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Improve your Vocabulary for IELTS – Collocation of Day
Key word: day 1 Determiner + day Use these determiners in the sentences: a all any every some / one one other these very I passed by your house the __________ day, but I didn’t have time to call in. I’ve enjoyed your company. I hope we meet again __________ day soon. Organic food is very popular __________ days. Take the tablets three times __________ day, but don’t take more than ten in any __________ day. Carol’s expecting her first child. The baby is due __________ day now. Due to staff training this office will be closed __________ day Monday...
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The Academic Collocation List
Using Academic Collocation List for IELTS to Boost your IELTS Score to Band 8.0+ The Academic Collocation List (ACL) covers 2,469 frequent and pedagogically relevant lexical collocations in written academic English. The development involved four stages: Refinement of the data-driven list based on quantitative and qualitative parameters; Computational analysis of the corpus; Expert review; Systematization. By highlighting the most important cross-disciplinary collocations, the ACL can help learners increase their collocational competence and thus their proficiency in academic English. Besides, using this list, IELTS students can improve their IELTS Speaking & Listening skills, thereby hiking up their IELTS score to Band...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: difficulty
Key word: difficulty 1 Verb collocations Use the correct form of these verbs be in cause foresee get into overcome present Credit cards make it extremely easy for young people to __________ difficulty with debt. We’re confident that these difficulties will be __________ before the play starts. It was in the six o’clock news that a large oil tanker __________ difficulties off the coast of France. It’s in danger of breaking in two. My father’s had a mild stroke and it has__________ difficulties with his speech. The task should__________ no difficulty for someone of his ability. I don’t __________any difficulties...
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Build up Your Vocabulary to Increase Your IELTS Score-Key Word:Ability
Key Word:Ability Verb+Ability Use the correct form of these verbs: affect assess overestimate lose doubt show Examinations are not the only means of______someone’s ability. There are other ways of measuring potential. At first I questioned his abilities, but he has done the job so well. I’m now ashamed that I had so little confidence in him and that I______his abilities in the first place. It is a well-known fact that even small amounts of alcohol can______your ability to drive safely. She was so shocked by the accident that she______the ability to speak. Although Peter______a lot of ability as a teenager,...
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Using Collocation to Ace the IELTS – Key Word: Effort
Effort Verb + Effort Use the correct form of these verbs: expend go into make require reward save If you want to get good grades, you’d better start ___________ more of an effort. As it is, you’ll be lucky to scrape a pass. Learning a language as a child seems to involve no effort at all, but learning it as an adult ___________ a lot of time and effort. Following record sales over the Christmas period, the staff were___________ for their efforts with a New Year bonus of £300. I’d tackle the problem now if I were you. It’ll only...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Freedom
Key Word: Freedom Verb + Freedom Use the correct form of these verbs: allow enjoy fight for give up restrict value We don’t believe in _________ our son’s freedom in any way. We think he should be allowed to do exactly what he wants to do. On the one hand, many young couples would love to have kids, but on the other hand, they don’t want to _________ their freedom. If teachers don’t _________ their students the freedom to express themselves, they will never learn to think for themselves. Freedom of speech is a freedom worth _________ . Why governments...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Advice
Key Word: Advice Verb + Advice Exercise 1: Use the correct form of these verbs: give ignore take turn to welcome If you had ___________ my advice, you wouldn’t have lost all your money. Can I ___________ you a piece of advice? =>Sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Matt knows what he’s talking about. He has a lot of experience in dealing with this kind of situation so we can’t afford to___________ his advice. We’re not sure if our plan to start up a new fast- food restaurant in this area is likely to succeed or not and we...
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Improve your Vocabulary for IELTS – Collocation of Impact
Key word: Impact Verb + Impact (Effect) Exercise 1. Use the correct form of these verbs: assess feel have lose make minimise Internet shopping is beginning to__________ a serious impact on the traditional bookshops. Henman was one of the first British tennis players for years to __________ a real impact on the world of tennis. The authorities are doing everything within their power to __________ the environmental impact of the oil spill. It will be very difficult to __________ the likely impact of allowing twice as many students to have access to a university education. During the 1980s, the industrial...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Experience
Verb + Experience Use the correct form of these verbs bring have gain base on learn share She didn’t ___________ much experience of marketing, but they gave her the job anyway. My father believes that it is better to ___________ from experience rather than from books. Personally, I think that you need to do both. I’ve___________ a lot of valuable experience in the classroom this year. I now feel I’m a much better teacher than I was when I qualified a year ago. The new CEO is like a breath of fresh air. He ___________ years of experience to the...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Issue
Key Word: Issue Verb + Issue Use the correct form of these verbs: address avoid raise resolve care about My mother has always voted for the Green Party. She __________ very deeply__________ environmental issues. Our head of department is always side-stepping difficult issues. His normal tactic is to __________ a lot of issues by saying they are not his responsibility. I know you would like to bring up the issue of salaries, but I’d prefer it if you __________ it at the next meeting. If we don’t__________ this issue fairly quickly, we’ll need to start paying people off. There was...
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Improve your Vocabulary for IELTS – Collocation of Material
Key word: material 1 Verb + material (thing) Use the correct form of these verbs: contain made from modify recycle treat use Not many people realise that the Romans were the first to __________ concrete as a building material. We can assure our customers that all our products are __________ natural materials. I think it would be wrong to allow scientists to __________ human genetic material in order to produce the ‘perfect’ human being. The outer material of the garment has been __________ with wax to make it waterproof. One aim of the Green movement is to encourage people to...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Activity
Key word – Activity Verb + Activity Use the correct form of these verbs: avoid be involved in monitor do organise support Our yoga group ____________ a number of activities throughout the year. Our monthly newsletter gives you an update on our current activities. The police suspect that he is ____________ some kind of illegal activity, but they can’t prove it yet. This is a simple activity you can____________ with mixed ability classes. It is important that you ____________ any kind of sporting activity for at least three weeks after your operation. Charities depend on people like us to ____________...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: excuse
Key word: excuse 1 Verb + excuse Use the correct form of these verbs: have look for make up provide with run out of use as I think I’ve _________ excuses for not doing my homework, so I’d better get started! So, why was Ted late again this morning? > Who knows? As usual he_________ some excuse about his car breaking down, but nobody believes a word he says any more. Football teams always blame the referee when they lose a game, but everyone knows they only _________ him _________ an excuse for their poor playing. I’m sorry I _________...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Account
Key word: Account 1 Verb + account Use the correct form of these verbs: accept differ corroborate provide keep listen to The priest ____________ the old woman’s account of the death of her child with compassion. I’m going to ____________ a detailed account of my travels in India. I’m going to write a book when I get back. The diaries ____________ a full account of the writer’s experiences in prison. Do you think we should ____________ his account of events? Can we really trust him? The police only believed me after an eye-witness ____________ my account of the accident. There...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Answer
Key word: answer 1 Verb + answer (meaning reply) Use the correct form of these verbs: demand give need be receive wait for Did you ___________ an answer to your letter? We sent a letter of complaint ages ago. Three months later we’re still ___________ an answer. The managing director ___________ an answer. He was furious and wanted to know why things had gone so badly wrong. The Prime Minister promised to ___________ a written answer to the MP’s detailed question. We ___________ an answer immediately. If you can’t give us one, we can’t get on with the job. I...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: failure
Key Word: failure 1 Verb + failure Use the correct form of these verbs: admit put (…) down to blame criticise end in feel I ___________ such a failure! That’s the third time I’ve tried to pass my driving test. The government has been widely ___________ for its failure to cut hospital waiting lists. The attempt to climb K2 without oxygen ___________ failure. The climbers had to turn back when they were only three hundred metres from the summit. The easy way out is to ____________ others for our failures. We should all face up to our own shortcomings. Men...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: success
Key Word: Success 1 Verb + success Use the correct form of these verbs: achieve attribute have make guarantee owe prove wish I’ve been looking for a job for some time now, but I haven’t ____________ much success in finding one. Liz needs to pull her socks up and work harder if she is going to ____________ a success of her career. I’d like to take this opportunity to ____________ you every success in your new job. How do you account for the success of brands like Coke and Nike? => They ____________ their success to good advertising. My efforts...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Use
Key word – Use 1 Verb + use Use the correct form of these verbs: introduce ban have lose recommend share make I’m afraid she can’t walk. She ____________ the use of her legs in a road accident a few years ago. As there is a shortage of practice facilities, both teams will have to ____________ the use of the gymnasium. In order to reduce pollution we need to ____________ more use of the energy provided by the sun and the wind. Let’s go for a drive. I ____________ the use of my father’s car for the weekend. Doctors discourage...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Action
Key word: Action 1 Verb + action Use the correct form of these verbs: condone demand explain put into swing into take Shopkeepers in the town centre are ______________ tougher action against the vandals who continue to damage their shops at night. She will have to ______________ her actions – and defend them before the disciplinary committee – if she is to get her job back. We’ve had enough talk! We need to __________ these ideas ______________ action as soon as we can. Air traffic controllers are threatening to ______________ industrial action if their pay demands aren’t met. The emergency...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: instructions
Key word: instructions 1 Verb + instructions Use the correct form of these verbs: follow hold on to provide understand read through repeat Always____________ the instructions on medicines very carefully before taking them. If you____________ the step-by-step instructions in this leaflet, you will have no trouble assembling this latest innovative product from IKEA. A comprehensive manual ____________ full instructions on how to set up this computer. Always____________ the instructions in case you have any problems in the future. I can be a bit slow, so you will probably have to ____________ the instructions a few times! If you don’t____________ my...
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