PTE Academic Reading: Collocations

PTE Academic Reading: Collocations

Collocations are pairs or groups of words that naturally occur together. Recognizing them helps you quickly identify correct answers in Fill in the Blanks (Reading & Writing) and Reading: Multiple Choice questions.

Below is a detailed breakdown of collocation types commonly tested in PTE Reading, with examples.

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1. Verb + Noun Collocations

These are the most common type in PTE Reading blanks.

Verb	Noun	Example
make	decision	The committee will make a decision tomorrow.
take	action	Governments must take action on climate change.
draw	conclusion	Researchers drew a conclusion from the data.
raise	awareness	The campaign aims to raise awareness about mental health.
meet	requirements	Applicants must meet the requirements for admission.
pay	attention	Students should pay attention to details.
gain	access	Users can gain access to the database.
conduct	research	Scientists conducted research on the virus.
provide	evidence	The study provides evidence for the theory.
pose	threat	Plastic waste poses a threat to marine life.

PTE Tip: If the blank is a noun, look at the verb before/after it. If the blank is a verb, look at the noun object.

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2. Noun + Noun Collocations

Noun 1	Noun 2	Example
climate	change	Climate change affects agriculture.
health	care	Access to health care is a basic right.
job	market	The job market is highly competitive.
research	project	The research project received funding.
data	analysis	Data analysis revealed a clear trend.
traffic	congestion	Traffic congestion worsens during rush hour.
energy	consumption	Energy consumption has risen sharply.
carbon	emissions	Reducing carbon emissions is essential.
social	media	Social media influences public opinion.
economic	growth	Economic growth slowed last quarter.

PTE Tip: These often appear as a single blank where you must choose the correct noun partner.

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3. Adjective + Noun Collocations

Adjective	Noun	Example
heavy	rain	Heavy rain caused flooding.
strong	evidence	There is strong evidence linking the two.
major	impact	Technology has a major impact on education.
significant	difference	There is a significant difference between the groups.
high	demand	There is high demand for skilled workers.
severe	consequences	Pollution has severe consequences for health.
close	attention	Pay close attention to the instructions.
vital	role	Parents play a vital role in child development.
common	sense	It is common sense to wear a seatbelt.
global	warming	Global warming is accelerating.

PTE Tip: Adjective + Noun collocations are frequently tested in Reading Fill in the Blanks. Learn common academic adjective-noun pairs.

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4. Adverb + Adjective Collocations

Adverb	Adjective	Example
highly	effective	The vaccine is highly effective.
widely	recognized	She is widely recognized for her work.
deeply	concerned	Scientists are deeply concerned about the trend.
fully	aware	Consumers must be fully aware of the risks.
closely	related	The two issues are closely related.
strongly	opposed	Many voters are strongly opposed to the policy.
increasingly	difficult	It is increasingly difficult to find affordable housing.
critically	important	Sleep is critically important for health.
readily	available	Information is now readily available online.
severely	affected	Coastal areas were severely affected by the storm.

PTE Tip: These are less common but appear in tougher blanks. If the blank is an adjective, check the adverb before it.

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5. Verb + Preposition Collocations

Verb + Prep	Example
depend on	Success depends on hard work.
result in	Negligence resulted in an accident.
lead to	Poor diet can lead to health problems.
contribute to	Exercise contributes to overall well-being.
focus on	The study focuses on urban migration.
rely on	Farmers rely on seasonal rainfall.
account for	Fossil fuels account for most emissions.
engage in	Students should engage in critical thinking.
cope with	Communities must cope with natural disasters.
refer to	The term refers to a specific phenomenon.

PTE Tip: Prepositions are often the blank in PTE Fill in the Blanks. Memorize verb + preposition pairs.

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6. Noun + Preposition Collocations

Noun + Prep	Example
increase in	There was an increase in crime rates.
decrease in	A decrease in funding affected research.
effect on	Social media has an effect on teenagers.
impact on	The policy had a positive impact on the economy.
reason for	The reason for the decline is unclear.
solution to	There is no simple solution to poverty.
access to	Everyone should have access to clean water.
demand for	The demand for electric cars is rising.
awareness of	There is growing awareness of mental health issues.
relationship between	The study examined the relationship between diet and disease.

PTE Tip: If the blank is a preposition, check the noun before it.

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7. Adjective + Preposition Collocations

Adj + Prep	Example
interested in	She is interested in neuroscience.
responsible for	Managers are responsible for their teams.
dependent on	The economy is dependent on exports.
aware of	Drivers must be aware of road signs.
capable of	Humans are capable of complex reasoning.
similar to	The two species are similar to each other.
different from	This result is different from the previous one.
essential for	Vitamins are essential for good health.
relevant to	The data is relevant to the research question.
exposed to	Workers are exposed to hazardous chemicals.

PTE Tip: These are frequently tested in Reading Fill in the Blanks where the blank is a preposition.

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8. Phrasal Verbs (Verb + Particle)

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
carry out	perform	Researchers carried out an experiment.
point out	indicate	The author points out a flaw in the argument.
bring about	cause	Technology has brought about major changes.
set up	establish	The government set up a committee.
break down	fail / divide	The negotiation broke down.
come up with	think of	Scientists came up with a solution.
look into	investigate	Police are looking into the incident.
put forward	propose	She put forward a new theory.
rule out	eliminate	We cannot rule out the possibility.
take up	begin / occupy	Many students take up part-time jobs.

PTE Tip: Phrasal verbs often appear in Reading MCQs where you must choose the correct meaning.

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9. Collocations with "Make" vs "Do" (Common Confusion)

Make	Do
make a decision	do research
make progress	do homework
make an effort	do business
make a difference	do a favor
make a mistake	do exercise
make an appointment	do damage
make a contribution	do justice
make arrangements	do the dishes

PTE Tip: PTE often tests make vs do collocations. Memorize the common pairs.

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10. Academic Collocations (High-Frequency in PTE)

Collocation	Example
play a role	Education plays a role in economic development.
have an impact	Climate change has an impact on biodiversity.
take measures	Governments must take measures to reduce pollution.
provide insight	The study provides insight into consumer behavior.
reach a conclusion	Researchers reached a conclusion after analysis.
draw attention	The report draws attention to inequality.
give rise to	The discovery gave rise to new questions.
shed light on	The findings shed light on the issue.
pave the way	The invention paved the way for modern technology.
bridge the gap	Education can bridge the gap between rich and poor.

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How to Use Collocations in PTE Reading

1.      Read the whole sentence – understand the meaning and grammar.

2.      Identify the blank type – is it a verb, noun, adjective, adverb, or preposition?

3.      Look for collocation partners – what word naturally goes with the blank?

4.      Eliminate options – remove words that don't collocate.

5.      Check grammar – singular/plural, tense, preposition agreement.

6.      Trust your collocation knowledge – if it sounds natural and fits, it's likely correct.

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Practice Example (PTE Style)

Sentence:

The government has decided to ______ measures to reduce carbon emissions.

Options:

A) make
B) take
C) do
D) give

Answer: B) take – because we say "take measures", not "make measures" or "do measures."**

PTE Academic Reading: 200 More High-Frequency Collocations with Nepali Meanings

Below are 200 collocations commonly used in PTE Reading, with Nepali meanings and examples to help Nepali-speaking students understand and memorize them faster.

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1. Verb + Noun Collocations (1–40)

#	Collocation	Nepali Meaning	Example
1	make a decision	निर्णय गर्नु	The committee will make a decision soon.
2	take action	कदम चाल्नु	We must take action now.
3	draw a conclusion	निष्कर्ष निकाल्नु	Researchers drew a conclusion from the data.
4	raise awareness	जनचेतना जगाउनु	The campaign aims to raise awareness.
5	meet requirements	आवश्यकता पूरा गर्नु	Applicants must meet requirements.
6	pay attention	ध्यान दिनु	Students should pay attention in class.
7	gain access	पहुँच प्राप्त गर्नु	Users can gain access to the system.
8	conduct research	अनुसन्धान गर्नु	Scientists conducted research on the virus.
9	provide evidence	प्रमाण दिनु	The study provides evidence for the theory.
10	pose a threat	खतरा उत्पन्न गर्नु	Pollution poses a threat to health.
11	make progress	प्रगति गर्नु	The project is making progress.
12	take responsibility	जिम्मेवारी लिनु	Leaders must take responsibility.
13	give priority	प्राथमिकता दिनु	The government should give priority to education.
14	express concern	चिन्ता व्यक्त गर्नु	Experts expressed concern about the trend.
15	reach an agreement	सम्झौतामा पुग्नु	The two sides reached an agreement.
16	face challenges	चुनौती सामना गर्नु	Students face challenges during exams.
17	achieve success	सफलता प्राप्त गर्नु	She achieved success through hard work.
18	offer support	सहयोग प्रदान गर्नु	The NGO offers support to victims.
19	address issues	समस्या सम्बोधन गर्नु	The report addresses key issues.
20	generate income	आय उत्पन्न गर्नु	Tourism generates income for the country.
21	create opportunities	अवसर सिर्जना गर्नु	Technology creates opportunities for youth.
22	solve problems	समस्या समाधान गर्नु	Education helps solve problems.
23	build confidence	आत्मविश्वास बढाउनु	Practice builds confidence.
24	develop skills	सीप विकास गर्नु	Training helps develop skills.
25	improve quality	गुणस्तर सुधार गर्नु	We must improve quality of education.
26	reduce risk	जोखिम कम गर्नु	Exercise helps reduce risk of disease.
27	increase productivity	उत्पादकत्व बढाउनु	Technology can increase productivity.
28	maintain balance	सन्तुलन कायम राख्नु	We must maintain balance in life.
29	establish a system	प्रणाली स्थापना गर्नु	The company established a system.
30	implement policies	नीति कार्यान्वयन गर्नु	The government implemented policies.
31	monitor progress	प्रगति निगरानी गर्नु	Teachers monitor progress of students.
32	evaluate performance	प्रदर्शन मूल्याङ्कन गर्नु	Managers evaluate performance yearly.
33	analyse data	डेटा विश्लेषण गर्नु	Researchers analyse data carefully.
34	collect information	जानकारी सङ्कलन गर्नु	Journalists collect information from sources.
35	publish findings	नतिजा प्रकाशित गर्नु	The team published findings in a journal.
36	cite sources	स्रोत उल्लेख गर्नु	Students must cite sources properly.
37	support arguments	तर्क समर्थन गर्नु	Evidence supports arguments.
38	challenge assumptions	मान्यता चुनौती दिनु	New research challenges assumptions.
39	promote growth	वृद्धि प्रवर्द्धन गर्नु	Policies promote growth.
40	ensure safety	सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित गर्नु	Rules ensure safety at work.

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2. Noun + Noun Collocations (41–70)

#	Collocation	Nepali Meaning	Example
41	climate change	जलवायु परिवर्तन	Climate change affects agriculture.
42	health care	स्वास्थ्य सेवा	Health care should be free.
43	job market	रोजगार बजार	The job market is competitive.
44	research project	अनुसन्धान परियोजना	The research project got funding.
45	data analysis	डेटा विश्लेषण	Data analysis revealed a trend.
46	traffic congestion	ट्राफिक जाम	Traffic congestion is a major problem.
47	energy consumption	ऊर्जा खपत	Energy consumption is rising.
48	carbon emissions	कार्बन उत्सर्जन	We must cut carbon emissions.
49	social media	सामाजिक सञ्जाल	Social media influences youth.
50	economic growth	आर्थिक वृद्धि	Economic growth slowed down.
51	public health	जनस्वास्थ्य	Public health is a priority.
52	higher education	उच्च शिक्षा	Higher education is expensive.
53	mental health	मानसिक स्वास्थ्य	Mental health awareness is growing.
54	environmental protection	वातावरण संरक्षण	Environmental protection is essential.
55	natural resources	प्राकृतिक स्रोत	We must conserve natural resources.
56	water scarcity	पानीको अभाव	Water scarcity affects many regions.
57	food security	खाद्य सुरक्षा	Food security is a global issue.
58	urban planning	सहरी योजना	Urban planning needs improvement.
59	rural development	ग्रामीण विकास	Rural development is important.
60	digital technology	डिजिटल प्रविधि	Digital technology changed education.
61	information technology	सूचना प्रविधि	Information technology is growing fast.
62	academic performance	शैक्षिक प्रदर्शन	Sleep affects academic performance.
63	research methodology	अनुसन्धान विधि	The research methodology was sound.
64	literature review	साहित्य समीक्षा	Write a literature review first.
65	case study	केस अध्ययन	The case study examined one school.
66	policy makers	नीति निर्माता	Policy makers must act now.
67	living standards	जीवनस्तर	Living standards have improved.
68	income inequality	आय असमानता	Income inequality is widening.
69	social inequality	सामाजिक असमानता	Social inequality persists.
70	gender equality	लैङ्गिक समानता	Gender equality is a human right.

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3. Adjective + Noun Collocations (71–100)

#	Collocation	Nepali Meaning	Example
71	heavy rain	भारी वर्षा	Heavy rain caused flooding.
72	strong evidence	बलियो प्रमाण	There is strong evidence for this.
73	major impact	ठूलो प्रभाव	Technology has a major impact.
74	significant difference	महत्त्वपूर्ण भिन्नता	There is a significant difference.
75	high demand	उच्च माग	There is high demand for nurses.
76	severe consequences	गम्भीर परिणाम	Pollution has severe consequences.
77	close attention	नजिकको ध्यान	Pay close attention to details.
78	vital role	महत्त्वपूर्ण भूमिका	Parents play a vital role.
79	common sense	सामान्य ज्ञान	Use common sense while driving.
80	global warming	विश्व तापमान वृद्धि	Global warming is accelerating.
81	key factor	मुख्य कारक	Education is a key factor in success.
82	main reason	मुख्य कारण	The main reason is poverty.
83	primary source	प्राथमिक स्रोत	Sun is the primary source of energy.
84	critical issue	गम्भीर मुद्दा	Climate change is a critical issue.
85	urgent need	तत्काल आवश्यकता	There is an urgent need for action.
86	growing concern	बढ्दो चिन्ता	There is growing concern about AI.
87	widespread use	व्यापक प्रयोग	Widespread use of smartphones.
88	limited resources	सीमित स्रोत	We have limited resources.
89	ample opportunity	पर्याप्त अवसर	There is ample opportunity to learn.
90	considerable attention	पर्याप्त ध्यान	The issue received considerable attention.
91	rapid growth	द्रुत वृद्धि	There was rapid growth in IT.
92	steady increase	क्रमिक वृद्धि	A steady increase in population.
93	sharp decline	तीव्र गिरावट	A sharp decline in sales.
94	positive outcome	सकारात्मक परिणाम	The policy had a positive outcome.
95	negative impact	नकारात्मक प्रभाव	Pollution has a negative impact.
96	long-term benefits	दीर्घकालीन लाभ	Exercise has long-term benefits.
97	short-term solution	अल्पकालीन समाधान	It is only a short-term solution.
98	fundamental right	मौलिक अधिकार	Education is a fundamental right.
99	comprehensive study	व्यापक अध्ययन	A comprehensive study was conducted.
100	detailed analysis	विस्तृत विश्लेषण	A detailed analysis is needed.

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4. Adverb + Adjective Collocations (101–120)

#	Collocation	Nepali Meaning	Example
101	highly effective	अत्यधिक प्रभावकारी	The vaccine is highly effective.
102	widely recognized	व्यापक रूपमा मान्यता प्राप्त	She is widely recognized.
103	deeply concerned	गहिरो चिन्तित	Scientists are deeply concerned.
104	fully aware	पूर्ण सचेत	Consumers must be fully aware.
105	closely related	नजिकको सम्बन्ध	The two are closely related.
106	strongly opposed	कडा विरोध	Many are strongly opposed.
107	increasingly difficult	बढ्दो कठिन	It is increasingly difficult.
108	critically important	अत्यन्त महत्त्वपूर्ण	Sleep is critically important.
109	readily available	सजिलै उपलब्ध	Information is readily available.
110	severely affected	गम्भीर रूपमा प्रभावित	Coastal areas were severely affected.
111	highly competitive	अत्यधिक प्रतिस्पर्धात्मक	The market is highly competitive.
112	widely used	व्यापक प्रयोग	English is widely used.
113	completely different	पूर्ण रूपमा फरक	The results are completely different.
114	perfectly clear	पूर्ण स्पष्ट	The instructions are perfectly clear.
115	extremely important	अत्यन्त महत्त्वपूर्ण	Education is extremely important.
116	relatively small	तुलनात्मक रूपमा सानो	The sample was relatively small.
117	particularly useful	विशेष उपयोगी	This method is particularly useful.
118	increasingly popular	बढ्दो लोकप्रिय	Online learning is increasingly popular.
119	well documented	राम्रोसँग अभिलेखित	The phenomenon is well documented.
120	poorly understood	कम बुझिएको	The disease is poorly understood.

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5. Verb + Preposition Collocations (121–145)

#	Collocation	Nepali Meaning	Example
121	depend on	निर्भर हुनु	Success depends on hard work.
122	result in	परिणाम हुनु	Negligence resulted in an accident.
123	lead to	डोर्याउनु	Poor diet can lead to disease.
124	contribute to	योगदान दिनु	Exercise contributes to health.
125	focus on	केन्द्रित हुनु	The study focuses on migration.
126	rely on	भर पर्नु	Farmers rely on rainfall.
127	account for	कारण हुनु	Fossil fuels account for emissions.
128	engage in	संलग्न हुनु	Students should engage in research.
129	cope with	सामना गर्नु	Communities must cope with disasters.
130	refer to	सन्दर्भ गर्नु	The term refers to a phenomenon.
131	belong to	सम्बन्धित हुनु	She belongs to a research group.
132	consist of	समावेश हुनु	The team consists of five members.
133	apply for	आवेदन दिनु	He applied for a scholarship.
134	apply to	लागू हुनु	The rule applies to everyone.
135	benefit from	लाभ उठाउनु	Students benefit from feedback.
136	suffer from	पीडित हुनु	Many suffer from malnutrition.
137	prevent from	रोक्नु	Vaccines prevent people from getting sick.
138	protect from	जोगाउनु	Trees protect us from heat.
139	succeed in	सफल हुनु	She succeeded in her exam.
140	invest in	लगानी गर्नु	The company invested in technology.
141	participate in	सहभागी हुनु	Students participate in debates.
142	specialize in	विशेषज्ञता हासिल गर्नु	Doctors specialize in surgery.
143	deal with	सम्हाल्नु	Teachers deal with many challenges.
144	agree with	सहमत हुनु	I agree with your opinion.
145	agree on	सहमति जनाउनु	They agreed on a plan.

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6. Noun + Preposition Collocations (146–165)

#	Collocation	Nepali Meaning	Example
146	increase in	वृद्धि	An increase in crime rates.
147	decrease in	कमी	A decrease in funding.
148	effect on	प्रभाव	Social media has an effect on teens.
149	impact on	प्रभाव	The policy had an impact on the economy.
150	reason for	कारण	The reason for the decline is unclear.
151	solution to	समाधान	No simple solution to poverty.
152	access to	पहुँच	Everyone needs access to water.
153	demand for	माग	The demand for electric cars is rising.
154	awareness of	जानकारी	Growing awareness of mental health.
155	relationship between	सम्बन्ध	The relationship between diet and disease.
156	difference between	भिन्नता	The difference between the two is clear.
157	rise in	वृद्धि	A rise in unemployment.
158	fall in	गिरावट	A fall in birth rates.
159	need for	आवश्यकता	The need for reform is urgent.
160	concern about	चिन्ता	Concern about climate change is growing.
161	involvement in	संलग्नता	His involvement in the project was key.
162	contribution to	योगदान	Her contribution to science is huge.
163	exposure to	सम्पर्क	Exposure to sunlight is beneficial.
164	dependence on	निर्भरता	Dependence on oil is risky.
165	attitude towards	मनोवृत्ति	Attitude towards work matters.

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7. Adjective + Preposition Collocations (166–180)

#	Collocation	Nepali Meaning	Example
166	interested in	इच्छुक	She is interested in biology.
167	responsible for	जिम्मेवार	Managers are responsible for teams.
168	dependent on	निर्भर	The economy is dependent on exports.
169	aware of	सचेत	Drivers must be aware of signs.
170	capable of	सक्षम	Humans are capable of reasoning.
171	similar to	समान	The species is similar to another.
172	different from	फरक	This result is different from that.
173	essential for	आवश्यक	Vitamins are essential for health.
174	relevant to	सान्दर्भिक	The data is relevant to the topic.
175	exposed to	सम्पर्कमा	Workers are exposed to chemicals.
176	associated with	सम्बन्धित	Smoking is associated with cancer.
177	based on	आधारित	The theory is based on evidence.
178	committed to	प्रतिबद्ध	She is committed to her work.
179	beneficial to	लाभदायक	Exercise is beneficial to health.
180	harmful to	हानिकारक	Smoking is harmful to lungs.

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8. Phrasal Verbs (181–200)

#	Phrasal Verb	Nepali Meaning	Example
181	carry out	सम्पन्न गर्नु	Researchers carried out a study.
182	point out	औंल्याउनु	The author points out a flaw.
183	bring about	ल्याउनु	Technology brought about change.
184	set up	स्थापना गर्नु	The government set up a committee.
185	break down	असफल हुनु	The talks broke down.
186	come up with	सोच्नु	Scientists came up with a solution.
187	look into	अनुसन्धान गर्नु	Police are looking into the case.
188	put forward	प्रस्ताव गर्नु	She put forward a theory.
189	rule out	सम्भावना हटाउनु	We cannot rule out the possibility.
190	take up	सुरु गर्नु	Many take up part-time jobs.
191	give up	छोड्नु	He gave up smoking.
192	find out	पत्ता लगाउनु	She found out the truth.
193	figure out	बुझ्नु	I can't figure out the answer.
194	work out	समाधान गर्नु	Everything worked out fine.
195	turn out	परिणाम हुनु	It turned out to be true.
196	bring up	हुर्काउनु	She brought up three children.
197	take on	जिम्मेवारी लिनु	He took on a new role.
198	look after	हेरचाह गर्नु	She looks after her parents.
199	get rid of	हटाउनु	We must get rid of waste.
200	keep up with	सँगै अगाडि बढ्नु	Students must keep up with the syllabus.