Министерство образования Российской Федерации

Муниципальное автономное общеобразовательное учреждение

Гимназия №21 с углубленным изучением иностранных языков

РЕФЕРАТ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ НА ТЕМУ:

“ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE”

Выполнила ученица 6 Б класса

Столбова В. В.

Проверил: учитель английского языка

Гайворонская А.М.

Тюмень 2016

CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION

1WHAT IS A COLLOCATION…………….............................................................. 1

2WHY LEARN COLLOCATIONS?……………………………….……………… 1-2

3.TYPES OF COLLOCATIONS………………………………………………………2

3.1 adjectives and nouns………………………………………………………… 2

3.2 nouns and verbs………………………………………………………….……3

3.3 noun and noun……………………………………………………………..… 3

3.4 verbs and expressions with prepositions……………………………….……..4

3.5 adverbs and adjectives………………………………………………….…….4

4. TYPES OF COLLOCATIONS USED IN EVERY DAY LIFE…………………….5

4.1 every day verbs………………………………………………………………..5

4.2

weather………………………………………………………………………………...6

4.3 family relationships……………………………………………………………8

5 .BASIC СONСEPTS…………………………………………………….………….10

CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………..15

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

2

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of my report is to study different types of English collocations.

I chose this topic because collocations is an important part of the language and

learning them needs special efforts from students.

Collocation means a natural combination of words, it refers to the way

English words are closely associated with each other. You need to learn

collocations because they will help you to speak and write in English in more

natural and accurate way. Learning collocations will also help you increase your

range of the English vocabulary.

3

WHAT IS A COLLOCATION?

A collocation is a pair or group of words that are often used together. These

combinations sound natural to native speakers, but students of English have to

make a special effort to learn them because they are often difficult to guess. Some

combinations just sound «wrong» to native speakers of English. For example, the

adjective fast collocates with cars, but not with a glance .A fast car but a quick

glance

Learning collocations is an important part of learning the vocabulary of a language.

Some collocations are fixed, or very strong, for example take a photo, where no

word other than take collocates with photo to give the same meaning. Some

collocations are more open, where several different words may be used to give a

similar meaning, for example keep to/stick to the rules. Here are some more

examples of collocations.[1]

You must make an effort and study for your exams (NOT do an effort)

Did you watch TV last night? (NOT look at TV)

This car has a very powerful engine. It can do 200 km an hour. (NOT strong

engine)

There are some ancient monuments nearby. (NOT antique monuments)

Why learn collocations?

Learning collocations is a good idea because they can:

a)give you the most natural way to say something: smoking is strictly forbidden is

more natural than smoking is strongly forbidden.

b) give you alternative ways of saying something, which may be more

colourful/expressive or more precise: instead of repeating It was very cold and very

dark, we can say It was bitterly cold and pitch dark.

c) improve your style in writing: instead of saying poverty causes crime, you can

say poverty breeds crime; instead of saying a big meal you can say a substantial

meal.

Types of collocations

There are many different types of collocations. Here are some examples. 4

Adjectives and nouns

Notice adjectives that are typically used with particular nouns.

Jean always wears red or yellow or some other bright colour.

We had a brief chat about the exams but didn't have time to discuss them properly.

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 in the 1990s.

The company launched the product in 2002.

Noun + noun

There are a lot of collocations with the pattern a ... of... .

Every parent feels a sense of pride when their child does well or wins something.

I felt a pang of nostalgia when I saw the old photos of the village where I grew up.

Verbs and expressions with prepositions

Some verbs collocate with particular prepositional expressions.

When she spilt juice on her new skirt the little girl burst into tears, (suddenly started

crying)

Adverbs and adjectives

Adjectives often have particular adverbs which regularly collocate with them.

They are happily married.

TYPES OF COLLOCATIONS USED IN EVERY DAY LIFE:

COLLOCATIONS WITH :

Everyday verbs

There are a lot of collocations which are used with common verbs such as make ,do

and have.

Make and do are two verbs that many learners have problems with. If you remember

that the basic meaning of make is about producing something and the basic meaning of

do is about performing an action, then the collocations may seem more logical.[2]

Make collocations:

make a choice 5

make a decision

make an effort

make an excuse

make friends

make a mistake

make a phone call

make progress

For example:

Jill had to make a choice between her career and her family.

I'm glad it's you who has to make the decision, not me.

Joe is really making an effort with his maths this term.

I'm too tired to go out tonight. Let's make an excuse and stay at home.

Karen is very good at making friends.

They've made a mistake in our bill.

I've got to make some phone calls before dinner.

Harriet is making progress with all her schoolwork.

DO collocations:

do your best

do exercises

do harm

do your hair

do your homework

do the ironing/shopping/ washing, etc.

do some work

For example :

All that matters in the exam is to do your best.

The storm did some damage to our roof.

We'll do some exercises practising these collocations tomorrow.

Changing the rules may do more harm than good.

No, I'm not ready. I haven't done my hair yet. 6

My son has to do his homework straight after school.

I'll do the washing if you do the ironing.

EXERCISE: Choose the correct collocation, do or make.

1 Did the fire do / make much damage to the factory?

2 I hate doing / making my homework at the last minute.

3 You must do / make an effort to work harder.

4 Did you do / make any work at the weekend?

5 Do you think it would do / make any harm if I cut some leaves off this plant?

HAVE collocations:

have an accident

have an argument / a row

have a break

have a conversation/chat

have difficulty

have a dream/nightmare

have an experience

have a feeling

have fun / a good time

have a look

have a party

have a problem / problems

have a try/go

For example :

Mr Grey had an accident last night but he's OK now.

We had an argument / a row about how to fix the car.

Let's have a break when you finish this exercise.

I hope we'll have time to have a chat after the meeting.

The class had difficulty understanding what to do.

I had a nightmare last night.

I have a feeling that something is wrong. 7

I'm sure you'll have fun on the school trip.

The teacher wanted to have a look at what we were doing.

Let's have a party at the end of term.

Ask the teacher if you have problems with the exercises.

EXERCISE:

Choose the correct collocation.

1 She had / took / paid attention to what I told her and started working harder.

2 I had /made / took over a hundred photographs on my trip to Antarctica.

3 She made / paid / brought me a nice compliment yesterday.

4 I got / made/ had a bad dream last night and woke up sweating.

5 I gave / made / had a feeling I had met Richard before, but I couldn't remember

where.

6 I think I'll take / make I/do a chance and leave my flight booking till the last minute.

I may get a cheaper ticket.

7 Shall we make / get / have a party for Jane? She's leaving the school next week.

8 We need to make / get /take action immediately!

9I had / got / took a feeling that he was trying to hide something from me.

WEATHER.

A lot of collocations are used in every day speech when speaking about the weather.

Weather conditions collocations:

thick/dense fog

a blanket of fog

fog/mist comes down

strong sun

heavy rain (NOT strong rain)

heavy/fresh/crisp/thick/ snow

hard frost

strong/light/biting winds

EXAMPLES:

8

There is thick fog on the motorway.

There are patches of fog on the east coast but these should lift by midday.

Avoid going on the beach at midday when the sun is strongest.

Road conditions are difficult because of the driving rain.

The snow is lovely and crisp this morning.

There will be a hard frost tonight.

The wind was light this morning but it's picking up now and will be very strong by the

evening.

EXERCISE:

Match the underlined words and collocations with their meanings:

Yesterday freak weather conditions hit the south-west of England. Gale-force winds

caused a lot of damage to property. A number of buildings were destroyed, roofs were

torn off and fences were blown down. Several rivers burst their banks .

1 very unusual or unexpected

2 struck, badly affected

3 extremely strong winds

4 rivers flooded

Family relationships-is the area of the language where there are a lot of collocations.

[3]

Sociologists talk about nuclear and extended families. A nuclear family is just parents

and children.

An extended family includes grandparents, cousins, etc.

Close relatives are parents, children, brothers or sisters.

Distant relatives are people like second cousins.

Close/immediate family refers to people who are your nearest blood relatives:

EXAMPLES:

I don't have much close/immediate family.

She's a distant cousin of mine; she's not a blood relative.

A person's ex-husband/ex-wife is a man/woman that she/he used to be married to.

9

Children whose parents have separated or divorced are said to come from a broken

home.

If their family is a strong, loving one it can be called a stable home.

A confirmed bachelor is a man who seems to have no intention of ever marrying.

Parents and children collocations:

start a family

have children

expect a baby

have a baby

single parent/mother

raise / bring up children / a family

provide for your family

set up home

For example :

They are hoping to start a family soon.

I'd like to have three children.

Soraya is expecting a baby.

Jill had her baby yesterday.

It's hard being a single parent.

Helen had to bring up four young children on her own.

Nick works hard to provide for his family.

EXERCISE:

Answer these questions :

1 Who do you have in your immediate family?

2 Do you have much contact with your distant relatives?

3 Where did your parents first set up home?

4 Which would most children prefer to live in: a stable home or a deprived home?

5 What collocation means the same as to be pregnant?

6 What can be put before the words wife and husband to indicate that they are no

longer married to someone? 10

BASIC CONSEPTS.

Numerous examples of collocations are found when speaking about basic consepts

such as time, distance, size, number, movement and speed.[1]

Time

Collocations using the word time :

spend time

waste time,

save time

tell someone the time

free/spare time

have time to

make time for

kill time

take your time

on time

For example :

I spent some time in South America when I was younger.

Don't do it like that. You're wasting time. You'll save time if you do it like this.

Can you tell me the time, please? I left my watch at home.

What do you like to do in your free/ spare time?

I'm sorry, I didn't have time to do my homework.

The doctor's very busy but he'll try to make time for you.

We got to the airport very early, so we had a meal in the restaurant to kill (some) time.

No need to hurry - you can take your time.

EXERCISE:

Correct the collocation errors in these sentences:

1 I was hoping to finish my dissertation last year but I ran off time.

2 It's hard work learning a language but I'm sure you'll find it's worth the while.

3 Did you spend a good time on holiday? 11

4 I didn't have time for doing the ironing last night.

Distance and size.

Words little, small and large are often used in collocations.[1]

We talk about low prices, low wages, low levels. (NOT small)

We say small quantities, small numbers, small amounts, a small increase. (NOT little)

The opposite is large quantities, large numbers, large amounts, a large increase.

We say: poor little Joe, dear little dog, nice little room.

Little can also mean young, e.g. little brother (informal: younger brother, NOT small

brother; the opposite is big brother).

Sometimes little or small suggests that something is not very important, e.g. a little

problem.

Other size collocations :

We can talk about fat books and slim books as well as fat people and slim people.

Only people (not books) can be plump or skinny or painfully thin.

Take care with the different collocations that go with tall and high. We talk about tall

people, tall trees, tall buildings, but high mountains, high prices, high interest rates,

high heels, high tide, high jump. Make a note of any collocations with tall or high as

you notice them.

EXERCISE:

Change the underlined words so that each sentence has the opposite meaning:

1 Cilia is having some minor difficulties at work.

2 She was wearing red boots with low heels.

3 The company manufactures these components on a small scale.

4 We have had low interest rates for the last three years.

5 It's quite a fat book.

6 There were small quantities of oil in the tanks.

7 I had to share a room with my big brother until I was ten.

8 Jane is shorter than her mother.

MOVEMENT AND SPEED.

Different synonyms of the adjective fast are used in collocations. [3]12

fast car, train, lane, computer, pace

quick look, glance, answer, decision, shower, lunch

rapid growth, decline, change, progress

speedy recovery, conclusion, response, access

brisk walk, pace, business, efficiency

hasty decision, exit, conclusion, words .

Examples:

The fast train to London only takes 45 minutes.

I don't like driving in the fast lane on the motorway.

We had a quick glance at the menu and went in.[4]

I think I'll have a quick shower before going out.

The builders made rapid progress with the new stadium.

She made a speedy recovery after her operation.

Prompt payment of bills is a good idea.

We had a brisk walk before lunch.

Note also these collocations with speed:

This car has a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour (maximum speed ).

He drove at breakneck speed along the motorway and was soon stopped by the

police(carelessly fast and dangerous)

Slow movement and stopping

We were stuck in slow-moving traffic for an hour on our way to the airport.

After the accident the traffic slowed to a crawl and then finally came to a standstill.

He always does everything in an unhurried manner, (slow; implies slight criticism)

We got up late and had a leisurely breakfast, [done in a relaxed way, without hurrying]

I'm trying to learn the violin, but my progress is painfully slow.

EXERCISE:

Choose the correct collocation:

1 Joe gave Lynne a speedy / fast / quick glance to see if she was OK.

2 If you come to a hasty / prompt / brisk decision, it may well be the wrong one.

3 I marked my e-mail as urgent so I hope I get a brisk /prompt / rapid response. 13

4 The missile attacks provoked a fast / swift / hasty reaction from the other side.

5 There has been a fast rapid / quick increase in the number of tourists visiting the city

since the museum was opened.

6 Luke has a passion for quick / swift / fast cars.

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CONCLUSION.

In my report I have studied the topic of collocations. I found that there are

literally hundreds of thousands of collocations in the English language. It’s impossible

to know them all and, if one accepts that nowhere near all can be learnt it would be at

least extremely difficult to determine which ones to select to learn. Firstly, awareness

of different types of collocation will encourage learners to notice them. For example,

the knowledge that adjectives are often preceded by adverbs may lead learners to

notice the kind of word that follows a particular adverb. Secondly, collocational

awareness should lead learners to analyze a collocation when they encounter it.

Finally, understanding the nature of a collocation may lead a learner to think about

how they are going to use that productively.

15

REFFRRENCES

1. Michael McCarthy, Felicity O’Dell. English Collocations in Use

2. McCarthy O’Dell. English Collations Advanced

3. Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English

4. Macmillan Collocations Dictionary for Learners of Englis

5. Ken Lackman. Teaching Collocations

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APPENDIX

VOCABULARY LIST

1. collocation /ˌkɒləˈkeɪʃən/ коллокация

2. combination /ˌkɒmbɪˈneɪʃən/ сочетание

3. natural /ˈnætʃərəl/ естественный

4. accurate /ˈækjərət/точный

5. increase  /ɪnˈkriːs/ увеличить

6. effort /ˈefət/ усилие

7. fixed  /fɪkst/ фиксированный

8. similar /ˈsɪmɪlər/похожий

9. alternative  /ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv/ альтернативный

10. precise  /prɪˈsaɪs/ точный

11. instead /ɪnˈsted/ вместо

12. improve  /ɪmˈpruːv/ улучшать

13. particular  /pəˈtɪkjələr/ определенный

14. preposition   /ˌprepəˈzɪʃən/ предлог

15. adverb  /ˈædvɜːb/ наречие

16. common  /ˈkɒmən/ распространенный

17. basic  /ˈbeɪsɪk/ основной

18. logical  /ˈlɒdʒɪkəl/ логический

19. speech  /spiːtʃ/ речь

20. avoid /əˈvɔɪd/ избегать

21. area /ˈeəriə/ область

22. sociologist /ˌsəʊʃiˈɒlədʒɪst/ социолог

23. distant  /ˈdɪstənt/ дальний

24. divorce  /dɪˈvɔːs/ развод

25. bachelor /ˈbætʃələr/ холостяк

26. intention  /ɪnˈtenʃən/ намерение

27. expect  /ɪkˈspekt/ ожидать

28. provide  /prəʊˈvaɪd/ обеспечить17

29. single  /ˈsɪŋɡl / одинокий

30. pregnant /ˈpreɡnənt/ беременный

18

TEST

MATCH THE WORDS TO MAKE COLLOCATIONS:

1. Fast a) colour

2. Quick b) meal

3. Take c) glance

4. Ancient d) monuments

5. Substantial e) rain

6. Bright f) relatives

7. Happily g) time

8. Make h) an accident

9. Do i) an effort

10. Have j) married

11. Play k) harm

12. Heavy l) attention

13. Hard m) frost

14. Extended n) wife

15. Distant o) family

16. Ex- p) brother

17. Waste q) price

18. Low r) traffic

19. Little s) a photo

20. Slow-moving t) car

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KEY TO THE TEST

1-t

2-c

3-s

4-d

5-b

6-a

7-j

8-i

9-k

10-h

11-l

12-e

13-m

14-o

15-f

16-n

17-g

18-q

19-p

20-r

20