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

Collocations for opinions
Review Units 17-20

These exercises use collocations from units 17-20, and will help you see how many you have remembered. After each exercise, add up your score to see how well you have done.

1 Complete the sentences.

1 When we were starting this business we worked very ... hours.

2 I heard some interesting snatches of ... from the next table.

3 Marie said she'd had some trouble with a colleague but she didn't ... into detail.

4 In the restaurant we use ... sourced food from farms and producers in the region.

5 I like the delicate ... in Thai cuisine.

6 I have a fairly balanced ... with plenty of fresh fruit and veg.

7 I'm so tired - I really need to catch up on some ... .

8 We always ... greetings when he arrives in the morning.

9 She lost her job when the company that she worked for ... under.

10 I was making ... talk with my neighbour about the weather.

2 Underline the correct word to complete the collocations.

1 Does either candidate have relevant/relative/correspondent experience?

2 On holiday I like to lie on the beach and absorb up/soak up/drink up the sun.

3 Roberto paid/presented/handed me a nice compliment on my new haircut.

4 I was so occupied/engrossed/engaged in my book that I didn't notice the time.

5 He's just eaten a huge plate of fatty/rich/greasy chips!

6 I try to have a portion of green leaved/leafy/leafed vegetables most days.

7 I heard some juicy/moist/succulent gossip about Richard the other day.

8 I'll just get myself a thin/light/slight snack before I go out.

9 We could have Pete and Davina in/over/up for dinner next weekend.

10 I was looking for same-/like-/identical-minded people to socialize with.

3 Match the collocations 1-10 to the definitions a-j.

1 set up a business  a to achieve something you really want to do

2 freshly prepared  b a very impressive job or series of jobs

3 realise an ambition c a liquid food with a lot of butter or cream in it

4 work-related stress d to walk somewhere slowly in a relaxed way

5 go for a stroll   e a taste that is pleasant and not strong

6 brilliant career  f meat with very little fat

7 lean meat   g feelings of anxiety caused by a job

8 rich sauce   h to start a company

9 health food shop  i somewhere that sells food that is good for you

10 delicate flavour  j made ready to eat just before serving

4 Match the two halves of the sentences.

1 Meals are usually healthier if you     a a brief chat.

2 We didn't speak for long -we just had     b of over £10 million.

3 The company has an annual turnover     c a lengthy discussion.

4 She would never go parachuting -she has no   d in the medical profession.

5 Our trip cost all our savings but it was     e in case it upset her.

6 He was intending to pursue a career    f improved his conversational skills.

7 Anyone intending to be a teacher should know   g sense of adventure.

8 We spoke briefly about it but we didn't have    h that it is very demanding work.

9 I didn't like to broach the subject     i cook them from scratch.

10 Having to meet and deal with a lot of people at work has really j the holiday of a lifetime.

5 Correct the word in italics to make a collocation with the word in bold in each sentence.

1 I'll have the softly steamed vegetables with the salmon, please.

2 It's an interesting job but I don't think I could cope with the big workload.

3 What delicious soft meat!

4 He'd been dripping hints that he'd applied for the job.

5 I've got up a new hobby - windsurfing'

6 I took a lovely long lie-in this morning and I'm feeling so much better for it.

7 He apologised richly for his behaviour.

8 Her business has really taken up - it's been a real success.

9 There was a lull in the communication so I raised the subject.

10 She's got a top-powered job in an advertising agency.

6 Complete the sentences with a collocation from the box. Use the correct form of the verbs.

steady job • catch up with friends • launch your career • ready meal • stay up late • job satisfaction • crunchy salad • fatty foods • sensitive subject • lightly seasoned

1 The work isn't terribly exciting but it's a ... - it pays the rent.

2 I didn't ask about his relationship with Bella -I know it's a ... .

3 I don't bother cooking for myself - I generally just eat ... from the supermarket.

4 My mother is trying to cut down on salt in her diet so all her food is very ... .

5 I like to ... at the weekend as I don't get to see them in the week.

6 My problem is that I love ... like cream and cheese.

7 Nursing doesn't pay so well but there's a lot of ... .

8 That was the novel that really ... as a writer.

9 How about something green to go with your pasta -a ... perhaps?

10 John and I ... last night, watching a film and I'm exhausted today.

21 Collocations for opinions

The way I see it

The collocations in this unit focus on ways to talk about beliefs and ideas. These exercises concentrate on collocations you can use when you are giving your own opinions.

1 People are ringing in to a chat show on a local radio station to discuss the recent rise in burglaries. Look at the collocations they use, and match them to the explanations below.

Dave: The 1 stark reality of the situation is that we have too many unemployed young people. There's almost no local industry left now, and no prospect of jobs for them. It's no wonder they turn to crime, and to be 2 perfectly honest, I can't really blame them.

Wendy: I ³ take Dave's point about unemployment, but I don't think that's the whole story. After all, nothing like this happened when the coal mines closed. I have a 4 sneaking suspicion that this might turn out to be more to do with the new children's home on the hill. Those kids just run wild, and nobody seems to care what they're up to.

Megan: I think that's terrible - people shouldn't go round 5 making accusations like that without any proof! I 6 strongly suspect that the real reason lies in the decline of religion these days. People just don't have the moral guidance they used to have, do they?

Aled: Whether or not religion is a good influence is a 7 matter of opinion, isn't it? Personally I think most people are fundamentally good, church or no church. What I want to ask is, how do we actually know that these burglaries really are getting worse? I don't know anyone who's been burgled. I'm always 8 highly suspicious of scare stories like this - where's the evidence? That's what I want to know.

Arthur: I just feel that everyone here is 9 missing the point, which is that we have all these burglaries, and nobody is doing anything about them. We never see police on the street any more, do we? If I had to 10 hazard a guess about the cause of the increase, I'd say it's that the thieves know they can get away with it.

a not understanding the main fact that is being explained

b say what you really think

c say what you think might be true

d accept what someone is saying

e be fairly sure that something is true

f an unpleasant feeling that something may be true

g unpleasant truth

h saying that someone is guilty of something

i be reluctant to believe

j something about which different people have different views

Study tip

Notice which of the collocations describe strong opinions and which describe opinions you are less sure about.

Classroom extra

Ask the class to choose an issue to discuss.

In small groups, students prepare short speeches like the ones above, using the collocations they have learned to express their views.

2 Which people do you think feel most strongly about the issue? Listen to the recording and see if you were right. Notice how they use stress and intonation for emphasis.

3 Replace the underlined phrases with collocations from Exercise 1.

1 My friend Polly has asked me to go on holiday with her. I don't know what to say, because if I really told her the truth, I really prefer going on holiday on my own.

2 My novel was intended to be an exploration of the links between childhood and old age. Unfortunately, most of the critics don't seem to have understood the main message - they have just described it as a family saga.

3 Bella seems really unhappy at work. I've seen her looking at job ads in the paper, and although she hasn't said anything, I think it is very likely that she is applying for other jobs.

4 Whenever I cook for my parents, they always say they love it. The thing is, they never finish what's on their plates, and I have the unpleasant feeling that they don't really like my food.

5 We think my brother has got a new girlfriend. He's denying it, but he's acting in a way that is very strange and makes us think he is hiding something - spending hours in the bathroom and checking for texts every few minutes.

6 We were all expecting Tom to be here by now. We're not sure what's happened to him, but if I had to say what I think it most likely, I'd say he's overslept.

7 There have been several thefts in my office. I have a good idea of who's responsible, but I don't want to accuse anyone before I have enough evidence.

8 A huge supermarket has opened at the end of our road. A lot of people think it's a good thing for our area, but it's something that not everyone about.

9 My flatmate says it's not fair if he has to do all the cleaning. I agree that that is true, but I work such long hours, it's difficult for me to help.

10 He has found it difficult to adapt to the unpleasant facts of living in a war zone.

4 Put the sentences in the e-mail in the correct order.

From: Laura

To: Isha

Subject: Family

a My kids aren't angels, but I strongly suspected that they were overreacting, so I didn't exactly apologise, but I said I'd have a word with them.

b The house next door is much bigger than ours, so I already knew they must have plenty of money, but they turned up in a posh car, and wearing really formal clothes - if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the husband is a banker or something like that - groan!!

c They claimed they'd been throwing rubbish in their garden and shouting insults over the fence.

d Our new neighbours moved in last week, and as soon as I saw them I had a sneaking suspicion that we wouldn't get on. seV1-te11ce 1.

e When I spoke to the kids, they denied doing anything, but they did have a funny look on their faces, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure who to believe!

f Andy said I shouldn't judge them on appearances, and I do take his point, but they'd only been there a couple of days before they came round here making all sorts of accusations about my kids.

Oh well, time to go.

Love to you and the boys

Laura

Different points of view

The collocations in these exercises are quite formal and are often associated with business meetings, political debate or academic discussions.

5 Conrad is trying to persuade his colleagues that his company needs to take on more staff. Read his notes about how the meeting went. Which colleagues agree with Conrad and which disagree?

1 Minutes of the last meeting

2 Office equipment budget

4 Recruitment of health and safety officer

1 Bruno remains sceptical about my ideas.

2 After a frank exchange of views. Carla was willing to accept my plan.

3 I will never shake Tom's belief that the existing staff could work harder.

4 Richard shares my strong conviction that a bigger team would bring bigger profits.

5 After I presented my evidence, my plans gained acceptance with Jill and Jacob.

6 My first impression is certainly that Otto is in agreement with me.

7 Elizabeth takes issue with the idea that more staff leads automatically to higher sales.

8 Andre agrees with me, but Gita has conflicting views.

9 There is a difference of opinion between Hugo and Isabel, with Isabel arguing strongly in my favour.

10 Michael is deeply sceptical about employing more people at such a difficult time.

Classroom extra

Ask students to suggest some controversial topics, e.g. climate change, animal experiments, and write them on the board. They get into pairs and talk to each other. Then they report each other's views, using the collocations they have learned.

6 Match the collocations 1-10 to the definitions a-j.

1 exchange of views   6 conflicting views

2 remain sceptical    7 first impression

3 shake someone's belief  8 strong convictions

4 take issue with something  9 difference of opinion

5 deeply sceptical    10 gain acceptance

a to make someone think that their opinion may not be correct

b to become agreed to by other people

c to say that something is not true

d when people tell each other their opinions about something

e very different views

f a situation where people do not agree

g to continue to be unsure that something is good or true

h very unsure that something is good or true

i very firm opinions

j the opinion that you get of someone or something when you see them the first time

7 Complete the sentences using the collocations that you have learned above.

1 The meeting enabled us to have a very useful ... of ... .

2 He promised that he would start to work harder at college, but frankly, I ... about his attitude.

3 I'm afraid I have to ... with your statement that exams are getting easier.

4 Unfortunately, the authors of these two studies appear to have ... .

5 Lola and I had a ... of ... over whose turn it was to cook.

6 It took a long time for her ideas to ... with the public.

7 It's very hard to argue with Adam -he's a man of ... .

8 When I met Olga, my ... was of a frail, rather quiet woman.

9 After years of living in this country, I'm ... about the claims that politicians make.

10 There's nothing you can say that will ... his ... in his religion.

Sound natural

If you hear people talking about the opinions of others, notice the words they use.

8 New director Tim Knight wants to make some changes to the working methods in his company. He is finding it difficult to persuade his colleague. Correct ten collocations in Tim's version of the story.

When I started working as finance director of Loxton Electricals, my beginning impression was that this was a company with a lot of potential, but that it was very badly managed.

Within a week, I had a meeting with the sales director, Christina Hardy, and we had a very useful exchange of thoughts. I felt I had to find issue with Christina's statement that all her staff were working as efficiently as possible. I suggested some changes to the way they offer discounts to customers, but she was doubtfol. Apparently, it takes a long time for new ideas to earn acceptance in an old firm like this.

We had a slight difference of argument over whether or not her staff should simply be told what to do. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to persuade her - Christina is a woman of large convictions.

Unfortunately, there seems to be fighting evidence about whether or not larger discounts lead to more sales. Nothing I could say could squeeze Christina's belief that what the company really needs is a larger sales team.

Despite all her arguments, I stay sceptical about the idea that more staff would help matters. I'm strongly sceptical about her claim that the staff we already have are working to their maximum capacity.

9 Are the statements true (T) or false (F)?

1 Tim was impressed with the management of Loxton Electricals.

2 Tim agreed that staff were working as efficiently as possible.

3 Staff at Loxton Electricals are eager to try new ideas.

4 Christina is a hard person to influence.

5 Christina says she needs more sales staff.

6 Tim agrees that more sales staff would be a good way to improve performance.