What is a collocation, and why does it matter?

A collocation is a pair or group of words that natural English speakers use together. “Make a mistake” is a collocation; “do a mistake” is grammatically possible but no native speaker says it. Learning English without collocations is like learning music as individual notes without learning chords — every sentence will technically work, but the result will sound off.

Collocation knowledge is one of the fastest ways to move from B1 to B2, and from B2 to C1. It also matters for IELTS Lexical Resource scoring (Band 7+ requires “less common items” and “occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation”), and it makes day-to-day conversation flow far better.

1 — Daily life and routines

• have a shower / take a shower — “I have a shower before work every morning.”
• brush your teeth — “Don’t forget to brush your teeth before bed.”
• set the alarm — “I set the alarm for six.”
• get dressed / get changed — “Give me five minutes to get changed.”
• have breakfast / have lunch / have dinner — “We had lunch at the new café.”
• do the laundry / do the dishes / do the cleaning — “It’s your turn to do the dishes.”
• make the bed — “My kids make the bed every Saturday.”
• go to bed / fall asleep / get up — “I went to bed early but didn’t fall asleep until midnight.”
• catch the bus / miss the train — “I missed the train and had to wait an hour.”
• run an errand — “I have to run a few errands this afternoon.”

2 — Work and business

• get a promotion / get a pay rise — “She got a promotion after two years.”
• meet a deadline / miss a deadline — “We somehow met the deadline despite the delays.”
• hold a meeting / attend a meeting — “We hold a team meeting every Monday.”
• make a decision / take a decision — “Management has made a decision on the new policy.”
• raise a concern / address a concern — “Several staff raised concerns about workload.”
• set a target / hit a target / miss a target — “The team hit its sales target for the quarter.”
• land a job / land a contract — “He landed a job at a top consultancy.”
• take responsibility / take action — “Leaders need to take responsibility for the outcome.”
• work overtime / work flexible hours — “I work overtime most Fridays.”
• be on leave / be off sick — “She’s on leave until next week.”

3 — Study and education

• do your homework / do your assignments — “Have you done your homework yet?”
• take a course / take an exam / take notes — “I’m taking a course in business English.”
• pass an exam / fail an exam — “She passed her IELTS exam with Band 7.”
• get a degree / earn a degree — “He got his degree from the University of Manchester.”
• do research / carry out research — “Researchers carried out the study over two years.”
• make progress — “I’m making good progress with my pronunciation.”
• pay attention — “Please pay attention to this important point.”
• fall behind / catch up — “I fell behind in class but caught up over the holiday.”
• raise a question / answer a question — “Several students raised interesting questions.”
• broaden your horizons — “Travelling broadens your horizons.”

4 — Money and finance

• earn money / make money — “He earns a decent salary as an engineer.”
• spend money on / waste money on — “I spend too much money on coffee.”
• save money / put money aside — “We’re saving money for a deposit.”
• borrow money / lend money — “I borrowed some money from my brother.”
• pay a bill / settle a bill — “Have you paid the electricity bill yet?”
• take out a loan / pay off a loan — “They took out a loan to renovate the house.”
• open a bank account / close an account — “I opened a savings account last month.”
• get into debt / get out of debt — “It took years to get out of debt.”
• make a profit / make a loss — “The company made a profit for the first time.”
• cost a fortune — “That handbag cost a fortune.”

5 — Health and fitness

• catch a cold / come down with the flu — “I caught a cold over the weekend.”
• have a headache / have a sore throat — “I’ve had a headache all morning.”
• take medicine / take a tablet — “Take this medicine three times a day.”
• get sick / fall ill — “He got sick on holiday.”
• stay in shape / get in shape — “Walking helps me stay in shape.”
• do exercise / take exercise — “You should do some exercise every day.”
• lose weight / put on weight / gain weight — “I’ve put on a little weight this winter.”
• have a balanced diet — “A balanced diet supports your immune system.”
• get a good night’s sleep — “I never feel right without a good night’s sleep.”
• see a doctor / make an appointment — “You should see a doctor about that cough.”

6 — Communication and relationships

• have a conversation / hold a conversation — “We had a long conversation about her career.”
• make a phone call / give someone a call — “I’ll give you a call later.”
• send a message / send an email — “Send me an email when you arrive.”
• tell the truth / tell a lie — “You should always tell the truth, even when it’s hard.”
• make friends / lose touch — “It’s hard to make friends as an adult.”
• have an argument / get into an argument — “They had an argument about money.”
• fall in love / break up — “They fell in love during their first semester.”
• get married / get divorced — “My cousin is getting married next summer.”
• have something in common — “We have a lot in common.”
• keep in touch / stay in touch — “Let’s keep in touch.”

7 — Travel

• book a flight / book a hotel — “I’ve booked the flight for next Tuesday.”
• catch a flight / miss a flight — “We barely caught our flight.”
• check in / check out — “You can check in online from 24 hours before.”
• pack your bags / unpack — “I always pack my bags the night before.”
• go on holiday / go on vacation — “We’re going on holiday in August.”
• take a trip / go on a trip — “They’re taking a trip to Spain next month.”
• get lost / find your way — “We got lost in the old town for an hour.”
• book a tour / take a tour — “We booked a walking tour of the city.”
• travel light / travel in style — “I always try to travel light.”
• have a great time — “We had a great time in Edinburgh.”

8 — Time and effort

• spend time on / waste time on — “I spend too much time on social media.”
• save time / take time — “This shortcut saves about 10 minutes.”
• kill time — “We killed time at the airport bookshop.”
• run out of time — “We ran out of time and missed the last question.”
• make time for / find time for — “Try to make time for exercise this week.”
• have a hard time / have a tough time — “He had a hard time after losing his job.”
• make an effort / put in effort — “You can tell she’s making a real effort with her English.”
• do your best / try your best — “Just do your best — that’s all anyone can ask.”
• give it a try / give it a go — “Why not give it a try?”
• take a break / have a rest — “You should take a break.”

9 — Strong adjective + noun pairings

These adjective-noun pairs lift everyday English into something more precise and natural.

• heavy rain, heavy traffic, heavy smoker
• strong opinion, strong evidence, strong accent
• deep sleep, deep concern, deep regret
• fast food, fast learner, fast train
• busy schedule, busy street, busy day
• close friend, close relationship, close call
• major issue, major impact, major step
• significant difference, significant change, significant role
• severe weather, severe pain, severe shortage
• broad range, broad agreement, broad shoulders

10 — Common verb + noun pairings to memorise

• make: make a decision, make a difference, make an effort, make a mistake, make progress, make a noise, make a suggestion, make sense, make a phone call, make money
• do: do business, do damage, do the dishes, do exercise, do harm, do homework, do research, do your best, do a favour, do well
• take: take a chance, take care, take a look, take a photo, take a seat, take time, take responsibility, take part, take notes, take a break
• have: have a conversation, have a meeting, have a problem, have a chance, have a dream, have an effect, have an experience, have an argument, have a good time, have a shower
• get: get a job, get an answer, get permission, get an idea, get the message, get tired, get angry, get worse, get better, get used to

How to learn collocations effectively

1. Always learn the phrase, not the word. “Make” alone is useless; “make a decision” is gold.
2. Add an example sentence. Translation alone does not stick. A natural sentence builds context.
3. Use them within 24 hours. Write or say at least one sentence using each new collocation the same day you learn it.
4. Group by topic, not alphabetically. Memory works better with context.
5. Read widely. Collocations come from exposure. Pair this list with graded readers and podcasts.

FAQ

How many collocations should I learn?

For comfortable B2 conversation, around 1500-2500 active collocations is the working figure most learners aim for. This list covers around 200 of the most useful — a strong start.

Should I learn British or American collocations?

Most are shared. Where they differ (“take a shower” US / “have a shower” UK; “go on holiday” UK / “go on vacation” US), pick the one that matches your target context. For IELTS, both are accepted.

Are collocations the same as phrasal verbs?

No. Phrasal verbs are a specific type (verb + particle, e.g. “give up”). Collocations are broader — any group of words that naturally appear together. See our phrasal verbs list.

Related resources and guides

• IELTS Band 7 Vocabulary List
• Essential Phrasal Verbs
• 30-Day English Study Plan
• Flashcard system comparison
• Best English Learning Apps