Tri Duc English - Unit 1: What is a Collocation? TRI DUC ENGLISH CENTER IELTS Preparation & Advanced English Series UNIT 1: WHAT IS A COLLOCATION? A. What is a Collocation? A collocation is a pair or group of words that are often used together. These combinations sound natural to native speakers, but students of English have to make a special effort to learn them because they are often difficult to guess. Some combinations just sound 'wrong' to native speakers of English. For example, the adjective fast collocates with cars , but not with a glance . We say... fast cars fast food a quick glance a quick meal We don't say... quick cars quick food a fast glance a fast meal Learning collocations is an important part of learning the vocabulary of a language. Some collocations are fixed or very strong, for example take a photo , where no word other than take collocates with photo to give the same meaning. Some collocations are more open, where several different words may be used to give a similar meaning, for example keep to / stick to the rules . Here are some more examples of collocations. You must make an effort and study for your exams (NOT do an effort ) Did you watch TV last night? (NOT look at TV ) This car has a very powerful engine . It can do 200 km an hour. (NOT strong engine ) There are some ancient monuments nearby. (NOT antique monuments ) Sometimes, a pair of words may not be absolutely wrong, and people will understand what is meant, but it may not be the natural, normal collocation. If someone says I did a few mistakes they will be understood, but a fluent speaker of English would probably say I made a few...