Improve your Vocabulary for IELTS – Collocation of Place

Key word: place

1          Verb + place

Use the correct form of these verbs:

earn                 change            find                  look for

mark               take                 save                 hold

1. Sorry, we’re late. It took us ages to ____________ a parking place.
2. I’m fed up living with my parents, so I’m ____________ a place of my own.
3. It’s quite common for people to ____________ their place in a book they’re reading by turning down the corner of a page.
4. Come and sit here beside us. We’ve ____________ a place for you.
5. If you want to ____________ a place in this team, you’ll have to prove you’re worth it!
6. Would you like to ____________ places with me so that you can sit beside your husband?
7. Ataturk____________ a very important place in the minds of all Turks.
8. Last-minute talks are ____________ place in an attempt to avert a strike by workers on the underground.

Notice the different meaning of ‘place’ in no 8. What does ‘place’ mean in these sentences?

a          Please state your place of birth.

b          Let’s take our places round the table.

c          It’s not my place to remind you of your duty.

d          I’ve just heard I’ve got a place at Oxford.

e          We had lunch at a very nice place in the centre.

f           Van Nistelroy has lost his place in the team.

2          Verbal expressions

Now complete the sentences below with these phrasal verbs:

get the feel of                          turn into

come round to                                    get out of

1. I’ll____________ your place about nine if that’s OK with you.
2. We were only in Bristol for one night, so we didn’t really____________ the place.
3. Let’s ____________ this place! The food and the music are awful.
4. Those chairs blocking the fire exits could easily ____________ this place____________ a death trap.

3          Common adjective collocations

Use the following adjectives in these sentences:

quiet                conceivable                 decent              public

right                safe                              uninviting       unlikely

1. I was very lucky to get this job. I just happened to be in the____________ place at the right time.
2. I’ve looked in every____________ place for my wallet, but I can’t find it anywhere.
3. Remember to put your passport in a ____________ place.
4. This is a very____________ place during the winter months, but the place is really busy in July.
5. The organisation ASH have mounted a campaign to ban smoking in all ____________ places.
6. You find things in the most ____________ places. For example, I found my shoe in the fridge the other day. It must have been my two-year-old!
7. Is there a____________ place to eat round here?
8. The hotel was cold, empty and damp. It was a most ____________ place!

4          Place + of + noun

Use these nouns to complete the sentences:

birth                interest            safety               work                worship

1. Stonehenge is a place of great historical ____________
2. A place of ____________ is a building used for religious services, such as a church, temple or mosque.
3. Migrating birds return every year to their place of ____________ to lay their eggs.
4. The hostel for battered wives offers a place of ____________ and refuge for women who are assaulted by men.
5. In an emergency the hospital may need to contact you at your place of __________.

ANSWER KEY

Ex 1:

1. find 2. looking for 3. mark 4. saved 5. earn 6. change 7. holds 8. taking

а          country, town etc

b          seats

c          role

d          opportunity to study

e          restaurant

f           position as part of a team

Ex 2:

1. come round to 2. get the feel of 3. get out of     4.            turn … into

Ex 3:

1 right              2. conceivable             3. safe              4. quiet            5. public

6 unlikely        7. decent                     8. uninviting

Ex 4:

1. interest 2. worship 3. birth             4. safety          5. work

Also check :

• IELTS Vocabulary books
• IELTS Grammar
• IELTS Vocabulary
• IELTS Listening Vocabulary
• Sports Vocabulary IELTS
• English Pronunciation in use Intermediate pdf
• Work Vocabulary IELTS
• Advanced Vocabulary for IELTS