Common Collocations
On this page you can find a few short lists of common collocations to give you more of an idea about them. Many good learner's dictionaries show collocations associated with specific words. There are also dictionaries of collocations, though these are more difficult to find.
Verb collocations
| have | do | make |
|---|---|---|
| have a bath have a drink have a good time have a haircut have a holiday have a problem have a relationship have a rest have lunch have sympathy |
do business do nothing do someone a favour do the cooking do the housework do the shopping do the washing up do your best do your hair do your homework |
make a difference make a mess make a mistake make a noise make an effort make furniture make money make progress make room make trouble |
| take | break | catch |
| take a break take a chance take a look take a rest take a seat take a taxi take an exam take notes take someone's place take someone's temperature |
break a habit break a leg break a promise break a record break a window break someone's heart break the ice break the law break the news to someone break the rules |
catch a ball catch a bus catch a chill catch a cold catch a thief catch fire catch sight of catch someone's attention catch someone's eye catch the flu |
| pay | save | keep |
| pay a fine pay attention pay by credit card pay cash pay interest pay someone a compliment pay someone a visit pay the bill pay the price pay your respects |
save electricity save energy save money save one's strength save someone a seat save someone's life save something to a disk save space save time save yourself the trouble |
keep a diary keep a promise keep a secret keep an appointment keep calm keep control keep in touch keep quiet keep someone's place keep the change |
| come | go | get |
| come close come complete with come direct come early come first come into view come last come late come on time come prepared come right back come second come to a compromise come to a decision come to an agreement come to an end come to a standstill come to terms with come to a total of come under attack |
go abroad go astray go bad go bald go bankrupt go blind go crazy go dark go deaf go fishing go mad go missing go on foot go online go out of business go overseas go quiet go sailing go to war go yellow |
get a job get a shock get angry get divorced get drunk get frightened get home get lost get married get nowhere get permission get pregnant get ready get started get the impression get the message get the sack get upset get wet get worried |
Miscellaneous collocations
| Time | Business English | Classifiers |
|---|---|---|
| bang on time dead on time early 12th century free time from dawn till dusk great deal of time late 20th century make time for next few days past few weeks right on time run out of time save time spare time spend some time take your time tell someone the time time goes by time passes waste time |
annual turnover bear in mind break off negotiations cease trading chair a meeting close a deal close a meeting come to the point dismiss an offer draw a conclusion draw your attention to launch a new product lay off staff go bankrupt go into partnership make a loss make a profit market forces sales figures take on staff |
a ball of string a bar of chocolate a bottle of water a bunch of carrots a cube of sugar a pack of cards a pad of paper |