Using Collocations for Natural English - Elizabeth Walter, Kate Woodford 2010

Collocations for leisure
Review Units 13-16

Taking it easy

The collocations in these exercises describe the sort of thin their spare time, such as socialising, shopping and sleepin quite informal.

1 Read the five messages on a social networking website written over three days. Put them in the correct order. Then listen to the recording to check your answers.

The baby didn't get to sleep till 3:00 a.m. Sigh! Absolutely must catch up on some sleep. Joe says he'll get up with her tomorrow morning and I can have a lie-in! Can't wait!

It was lovely seeing M&S tonight. It's always good to catch up with friends and they're a really lovely couple.

Oh dear, exhausted again this morning - we stayed up way too late last night chatting. Will go for a stroll round the park now in the hope that the fresh air wakes me up!

Feel better today for late start. (Not up till 11 :00, thank you, Joe!) Hit the shops with Pia and Beth this afternoon. Bought food from the market as we're having M&S over for dinner tonight.

A walk and some fresh air and I'm a different person! Feeling so energetic, have even signed up for salsa classes. (Hey, you're never too old to take up a hobby!)

2 Rewrite the sentences, replacing the underlined phrases with the collocations in brackets. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs.

1 I didn't do much this weekend but I certainly slept a lot, having not sleps enough before. (catch up on some sleep)

2 I thought we could have some lunch and then go to the. shoos and start shopping. (hit the shops)

3 Marta has started regularly doing a couple of activities for enjoyment since she's been at her new school. (take up a hobby)

4 We didn't go to bed for a long time that night in order to watch the election results. (stay up late)

5 She's really tired so she's sleeping longer than usual this morning. (have a lie-in)

6 I walked in a slow, relaxed way around the park with Alessandro on Sunday morning, (go for a stroll)

7 I saw some friends that I hadn't seen in ages while I was in Rome. (catch up with some friends)

8 We gave Lisa and Andrew a meal at our house on Saturday. (have someone over for dinner)

Sound natural

The sentences with collocations will sound more natural and concise.

Classroom extra

Ask your students to look at the collocations they have learned and think about what they would most like to do this weekend. They should put the collocations in order of preference, and compare with their friends.

3 Complete the e-mail with the collocations from Exercises 1 and 2.

From: Ali Sharma <Ali.Sharma@abc.co.uk

To: <Gustav Svenska@def.co.uk

Subject: Hello there!

Hi Gustav

Just a quick one to say thanks for your lovely birthday card. It was really sweet of you!

We've had a very nice, lazy weekend here. I got up at 11.00 on Saturday morning - (can't remember the last time 1...). It was a nice warm day so Philip and I 2... along the river and had lunch in that cafe on Mill Lane. (We used to go to it - do you remember?) P went off to football in the afternoon (as ever!) so I did a spot of shopping in town. It's been a while since I 3... . Saturday night was fun - we 4... Ollie and Helena ..., (a fantastic fish stew cooked by P!). They both send you their love. We hadn't seen them for over a year (!) so it was great to spend a bit of time with them. They seem to be enjoying life in Oxford. Ollie has 5... various new ..., including cycling and jujitsu. (Where does he get his energy?) It was good to hear all their news - it's so nice to 6... that you haven't seen in ages. We 7... - I think it was three o'clock when we finally all went to bed! I don't know where the time went.

It's only 9 o'clock in the evening here and P is already in bed. He's been a bit tired recently (too many late nights studying) and feels he needs to 8... . Poor thing has to be up at 5:00 (!) tomorrow morning to get to London for a meeting. Rather him than me!

Right, I'm just going to make a couple of calls and then it's bed for me too. I hope all is well with you and Katinka.

Write if you ever get a moment.

Love

Ali x

4 Correct the word in italics to make a collocation with the word in bold in each sentence. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs.

1 We kept up late to watch the men's 100 metre final so we're a bit weary this morning.

2 I don't get to socialise during the week so at the weekend I like to pick up with friends.

3 I'll drop you off in town and you can knock the shops.

4 I've had too many late nights and early starts and I really feel I need to take up on some sleep.

5 It's been ages since we've put Jenny and James over for dinner.

6 We could walk for a stroll down by the beach after we've had dinner.

7 He gets up really early in the week to go to work so at the weekend he likes to gain a lie-in.

8 He was complaining that he had nothing to do in the evenings so I told him he should start up a hobby.

Enjoy yourself!

Of course people do more in their leisure time than sleep and shop. The collocations in these exercises include activities that are done away from home. Many of these collocations are used by travel companies to describe leisure pursuits in a way that sounds exciting or appealing.

5 Read the extracts from three travel websites. Complete the texts with words from the box. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs.

person • inspiration • limit • idyllic • lifetime • activity • book • atmosphere • adventure • soak up

Want to try white-water rafting in Peru? Ever fancied climbing Mount Kilimanjaro? Come with us! At Rush.corn, we cater for the holiday-maker with a sense of 1... . You'll meet like-minded 2... with whom you can share your unforgettable experiences. You'll push yourself to the 3... and then discover who you are - and you'll come home a little prouder of yourself. One thing is certain, you won't regret booking a holiday adventure with Rush.corn.

AtActiveBreaks.com, we are satisfied that no one offers a wider range of outdoor 4..., from walking to hang-gliding. Whatever your age, whatever your ability, you will find the perfect outdoor holiday with us in any number of 5... settings, from stretches of unspoilt coast to mountainous regions. So whether it's gentle swimming you're after or strenuous sailing, leisurely walks or challenging climbs, you'll find what you want with ActiveBreaks.com. Travel with us and experience the holiday of a 6... .

At MeTime.com, learning and leisure go hand in hand. Learn a language while ^7... the Mediterranean sun. Develop your writing skills in the relaxed 8... of a beach class. Learn to paint, finding 9... for your landscapes from picturesque fishing villages, purple lavender fields, or just the perfect blue sky. At MeTime.com, our tutors will be there when you want them, but we understand the importance of free time. So if you're engrossed in your 10... or simply enjoying a lie-in, there's no pressure to attend classes - the decision is all yours. Your time with MeTime.corn.

6 Match the collocations in Exercise 5 to the sentences 1-10.

1 If you are this, you are so interested in what you are reading, that you do not notice anything else.

2 If you meet these, you meet people with the same ideas and interests as you.

3 If a place where something happens is described as this, it is extremely beautiful and peaceful.

4 If you have this, you like doing exciting and sometimes dangerous things.

5 If you do this, you spend time enjoying the warmth outside.

6 If you have one of these, you have the best time away from home that you will ever have.

7 If you do this, you try your hardest to do something extremely difficult.

8 If a place has this, it makes you feel calm and not worried.

9 If you do this, you get good ideas for something or a feeling of enthusiasm that helps you to do something well.

10 If you do this, you do something for enjoyment outside.

7 Complete the answers to the questions with the collocations you have learned.

1 Is Rush.corn for people who are afraid of danger?

No, it is for people with a sense of adventure.

2 Will you meet people who are similar to you on a Rush.corn holiday?

Yes, you ... .

3 Will you use a lot of physical effort on a Rush.corn holiday?

Yes, you will ... .

4 Can you do a lot of different things outside with ActiveBreaks7

Yes, ActiveBreaks offers ... .

5 Are ActiveBreaks holidays in beautiful places?

Yes, their holidays ... .

6 Will you have a very special holiday with ActiveBreaks?

Yes, you will ... .

7 Can you enjoy the sun on a MeTime.corn holiday?

Yes, you can ... .

8 Will a class on a MeTime.corn holiday have a calm, comfortable feel to it?

Yes, it ... .

9 Will you get ideas for your paintings on a MeTime.corn holiday?

Yes, you'll ... .

10 Will you always attend classes on a MeTime.com holiday?

Not if ... .

8 Replace the underlined phrases with the collocations you have learned above.

1 It was a lovely party in the most beautiful and calm place.

2 I thought that if I answered an advert in the newspaper that I always read, I would meet others who are like me in the way that they think.

3 I had travelled to Italy to get ideas and enthusiasm for a novel that I was writing.

4 You really use all your strength and determination when you're rock climbing.

5 He lacks a desire to do exciting and sometimes dangerous things.

6 It will cost me all my savings but it will be the best trip I will ever have.

7 I was looking for a holiday with lots of things that you can do outside.

8 I was so interested in my book that I didn't notice the time.

9 There was a very nice calm, easy mood at the party.

10 For the first few days we just lay by the pool, taking time to enjoy the warmth.

9 Put the phrases in the correct order to make sentences. Add punctuation where necessary.

1 you find/the extraordinary characters/where do/inspiration for/in your films?

2 a very relaxed/at the meeting/there was/atmosphere/which surprised me

3 to do/outdoor activities/it's good/a lot of/with young children

4 child he had a sense/even as a small/and was always/climbing or jumping off high places/of adventure

5 so engrossed in/that she didn't/Maya was/her book/notice them leave

6 in the garden/soaking up/I sat/the sun

7 the holiday/touring South-East Asia/she had/of a lifetime

8 a more idyllic/a wedding/imagine/I couldn't/setting for

9 other like-minded/I started/a club for/people

10 this high level/athletics at/demands that/to the limit/you push yourself