How to Improve Your Vocabulary by Using Collocations
Collocations are words that naturally go together in a language because native speakers commonly use them in that combination. These word pairings sound “right” to fluent speakers, while other combinations might sound unnatural.
Types of Collocations:
Adjective + Noun → strong coffee, deep sleep, heavy rain
Verb + Noun → make a decision, give advice, take a break
Noun + Noun → data analysis, business plan, traffic jam
Verb + Adverb → speak fluently, run quickly, work hard
Adverb + Adjective → highly successful, deeply disappointed, strongly recommended
Adjective + Preposition → afraid of, good at, interested in, famous for
Verb + Preposition → depend on, suffer from, apologize for
Noun + Preposition → reason for, increase in, effect on, solution to
Here are five collocations which you can add to your vocabulary.
1. Show a marked improvement: This means to demonstrate a clear, noticeable improvement in something. The phrase is often used to describe progress in skills, performance, or conditions.
Examples:
His test scores showed a marked improvement after months of dedicated study.
The patient showed a marked improvement after receiving the new treatment. Sales figures showed a marked improvement compared to last year’s performance.
Do you think your writing would show a marked improvement if you read more books on a regular basis?
2. First-hand knowledge: This describes information that a person acquires through direct experience or personal observation, rather than through secondary sources like books, news, or other people’s accounts. It is knowledge gained by witnessing, participating in, or directly engaging with an event or situation. For example,
A person who witnesses a car accident and describes what happened has first-hand knowledge of the event. A chef who creates a new recipe and tests it has first-hand knowledge of how it tastes and works.
What is something you wish you had first-hand knowledge of instead of through books or media?
3. Make broad generalizations: When a person makes broad generalizations, he or she says or writes that something is true all of the time, when it is only true some of the time. People who make broad generalizations fail to consider exceptions. Broad generalizations oversimplify complex topics. Here are some examples:
“Teenagers are always on their phones.” → (Not all teenagers use their phones excessively.)
“All politicians are corrupt.” → (Some politicians are honest and ethical.)
Instead of making broad generalizations, it’s better to use precise language like:
✔ “Many teenagers spend a lot of time on their phones, but not all.”
✔ “Some politicians have been involved in corruption, but others are honest.”
4. Take a firm stance against something: This means to strongly oppose or clearly reject a particular idea, belief, action, or situation. It involves standing your ground and not wavering or changing your position on the issue.
Examples:
The company took a firm stance against discrimination, implementing policies to promote diversity and inclusion.
He took a firm stance against corruption in the government and called for major reforms.
Question: Have Canadian federal politicians taken a firm stance against Trump’s proposed annexation of Canada?
5. Bring something to a close: This collocation means to end or conclude something, such as an event, activity, discussion, or period of time. It suggests the action of finishing or wrapping up something that has been ongoing.
Examples:
The manager decided to bring the meeting to a close after discussing all the points.
After hours of debate, the moderator finally brought the discussion to a close.
Question: How do you usually like to bring a conversation to a close when you’re running out of time?
Each time you come across a new collocation, write it down in a notebook. Review the collocations in your notebook each week, and try using a few of them each day. By doing so, you will improve your fluency and sound more natural.
