An integral part of sounding like a native English speaker in your English language and speech is to use collocations.
Why is the use of collocations so important for English language and speech?
Collocations are important to know in order to boost your vocabulary, fluency, written discourse generally, and overall writing and speaking scores on the PTE and IELTS ( from band 5 upwards you are expected to be able to use some collocations in your speech) .
When you use collocations in your English language and speech you show that you have a good command of the language. Using collocations in your English speech allows you to communicate your message better. You are using habitual phrases that native English speakers use and your listener can immediately relate better to what you are saying. This is especially important if you are talking to clients, customers, or speaking at a meeting, giving a talk or making a podcast. Don’t forget that this also helps fit in better socially as you are using the same expressions as everyone else.
Collocations are common expressions that you need to use. Also very importantly, you’ll improve your ability to understand what other English speakers are referring to and saying.
What is a collocation?
A collocation is a pair or group of words that are habitually juxtaposed or put together.
For example: “‘strong tea’ and ‘heavy drinker’ are typical English collocations”
There are many, many, many collocations used in English language and speech. In the lesson below I have covered 22 of them so you can hear how to pronounce them and say them naturally in English.
English Language And Speech Secret-Collocations
accept a challenge
accept defeat
absolutely necessary
achieve a goal
additional information
become aware
gain access
get a call ( when someone rings you on the phone)
get a chance
give it a go
go unnoticed
make a decision
make a living
make an effort
meet opposition
mixed feelings (different emotions felt at the same time)
last long
lead the way
lend a hand (help someone)
lucky escape
hard to see
hard to tell ( don’t know)
There’s also a quiz page here
You’ll find more collocations in our accent reduction courses as the trainer models sentences for you to practise, and more importantly you can hear how to say them naturally with the right stress, intonation and rhythm at the same time.
Best wishes, Esther
