Using Collocations in IELTS Writing
Collocations are group of words that can be combined together to make a meaning in a sentence.
Collocations, when used right, prevent the overuse of ambiguous words and makes sentences sound better to the native speaker’s ears.
For your IELTS test, your ability to use collocations flexibly and accurately is important, if you want to achieve a high score in your Writing test. This is because collocations is a subcomponent of Vocabulary which is one of the marking criteria in IELTS Writing Task 1 and 2.
There are different types of collocations and thousands of examples in English language. They include:
- Adjectives + Nouns
- Verbs + Nouns
- Nouns + Nouns
- Verbs + expressions with prepositions
- Verbs + adverbs
- Adverbs + Adjectives
- Adjective + Noun + Noun
1 Adjectives + Nouns
- Bright room
- Loud noise
- Acute disease
- Mild symptoms
- Boring activity
- Juvenile delinquency
- Difficult task
- Remarkable achievement
- Uninteresting movie
- Awesome experience
- Unfortunate event
- Useful example
- Critical condition
- Massive opportunity
- Massive growth
- Significant rise
- Drastic fall
- Sudden increase
- Humble beginnings
- Gentle approach
- Huge investment
- Ugly scenario
- Active subscription
- Stunning website
2. Verb + Nouns
- aggravate a problem
- prevent a problem
- create a problem
- create an opportunity
- miss an opportunity
- lose money
- earn money
- donate money
- organise an event
- plan an event
- anchor an event
- discuss an issue
- raise an issue
- raise a concern
- eliminate obstacles
- create obstacles
- take a stock
- take a note
- give account
- accuse an offender
- punish an offender
- suspend a student
- admit a student
- teach a student
- discipline a student
- deduct a salary
- increase a salary
- owe salaries
- advise a person
- love a man
- relay an information
- execute a project
- approach a person
- delete an account
- accept an offer
- dominate a conversation
- extend condolence
3. Nouns + Nouns
- a rise in population
- a sense of belonging
- an iota of truth
- marketing operations
- sales representatives
- a pang of nostalgia
- A degree of freedom
- Banking services
- Business activities
- commercial centres
- entertainment venues
4. Verbs + expressions with prepositions
- Swelling with pride
- Filled with horror
- Lost in thought
- Look with disdain
- A look of despair
- Filled with regret
- Grew in confidence
5. Verbs + adverbs
- Pull gently
- Sing beautifully
- Work meticulously
- Read loudly
- Place gently
- Reply harshly
- Respond gently
- Act maturely
- Drive slowly
- Walk briskly
6. Adverbs + Verbs
- Significantly dropped
- Gradually rose
- Slightly grew
- Slowly fell
- Drastically declined
- Massively grew
7. Adverbs + Adjectives
- Happily married
- Greatly encouraged
- Actively involved
- Closely related
- More organized
- Strongly devoted
- Greatly assured
- Massively increased
8. Adjective + Noun + Noun
- A strong desire for success
- a determined passion for growth
- A low commitment to work
- A high level of satisfaction
- A limited opportunity for development
- A possible solution to the problem
When you use these collocations in your writing and speaking accurately, your vocabulary scores would increase. Overall, your Writing and Speaking scores would improve.
To stay updated on our latest blog posts, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media platform. We look forward to embarking on this educational journey with you and creating a community of learners passionate about the power of education.
Comments (0)