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

Other types of collocation

Adverb/Verb + adjective

It is common to find adjectives forming collocations with adverbs or verbs which come before them. These exercises show you some useful examples of this type of collocation.

1 Complete the postcards with adjectives from the box.

short • accustomed • awake • asleep • populated • baked • available • surprised • lit • empty

Study tip

Look out for other collocations with words such as 'freshly'. Adverts are an interesting source of collocations. Notice how the language is designed to make things more appealing.

Classroom extra

Ask your students to write a postcard to a friend, describing somewhere they have been, and using some of the collocations hey have learned.

2 Answer the questions, using the collocations in brackets. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs.

1 Is Alex pleased with his accommodation? (pleasantly surprised)

2 What does Alex have for breakfast? (freshly baked)

3 Is driving in the mountains difficult for Alex? (grow accustomed)

4 Does Ryan sleep well at night? (lie awake)

5 Why can't Ryan see his food very well? (dimly lit)

6 What is Ryan having problems doing? (fall asleep)

7 Are all the hotels in the area full? (stand empty)

8 Does Hong Kong have a lot of buildings? (densely populated)

9 Is it easy to get food in Hong Kong? (freely available)

10 Are you likely to be bored in Hong Kong? (run short)

3 Complete the sentences using the collocations you have learned above. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs.

1 We enjoyed working on the farm, and we soon ... to the long hours.

2 Developers bought up all the land, but then the economy collapsed, and all their luxury flats are ... .

3 If you ... of bread, get some more out of the freezer.

4 Most of my meat-eating friends are ... when I cook them a vegetarian meal.

5 I spent the whole night ... worrying that I hadn't prepared well enough for my exam.

6 The virus is likely to spread more rapidly in ... urban areas such as this.

7 Everyone loves to wake up to the smell of ... bread.

8 The optician told him he had damaged his eyes by working in a ... room.

9 Information about health matters is ... on the internet.

10 The talk was so boring that half the audience ... .

4 The friends who wrote these e-mails made eight mistakes with their collocations. Find the mistakes and correct them.

From: Kitty

To: Patsy

Subject: Restaurant

Hi Patsy!

Well, I've survived my first term at uni! I must admit that I spent the first week staying awake at night, worrying about everything, but once I'd turned accustomed to the amount of work, I really started enjoying it, and I've found that there is plenty of help and advice cheaply available if you need it. I'm coming home next weekend because I'm coming short of clean clothes and I never seem to have time to do any washing! Hope to see you then, and find out how you're getting on at the restaurant.

Love, Kitty, x

From: Patsy

To: Kitty

Subject: Restaurant

Hi Kitty

Great to hear from you. Sounds like you're having a great time, and I'm really jealous! The restaurant has been a disaster - nobody can afford to eat out these days. You should see how many shops are staying empty around here! You'd think that an area as thickly populated as this would be able to support a bistro, but we're really struggling. Things are so slow that I spend half my time sitting behind the bar, and I have to struggle not to drop asleep. Still, we were happily surprised to get a booking for 35 people next week, so perhaps things will start to look up soon. It would be lovely to see you next weekend - give me a ring when you get home.

Love, Patsy, x

Study tip

Notice the rhythm of these collocations. Say them aloud ^to yourself to help memorise them.

Noun of noun, adjective and adjective

These exercises focus on two-noun and two-adjective collocations (for example, hive of activity and safe and sound). Notice also the use of conjunctions.

5 Complete the explanations of the collocations with one noun from box A and one noun from box B.

A blaze • catalogue • torrent • hive • bundle • chorus

B abuse • publicity • errors • approval • activity • nerves

1 If a place is extremely busy, it is a hive of activity.

2 A ... of ... is when many people say they like something.

3 Someone who is very anxious is a of

4 If someone makes a ... of ..., they make lots of mistakes.

5 If you do something in a ... of ..., it is widely reported in the media.

6 If someone shouts a ... of ..., they say many nasty things.

6 Solve the anagram in brackets to complete the collocations in the sentences.

1 Thankfully, the children were found safe and sound. (dsoun)

2 She appeared calm and ..., despite the shock. (llocceedt)

3 It is important that our staff are neat and ... at all times. (dyit)

4 He was sick and ... of other people telling him what to do. (rtied)

5 The tragedies in her life had made her very bitter and ... . (wtsidet)

6 Flora is too prim and ... to dance on the table. (roppre)

7 Look at descriptions 1-8 of people at work. Work out who is being talked about by reading sentences a-h on page 21.

1 There had been a problem with staff arriving late, owing to heavy traffic and family commitments. When he suggested more flexible hours, the staff were delighted, and the managers agreed that this could benefit the company. h

2 Her boss had already asked her to work late twice that week, and she'd had to wo through her lunch breaks. On Friday evening, he told her she had to finish a long report over the weekend. She was so angry, she told him to find another assistant

3 In one corner, people were bent over large sheets of paper making sketches, and in another, rolls of material were being inspected. Phones rang constantly, and people came in and out with documents, fabric samples and trays of coffee.

4 She paced up and down, checking her notes, smoothing down the front of her jacket, trying to take deep breaths and sipping water to wet her dry mouth.

5 He had been in the same job for ten years without being promoted. He was negative about everything, and very unpleasant to work with.

6 He obviously chose the date of his resignation to cause the maximum damage to the government. Photographers camped outside his house all night when they heard he would make a statement in the morning.

7 Speaking slowly and clearly, he confirmed that the skeleton was that of an ancient dinosaur, and was more complete than any other of the same type. Then he politely answered a few questions, and said he had to get back to work.

8 She wouldn't dream of leaving the office without putting her papers away. She keeps all her pens in a special pot, and her books neatly stacked by her computer

a Eva's office was a hive of activity.

b Rose always keeps her desk very neat and tidy.

c Kazuo announced the discovery in a calm and collected manner.

d Hector quit his job in a blaze of publicity.

e Jeanne was sick and tired of her boss's demands.

f Sonja was a bundle of nerves before her speech.

g Constant disappointment had make Andrew bitter and twisted.

h Adam's suggestions were greeted with a chorus of approval.

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

1 We're off to visit my aunt this afternoon. She's rather ..., so we'll have to be careful what we say!

2 At last the hospital has admitted to a ..., so Susan will be getting some compensation.

3 We're putting together a new exhibition, so the museum is a ... at the moment.

4 I've just tried to tell some boys to put their litter in a bin instead of dropping it on the pavement, but all I got for my trouble was a ... .

5 We all went out to search for the children, but it turned out they were ... at Laura's house all the time.

6 My suggestion that we go skiing at Easter certainly met with a ... from the rest of the family.

7 I told my daughter that if she doesn't keep her room, she won't get any pocket money.

8 The family seem to expect me to do all the cooking and all the housework and I'm ... of it!

9 I'm a ... at the moment because I'm expecting my exam results tomorrow.

10 It's very difficult to remain ... when people are shouting at you from all directions.

Class room extra

In pairs, ask your students to choose one of the collocations they have learned and to make up a situation that describes it, as in descriptions 1-8 in Exercise 7. Students

take it in turns to read out their situations, and the rest of the class has to guess their collocation.

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

1 the wedding/the house was/the morning before/a hive of activity

2 before speaking/a bundle of nerves/I'm always/in public

3 sick and tired/I'm absolutely/after everyone/of cleaning up

4 is always/in her office/neat and tidy/everything

5 I'll be happier/back safe and sound/everyone is/when I know

6 and out came/he opened/a torrent of abuse/his mouth