Welcome to the Collocation Corner – Where Words Get Along Better Than Roommates. Would you like to try yourself out in collocations? Start with the cards below. You’ll see 11 collocations on jobs and studies. Break a leg!
Have you succeeded? Hope yes. But if not very much, just get a grip, read this article to learn more about collocations and continue interactive practice here.
So, what on earth is a collocation?
In simple terms: collocations are words that just like to hang out together. They’re the linguistic equivalent of an old married couple who finish each other’s sentences. You don’t say “fast rain” – you say heavy rain (сильный дождь). You don’t “make a photo” – you take a photo (сделать фото).
Collocations are natural word partnerships. They’re not strict grammar rules, but they’re how native speakers actually speak. Break them, and you sound… well, like a robot trying to be poetic.
How are they formed? (The mechanics, but make it painless)
Collocations come in several flavours. Let’s list them without falling asleep:
- Adjective + Noun
- strong coffee (крепкий кофе – not “powerful coffee”)
- heavy traffic (плотное движение – not “thick traffic”)
- Verb + Noun
- reach a conclusion (прийти к выводу – not “arrive to a conclusion”)
- make a decision (принять решение)
- Noun + Verb
- the economy booms (экономика бурно растёт)
- teeth chatter (зубы стучат от холода)
- Adverb + Adjective
- bitterly disappointed (горько разочарован)
- highly successful (очень успешный)
- Verb + Preposition (fixed phrases with dependent prepositions)
- insist on (настаивать на)
- belong to (принадлежать к)
Notice that logic alone won’t save you. Why “make a decision” but “do a test”? Because English is a mischievous thing, not a maths exam, although sometimes is.
Why are they SO important?
Serious hat on for 30 seconds
Here’s the thing: knowing individual words is like owning bricks. Collocations are the mortar that turns bricks into a wall. Without them, your English is technically correct but deeply unnatural.
Example:
- Correct but strange: “She did a big mistake.” (They say made a big mistake – сделала большую ошибку)
- Natural: “She made a terrible blunder.” (устойчивое: terrible blunder)
Native speakers don’t think in isolated words; they think in chunks. Learning collocations makes you:
- Faster (no mental translation)
- More fluent (sentences flow)
- Less confusing (no “open the TV” – it’s turn on the TV, друзья)
And yes – it helps with exams (IELTS, CAE, etc.). Examiners cry tears of joy when they hear “a wide range of collocations” instead of “many different words”.
Tips for learning collocations (without wanting to throw your notebook out the window)
1. Read like a detective
When you read an article or listen to a song, don’t just look for new words. Look for pairs you recognise. Keep a “collocation notebook” – left page: Russian example, right page: English chunk.
Example:
| Russian | English chunk |
|---|---|
| поднять вопрос | raise a question (not “ask” here) |
| заявить о победе | claim a victory |
2. Use a collocation dictionary (yes, it exists – and it’s glorious)
Try the Oxford Collocations Dictionary or free online tools like Ozdic or JustTheWord. Type in “strong” – see that strong goes with evidence, smell, opposition, but not with rain (that’s heavy). Magic.
3. Learn in short phrases, not single words
Never memorise “decision” alone. Memorise: make a decision, reach a decision, come to a decision, a tough decision. Four for the price of one!
4. The “question test” trick
When you write a sentence, ask yourself: “Would a native speaker actually say this?” If you’re unsure, Google the phrase in quotation marks: “heavy rain” vs “strong rain” – see the results. The internet is your informant.
5. A little humour goes a long way
I once had a student who said: “I need to upload my cat before the flight.” She meant check in my cat – but the image still makes me smile. Mistakes are fine! Just collect them like Pokémon and laugh.
Russian corner (because обожаю родной язык)
Here are some classic Russian–English collocation traps:
| Russian | Wrong (literal) | Right (collocation) |
|---|---|---|
| получить удовольствие | get pleasure | exert influence |
| принимать решение | receive a decision | make a decision |
| оказать влияние | show influence | exert influence / have influence |
| одержать победу | hold a victory | achieve / gain / secure a victory |
| фотографировать | make a photo | take photos / a photo |
Your homework (don’t worry, no grades, just glory)
Pick five common verbs: get, do, make, take, have.
For each, find three collocations you didn’t know before.
Example:
- Get – get fired (быть уволенным), get a grip (взять себя в руки), get permission (получить разрешение).
Post them in the comments – and I’ll reply with a personalised joke about one of them.
Final thought: Collocations aren’t rules to fear. They’re patterns to dance with. And once you start noticing them, you’ll see them everywhere – in ads, songs, even your favourite Netflix subtitles. That’s the secret: you don’t learn collocations; you catch them, like a pleasant linguistic virus.
Now go break the ice with some strong coffee, make a decision to practise, and keep an eye on this blog for more.
До скорого! 😊
