TRI DUC ENGLISH ✦ ACADEMIC EDGE UNIT 10 EDITION Nouns and the words they combine with Collocations · Adjective + Noun · Verb + Noun — Enhancing academic fluency Nouns often combine with specific verbs, for example carry out research , pay attention or with specific adjectives, for example medical research , undivided attention . A. Adjective + noun Noun Adjectives that often combine with it Example contact Useful, valuable, personal, constant, close, frequent, intermittent 1 I made some useful contacts at the conference. debate considerable, heated 2 , intense, public, animated 3 After the lecture there was a heated debate . element [= factor] crucial, decisive, fundamental Timing is a crucial element of the experiment elements [= parts] conflicting, contrasting, constituent 4 There are conflicting elements in the artist's work energy excess, sufficient, nuclear wind turbines create sufficient energy for the town's needs. phenomenon common, isolated, natural, recent, universal Such anti-social behaviour is a recent phenomenon . results conflicting, (in)conclusive, unforeseen 5 , preliminary 6 , encouraging, interim 7 Our preliminary results were encouraging. role decisive, challenging, conflicting, influential, key, pivotal 8 Student activists played a pivotal role in the riot. sample random, representative A representative sample of the population was surveyed. in ... terms absolute, broad, relative, general, practical, economic People are better off in economic terms . way alternative, efficient fair, practical, convenient, proper, acceptable It is important to treat your research subjects in a fair way . 1 from time to time; 2 strong often angry; 3 lively; 4 that combing to make something; 5 not expected; 6 first; 7 temporary; 8 important B. Noun + verb Most of the nouns in the table above are also strongly associated with specific verbs. • You can come into contact with someone or something or you can establish, maintain, break off or lose contact . • Academics may engage in debate or contribute to a debate . You talk about the debate surrounding an issue . • You can combine, differentiate or discern [recognise] the elements of a chemical compound. • You consume [use], conserve, generate [create], save or waste energy . • Phenomena emerge or occur and students will try to observe, investigate and then explain those phenomena . • Academics collect, collate [organise] and publish their resul...