What is a collocation

A collocation is a combination of two or more words which frequently occur together.

If someone says, 'She's got yellow hair, they would probably be understood, but it is not what would ordinarily be said in English. We'd say, 'She's got blond hair'. In other words, yellow doesn't collocate with hair in everyday English.

Yellow however collocates with flowers, or jacket, or brick road.

It can be difficult for learners of English to know which words collocate, as natural collocations are not always logical or guessable.

Why is it important to learn collocations?

Quiz Time | Correct the collocation errors in the sentences below:

1 Exam candidates often make faults in their use of verbs like do, make, go and get.

2 Try to use a longer range of language when you write.

3 Candidates Who use collocations well gather better marks.

4 You have to know what normal collocation patterns are before you can lose them.

5 The writer used colloquial language to form an effect.

Here are the answers:

1 Exam candidates often make mistakes their use of verbs like do, make, go and get. (make a mistake)

2 Try to use a wider range of language when you write. (wide range)

3 Candidates Who use collocations well gain/get better marks. (get marks / gain marks)

4 You have to know what normal collocation patterns are before you can depart from them. (depart from something)

5 The writer used colloquial language to create an effect. (create an effect)