🎯 Lesson Goal
In this lesson, you will learn common English collocations.
A collocation is a natural combination of words. Native speakers often use these words together.
💡 Simple definition: A collocation is a word partnership. Some words naturally “go together.”
✅ Natural: I need to make a decision.
❌ Common mistake: I need to do a decision.
📌 Why Collocations Matter
- They help you avoid direct translation mistakes.
- They make your speaking sound more natural.
- They improve writing for work, school, and exams.
- They help you remember vocabulary as useful phrases.
⚠️ Study tip: Do not learn only single words. Learn useful word combinations.
Instead of only learning decision, learn make a decision.
Instead of only learning decision, learn make a decision.
📊 Natural vs. Unnatural English
| Natural English | Unnatural English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ make a decision | ❌ do a decision | decide something |
| ✅ do homework | ❌ make homework | complete school work |
| ✅ take a shower | ❌ make a shower | bathe quickly |
| ✅ heavy rain | ❌ strong rain | a lot of rain |
| ✅ heavy traffic | ❌ strong traffic | a lot of traffic |
| ✅ pay attention | ❌ put attention | focus |
🧩 Common Types of Collocations
Verb + Noun
- make a decision
- do homework
- take a break
- give advice
Adjective + Noun
- heavy rain
- strong coffee
- close friend
- serious problem
Verb + Preposition
- listen to music
- wait for someone
- depend on someone
- apply for a job
Noun + Noun
- coffee shop
- bus stop
- credit card
- movie theater
🛠️ Make vs. Do
English often uses make when you create, produce, cause, or choose something. English often uses do for tasks, work, routines, and responsibilities.
| Verb | Common Collocations | Example |
|---|---|---|
| make | make a decision, make a mistake, make progress, make friends, make money, make the bed | She is making progress in English. |
| do | do homework, do the dishes, do laundry, do research, do your best, do someone a favor | Please do your best. |
⚠️ Spanish connection: Spanish often uses hacer for both make and do. English separates them.
📦 Take, Have, Get, Give
Take
- take a shower
- take a break
- take a photo
- take notes
- take responsibility
Have
- have breakfast
- have a conversation
- have a meeting
- have trouble
- have fun
Get
- get a job
- get permission
- get better
- get ready
- get in touch
Give
- give advice
- give an answer
- give a presentation
- give someone a hand
- give permission
🌧️ Adjective + Noun Collocations
| Natural English | Not Usually | Example |
|---|---|---|
| heavy rain | strong rain | There was heavy rain last night. |
| heavy traffic | strong traffic | There is heavy traffic downtown. |
| strong coffee | powerful coffee | I like strong coffee. |
| close friend | near friend | He is a close friend. |
| high price | tall price | That is a high price. |
| quick question | fast question | I have a quick question. |
| serious problem | grave problem | We have a serious problem. |
| common mistake | normal mistake | This is a common mistake. |
🌎 Spanish Transfer Problems
| Spanish idea | Common English mistake | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| ES: hacer una decisión | do a decision | make a decision |
| ES: hacer tarea | make homework | do homework |
| ES: tomar una ducha | make a shower | take a shower |
| ES: lluvia fuerte | strong rain | heavy rain |
| ES: poner atención | put attention | pay attention |
| ES: escuchar música | listen music | listen to music |
📚 Collocation Bank
Use this section as a reference. You do not need to memorize everything at once. Choose a few collocations and use them in real sentences.
💡 Study tip: Learn collocations as complete chunks: make a decision, not only decision.
1. Make
- make a decision — I need to make a decision.
- make a choice — You have to make a choice.
- make a mistake — Everyone makes mistakes.
- make progress — You are making progress.
- make an effort — Please make an effort.
- make a plan — Let’s make a plan.
- make a promise — He made a promise.
- make a phone call — I need to make a phone call.
- make money — She wants to make money online.
- make friends — It can be hard to make friends.
- make the bed — I make the bed every morning.
- make noise — The neighbors are making noise.
- make dinner — I’ll make dinner tonight.
- make an appointment — I need to make an appointment.
- make a suggestion — Can I make a suggestion?
- make an excuse — Don’t make excuses.
- make a complaint — The customer made a complaint.
- make a living — He makes a living as a teacher.
- make sense — That makes sense.
- make sure — Make sure you lock the door.
2. Do
- do homework — She does homework after school.
- do the dishes — I’ll do the dishes.
- do the laundry — We need to do the laundry.
- do housework — He hates doing housework.
- do chores — The kids do chores on Saturday.
- do your job — Just do your job.
- do work — I have to do some work.
- do business — We do business with that company.
- do research — Students need to do research.
- do exercise — I try to do exercise every day.
- do your best — Do your best.
- do someone a favor — Can you do me a favor?
- do damage — The storm did a lot of damage.
- do well — She did well on the test.
- do badly — He did badly in the interview.
3. Common Life Categories
Work
- attend a meeting
- schedule a meeting
- meet a deadline
- miss a deadline
- submit a report
- send an email
- give a presentation
- apply for a job
- get a promotion
- sign a contract
School
- take a class
- attend class
- do homework
- take a test
- pass a test
- study for an exam
- pay attention
- ask a question
- make progress
- practice pronunciation
Home
- make the bed
- clean the house
- do the dishes
- take out the trash
- do the laundry
- cook dinner
- set the table
- pay the bills
- lock the door
- charge your phone
Social Life
- have a conversation
- make friends
- keep in touch
- give advice
- ask for advice
- tell a story
- tell the truth
- make a joke
- have an argument
- say sorry
4. Take, Have, Get, Give
Take
- take a shower
- take a break
- take a photo
- take notes
- take a test
- take medicine
- take responsibility
- take time
Have
- have breakfast
- have lunch
- have dinner
- have a conversation
- have a meeting
- have fun
- have trouble
- have a headache
Get
- get a job
- get permission
- get help
- get advice
- get better
- get ready
- get married
- get lost
Give
- give advice
- give an answer
- give an example
- give a speech
- give a presentation
- give permission
- give someone a call
- give someone a hand
5. Adjective + Noun
- heavy rain
- heavy traffic
- strong coffee
- strong smell
- strong personality
- high price
- high quality
- low price
- quick question
- close friend
- close relationship
- serious problem
- major problem
- common mistake
- regular customer
- great opportunity
✏️ Practice A — Fill in the Blank
Type the missing word.
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🔍 Practice B — Error Correction
Rewrite each sentence correctly.
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✅ Practice C — Choose the Correct Verb
Choose the best verb for each collocation.
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👂 Practice D — Natural or Unnatural?
Decide if the sentence sounds natural in English.
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🗣️ Speaking Practice
Answer these questions with a partner or teacher. Try to use the collocation in your answer.
1. When was the last time you had to make a difficult decision?
2. Do you usually make your bed in the morning?
3. What helps you meet a deadline?
4. What do you do when there is heavy traffic?
5. Do you prefer strong coffee or weak coffee?
6. Who usually gives you good advice?
7. What helps you make progress in English?
8. When do you usually take a break?
9. Is it easy for you to make friends?
10. What do you do when you have trouble understanding English?
📝 Writing Practice
Write original sentences. Use the collocation in each prompt.
🧠 Teacher Notes
Teaching Priorities
- Start with make vs. do. This is very useful for Spanish-speaking students.
- Teach collocations as chunks, not isolated vocabulary.
- Use contrastive examples: strong rain vs. heavy rain.
- Ask students to personalize collocations with real sentences.
- Recycle the same collocations across speaking, writing, and correction exercises.
💡 Suggested routine:
1. Notice the collocation.
2. Compare it with Spanish.
3. Practice it in a controlled exercise.
4. Use it in a personal sentence.
5. Use it in conversation.
1. Notice the collocation.
2. Compare it with Spanish.
3. Practice it in a controlled exercise.
4. Use it in a personal sentence.
5. Use it in conversation.
🌎 Spanish-Speaking Learner Notes
| Problem | Why it happens | Teaching focus |
|---|---|---|
| make / do confusion | Spanish often uses hacer for both. | Teach fixed phrases: make a decision, do homework. |
| strong rain / strong traffic | Direct translation from lluvia fuerte or tráfico fuerte. | Teach heavy rain and heavy traffic. |
| put attention | Direct translation from poner atención. | Teach pay attention. |
| listen music | Spanish does not use an equivalent of to in the same way. | Teach listen to music as a complete chunk. |
➕ Suggested Extension Activities
1. Collocation Hunt
Students read a short article or watch a short video and collect 10 natural word combinations.
2. Personal Collocation Notebook
Students create three columns: Collocation, Spanish meaning, My sentence.
3. Translation Repair
Give students literal translations from Spanish and ask them to repair the English.
4. Conversation Challenge
Students must use 5 target collocations in a 3-minute conversation.
📚 Quick Answer Key
| Unnatural | Natural |
|---|---|
| do a decision | make a decision |
| make homework | do homework |
| make a shower | take a shower |
| strong rain | heavy rain |
| strong traffic | heavy traffic |
| put attention | pay attention |
| listen music | listen to music |
| depend of | depend on |