Types of collocation

Adjectives and nouns Notice adjectives that are typically used with particular nouns. Emily often wears red or yellow or some other bright colour. We had a brief chat about the exams but didn’t have time to discuss without qurrel. Unemployment in the villages is a major problem for our government at the moment. Improving the educational service is another key issue for us

Nouns and verbs Notice how nouns and verbs often go together. The examples below are all to do with economics and business. The economy boomed at the beginning of the year. [the economy was very strong] The company has grown and now employs 100 more people than last year. The company has expanded and now has branches in most major cities of our country The two companies merged in 2020 and now form one very large corporation. The company launched the product in 2012. [introduced the product] The price increase poses a problem for us and our clients. [is a problem] The internet has created opportunities for our business in tourism. [brought new opportunities]

Noun + noun There are a lot of collocations with the pattern a … of …. As Alex read the lies about him, he felt a surge of anger. [ a sudden angry feeling] Every mother feels a sense of pride when their child does well or wins something. they felt a pang of nostalgia when they saw the old photos of the village where they grew up.

Verbs and expressions with prepositions Some verbs collocate with particular prepositional expressions. As Jane went on stage to receive his gold medal for the dancing competition you could see his parents swelling with pride. [looking extremely proud] I was filled with horror when I read the newspaper report of the explosion. When they spilt juice on their new skirts little children burst into tears. [suddenly started crying]