vocab · B1
Collocations: words that pair.
A collocation is a pair of words that naturally go together. Natives say “make a decision”, never “do a decision”. Getting these right is what makes English sound fluent rather than merely correct.
Right word, wrong partner
Both words can be correct alone, yet wrong together. “Heavy traffic” is natural; “strong traffic” isn’t. There’s rarely a rule — you learn pairs.
High-value verb + noun pairs
- make: a decision, a mistake, progress, an effort, a plan
- do: homework, the dishes, business, research, your best
- have: a shower, a break, fun, a look, a meeting
- take: a photo, a break, a risk, your time, notes
- pay: attention, a visit, a compliment, the bill
Natural adjective + noun pairs
heavy rain · strong coffee · fast food · a big mistake · a deep sleep · a close friend · bright future
Slips to watch
✗ do a mistake → make a mistake
✗ say a lie → tell a lie
✗ strong rain → heavy rain
See it parsed
collocations.txt parse
nounverbadjadvpronprepdet