Heavy rain is usually heavy rain, and strong coffee is strong coffee. Rain is “heavy,” coffee is “strong,” and it starts to look as if the dictionary is making fun of you. Don’t worry: you do not need to guess everything from scratch.
What are English collocations?
Collocations are fixed or especially natural word combinations. It is not that two other words can never be used together. It is about the choice native speakers usually make in a given meaning.
In English, you make a decision. Translation word by word can lead you in the wrong direction.
These combinations help describe everyday life: catch a bus, pay attention, or keep a promise. You may know the noun already, but for natural conversation you also need its usual partner.
Collocation vs idiom: what is the difference?
The meaning of a collocation often comes from the meaning of its parts. Heavy rain still means rain, just intense rain. You do not need a secret code from British meteorologists.
An idiom is different. Spill the beans can mean “reveal a secret,” not literally spill beans. The border between these categories is not always sharp, but at the start this simple difference is enough: a collocation suggests a natural combination, while an idiom often adds a figurative meaning to the whole phrase.
If you want the second category, see English idioms in funny pictures (coming soon).
Adjective and noun: 6 useful pairs
Do not learn the adjective by itself. Look right away at what it describes:
| Collocation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| heavy rain | intense, heavy rain | We stayed inside because of the heavy rain. — We stayed inside because of the heavy rain. |
| strong coffee | strong coffee | I need a strong coffee before this meeting. — I need a strong coffee before this meeting. |
| heavy traffic | heavy traffic | There was heavy traffic on the way home. — There was heavy traffic on the way home. |
| a close friend | a close friend | She is a close friend of mine. — She is a close friend of mine. |
| a quick question | a quick question | Can I ask you a quick question? — Can I ask you a quick question? |
| a serious mistake | a serious mistake | That was a serious mistake. — That was a serious mistake. |
Important: a natural combination does not have to be the only possible one. You can ask a question that is difficult, personal, or completely unnecessary. A quick question is useful when you want to introduce something short. Hopefully it really is short.
Verb and noun: what goes with what?
Here are eight more combinations to use in conversation:
- make a decision — decide: We need to make a decision today. — We need to make a decision today.
- do homework — do homework: I usually do my homework after dinner. — I usually do my homework after dinner.
- take a break — take a break: Let’s take a short break. — Let’s take a short break.
- catch a bus — catch a bus / make it to the bus: We ran to catch the bus. — We ran to catch the bus.
- miss a flight — miss a flight: I don’t want to miss my flight. — I don’t want to miss my flight.
- pay attention — pay attention: Please pay attention to the instructions. — Please pay attention to the instructions.
- keep a promise — keep a promise: He always keeps his promises. — He always keeps his promises.
- save time — save time: Booking online can save time. — Booking online can save time.
Do not try to turn all these combinations into one magic rule. It helps to notice patterns, but it helps even more to hear the phrase, understand it, and use it yourself.
There is a separate guide about the verbs do, make and take: a separate guide with examples and exercises (coming soon).
English collocations in a short dialogue
— You look tired.
— You look tired.
— There was heavy traffic, and I nearly missed my flight.
— There was heavy traffic, and I nearly missed my flight.
— Let’s take a break. I’ll make some coffee.
— Let’s take a break. I’ll make some coffee.
— Make it strong, please!
— Make it strong, please!
There is no exotic vocabulary here. Instead, there are whole pieces of language you can bring back without building a sentence from separate blocks.
Joke: can coffee run?
I asked for a strong coffee. It picked up my suitcase.
“I asked for a strong coffee. It picked up my suitcase.” The joke takes the adjective strong literally: with coffee it describes a strong taste or effect, and with a person it can mean physical strength. The coffee suddenly behaves like a strong porter. It would also be useful if it could answer emails.
The joke does not change the fact that the normal order is a strong coffee. If the cup really picked up your suitcase, you would probably need a different café.
How can you remember collocations instead of another list?
Write the whole combination down. Instead of “attention — attention,” write pay attention, and even better, your own sentence: I need to pay attention during meetings. — I need to pay attention during meetings.
Add a situation. Imagine an airport, a café, or a conversation with a friend. For miss a flight, add the question: Have you ever missed a flight? — Have you ever missed a flight? Answer out loud, even if your story is only two sentences long.
Check the phrases that make you unsure. A dictionary with examples will show natural combinations. Collocation dictionaries are useful too: Oxford explains how to use them. You do not need to learn the whole entry at once. Choose the phrase you need in your life.
Come back to the phrase in new sentences. When you already know take a break, try I took a break and When can we take a break? It is still the same collocation, but you use it in different situations.
Exercise: choose the natural combination
Complete the sentences. Then read them aloud and check the answers.
- There was ___ rain all night. (heavy / strong)
- We need to ___ a decision. (do / make)
- Let’s ___ a break. (take / pay)
- Please ___ attention. (pay / make)
- I ran to ___ the bus. (catch / keep)
- You should ___ your promises. (keep / do)
Answers:
1. heavy; 2. make; 3. take; 4. pay; 5. catch; 6. keep.
Now choose two collocations and make true sentences about yourself. I need strong coffee counts too, but try to add when and why!
Practise full sentences with SPEAKINGO
Finding the correct answer in an exercise is a good start. In real conversation, you also need the ability to bring the phrase back without hints. That is why it helps to practise not only reading lists, but also understanding questions and answering aloud in full sentences.
On the SPEAKINGO course, you learn through this kind of practice: you listen and speak, instead of only looking at the correct answers. And if you want to expand your knowledge of phrasal verbs, the “Additional materials” tab includes complete lessons with hundreds of popular phrasal verbs. This topic is related, but it is not the same as collocations.
Do you want to have a ready sentence in your head more often, instead of looking for every word separately? Create an account in the form below and start practising English in a practical way with SPEAKINGO.
