English Collocations Every Adult Learner Needs

You know all the right words. So why does your English still sound slightly off to native speakers? Nine times out of ten, it comes down to collocations.

What Is a Collocation, Exactly?

A collocation is a pair or group of words that naturally go together in English. Not because of a grammar rule — because that’s simply how native speakers say it.

You make a decision. You take a risk. You do research. None of these are logical. You just have to know them.

The problem? Most learners translate collocations from their first language and end up with something that is technically understandable but sounds unnatural. “I did a decision” won’t confuse anyone, but it will mark you as a learner immediately. In a job interview or an IELTS speaking test, that matters.

Collocations fall into a few common patterns. The most useful ones to focus on are:

• Verb + noun (make progress, reach an agreement, raise concerns)
• Adjective + noun (strong argument, heavy workload, key issue)
• Adverb + adjective (deeply concerned, highly unlikely, fully aware)
• Noun + noun (budget meeting, deadline pressure, market research)

Learn these chunks as fixed units — the same way you’d memorise a phone number. Don’t pull them apart and try to rebuild them from scratch each time.

Collocations in Action: Business and IELTS Scenarios

Let’s make this practical. Here are collocations you’ll actually use, in the contexts where you’ll actually use them.

In a business meeting:

“We need to address the issue before the deadline. I’d like to put forward a proposal that could save us time without compromising quality.”

Every bold phrase there is a collocation. Swap any of those words out casually — “fix the issue”, “suggest a proposal”, “gain us time” — and a native speaker will notice the bump.

In an IELTS Writing Task 2 essay:

“Governments should take measures to tackle this problem. Failing to act could have a significant impact on future generations.”

IELTS examiners are explicitly trained to notice collocation. The Lexical Resource band descriptor rewards “natural” vocabulary use. Collocations are a direct route to improving that score.

In an IELTS Speaking test:

“I think the government needs to raise awareness about this. It’s a growing concern in my country, and we haven’t really found a solution yet.”

Compare that to “increase the awareness”, “concern that grows”, and “discovered a solution”. Same ideas. Very different impressions.

This is exactly the kind of pattern-drilling that daily coaching sessions are built around — spotting the natural phrase, not just the correct one. If you want structured practice on collocations and language like this, find out how daily coaching works here.

Common Collocations Worth Memorising Now

Here is a focused set, sorted by context. These come up constantly.

Business English:

• meet a deadline
• reach an agreement
• raise a concern
• carry out a task
• run a meeting
• make progress

IELTS writing and speaking:

• have a negative impact
• play a key role
• pose a challenge
• take into account
• lead to serious consequences
• draw a conclusion

Notice how specific these are. “Pose a challenge” sounds natural. “Present a challenge” also works. “Give a challenge”? No. The differences are small, but they add up fast.

Practice Exercise

Complete each sentence by choosing the correct verb. Only one option sounds natural in context.

1. We need to _____ a decision before the end of the week. (do / make / take)
2. The new policy could _____ a significant impact on staff morale. (have / give / bring)
3. She always _____ her deadlines, which is why she’s so trusted. (reaches / hits / meets)
4. The report _____ some serious concerns about data security. (raised / lifted / grew)
5. We’d like to _____ further research before making any commitments. (make / carry out / do)

Work through those without rushing. Think about the full phrase, not just the individual word. If you’re unsure on any of them, that’s actually useful — it shows you exactly where your collocation gaps are.

This kind of focused gap-fill practice, followed by real conversation using the same phrases, is what daily coaching sessions are designed around. If you’d like to work through exercises like this with a coach who can correct you in real time, take a look at the subscription options here.

Vocabulary to Know

• collocation /ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/ – Level: B2 – a combination of words that commonly appear together and sound natural to native speakers – Example: “Make a decision” is a common collocation in English.
• lexical resource /ˈlek.sɪ.kəl rɪˈzɔːs/ – Level: C1 – the range and accuracy of vocabulary a speaker or writer uses, one of four IELTS marking criteria – Example: Examiners noted her strong lexical resource in the writing test.
• pose a challenge /pəʊz ə ˈtʃæl.ɪndʒ/ – Level: B2 – to present a difficulty or problem – Example: Remote working poses a challenge for team communication.
• carry out /ˈkær.i aʊt/ – Level: B1 – to complete or perform a task or activity – Example: We need to carry out a full review of the budget.
• reach an agreement /riːtʃ ən əˈɡriː.mənt/ – Level: B2 – to successfully come to a shared decision after discussion – Example: After two hours of negotiation, both sides reached an agreement.
• deeply concerned /ˈdiːp.li kənˈsɜːnd/ – Level: B2 – strongly worried about something, used in both formal writing and speech – Example: The board was deeply concerned about the drop in sales figures.
• take into account /teɪk ˈɪn.tə əˈkaʊnt/ – Level: B2 – to consider something when making a decision or judgement – Example: The examiner takes your fluency into account when marking speaking.
• raise awareness /reɪz əˈweə.nəs/ – Level: B1 – to help people know more about an issue or cause – Example: The campaign was designed to raise awareness of climate change.
• unnatural /ʌnˈnætʃ.ər.əl/ – Level: B1 – not sounding or feeling like normal, native usage – Example: The phrase sounded unnatural, even though the grammar was correct.
• chunk /tʃʌŋk/ – Level: B1 – in language learning, a fixed group of words learned and used as a single unit – Example: Learning phrases as chunks helps you speak more fluently and naturally.

FAQ

How many collocations do I need to know?

There’s no magic number, but quality beats quantity here. Knowing fifty collocations well — meaning you use them automatically without thinking — is worth more than a list of five hundred you have to look up. Start with the contexts most relevant to you: your job, your exam, your daily conversations.

Can I just use a collocation dictionary?

Yes, and it’s a good habit. The Oxford Collocations Dictionary is the standard reference. The key is not just looking up a word and reading the list — it’s writing example sentences yourself, then using those phrases in real conversation as soon as possible. Passive knowledge of a collocation fades. Active use makes it stick.

Do collocations really affect my IELTS band score?

Directly, yes. The Lexical Resource criterion specifically rewards vocabulary that is used “naturally and flexibly”. A candidate who writes “make a significant contribution” will score higher than one who writes “do a big help”, even if the intended meaning is the same. Collocations are one of the clearest signals an examiner looks for.

Work on This With a Coach

Reading about collocations is a start. Using them correctly under pressure — in a meeting, in a speaking test, in a written report — is a different skill, and it takes practice with feedback. That’s what the daily coaching programme at richardg.xyz is for: focused, consistent work on exactly this kind of language. See how it works here.