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If you want to make progress with your English, I strongly suggest focusing on collocations. (Not 'do progress' or 'greatly suggest'. Collocations really are everywhere!) |
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They're one of the biggest things separating English that's correct from English that sounds genuinely natural.
So much of the language comes down to certain words simply belonging together. Once you start hearing them, everything changes. You stop processing English word by word and start catching whole phrases at a time.
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Today, I want to help you get a proper feel for these word pairings.
I've put together a short collocations test. It's not for the faint of heart, mind you. There are some trickier, more sophisticated combinations in there. But I want you to see how they look, where they show up and how they feel when you meet them in the wild.
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Fair warning: there's often no logical rule that gets you to the right answer with collocations. You can't reason your way to them. They have to be learnt.
And honestly, teaching them is one of my favourite parts of being an English teacher because so many courses overlook them entirely.
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They'll pile on vocabulary, word after word, but they skip the part that dramatically changes your English: how those words work together.
Knowing a word is one thing. Knowing what it pairs with is what makes you sound natural and helps you understand others.
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Have some fun with it and see how you get on because your collocation woes are about to be a thing of the past! |
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P.S. Want to practise speaking English without pressure and get instant feedback? Try Langua, the world's most advanced AI for language learning. Save 20% on Pro Plans with the code LUCY20. |
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