draft

English
collocations
in UsE

Advanced

Felicity O’Dell
Michael McCarthy

How words work
together for fluent
and natural English

Self-study and
classroom use

Second Edition

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First published 2008
Second edition 2017
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1

English Collocations in Use Advanced

Contents

Acknowledgements

3

Using this book

4

Learning about collocations
1 What is a collocation?
2 strong, fixed and weak collocations
3 Grammatical categories of collocation

4 Finding and working on collocations in texts

5 Register

Varieties of collocations
6 Metaphor

foot the bill, heavy burden, run into trouble

7 intensifying and softening adverbs

deeply offensive, spotlessly clean, wildly inaccurate

8Make and verbs that mean make

make a contribution, make a habit of, turn a profit

9 Communicating

generally speaking, talk business, get a message across

10 Collocations with phrasal verbs

take up office, work up an appetite, see off an intruder

Topics: work and study
11 Working life

make a living, take up a post, move up the ladder

12 New employment

fit the job description, land a new job, menial tasks

13 Thoughts and ideas

bear in mind, widespread belief, jump to conclusions

14 business reports

fierce competition, stimulate growth, hike in prices

15 Marketing

consumer demands, product development, market share

16 Customer services

fit for purpose, kick up a fuss, grounds for complaint

17 student life

gifted child, mature student, thirst for knowledge

18 Writing essays, assignments and reports

working hypothesis, confront issues, critical analysis

Topics: leisure and lifestyle
19 social life

call for a celebration, social whirl, play host to

20 Talking

juicy gossip, broach the subject, opening gambit

21 in the news

declare independence, reach agreement, bow to pressure

22 Current affairs

refuse point-blank, decline to comment, gauge reaction

23 Festivals and celebrations

date back to, movable feast, propose a toast

24 Cosmetics and fashion

flawless complexion, set the trend, fashion victim

25 Commuting

traffic gridlock, rail network, lengthy tailbacks

26 Travel and adventure

get itchy feet, off the beaten track, leg of the journey

27 sport

keep in shape, reach fever pitch, score an own goal

28 Plans and decisions

toy with an idea, tentative suggestion, deciding factor

29 Film and book reviews

star-studded cast, glowing reviews, hold one’s attention