Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Place

Vocabulary and collocations are essential for achieving a high band score in IELTS, particularly in Speaking and Writing. The word “place” is versatile and appears in multiple contexts, from everyday situations to formal and academic English. This guide explores common collocations with place to help you use them accurately and naturally.

Verb + Place Collocations

Verbs often combine with place to describe actions related to finding, saving, or occupying locations. Mastering these collocations helps in IELTS Speaking when discussing homes, cities, or positions in society.

Practice Exercise

Complete the sentences using the correct form of: 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.

Answer Key

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

Different Meanings of Place

• a) Country, town, etc.: Please state your place of birth.
• b) Seats: Let’s take our places round the table.
• c) Role: It’s not my place to remind you of your duty.
• d) Opportunity to study: I’ve just heard I’ve got a place at Oxford.
• e) Restaurant or venue: We had lunch at a very nice place in the centre.
• f) Position as part of a team: Van Nistelroy has lost his place in the team.

Verbal Expressions with Place

Phrasal verbs with place are common in informal and spoken English. These expressions can help you describe movement, understanding, or changes in environment.

Practice Exercise

Complete the sentences using: 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.

Answer Key

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

Common Adjective + Place Collocations

Adjectives describe the quality or characteristics of a place, making your descriptions in Speaking and Writing more precise and vivid.

Practice Exercise

Fill in the blanks using: 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.
7. Is there a ____________ place to eat round here?
8. The hotel was cold, empty and damp. It was a most ____________ place!

Answer Key

1. right
2. conceivable
3. safe
4. quiet
5. public
6. unlikely
7. decent
8. uninviting

Place + of + Noun Collocations

The structure place of + noun is used to describe a location’s purpose, significance, or function.

Practice Exercise

Complete the sentences with: 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

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

Notes and Practical Tips

• Everyday Expressions:

  • Ely is a great place for a day out.
  • This is no place to bring up children.
  • There was rubbish all over the place.

• Talking About Home:

  • “Shall we go back to your place or mine?”

• IELTS Tips:

  • Writing: Use a quiet place, a place of interest, or take your place in essays describing cities, schools, or social issues.
  • Speaking: Use collocations naturally when discussing homes, restaurants, cities, or personal experiences.
  • Reading & Listening: Recognizing collocations speeds up comprehension in passages about travel, culture, or social contexts.

To sum up, the word place is highly versatile and appears in a range of contexts from everyday situations (my place, quiet place) to formal or academic contexts (a place of worship, a place of interest). Mastering its collocations helps you speak and write more naturally and accurately. Regular practice of these verbs, adjectives, and expressions will expand your vocabulary and improve your confidence, ultimately boosting your IELTS Band Score.

For those aiming for top scores, following the IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+ can further enhance your vocabulary and overall test performance.

Also Check: 

• Improve Your Vocabulary for IELTS – Key Word: Space
• Improve Your Vocabulary for IELTS – Key Word: Size
• Grammar For IELTS: Expressions Of Quantity
• Grammar For IELTS : The Common Grammars And Sentence Structures In English (Part 1
• Grammar For IELTS : The Common Grammars And Sentence Structures In English (Part 2)
• Using Contrast in IELTS Speaking & Writing: Advanced Grammar in IELTS
• 100+ Advanced Vocabulary Word List for IELTS (PDF Available)
• Especially vs Specially for IELTS Grammar: Lessons, Examples, Usage & Exercise