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

Collocations for emphasis
Review Units 17-20

Adjectives

This unit focuses on collocations used to add emphasis. They include interesting and natural alternatives to very and very much. These exercises look at ways of emphasising adjectives.

Sound natural

It is very important to use the correct adverb with particular adjectives, because it can sound very strange to use ones that are not usually found together.

1 The adverbs in the table all mean very when they go before the adjectives in the box. Some can be used with several adjectives and some cannot. Put the adjectives into the table according to the adverbs they can be used with. Some adjectives can go with more than one adverb.

unlikely • cold • ill • opposed • delighted • successful • important • popular • sick • disappointed • injured • critical • obvious • effective

2 Rewrite the sentences in a more emphatic way, using the adjectives in brackets.

1 His career as an art dealer has gone well. (successful)

His career as an art dealer has been nighly successful.

2 They raised some objections to the new road. (opposed)

3 Having a big house and a nice car is important to her. (important)

4 I was sorry that I couldn't get back in time for her party. (disappointed)

5 He was pleased with his exam results. (delighted)

6 She is not well. (ill)

7 His novels are well-liked in his native country. (popular)

8 I don't think she will win the competition. (unlikely)

9 Although she tried to hide it, we could tell she was disappointed. (obvious)

10 It's cold outside today. (cold)

3 Alex regularly sends messages about his life, but he has used the wrong adverbs to emphasise what he says. Correct two adverbs in each message.

1 Got the new job! I'm bitterly delighted - and big thanks to Rob, my old boss, who apparently told them I was an absolutely effective manager - I think that's what did it!

2 Jeannie failed her piano exam. She's violently disappointed, of course, after all that work. The examiners were blindingly critical of her technique -I think she needs to change teacher.

3 Went to visit my gran yesterday. It's hugely obvious that she needs help in the home now, but she won't admit it. Her kitchen is disgusting - we had tea with her and we were all highly sick afterwards.

4 Went to the fireworks display. I know it's a seriously popular event, and the kids love it, but I can't see the attraction of all that flashing and noise. It's always hugely cold too, and I got home feeling like a block of ice.

4 Complete the sentences using the collocations you have learned above.

1 I met this man at a party. He told me he was a surgeon, but when I tried to talk to him about his work, he didn't seem to know anything about medicine. In fact, it was ... that he was lying.

2 Grace had applied to be an assistant at an engineering company. During the interview, she realised that she did not really have the necessary qualifications or experience. She thinks it's ... that she will be offered the job.

3 We were warned to bring sleeping bags with us. Although it is hot during the day, it can be ... at night in the mountains.

4 After the crash, Joe was taken to hospital and treated for some minor cuts. Later, when he saw the damage to his car, he realised he was very lucky that he hadn't been ... .

5 The official report into the oil spill found that the directors had not put the correct safety procedures in place. They did not employ sufficient staff, and they had tried to cover up the accident. In short, the report was ... of the directors.

6 I'd never eat at that restaurant again. Pat and I went there once. She had fish pie and I had steak. By the time the coffee came we had started to feel ill, and when we got home we were both ... .

7 We have been working with children who refuse to go to school. All our research shows that without a good education, their chances of a happy and successful life are much reduced. It is ... that we persuade these children of the value of education.

8 My daughter Emma spent the whole of last year doing a specialist translator's course. She worked extremely hard, but we've just found out that she failed her exam by one mark. Not surprisingly, she's ... .

9 That patch of land used to be an awful mess, covered in beer cans and cigarette ends, but since a group of local gardeners turned it into a beautiful area of grass and flowers, people have stopped dropping litter there. The gardeners' plan has been ... .

10 Builders have bought the field and they are planning to put up three enormous blocks of flats. Not surprisingly, people who live nearby are ... to the plans.

11 She has been moved out of the intensive care unit, and can now breathe without the help of a machine. However, she is being kept in a coma, and doctors are still not sure how much brain damage she has sustained. She is better than she was, but still ... .

12 He has dedicated his life to science. As well as being one of the most original thinkers I have ever met, he always has time for his students, and shows a great interest in their work. I am ... that he has won this award.

Study tip

Notice which emphatic adverbs can be used with many adjectives (e.g. extremely) and which ones can only be used with very specific adjectives.

Classroom extra

Ask your students to write three sentences using the collocations they have learned, but writing 'very' instead of the emphasising adverb. Then give each student one of the adverbs from the table on the opposite page. Students move around the class, reading their sentences to each other. When they find someone with the adverb they need, they can complete their sentence. The first person to complete all three sentences is the winner.

Verbs and nouns

These exercises include collocations for emphasis with verbs and nouns. It is common to emphasise verbs with a strong adverb and nouns with a strong adjective.

5 Form collocations by replacing the words very much or a lot in the sentences with one of the adverbs from the box.

categorically • widely • dismally • bitterly • thoroughly

1 The quality of clothing varies a lot in the different shops.

The quality of clothing varies widely in the different shops.

2 She very much resents having to look after the children while her husband travels round the world.

3 She has failed very much in her attempt to give up smoking.

4 We very much enjoyed our weekend in Cambridge.

5 He very much denies that he was involved in the theft.

6 Match the sentence halves to form emphatic collocations with nouns.

1 We skied at breakneck

2 Disaster workers say there is an acute

3 The new medication has led to a dramatic

4 Since January, there has been a sharp

5 She has had offers from over the world following the roaring

a increase in the number of people out of work.

b success of her first solo album.

c shortage of food and medicines.

d speed all the way back to the village.

e improvement in her general health.

7 Complete the sentences using the collocations from Exercises 5 and 6. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs.

1 The success rate for this treatment ... from patient to patient.

2 He has ... passing secrets to enemy agents.

3 Since taking up running, there has been a ... in her fitness levels.

4 She is often forced to work at the weekends, and she ... it.

5 We wanted to go out, so we did all the housework at ... .

6 Illness amongst nursing staff has led to an ... of hospital beds.

7 I ... the show, and I will recommend it to my friends.

8 Since the start of the economic crisis there has been a ... in unemployment.

9 I tried to make friends with Ulli, but I ... - he hardly speaks to me now.

10 After the ... of her first album, she is being asked to do concerts all over the world.

8 Look at the two versions of a text. The rewritten version includes the collocations from Exercises 5 and 6. Notice how much better the style is when collocations are used. Rewrite the texts 1-3 using the collocations in brackets.

Since the new tennis coach arrived, the performance of our younger players has got much better. Unfortunately there can be a big difference in the quality of coaches. The last one seemed promising when we interviewed him, but he turned out to be lazy and the children hated him. Luckily, this one is doing really well. Since his arrival I'm happy to report that the club has been very successfol.

Since the new tennis coach arrived. there has been a dramatic improvement in the performance of our younger players. Unfortunately, the quality of coaches can vary widely. The last one seemed promising when we interviewed him. but he turned out to be lazy and the children hated him. Luckily, this one is doing really well. Since his arrival. I'm happy to report that the club has been a roaring success.

1 Apparently, there has been a big rise in the number of viewers tuning in to watch Michael Rook in the police drama serial Unmarked Cars recently. It seems that the great popularity of his latest movie has encouraged people to watch him on the small screen too. I watched the latest episode myself, and I liked it very much.

(sharp increase, roaring success, thoroughly enjoy)

2 I hate living in this street. The traffic is terrible, and lorries come round this corner really fast. It's a wonder nobody has been killed. I've written to the council many times, but my attempts to get them to introduce a speed limit have not been at all successful. Despite all the evidence, they insist that there is no problem.

(breakneck speed, fail dismally, categorically deny)

3 Strikes among drivers of large fuel lorries have led to a very serious lack of petrol in this country. Because of this, prices have gone up a lot. Of course, many people really need to drive, especially if they live in rural areas, and they are very upset at having to pay so much.

(acute shortage, sharp increase, bitterly resent)

Classroom extra

For homework, ask your students to keep a look out when they read, and to try to find some more collocations where one of the words is there to add emphasis.

9 Rewrite the sentences in a more emphatic way, using the collocations you have learned above.

1 The car was coming fast towards us.

2 The weather has got better this week.

3 Her organic food company has been very successful.

4 We had a nice time at her party.

5 There isn't enough food.

6 He's fed up at having to stay at home while his brother goes out.