Improve Writing Skills

Collocations

A collocation is a group of two or more words that are almost always put together.

Common word combinations such as 'Adverse Effects' or 'Unprecedented Growth' - are the essential building blocks of natural-sounding English.


Types


  • adjective + noun
  • adverb + adjective
  • noun + verb
  • verb + noun
  • verb + adverb

Collocations with Adjective + Noun

  • Incredible performance/tale/wealth/talent etc
  • Stringent action/steps/guidelines/measures/punishment etc
  • Unwanted consequences
  • Dire consequences
  • Inevitable consequence
  • Utter failure
  • Sheer ignorance
  • Grave negligence
  • Adequate resources
  • Appropriate action/solution
  • Workable solution
  • Fruitful results
  • Unexpected results/outcomes/consequences
  • Adverse effect
  • Unpardonable offence
  • Punishable act
  • Devastating effects/impact/consequence
  • Invaluable contribution
  • Unchallenging faith
  • Unprecedented growth
  • Undesirable results/consequences/effects
  • Enviable growth
  • Multifaceted career
  • Ruthless crimes
  • Cold-blooded murder
  • Unending options
  • Thoughtless acts
  • Burgeoning price/demand
  • Ever-growing trend
  • Trendy accessories/clothes
  • High-end products/computers/gadgets/gizmos
  • Relentless enthusiasm/zest/hard work/ spirit
  • Uphill/Herculean task
  • Innate abilities
  • Acquired abilities
  • Civilized societies/citizens/people
  • Established customs/practices/organizations
  • Tech-savvy generation
  • Deplorable condition
  • Inadequate facilities
  • Exorbitant rates/prices
  • Cold-blooded murder
  • Hardcore criminals
  • Aspiring singers/performers/sportsmen
  • Demoralizing impact/effect
  • Excruciating pain
  • Unbearable poverty/heat
  • Underprivileged people
  • Handsome salaries/remuneration/rewards
  • Unbridgeable gap/divide
  • Immense courage/wealth
  • Irreversible change/damage/trend
  • Cultural degeneration
  • Anti-social elements
  • Toxic fumes/gases
  • Excessive consumption
  • Underrated film/person/society/field
  • Tremendous amounts of time
  • Substantial sums/amounts

Collocations with Adverb + Adjective

  • Entirely different
  • Physically challenged
  • Utterly stupid
  • Practically impossible
  • Virtually everywhere
  • Deeply motivated
  • Richly decorated
  • Fully aware
  • Completely ignorant
  • Meticulously calculated/planned
  • Beautifully crafted/designed/planned
  • Cleverly devised
  • Totally confused
  • Totally alien
  • Heavily armed/guarded
  • Perfectly arranged
  • Thoroughly damaged
  • Deeply attached
  • Readily available
  • Widely used
  • Hideously bad
  • Finely/perfectly/delicately balanced
  • Extremely beneficial/dangerous/useful/important
  • Heavily built
  • Elegantly designed/crafted
  • Highly recommended
  • Deeply conservative
  • Highly contagious/critical/controversial/acclaimed
  • Hotly debated
  • Seriously/badly/severely damaged
  • Highly/quite delighted
  • Sharply/strongly criticized
  • Deeply distressed/depressed
  • Highly/fully/well developed
  • Completely/ entirely/ totally/ utterly/ significantly/ markedly/ subtly different
  • Bitterly/ deeply/ terribly/ extremely disappointed
  • Highly educated
  • Badly affected
  • Poorly designed
  • Highly effective
  • Highly enjoyable
  • Perfectly fitting
  • Heavily polluted
  • Extremely/fairly/highly flexible
  • Utterly futile
  • Perfectly genuine
  • Totally harmless
  • Perfectly healthy
  • Widely held
  • Seriously/ critically/ gravely/ terminally ill
  • Utterly/ almost/ nearly/ practically/ seemingly/ virtually impossible
  • Totally incompetent
  • Actively/ deeply/ heavily involved
  • Highly/ hardly likely
  • Totally logical/illogical
  • Entirely loyal
  • Grossly/ highly/ seriously misleading
  • Entirely/ painfully/ totally/ immediately/ fairly/ extremely/ perfectly obvious
  • Deeply offended
  • Bitterly/ completely/ diametrically opposed
  • Completely overlooked
  • Perfectly rational/reasonable
  • Widely recognized
  • Highly relevant
  • Incredibly/extremely rich
  • Completely/perfectly right
  • Utterly ruthless
  • Perfectly safe
  • Totally/ hardly surprising
  • Highly technical
  • Seriously threatened
  • Highly toxic
  • Utterly/painfully tragic
  • Highly trained
  • Totally/highly/entirely unaccepted
  • Seriously undermined
  • Perfectly understandable
  • Desperately unhappy
  • Totally unjustified
  • Completely untenable
  • Highly valuable
  • Highly volatile
  • Terribly worried
  • Highly significant
  • Fairly/ quite/ broadly/ roughly/ remarkably/ strikingly similar
  • Heavily/ densely/ highly/ thickly/ sparsely/ lightly/ thinly populated
  • Highly/fully/ suitably/ well qualified

Collocations with Verb + Noun

  • Take exercise
  • Make mistake
  • Commit crime
  • Commit suicide
  • Make a speech
  • Give a presentation
  • Draw salary
  • Take exam
  • Achieve target
  • Curb global warming
  • Gain weight
  • Lose weight
  • Set a record
  • Break a record
  • Hike price
  • Exercise franchise
  • Devote time
  • Thwart a plan/an attempt
  • Take/make a decision

Collocations with Verb + Adverb

  • Act accordingly
  • Bleed profusely
  • Act instantly
  • Rise steeply
  • Fail badly
  • Spend lavishly
  • Invest wisely