Verb-Noun Collocations PDF

Verb+Noun Collocations 1. Accept a decision We hope he’ll accept our decision to leave the group. 2. Accept a situation He’ll have to accept the situation whether he likes it or not. 3. Accept The man accepted responsibility for his crime. responsibility for 4. Admire (s.o....

Verb+Noun Collocations 1. Accept a decision We hope he’ll accept our decision to leave the group. 2. Accept a situation He’ll have to accept the situation whether he likes it or not. 3. Accept The man accepted responsibility for his crime. responsibility for 4. Admire (s.o.) for I admire Miss Chan for being so kind. (s.t.) 5. Answer the phone He never answers the phone after 10 p.m. 6. Beat a team We beat a strong team at yesterday’s friendly football match. 7. Beat an opponent Ben is very good at tennis. He beats most of his opponents in no time at all. 8. Beat the opposition It was a tough match, but our team beat the opposition by three points. 9. Break/keep a I never break my promises. promise 10. Break/set a record Hester broke the record for the fastest 10 km run on Sports Day. She set a new record of 25 minutes, three seconds. 11. Break rules If you break the school rules, you will be punished. 12. Catch a cold You’ll catch a cold if you don’t put on a warm jacket. 13. Catch fire The building caught fire very quickly. 14. Cause trouble If you cause any more trouble, you’ll be sent to the principal. 15. Change your mind I’ve changed my mind. I want the fish instead of the steak. 16. Conduct a search Police conducted a wide-scale search for the missing hiker. 17. Conduct a survey We conducted a class survey to find out how quickly we were spending our pocket money each week. 18. Conduct an Scientists conducted several experiments on rats to find out how long they could survive Page 1 of 12  experiment without water. 19. Conduct research Experts at the laboratory conducted research to find out whether the new drug had any undesirable side effects. 20. Do the dishes He hates doing the dishes. 21. Express disapproval Several parents have expressed disapproval over the plan. 22. Fight injustice Robin Hood was a hero who fought injustice for the poor. 23. Fight prejudice The Equal Opportunities Commission has fought against prejudice in the workplace for many years. 24. Fight poverty Oxfam is a charitable organisation that fights poverty. 25. Fight racism Nelson Mandela has fought racism for many years of his life. 26. Handle fame David Beckham has handled his fame as a world-class footballer very well. 27. Handle finances A financial consultant is handling the family’s finances at the moment. 28. Handle pressure It was difficult to concentrate with millions of people watching him, but he handled the pressure very well. 29. Handle the press The press conference went well. She handled the press very confidently. 30. Gain weight She gained a lot of weight after she stopped exercising 31. Give a welcome to Let’s all give a warm welcome to our guest speaker. 32. Give (s.o.) a hand The boy gave his father a hand with the groceries. 33. Give (s.o.) your She won’t tell anyone. She gave me her word. word 34. Have an argument Last night, he had an argument with his father. 35. Have a They had a disagreement over whose turn it was to wash the dishes, and he become disagreement aggressive. 36. Have a fight Billy had a fight with his brother over the remote control. 37. Have an effect on A lack of sleep has an effect on our health. Page 2 of 12 38. Have style Everyone admires Maria’s outfits; she certainly has style. 39. Hurt (s.o.)’s I can’t say that! I don’t want to hurt his feelings! feelings 40. Join a team He couldn’t join the basketball team because he was too short. 41. Lose/gain weight Have you lost weight? No, actually I’ve gained weight. 42. Make a decision We’ve made a decision to move to Australia. 43. Make a difference Studying certainly makes a difference to your grades. 44. Make a mistake Don’t feel bad. Everyone makes mistakes. 45. Make an effort You can’t expect to succeed if you don’t make an effort. 46. Make (s.t.) work We’re determined to make the plan work. 47. Overcome hurdles Paul overcame many hurdles to become the best disabled swimmer in the country. 48. Overcome obstacles One of the obstacles she overcame during the training course was her fear of heights. 49. Pay (s.o.) a Mr Lau paid me a nice compliment the other day. compliment 50. Play a trick on (s.o.) You shouldn’t always play tricks on your sister. 51. Raise aspirations Yao Ming’s success has raised the aspirations of many young basketball players in China. 52. Raise expectations Chow’s reputation as a good actor raised the audience’s expectations of his performance in the film. 53. Raise funds They’re raising funds for charity by organising a dance. 54. Raise hopes Our good performance in the semi-final match raised our hopes of winning the tournament. 55. Raise money We raised a lot of money for ORBIS at the school fair. 56. Say goodbye to We’re off to the airport to say goodbye to Harry. 57. Say grace We usually say grace before we eat. 58. Say your prayers Did you say your prayers before going to bed last night? 59. Score a goal Mathew became a hero after he scored the winning goal against South China. Page 3 of 12 60. Seek advice He’s seeking the advice of a lawyer in Central. 61. Seek help It’s important that you seek help if the symptoms last longer than a day. 62. Set a goal She’s set herself a goal of being the first female tourist in space. 63. Set a task We set three tasks to complete as quickly as we could. 64. Solve problems Crying won’t solve your problems so you’d better stop. 65. Spend time We’re going to San Francisco to spend some time with Helen’s family. 66. Spend money I’m broke because I spent all my money on a new car. 67. Start work I start work at 8 o’clock every day. 68. Take a chance He’s very quiet and cautious. He’s not the kind of person to take any chances. 69. Take a risk You’re taking a big risk by going out alone to meet the kidnappers. 70. Tell (s.o.) a secret Michael told his best friend a secret. 71. Tell a story Miss Lu told a funny story. 72. Tell the truth / a lie You should always tell the truth. 73. Throw a party Why don’t you come over on Saturday? We’re throwing a small Christmas party. 74. Throw away a Don’t throw away your chances of getting into a good university by failing this exam. chance 75. Throw away an If you refuse our offer, you’ll be throwing away an opportunity to join an excellent company. opportunity Verb+Preposition Collocations 1. Accuse (s.o.) of (s.t.) Miss Kwok accused Ralph of cheating 2. Agree with (s.o.) I agree with you about the need for larger classrooms about (s.t.) Page 4 of 12 3. Apologise for Thomas apologised for breaking the window. 4. Argue with (s.o.) He likes to argue with his father about politics. about (s.t.) 5. Ask (s.o.) for (s.t.) Ask your teacher for help if you’re having difficulties. 6. Belong to Jackie belongs to the English Club. 7. Beware of Beware of the dog. 8. Borrow (s.t.) from Amy borrowed a pencil from her friend. (s.o.) 9. Bump into Whenever I’m in Central, I bump into someone I know. 10. Care about Everyone should care about the environment. 11. Care for Young people should care for their parents. 12. Complain about I want to complain about the bad service at this restaurant. 13. Complain to (s.o.) Tommy is always complaining to his teacher about his homework. about (s.o.)/(s.t.) 14. Concentrate on Concentrate on the task at hand! 15. Congratulate (s.o.) The talk show host congratulated the actor on his recent success. on (s.t.) 16. Consist of His daily breakfast consists of scrambled eggs and toast. 17. Grin at Bill couldn’t stop grinning at his friend. 18. Hear about Did you hear about the fight at the match last night? 19. Hear of Have you ever heard of this writer? 20. Hope for It’s good to hope for a better future. 21. Insist on His mother still insists on giving him money for lunch. 22. Know about I’m sorry---I already know about the surprise. 23. Laugh at The bully laughed at the young boy. Page 5 of 12 24. Laugh with Danny laughed with his friend over the joke. 25. Listen to Do you listen to music? 26. Look for Will you help me look for my keys? 27. Participate in He never participates in any extra-curricular activities. 28. Pay for Mr. Yeung took out his wallet to pay for dinner. 29. Praise (s.o.) for (s.t.) The teacher praised the students for their hard work. 30. Prepare for Have you prepared for your trip yet? 31. Provide (s.o.) with The company provided the explorers with equipment for their trip. (s.t.) 32. Qualify for Many students qualify for government assistance. 33. Refer to Refer to page 46 for the answers to the exercise. 34. Rely on Brothers and sisters must rely on each other. 35. Reply to Phillip replied to her professor’s e-mail message. 36. Run into I ran into Judith in Central. It was nice to see her again. 37. Smile at Smile at the camera and say ‘cheese’. 38. Speak/ talk to (s.o.) The principal spoke to Mr. Cheung about his son. about (s.o.)/(s.t.) 39. Speak/ talk about I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re talking about. 40. Stare at It’s rude to stare at people like that! 41. Succeed in (doing We did it! We succeeded in writing our first play! s.t.) 42. Suffer from My grandmother suffers from severe headaches. 43. Sympathise with I sympathise with you completely. 44. Talk (s.o.) into I can’t believe you talked me into watching that awful film! (doing s.t.) Page 6 of 12 45. Think about Why don’t you think about it before you give me an answer? 46. Wait for We’ll wait for you in the coffee shop downstairs. 47. Write (s.t.) about Please write an article about your trip. (s.t.) Noun+Preposition Collocations 1. A cause of Starvation is a cause of much suffering in the world. 2. A chance of There’s a chance of rain this afternoon. 3. A choice between We have a choice between noodles and rice. 4. A criticism of The newspaper printed a criticism of the president’s decision. 5. A There’s been a recent decline in sales. decline/decrease/dr op/ fall in 6. An increase/ a rise Most resorts have experienced an increase in reservations this year. in 7. A demand for Here’s a huge demand for this product. 8. A difference He asked if there was a difference in price between the set meals. between 9. A discussion of The class participated in a discussion of the novel. 10. Admiration for I have a lot of admiration for my Maths teacher. 11. A key to Maintaining a positive outlook on life is a key to happiness. 12. A link with Fossils represent a link with the past. 13. An agreement on The two men finally reached an agreement on the subject. Page 7 of 12 14. An alternative to Noodles are a good alternative to rice. 15. An answer/ a Julie came up with an answer to the question. solution to 16. An approach to He offered an approach to the problem. 17. An attack on The officers planned an attack on the enemy’s base. 18. A need for He no longer has a need for his winter jacket. 19. An exception for All latecomers were punished, but the principal made an exception for the disabled student. 20. An improvement in The student had made an improvement in every subject. 21. An interest in Valerie takes an interest in foreign films. 22. An introduction to The course offers a good introduction to business. 23. An invitation to I’ve just received an invitation to the wedding. 24. A photo of He keeps a photo of his girlfriend in his wallet. 25. A reaction to Her reaction to the news was unexpected. 26. A reason for You’d better have a good reason for being late! 27. A reference to The teacher made a reference to Buddhism in class. 28. A relationship with Cherly enjoys a close relationship with her mother. 29. A reply to I took a moment to think of a reply to my friend’s comment. 30. A result of Look what happened as a result of you behaviour! 31. A reward for A long life is a reward for healthy living. 32. A search for The rescuers conducted a search for the missing hikers. 33. A statement about His clothes make a statement about his personality. 34. A substitute for Money isn’t a substitute for happiness. 35. A taste for Mr. Leung’s wife has a taste for diamonds. 36. A tax on The Government will soon impose a tax on petrol. 37. A thirst for Most athletes have a thirst for competition. Page 8 of 12 38. Attitude towards His attitude towards studying needs to change. 39. A witness to The old woman was a witness to the accident. 40. Complaints about The police received several complaints about the noise. 41. Concern for The fire-fighter showed no concern for his own safety. 42. Connections with The company has close connections with Europe. 43. Contact with I haven’t been in contact with Tony for years. 44. Control over Parents should have some control over their children. 45. Damage to The rock caused a lot of damage to the wheel of the car. 46. Devotion to The dog’s devotion to its master was obvious. 47. Difficulty in/ with Many students have difficulty in Maths. 48. Doubts about I have doubts about whether or not I can win the race. 49. Praise for The director has received worldwide praise for his film. 50. Pressure on Mr. Ip put pressure on his employees to work harder. 51. Reason for There’s no reason for you to get angry. 52. Responsibility for The bus driver took full responsibility for the accident. 53. Rivalry between I’m aware of the rivalry between the two football clubs. 54. The advantage of He has the advantage of having longer legs. 55. The arrival of She eagerly awaited the arrival of her husband. 56. The consequences You must always consider the consequences of your actions. of 57. The destruction of War has caused the destruction of many cities in the world. 58. The meaning of What’s the true meaning of life? 59. The size of Look at the size of that spider! 60. Worries about Our teacher asked us to share our worries about the future with the group. Page 9 of 12 Adjective+Preposition Collocations 1. Absent from I was absent from school for two weeks last year. 2. Accustomed to Eric finally grew accustomed to the humidity in Hong Kong. 3. Addicted to Meg loves curried fishballs. She’s addicted to them! 4. Afraid of When I was little, I was afraid of the dark. 5. Amazed at/ by He was amazed at the number of people that came to his party. 6. Amused by The children were amused by the clown’s tricks. 7. Angry about I’m angry about the lies in the newspaper article. 8. Angry at/ with I I’m angry with the waiter for being so rude. 9. Annoyed at / with We were rather annoyed at missing the ferry this morning. 10. Ashamed of Michelle is ashamed of her old shoes. 11. Aware of Are you aware of the time? It’s getting late. 12. Bad/ good at I’m bad at playing team sports. 13. Good of It was so good of you to make a donation. 14. Good to Be good to your brother while we’re away. 15. Bored by/ with Jason was bored by the play. 16. Brilliant at James can help you. He’s brilliant at Maths. 17. Capable of He’s not capable of looking after himself. 18. Careless of It was careless of you to lose the keys to the flat. 19. Clever of You won the game! How clever of you! 20. Close to Rachel’s flat is close to the beach. 21. Concerned about Mum’s concerned about you. She heard that you’ve been ill. 22. Conscious of We’re all conscious of the fact that the exams are getting close. 23. Convinced of Some students need to be convinced of the importance of English. Page 10 of 12 24. Delighted with Maria was delighted with the gift you bought her. 25. Different from My watch is very different from yours. 26. Dressed in All the guests at the party were dressed in Halloween outfits. 27. Easy/ difficult for Maths is easy for Benjamin. 28. Envious of Sarah is envious of her older sister’s success. 29. Exhausted from Joe is exhausted from working on the project last night. 30. Exposed to Plants grow better if they’re exposed to sunlight every day. 31. Familiar with I’m not familiar with the story. Could you tell me about it? 32. Famous for JK Rowling is famous for her Harry Potter books. 33. Fond of Helen’s fond of chocolate cake. Let’s order one for her birthday. 34. Friendly of It was very friendly of you to invite the new neighbours over. 35. Friendly to I always try to be friendly to my classmates. 36. Good for You won! Good for you! 37. Grateful for We’re so grateful for everything you’re done to help us. 38. Grateful to I’m grateful to you for all your help. 39. Happy about/ with Ted is very happy with his new flat. 40. Ideal for This small flat is ideal for someone who lives alone. 41. Important for It’s important for you to study hard. 42. Impressed by/ with The principal was impressed with Susan’s grades. 43. Interested in We’re interested in taking up rock-climbing this autumn. 44. Keen on I’m not going to join you tomorrow---I’m not keen on hiking. 45. Kind of It was kind of the customer to leave such a big tip. 46. Kind to You should always be kind to other people. 47. Late for I have to go! I’m late for a meeting! 48. Married to Robert is married to Evelyn. Page 11 of 12 49. Mean of It was very mean of that boy to throw rocks at you. 50. Mean to He’s always mean to the younger boys; he’s a bully. 51. Necessary for It’s necessary for us to keep up on the world’s news. 52. Polite/ rude of It was polite of you to offer your assistance. 53. Polite/ rude to Darren was punished for being rude to his sister. 54. Prepared for I’m as prepared for the exams as I’ll ever be. 55. Proud of Your mother is so proud of you! 56. Related to Are you related to Ian Chan? 57. Relevant to None of your points are relevant to the argument. 58. Responsible for Who’s responsible for this mess? Is it you, Mark? 59. Satisfied with I got 92 per cent on the exam---I’m satisfied with that grade. 60. Short of He’s short of money again! He wants to borrow $500 this time! 61. Sick/ tired of Let’s cook dinner at home tonight. I’m sick of eating out. 62. Similar to Your shirt looks similar to mine. Where did you buy it? 63. Surprised at/ by I’m surprised at your complete lack of concern! 64. Thoughtful/ It was thoughtful of you to remember my birthday. thoughtless of 65. Unaccustomed to I’m unaccustomed to the heat in Thailand. 66. Unaware of Melvin is unaware of the rip in his trousers. 67. Used to I don’t mind the heat anymore. I’m used to it now. 68. Worried about / over There’s no need to be worried about this test. It’s very easy. Page 12 of 12