Using Collocations for Natural English - Elizabeth Walter, Kate Woodford 2010
Collocations for beginnings
Review Units 1-4
How it all began
The collocations in these exercises show you a variety of ways to express the idea of starting something or of something starting.
1 Match the magazine extracts 1-8 with the titles a-d. There are two extracts for each title.
1 The troubled singer has recently launched a second career as a fashion designer.
2 Rising food prices have triggered angry protests in various parts of the country.
3 Traders have urged the government to bring in new laws to regulate the import of cheap goods from abroad.
4 After a run of defeats, the England coach has decided to adopt a new approach to training, including bringing in specialists from the world of dance and yoga.
5 The actor (59) was spotted at the Oscars striking up a conversation with an attractive young blonde at the next table.
6 The government has recently embarked on a project to care for young, single mothers in communal homes.
7 New companies are springing up at the rate of fifty a day, signalling the end of the recession.
8 Although the police did their best to keep rival fans apart, violence erupted twenty minutes into the game.
a Goal Kick! (sports magazine)
b Stars in your Eyes (celebrity magazine)
c The Professional (business magazine)
d The World Today (news magazine)
2 Complete the answers to the questions using the collocations from Exercise 1. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs.
1 Yan asked the young woman a question, she replied, and they started talking. What did Yan do with the young woman?
He strucr up a conversation.
2 In any town centre now you can see new shops and cafes opening every day. What can you now see in any town centre?
3 People in the crowd started fighting when the police tried to make an arrest. What happened in the crowd when the police tried to arrest someone?
4 The government have recently made it illegal to use a mobile phone while driving. What have the government recently done?
5 She left drama school in 1965, hoping to start working as an actress. What did she hope to do after leaving drama school?
6 The head teacher has tried a new way of dealing with the problem. What has the head teacher done?
7 The announcement caused people to take action in public because they disagreed so strongly with it.
What did the announcement do?
8 The government have recently started a very ambitious piece of work to modernise the road network.
What have the government recently done?
Study tip
When you learn new collocations, try to notice the context you see them in. This will help you to be able to use them in an appropriate way.
3 Look at the short newspaper articles. Put the sentences in the correct order so that the paragraphs makes sense. Then listen to the recording to check your answers.
1 Smoking ban
a It is thought that they will attempt to ban smoking in all public places, including open-air spaces, such as parks.
b It is likely that this wider ban will encounter fierce opposition.
c Today it is said they may be about to adopt a more radical approach to the problem.
d It is now three years since the government attempted to tackle the problem of smoke-related illnesses by bringing in a law banning smoking in all work places.
2. Violent protests in south of country
a The arrest triggered protests especially in the south of the country.
b One person was killed in the demonstration and three were seriously injured.
c At the largest demonstration, in the capital city, violence erupted after police clashed with demonstrators.
d Following last week's election, the opposition leader was arrested and is now in prison.
3. Siccess story!
a A year ago today, the local council embarked on a project to address this problem.
b The result was that within six months of the project, small companies were springing up on every street and the city centre had been transformed into a vibrant and successful shopping centre.
c Two years ago, this paper reported that one in three companies in the city centre had failed and that no one was shopping there any more.
d They gave grants to anyone starting up a company in the area.
4. Al granger, politician?
a Granger himself hasn't confirmed or denied that this is the case.
b This has started rumours that he intends to stand for parliament.
c There have recently been suggestions that the 48-year-old actor and former singer, Al Granger, is about to launch a career as a politician.
d He has mentioned his political aspirations in interviews, has a number of friends in the cabinet and was recently seen at a high- profile social event, striking up a conversation with the Prime Minister himself.
Classroom extra
In pairs, students use two or three of the collocations in Exercise 2 to tell each other about an event or issue that has recently been in the media in their country.
4 Complete the sentences using the collocations you have learned above.
1 She studied art at Goldsmiths College, London, before launching a ... as a jewellery designer.
2 The shooting of the young student triggered furious ... in the capital of the city.
3 So many new ... have sprung up in this region in the last two years.
4 He's very sociable - he'll strike up a ... with a complete stranger at a bus stop.
5 We will be needing a lot of extra funding if we are to embark on this ... .
6 Earlier in the day, ... had erupted when police attempted to stop the protesters.
7 They've brought in a new ... banning the use of all such substances.
8 Clearly our strategy for dealing with the problem hasn't worked. I think it's time we adopted a new ... .
Making a start
Sound natural
Your English will sound more impressive if you are able to avoid the over-use of simple words such as start and begin.
5 Match the two halves of these sentences.
1 He burnt the toast,
2 A newspaper recently reported that the actress had put on weight,
3 Today, aged 82, she still remembers the day that
4 We set off on our journey just
5 Their advertising campaign
6 As soon as they have approval,
7 My brother plans to
8 They want the government to
a set up his own company once he has left college.
b introduce legislation to restrict the sale of guns.
c as dawn was breaking.
d they can start to implement the plan.
e which set off the smoke alarm.
f prompting speculation that she is pregnant.
g generated a lot of interest in the product.
h war broke out.
6 Match the sentences 1-8 to the descriptions a-h.
1 She pushed open the wrong door and a loud noise suddenly started.
2 Anna has been putting leaflets advertising her eco-friendly cleaning products through people's doors in the attempt to get some business.
3 She went early in the morning, just as it was starting to get light.
4 Ms Hooper said in an interview that the prince 'had a special place in her heart'. and the newspapers have since suggested that she is the prince's new girlfriend.
5 Fighting had already started and she decided to take the first flight out of the country.
6 Sophie intends to start her own IT business after leaving college.
7 Walker has asked the government to create a set of laws to prevent this from happening.
8 My manager decided on a series of actions to solve the problem but in the end, she never actually did anything.
a She left the country just as war was breaking out.
b Her comments prompted speculation that they are having a relationship.
c She left as dawn was breaking.
d She has been trying to generate interest in her product.
e She accidentally set off an alarm.
f She wants them to introduce legislation to stop the practice.
g Her plan is to set up her own company.
h She failed to implement the plan.
7 Complete the sentences using collocations from Exercise 6. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs.
1 We got up as dawn was ... and prepared to leave.
2 So when does the government intend to start ... the plan?
3 Smoke from a candle ... the alarm.
4 The minister has recently complained about her role in government, ... speculation that she is about to resign.
5 The film seemed to ... a lot of interest in the subject.
6 I left the firm and ... my own company.
7 The government needs to ... tougher legislation to control the sale of handguns.
8 My grandparents left the country just before war ... .
8 Complete the sentences using the collocations you have learned above. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs. Then complete the crossword.
Across
4 There are plans to introduce legislation banning the practice.
5 Ian accidentally leant against a button which set off the ... .
6 The ... was never implemented.
8 With a single advert they ... a tremendous amount of interest in the product.
Down
1 The actor's comments about his wife have prompted ... that the couple are about to split.
2 We stayed up all night talking, finally going to bed as ... was breaking.
3 She has set up a catering ... with a friend of hers.
7 They married shortly before ... broke out.
Classroom extra
In pairs, students choose three words from the collocations in this unit and make mini crosswords like the one in Exercise 8. They then write their own gap-fill clues and swap them with another pair.