Using Collocations for Natural English - Elizabeth Walter, Kate Woodford 2010
Collocations in speech
Review Units 5-8
How are you doing?
These exercises include a selection of common spoken collocations that occur in a variety of contexts. What all these collocations have in common is that they are the sort of phrases that we say more than we write, although we do use them in very informal writing, such as chatty e-mails too.
1 Circle the correct answer. Use a dictionary to help you if necessary.
1 If you have a catch-up, you:
a run so that you can reach a person who is in front of you.
b exchange news with someone that you have not seen for a long time.
c find out more about a subject, for example, by looking on the internet.
2 If someone drives you mad, they:
a annoy you.
b drive you too fast in an uncontrolled way.
c make you very excited.
3 If you say you do not have the faintest idea, you are emphasising that you:
a are not interested in the subject.
b know nothing about the subject.
c are stupid.
4 If you catch a film, you:
a watch it.
B record it on your mobile.
C understand it.
5 If you put your feet up, you:
a dance.
b die.
c rest.
6 If you grab a bite, you:
a eat a small meal quickly.
b catch a fish.
c kiss someone with enthusiasm.
7 If you ask someone if they have had any luck, you are asking if they:
a enjoyed themselves.
b are rich.
c were able to get or find something.
8 If you offer to give someone a hand, you are offering:
a to go somewhere with them.
b to help them.
c to push them.
Sound natural
Next time you are watching an interview or a chat show, look out for common collocations in spoken English.
2 Match the questions 1-8 to the replies a-h on page 55.
3 Lucy is e-mailing her friend Georgia to arrange to see her. However, she has used the wrong verbs in her collocations. Find and correct eight verbs.
From: Lucy Walker <lwalker@xyzworld.co.uk
To: Georgia Shapur <georgia.shapur@abcworld.com
Subject: Hiya!
Hi Georgia,
How are you doing?
Feels like I haven't seen you in ages! Do you fancy doing a catch-up over a coffee sometime? Or we could meet up in the evening and take a film - maybe catch a bite beforehand?
Stefan's exams are in two weeks and he's studying night and day. He's stressed and grumpy the whole time and pressing me mad.
Saw Sophie last night at Carlo's. She tried to explain her thesis to me - I didn't know the faintest idea what she was talking about!
By the way, Al says he'll put you a hand moving your stuff to the new place at the weekend. Give him a call when you need him.
Right, I'm going to throw my feet up for an hour before I head off to work
Love Lucy
ps, Did you discover any luck finding a dress for the wedding?
4 Are the statements true (T) or false (F)?
1 Lucy would like to have a talk with Georgia and hear her news.
2 Lucy suggests seeing a film and having a meal after.
3 Lucy is enjoying the company of her friend Stefan at the moment.
4 Lucy knows a lot about the thesis that her friend Sophie is writing.
5 Lucy's friend Al has offered to help Georgia.
6 Lucy has just been to work when she writes to Georgia.
5 Put the phrases in the correct order to make sentences. Add punctuation where necessary.
1 a film/and then/dinner/we caught/went for
2 be nice/catch-up with you/it would/sometime soon/to have a
3 a bite/I grabbed/hungry now/while I was in town/so I'm not
4 I don't/idea/what she means/have the faintest
5 give me/with these/could you/a hand/boxes
6 and it/to talk non-stop/drove me/she used/mad
7 his mobile number/any luck/getting hold of/did you have
8 put your/for a while/why don't you/feet up
Classroom extra
In pairs, students tell each other about something that they have done recently or something that has happened to them using the collocations that they have learned.
I (don't) remember ...
These exercises include collocations that people often use to talk about remembering and forgetting things. They are useful to learn because people talk a lot about things that happened in the past.
6 How good is your memory? Answer the questions by choosing a, b or c, and life coach Guy Grounded will tell you!
How good is your memory?
1 Do you remember your first day at school?
a I remember it as if it was yesterday.
b I vaguely remember it.
c I have no memory of it.
2 From what period of your childhood is your earliest memory?
a before two years of age
b between the ages of two and four
c between the ages of four and eight
3 Can you remember the first house/ apartment you lived in?
a Yes, I have vivid memories of my first home.
b I can sort of remember one or two rooms in it.
c No -I have absolutely no memory of it.
4 How do you feel when you see photographs from your early childhood?
a They always bring back memories.
b Sometimes they bring back memories but sometimes not.
c It's as if I'm looking at a photo of someone else.
5 How often think about scenes from your childhood?
a Constantly.
b Now and then, when I'm reminded of something that happened.
с I think it's best not to dwell on the past.
6 How do you respond when you see TV programmes/films/adverts, etc., from your childhood?
a I'm filled with nostalgia.
b I sometimes get nostalgic, especially if I remember them clearly.
c They mean nothing to me.
7 How often does a social arrangement that you have made slip your mind?
a Never - or at least, very rarely.
b Now and then.
c All the time - it drives my friends mad!
8 You know someone's face but when you try to remember their name, you draw a blank. How often does this happen to you?
a Never, I'm good at remembering names.
b It happens but not often.
c I'm always forgetting people's names.
9 You are talking to someone and suddenly you mind goes blank. You have absolutely no idea what you were talking about. How often does this happen to you?
a Never.
b It happens but only now and then.
c This happens all the time. Sorry, what was I saying?
10 You distinctly remember asking Tom to buy some milk. He says you didn't. Who do you think is right?
a Me, definitely.
b I'm not sure.
c Probably Tom -I have an appalling memory.
MOSTLY A'S
Lucky you! Your memory, both shortterm and long-term, is amazing. And how wonderful to have such vivid childhood memories. Just remember that as fascinating as the past is, the present is even more exciting!
MOSTLY B'S
So you remember some things and forget others? This is normal. So long as you remember what is important, you can let the other stuff go. As regards nostalgia, you have the balance about right.
MOSTLY C'S
You are forgetful! Perhaps a little brain training is called for. Crosswords and number games can help to keep the brain active. Keep a diary with you at all times and note down all your arrangements. Good luck!
Classroom extra
If this is being done in class, ask students to interview one another, rather than doing the questionnaire individually.
7 These people are all talking about their memories. Match the collocations 1-10 to the meanings a-j on page 57.
1 I vaguely remember meeting her at Jim's party.
2 My earliest memory is sitting in my Grandma's garden.
3 I have a very vivid memory of their house.
4 This record really brings back memories for me.
5 I don't think there's any point in dwelling on the past.
6 I was supposed to call Nicole last night and it slipped my mind.
7 I know the name but when I try to remember his face I just draw a blank.
8 He asked me a question and my mind just went blank.
9 Every time I hear this song, I'm filled with nostalgia.
10 I distinctly remember giving the keys to you.
8 The radio programme Your Story is marking National Memory Week by inviting listeners to call in with issues relating to memory. Complete what they say with the collocations that you have learned. Then listen to the recording to check your answers.
Flora
I worry a lot about memory loss these days - I really do. Every week it seems I have some arrangement or other that 1... my mind. Last Saturday I was at home when I got a phone-call from a friend who was waiting for me in a cafe. Apparently, we'd arranged to meet for a coffee. I suppose I 2... remembered talking about meeting up, but I certainly didn't remember fixing a time or a place. My memory fails me all the time. I'll see someone in the street that I know quite well, I want to use their name to greet them and I 3... a blank. There are other occasions too - like finding myself in my bedroom, knowing that I've gone upstairs for a reason but when I try to think why I'm up there, my 4... goes blank. Another thing that happens from time to time is that my husband is sure I've told him something - he 5... remembers me saying it -but I have absolutely no memory of it.
Ricardo
I find my childhood memories quite sad so generally, I prefer not to 6... on the past. My 7... memory is of my father leaving - I must have been about three at the time. I recall a man standing in the hall of our first house with a big suitcase. I have a 8... memory of a tall, dark-haired man, though possibly this is influenced by photographs that I've seen of him since. I have plenty of friends who enjoy thinking about their childhoods and who are 9... nostalgia when they look at photographs of themselves as children. But for me, early family photos just 10... painful memories.
9 Rewrite the sentences, replacing the underlined parts with the collocations you have learned.
1 I'd rather look to the future and not think too much about what has happened.
2 I still have very clear memories of our first meeting.
3 Most people find that the music of their youth really makes them think about things that happened in the past.
4 I had to apologise to Max. I'd arranged to meet him in town after college and it completely went out of my mind.
5 I was full of happy thoughts from the past, looking at the old photos from my school days.
6 I know Julia denies it but I definitely remember sending her the report.
7 What's the first thing you can remember from childhood?
8 It's everyone's worst nightmare - you stand up in front an audience to give a talk and your mind is suddenly completely empty and you cannot remember anything.
9 I have a memory that is not clear of seeing him before.
10 I knew her face so well but when I tried to think of her name, I was completely unable to think of it.