Collocation

Collocation

Part 1: What is a Collocation?

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

These combinations sound "right" to native speakers because they are natural, while other combinations sound "wrong" or unnatural.

Example:

✅ "Make a decision" (natural collocation)

❌ "Do a decision" (unnatural – not a collocation)

Collocations are not about grammar rules; they are about word partnerships and common usage.

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Why are collocations important for PTE Reading?

In Fill in the Blanks questions, the missing word is almost always part of a common collocation.

If you recognize the collocation, you can answer correctly without even fully understanding the entire sentence.

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🔷 Part 2: Types of Collocations

There are 7 main types of collocations.

Below is a table with clear definitions and examples for each:

Type	Structure	Definition	Examples
1. Adjective + Noun	Adj + N	An adjective that is commonly used with a specific noun	strong coffee (not powerful coffee), heavy rain, major issue, key factor
2. Noun + Verb	N + V	A noun that typically performs a specific action	dog barks, alarm goes off, economy grows, blood circulates
3. Verb + Noun	V + N	A verb that is typically used with a specific noun object	take a break, catch a cold, give a speech, pay attention
4. Noun + Noun	N + N	Two nouns that frequently appear together	traffic jam, research paper, job interview, email address
5. Adverb + Adjective	Adv + Adj	An adverb used to intensify or qualify a specific adjective	highly successful, deeply concerned, bitterly disappointed, perfectly normal
6. Verb + Preposition	V + Prep	A verb that is always followed by a specific preposition (phrasal verbs)	depend on, belong to, wait for, consist of, apply for
7. Adjective + Preposition	Adj + Prep	An adjective that is always followed by a specific preposition	interested in, afraid of, responsible for, famous for, good at

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⭐ Part 3: Useful Collocations for PTE Reading

Here are the 50 most common collocations that frequently appear in PTE Fill in the Blanks questions.

Focus on these:

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Adjective + Noun (most common)

Collocation	Meaning
crucial role	very important part
significant impact	major effect
direct consequence	immediate result
economic growth	increase in economy
environmental issues	problems related to nature
traditional method	old way of doing things
alternative solution	different answer to a problem
main reason	primary cause
common belief	widely held opinion
potential benefit	possible advantage

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Verb + Noun (second most common)

Collocation	Meaning
conduct research	do a study
draw a conclusion	make a decision based on facts
pose a threat	present a danger
gain access	obtain permission to enter
reach an agreement	come to a mutual decision
express concern	show worry
hold a view	have an opinion
take advantage	use an opportunity
pay attention	focus on
raise awareness	increase knowledge about an issue

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Verb + Preposition (very common in drop-down lists)

Collocation	Example
consist of	The team consists of five members.
depend on	The result depends on your effort.
result in (cause) / result from (effect)	The storm resulted in flooding.
lead to	This will lead to problems.
contribute to	Exercise contributes to good health.
account for	Taxes account for 30% of income.
suffer from	Many people suffer from anxiety.
specialize in	She specializes in dermatology.

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Adverb + Adjective

Collocation	Example
highly likely	It is highly likely to rain.
strongly opposed	They are strongly opposed to the idea.
closely related	These two topics are closely related.
widely accepted	The theory is widely accepted.
deeply concerned	We are deeply concerned.

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📝 Part 4: 5 Practice Questions – Reading & Writing (Drop-down List)

For each question, choose the correct word from the drop-down options.

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Question 1

The government has announced plans to _____ a new study into the effects of air pollution on children's health.

A) conduct
B) make
C) do
D) create

Correct Answer: A) conduct

Explanation:

The verb "conduct" is the standard collocation with "research" or "study."

We say "conduct a study" (formal), not "make a study" or "do a study" in academic writing.

"Create a study" is also incorrect.

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Question 2

Climate change is widely considered to be the most _____ issue facing humanity today.

A) urgent
B) fast
C) sharp
D) heavy

Correct Answer: A) urgent

Explanation:

"Urgent issue" is a common adjective + noun collocation.

A problem that needs immediate attention is an "urgent issue."

"Fast issue," "sharp issue," and "heavy issue" are not natural in English.

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Question 3

The company's new policy will have a significant _____ on employee productivity.

A) affect
B) effect
C) result
D) conclusion

Correct Answer: B) effect

Explanation:

The collocation is:

"have a significant effect on"

(noun)

Many students confuse:

• affect = verb
• effect = noun

Here, we need a noun after the article "a."

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Question 4

Many small businesses _____ from a lack of access to affordable financing.

A) suffer
B) survive
C) struggle
D) succeed

Correct Answer: A) suffer

Explanation:

The verb + preposition collocation is:

"suffer from"

Businesses experiencing negative effects suffer from that condition.

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Question 5

The manager asked everyone to _____ attention to the new safety guidelines.

A) give
B) hold
C) pay
D) draw

Correct Answer: C) pay

Explanation:

The fixed collocation is:

"pay attention to"

"Give attention" is possible but less common.

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🖱️ Part 5: 5 Practice Questions – Reading Drag and Drop

For these questions, drag the correct word from the box into each blank.

One extra word will remain unused.

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Question 1

The professor's lecture provided a _____ overview of the _____ causes of the French Revolution.

Word Box

comprehensive, political, simple, artistic, economic

Answers:

1) comprehensive
2) political (or economic)

Explanation:

"Comprehensive overview" is a common collocation.

Both political and economic can describe causes of the French Revolution.

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Question 2

To _____ a valid conclusion, researchers must first _____ reliable data from multiple sources.

Word Box

draw, collect, create, ignore, analyze

Answers:

1) draw
2) collect

Explanation:

• draw a conclusion
• collect data

Both are standard collocations.

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Question 3

The new software is designed to be _____ with existing systems and does not _____ any additional hardware.

Word Box

compatible, require, remove, complex, incompatible

Answers:

1) compatible
2) require

Explanation:

• compatible with
• require hardware

These are natural English collocations.

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Question 4

The committee _____ a proposal to _____ awareness about cybersecurity among employees.

Word Box

rejected, raise, consider, ignore, lower

Answers:

1) rejected
2) raise

Explanation:

The fixed collocation is:

raise awareness

This is extremely common in PTE.

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Question 5

Urbanization often leads _____ environmental degradation because it _____ the natural landscape.

Word Box

to, transforms, ignores, from, follows

Answers:

1) to
2) transforms

Explanation:

• leads to
• transforms the landscape

Both are standard collocations.