What Is Collocation in English? Examples & Exercises
A collocation is a combination of words commonly used together, such as strong coffee, make a decision or pay attention. Learning the whole phrase helps you choose a word that fits its neighbours. A common pairing is not always the only correct one: both catch a cold and get a cold are standard English.
Use the chart for examples, then try the eight exercises and message task. The answers explain both the expected phrase and acceptable alternatives.
Seven common patterns of collocation
These are useful ways to organise examples, not seven exclusive rules covering every phrase. Some learning resources treat verb–preposition combinations as grammatical collocations or dependent-preposition patterns.
| Pattern | Examples | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective + noun | strong coffee; heavy rain; deep sleep | The forecast warns of heavy rain. |
| Noun + noun, often with of | a round of applause; a bar of soap; a piece of advice | The musicians received a round of applause. |
| Verb + noun | make a decision; take a photo; save time | Please make a decision before Friday. |
| Adverb + adjective | deeply concerned; fully aware; utterly ridiculous | The organisers are fully aware of the delay. |
| Verb + adverb | listen carefully; apologise profusely; remember vaguely | Listen carefully to the instructions. |
| Verb + preposition | depend on; listen to; apologise for | Our plan depends on the weather. |
| Noun + verb | dogs bark; lions roar; the sun shines | The neighbours' dogs bark at the gate. |
Keep the grammar around the phrase too. Apologise to someone names the recipient; apologise for something names the reason. A verb does not necessarily have one preposition for every meaning. Similarly, a noun can combine with many verbs: dogs can bark, sleep or run.
Strong and weak collocations: typical does not mean exclusive
A strong collocation has a more restricted choice of partners, such as wreak havoc. A weak collocation allows a wider choice: big can describe a house, mistake, decision or surprise. These labels describe how restricted a pairing is; they do not mean good and bad English.
Do not turn every preferred combination into a ban on alternatives. Catch a cold and get a cold are both listed in Oxford's cold entry. Its compliment entry lists both give and pay somebody. Make a decision and take a decision are also accepted; take occurs especially in British usage. A particular exercise can narrow the options, but the answer should say when it does.
Collocation, idiom or grammar pattern?
Collocation concerns a familiar word combination. An idiom has an established meaning that cannot always be worked out from its individual words: spill the beans can mean reveal a secret. Many collocations, such as heavy rain, are easier to interpret. The categories can overlap; memorising a label is less useful than checking the meaning and context of the phrase you want to use.
Eight collocation exercises with explained answers
For questions 1–4, choose the usual expression from the two supplied options. For 5–8, check meaning and alternatives instead of assuming only one familiar phrase can be correct.
Use your browser's Print command for a learner copy with writing space. Answer panels are hidden in print and remain available here.
1. A mistake in a calculation
Check the total again: I think I made / did a mistake.
Answer 1
Made a mistake. Use make with a mistake in this meaning. The past form is made; did a mistake is not the usual standard expression.
2. Completing schoolwork
I will do / make my homework after dinner.
Answer 2
Do my homework. This means work on the assigned tasks. Make is not the expected verb for completing homework. Finish my homework is another possible expression, but it is not one of the two options.
3. A weather forecast
The forecast warns of heavy / strong rain overnight.
Answer 3
Heavy rain. This is the usual pairing for intense rainfall. Compare strong winds: adjectives with similar meanings do not necessarily have the same noun partners.
4. Listening to instructions
Please pay / make attention while the guide explains the route.
Answer 4
Pay attention. The phrase means direct your attention to something. You can add to and its object: pay attention to the guide.
5. More than one correct verb
A learner writes, “I got a cold during the trip.” Must you replace it with caught a cold for the sentence to be standard English?
Answer 5
No. Both expressions are standard ways to describe becoming ill with a cold. Caught a cold is useful to learn, but its existence does not make got a cold incorrect.
6. Expressing praise
Which versions are acceptable? A: “Maya gave Leo a compliment on his presentation.” B: “Maya paid Leo a compliment on his presentation.”
Answer 6
Both A and B. Both verbs can introduce the compliment. In B, paid does not mean Maya transferred money to Leo. Record the whole pattern, including the person and on plus what is being praised.
7. Different prepositions, different roles
Complete with to and for, using each once: The organiser apologised ___ the visitors ___ the delay.
Answer 7
Apologised to the visitors for the delay. To the visitors identifies the people receiving the apology; for the delay identifies its reason. American spelling apologized is also correct.
8. A decision about a venue
The committee has chosen the library. Complete with every acceptable option from made, took and did: The committee ___ a decision to meet at the library.
Answer 8
Made or took. Made a decision is widely used; took a decision is also accepted, especially in British English. Did a decision is not the standard expression for reaching this choice. An exercise that supplies only make/do can expect make without declaring take wrong.
Use the phrases in a short message
Fictional situation: an outdoor photography club must move tomorrow's session indoors because rain is forecast. Write a three-sentence message. Use heavy rain, either make a decision or take a decision in an appropriate tense, and pay attention to. Tell members where to go and what information to check.
One possible message and a checking guide
“The forecast warns of heavy rain tomorrow. We have made a decision to meet at the library instead of the park. Please pay attention to the room number on your booking email.”
The message gives a reason, a new venue and an action. Other venues and wording are possible. Check that each phrase fits its sentence; do not score the model as the only possible message. Then ask for one new sentence with a phrase from the chart in a different situation.
How to check and record a useful collocation
- Choose a phrase you need. Take it from a text or conversation you understand. Record the whole noun phrase or verb pattern, not just one isolated word.
- Check meaning and examples in a learner's dictionary. Look for the relevant sense, preposition, register or regional label. One search result alone does not establish that an alternative is wrong.
- Write your own sentence. Preserve the phrase's structure but change the situation. Compare pay attention to the instructions with pay attention to the closing date.
- Return to the phrase in a new task. Cover the model and write or say a sentence. Keep a note of alternatives you checked instead of treating your first list as exhaustive.
For a broader classroom routine, use the vocabulary-practice guide. Select a relevant reading or listening activity only after previewing its language; the platform does not automatically supply a collocation-specific lesson for every phrase on this page. The separate writing workflow offers AI feedback on longer tasks, which still needs review. It is not a guarantee that every acceptable word combination will be recognised.
Sources and editorial note
- Cambridge English Grammar Today: Collocation — common combinations and degrees of restriction.
- Cambridge English Grammar Today: Do or make? — verb–noun patterns.
- British Council: delexical verbs — expressions with make, take and related verbs.
- Oxford: cold and compliment — accepted alternatives used in questions 5 and 6.
The Kingdom of English prepared the original questions and fictional message task with AI-assisted drafting. The explanations and cited examples were checked on 21 October 2026. This revision corrects earlier claims that valid alternatives such as get a cold and give a compliment were wrong. It does not report classroom results or promise a particular learning outcome. See our editorial approach.