t matter
- Drop the subject
- Earn a living
- Eke out a living
- Enter a plea
- Enter politics
- Exceed expectations
- Express concern
- Express interest (in)
- Extend a deadline
- Face a challenge
- Face the fact(s)
- Fail miserably
- Fall in love
- Fight a fire
- Fight a war
- Fight corruption
- Fill a gap
- Fill in a form
- Find time
- Fire a shot
- Follow a pattern
- Follow advice
- Follow directions
- Follow instructions
- Gain access
- Hold a referendum
- Hold an election
- Hold an inquiry
- Hold hands
- Hold office
- Hold sb hostage
- Hold sb prisoner
- Hold talks
- Hurt sb’s feelings
- Impose conditions
- Impose restrictions
- Impose sanctions
- Issue a permit
- Join a club
- Join forces
- Join the army
- Jump to a conclusion
- Kick a goal
- Kill time
- Know the score
- Lay the groundwork
- Lead the field
- Lead the way
- Lead the world
- Lead to believe
- Leading role
- Leave a message
- Leave home
- Leave school
- Light a fire
- Live at home
- Lose a game
- Lose a job
- Lose control
- Lose faith
- Lose hope
- Lose interest
- Lose money
- Lose weight
- Lose your life
- Lose your temper
- Love dearly
- Meet a need
- Meet a standard
- Meet a target
- Meet opposition
- Meet with approval
- Miss a flight
- Miss a goal
- Miss an opportunity
- Obey an order
- Offer a job
- Offer an explanation
- Offer condolences
- Offer your services
- Open an account
- Open an investigation
- Open fire
- Owe an apology
- Owe an explanation
- Pack a suitcase
- Part company
- Pass (the) time
- Pass a law
- Pass a test
- Pass the time
- Pick your nose
- Place an order
- Play a part
- Play music
- Pose a risk
- Pose a threat
- Press a key
- Pull a muscle
- Push a button
- Put on weight
- Put out a cigarette
- Put out a fire
- Put up prices
- Put up wages
- Put up your hand
- Quit a job
- Quit drinking
- Quit smoking
- Raise a family
- Raise doubts
- Raise hopes
- Raise money
- Raise questions
- Raise taxes
- Raise your voice
- Rapid growth
- Reach a verdict
- Reach an agreement
- Read aloud
- Repair damage
- Resort to violence
- Restore confidence
- Restore order
- Retain control
- Return a call
- Return fire
- Return home
- Run a business
- Run the risk of
- Safety net
- Satisfy a need
- Satisfy a requirement
- Satisfy demand
- Scare tactic
- Score a goal
- See reason
- Serve a purpose
- Serve interests
- Set a date
- Set a goal
- Set a record
- Set a standard
- Set a table
- Set an alarm
- Set fire to | set on fire
- Set menu
- Solve a crime
- Solve a problem
- Spend time
- Spend your life
- Stall for time
- Stand trial
- Stay awake
- Strike a balance (btw)
- Take time off
- Turn a corner
- Turn around
- Undergo surgery
- Undergo treatment
- Use sb’s phone
- Vote against
- Vote for
- Wage war
- Wait your turn
- Warm welcome
- Waste an opportunity
- Waste money
- Waste time
- Watch your weight
- Wave goodbye
- Win a game
- Win a war
- Win an award
- Win an election
- Worth a fortune
- Yield results
- Regain control
Verb Collocation Example Sentences
Verb collocation examples in sentences.
- He asked her out to dinner.
- You get wet in the rain.
- I get tired of educating people.
- It’s important to get sleep so don’t stay up too long.
- He always gives a hand to anyone in difficulty.
- I’ve got to get into town. Can you give me a ride?
- He gave an idea for new project so he got a promotion.
- It’s easy to make a mistake.
- We can’t undertake that you will make a profit.
- My mom always makes me a sandwich to school
- We need to make an effort to do well in this competition.
- The committee has made serious objections to that plan.
- The old man is going to go crazy.
- As for myself, I doubt I’ll ever go on a date.
- I’ll just go online and look up her address.
- I want to go sailing.
- I wanted to take a break and work on some things.
- We will take a chance to have the party outdoor.
- He had intended to take a holiday in New York.
- I might take a lesson from you.
- I’ll take a look at the website and let you know what I think.
- Take a rest from your hard work.
- Take a seat while I get you something to drink.
- I take a step into the center of the circle.
- We don’t have to take advice from him.
- Take medicine when you get gripes.
- Her mental scars will take time to heal.
- Whatever you do, slow down and take your time.
- We came to say hello as we were passing through.
- Why should I say sorry when it’s not my fault?
- Can I trust you to keep a secret?
- My mother likes to keep control of everything.
- Please, keep quite when I’m on the phone.
- We have to keep scoring the points in the fourth quarter.
- You must learn to keep your balance in skating.
- “You and me, today we’re going to break a record, ” he said.
- Luckily, a bush broke his fall.
- His son could catch a ball coming toward his left or right.
- I caught her eye and smiled.
- See you again. Catch you later.
Noun & Preposition Collocations
Noun and Preposition Collocation Example Sentences
Noun and preposition collocation examples in sentences.
- The school has decided to adopt a different approach to discipline.
- She was concerned to write about situations that everybody could identify with.
- I really admire Sarah for her dedication to her family.
- The invitation to the reception at the embassy arrived the next day.
- The book is full of references to growing up in India.
- We received an encouraging response to our advertisement.
- He will remain head of state during the period of transition to democracy.
- Dave has close connection with my family.
- I’ve got a dinner date with Tommy on Saturday.
- He spoke openly about his involvement with the singer.
- Tony left after a quarrel with his wife.
- She received approval for the proposal from the shareholders.
- At least give her credit for trying.
- He felt nothing but hatred for his attacker.
- I’m aware of John’s reputation for being late.
- We went to see an exhibition of Viking jewellery.
- His habit of smoking in restaurants caused many problems in California.
- He was the first to see the possibilities of the plan.
- He pleaded the cause of the local fishermen.
Adjective & Preposition Collocations
Adjective and preposition collocation examples in sentences.
- The drought has made farmers anxious about the harvest.
- He was quite certain about his attacker’s identity.
- They were very curious about the people who lived upstairs.
- He’s brilliant at football.
- They are excellent at planning fun parties.
- Please don’t be mad at me!
- Dustin is terrible at texting.
- He’s got no manners – he’s rude to everyone.
- It’s good to see you again.
- She had grown accustomed to his long absences.
- I’ve never seen two people so attached to each other.
- Everyone in the class seemed eager to learn.
- Her dress is almost identical to mine.
- It’s too late to start complaining now.
- How are you related to him? Is he your cousin?
- It was generous of him to offer to pay for us both.
- You are in danger of being robbed.
- A crane is a kind of bird with very long legs and neck.
- It was nice of you to give me a present
- I’m sick of the way you’ve treated me.
- I’m sick and tired of all the arguments.
- It was unkind of you to take his toy away.
- The kids are busy with their homework.
- My mother is very clever with her hands.
- The airport is crowded with stranded travelers.
- He’s fed up with his job. He wants to quit.
- She was very gentle with the children.
Verb & Preposition Collocations
Verb and preposition collocation examples in sentences.
- We depend on our customers’ suggestions.
- I like to pride myself on my ability to concentrate.
- She had to apologized to the whole family.
- Professor Samson attributes this painting to Leonardo.
- She committed herself to finding a new job.
- Please contribute to the fund for the needy.
- Something awful happened to your car.
- She listens to the radio in the car.
- I object to your opinion.
- He reacted poorly to the news.
- He doesn’t care for playing golf.
- I can’t excuse myself for not doing it.
- Let me pay for Tom.
- A hotel room is being prepared for them.
- She said goodbye and thanked us for coming.
- She shut her eyes and wished for him to get better.
- My birthday coincides with a national holiday.
- He complies with each and every order.
- My closed is crammed with dirty clothes!
- The congressman met with strong opposition to his plan.
- It was hard to distinguish one twin from the other.
- The swimmer emerged from the lake.
- I got a letter today. I finally heard from him.
- I hope that this will result in the police finding your car.
- Can I trust in the figures in this report?
Verb and Verb Collocations
- Can’t afford
- Can’t help
- Can’t stand
- Come to expect
- Cut and paste
- Copy and paste
- Come close (to)
Verb and Adverb Collocations
- Act naturally
- Act suspiciously
- Agree wholeheartedly
- Apologize profusely
- Arrive on time
- Become increasingly
- Behave properly
- Bleed profusely
- Come alive
- Come along nicely
- Come first
- Come last
- Complain bitterly
- Deal directly
- Distribute widely
- Dive headfirst
- Divide equally
- Do badly
- Do well
- Drive safely
- Eat quickly
- Exercise regularly
- Fail miserably
- Fall sharply
- Fare poorly
- Fight hard
- Figure prominently
- Fit sb perfectly
- Fluctuate wildly
- Fold neatly
- Get off lightly
- Get up early
- Go astray
- Go badly
- Go far
- Go first
- Go smoothly
- Go upstairs
- Guess correctly
- Hit hard
- Judge harshly
- Know well
- Laugh hysterically
- Listen carefully
- Love dearly
- Made sth quickly
- Mean well
- Need badly
- Overlook completely
- Pass quickly
- Pay extra
- Perform live
- Placed gently
- Play brilliant
- Prove conclusively
- Publish widely
- Rain hard
- Rain heavily
- Recommend highly
- Rely heavily on
- Remember rightly
- Resume shortly
- Run fast
- Run quickly
- Running late
- Shout loudly
- Sleep soundly
- Solve easily
- Speak clearly
- Speak softly
- Spell correctly
- Stare blankly
- Start off slowly
- Test thoroughly
- Think aloud
- Think critically
- Travel overseas
- Treat well
- Try hard
- Value highly
- Walk briskly
- Wave frantically
- Whispered softly
- Work continuously
- Work perfectly
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