Learn Words That Belong Together: English Collocations

Knowing decision does not automatically tell you whether to say do a decision or make a decision. English words often combine in conventional ways. Learning those combinations gives you language that is ready to use, while isolated translations can leave you building unnatural phrases one word at a time.

Before studying the explanation, try to answer the practice task below without looking at its answer key. Keep your first attempt. It gives you something concrete to compare with a later answer and helps you identify which part of this topic needs attention.

Save the phrase around the word

A collocation is a common word combination such as make a decision, heavy rain or take a break. The combination is often preferred by ordinary usage even when another choice seems logically possible. Start with phrases you repeatedly need instead of collecting a huge list you never use.

When you meet a useful word, keep enough of the sentence to show its partners. A note for interested can include “interested in learning”. A note for depend can include “depend on the situation”. Prepositions are part of many useful combinations, so leaving them out can remove the information you needed most.

Check combinations with reliable examples

Use a learner dictionary or a set of reliable example sentences to check a phrase. One search result is not proof of a common pattern; it may contain an error, a quotation or a specialised meaning. Compare several relevant examples when the distinction matters.

Do and make are a familiar starting point: do homework, make a mistake, make progress. Do not expect one abstract rule to explain every combination. Organise a few useful phrases by situation, then learn their actual examples. You can gradually notice patterns without forcing exceptions into a misleading rule.

Retrieve the phrase in a meaningful sentence

Cover the English phrase and use a meaning cue such as “choose after considering options”. Try to retrieve make a decision and put it in your own sentence. This tests productive recall, which is different from recognising the phrase in a list.

Change the tense or subject: “We made a decision yesterday” and “She needs to make a decision soon.” Keep the core combination while adjusting the sentence. A phrase is useful when you can fit it into different messages, not only recite the original dictionary example.

Review mistakes as combinations

If you wrote “strong rain”, save the corrected phrase heavy rain with a short example. Do not label the entire sentence a failure. The correction gives you a specific combination to retrieve next time. Where alternatives have different meanings, save both with their contexts.

A modest review set can include one verb-noun combination, one adjective-noun combination and one preposition pattern. Use each in a short message about your week. Check whether the sentence is natural and accurate; a phrase memorised correctly can still appear in a sentence that communicates the wrong situation.

Try it before reading the answer

Choose the common combination: do/make homework, do/make a decision, heavy/strong rain, interested on/in music. Then create a past sentence using make progress and a question using depend on. Use a dictionary to check a new combination of your choice.

Say or write a complete response, rather than naming only a rule. Where the task asks you to explain a choice, connect that explanation to the meaning or situation. If more than one answer could fit, state the interpretation you are using instead of pretending the context settles everything.

Check the answer and the reason

Do homework; make a decision; heavy rain; interested in music. A past example is “I made progress with question forms last week.” A question is “Does the price depend on the option?” The new combination should be supported by an appropriate dictionary example, not simply by your intuition.

Compare the model with your first attempt. Choose one useful correction and make a new example with different content. If your original answer was also valid, explain why it fits. The answer key illustrates the requested task; it is not a complete list of every possible English sentence in a different context.

Make this a short practice session

Use the lesson in three passes: understand a checked example, retrieve the language without viewing it, and use it in a new message. Spend more attention on the part that blocked your first attempt. You can practise alone with a recording or with a partner who can ask a relevant follow-up. Keep your notes focused on one observable skill.

Return to the task after a gap and change one detail. Notice whether you can adapt the language while keeping the intended meaning clear. Record specific evidence such as a correct question form, a phrase recalled without help or an uncertainty you still need to check. One exercise can guide the next practice session without establishing a whole language level.

Continue with a related Sunny Academy activity

Choose a practice activity that matches the obstacle you noticed in this lesson. Use the same idea in a different task so you can see whether you can apply it beyond the examples here.

Open the related practice activity. Access and price are shown before you start. You can also explore the course options for a broader learning path.