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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: explanation
Key Word: explanation 1 Verb + explanation Use the correct form of these verbs: defy demand give hear owe think of I heard you coming in at five o’clock this morning. You said you would be home by midnight. I’m waiting to _________ your explanation. The instructor_________ us a very clear explanation of how the machine worked. It was very easy to follow. This is the second time you’ve failed to attend the meeting. I think you _________ us all an explanation. No wonder you’re angry! If Gwen was paid to produce the report by last Friday, I think you...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: help
Key Word: help 1 Verb + help Use the correct form of these verbs: ask for appreciate offer get seek use need provide Thanks for everything you’ve done for my parents. They really __________ all your help. My car broke down in the city centre and I tried to push it to the side of the road. There were lots of people standing watching, and not one of them __________ any help whatsoever. Do you need any help with the cooking? > No, but I could __________ some help with the washing up if you’re not too busy. I wouldn’t...
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Using Collocation to Ace The IELTS – Key Word: Difference
Difference Adjective + Difference big, broad, considerable, dramatic, enormous, great, huge, large, major, profound, radical, real, sharp, substantial, vast, wide A little extra care makes a big difference. I noticed a real difference in his attitude. basic, essential, fundamental | crucial, important, key, significant | clear, distinct, marked, notable, noticeable, obvious, striking | minor, slight, subtle national, regional | age, class, cultural, ethnic, gender, genetic, physical, psychological, racial, sex, social | historical, ideological, political Exercise Ex 1. Common adjective collocations Use the following adjectives in these sentences: fundamental irreconcilable no real striking subtle I couldn’t tell the two paintings...
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Using Collocation to Boost your IELTS Score – Key Word : Hope
Key Word : Hope 1 Verb + hope Use the correct form of these verbs : abandon cling to give raise hold out offer pin( hope) on have My strong belief in God ___________ me hope during those difficult times and helped me to remain positive. Rescuers have given up hope of finding any survivors. They have all hope of finding anybody alive inside the collapsed building. You shouldn’t ___________ all your hopes ___________ getting this job. Apply for other positions as well. With so many people wanting to see the concert, I don’t ___________ much hope of getting...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Approval
Key word: approval 1 Verb + approval Use the correct form of these verbs: give meet with need seek show win The board of directors talked over the proposal and decided to__________ it their approval. My plans for the new house are complete – now all I__________ is approval to build it. The audience__________ their approval by calling for encore after encore, then giving them a standing ovation. She desperately wants to__________ her father’s approval. We’ll have to__________ approval from head office before spending any more on this project. The council’s plans for new traffic measures have __________ the approval...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Change
Change 1 Verb + change Use the correct form of these verbs: accept bring about make resist plan undergo I’ve ___________ a few minor changes to your speech. I hope you think I’ve improved it! A lot of people find it hard to___________ change. >Yes, it’s surprising how many of us tend to ___________ any kind of change to the way we live. The government’s latest advertising campaign is an attempt to ___________ a change in the way we think about the environment. Medicine has ___________ huge changes in the past 50 years due to the discovery of DNA. The...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Benefit
benefit 1 Verb + benefit Use the correct form of these verbs: bring derive feel reap include outline outweigh Tourism has _________ many benefits to the area. I want to say that I’m against the building of this new centre. I think the risks of the scheme _________ any potential benefits. Book your holiday with us. The benefits _________ full medical cover while you’re abroad. Too many children from poor social backgrounds don’t _________ much benefit from school. => No, I know what you mean. I didn’t get much benefit from my days at school either. The doctor said that...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: idea
Key Word: idea 1 Verb + idea Use the correct form of these verbs: consider come up with get across reject go along with sell He’s a really good speaker. He has that rare ability to _________ complex ideas in the kind of language everybody can understand. We’ve been _________ the idea of moving to a smaller flat now that the children have left home. We’ve actually been toying with the idea for a year or so. The committee needs to _________ some ideas for raising funds for the new church. Does anybody have any good ideas? She’s always _________...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Argument
Key word: argument 1 Verb + argument (reasons behind ideas) Use the correct form of these verbs: accept follow hear put forward support His lecture just didn’t seem to make any sense. I couldn’t ___________ his argument at all. Could you? I’ve spent the last week doing my research. Now I’ve got lots of facts and figures to ___________ my argument. In his speech, the Chancellor ___________ a very persuasive argument for raising taxes. I don’t ___________ the argument that adults should always be obeyed just because they are adults! Now that we have___________ all the arguments for and against...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Area
Key word: area 1 Verb + area Use the correct form of these verbs: avoid cover develop destroy know police tour I’m sorry I don’t know where the high school is. Ask Jane. She ___________ the local area very well. Buxton is very central and it makes an ideal base for ___________ the area. The National Park ___________ an area of some 2000 square kilometres. Following the rise in crime, there are calls for more money to be spent on ___________ the area. Heathrow does its best to make sure planes ___________ flying over residential areas at night. The introduction...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: time
Using Collocation To Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Time 1 Verb + time Use the correct form of these verbs: afford kill make save spend take It can ____________ quite a long time to get used to living in a different country. People who ____________ too much time together usually end up getting on each other’s nerves. It’ll take you about half an hour to walk to the station. Get a taxi. Think of the time you’ll____________ ! I arrived two hours early for my interview, so I ____________ some time in the National Gallery and then I...
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Improve your Vocabulary for IELTS – Collocation of Incident
Key word: incident 1 Verb + incident Use the correct form of these verbs: highlight investigate occur cause report witness There was a serious accident in the middle of town last night. The police have appealed for anyone who __________ the incident to come forward. I saw some older boys bullying one of the first-year students. I felt I had to__________ the incident to the headmaster. A number of windows in our church were smashed at the weekend. The police are __________ the incident. Somebody walked out of the building yesterday with two of our computers. This incident __________ our...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: attention
Key word: attention 1 Verb collocations Use the correct form of these verbs: need pay get have hold Children often misbehave in order to _________ attention. The play was disappointing. It didn’t _________ my attention for very long. Can I _________ your attention, please? I have an important announcement to make. Babies _________ a lot of care and attention. As a caring society I think we need to _________ more attention to the elderly. First underline the verb collocations in the following. Then divide them into two groups: those meaning ‘give attention to something’ and those meaning ‘something gets your...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Keyword: Influence
Key word: influence 1 Common adjective collocations Complete the sentences with these adjectives: calming corrupting disruptive outside profound pervasive undue positive Our youngest son, Harry, can get very excited and a little wild at times, but his sister has a very___________ influence on him. I find it hard to teach when your daughter is in class. She has a ___________ influence on the rest of the students. Perhaps she should see someone about her behaviour. Will’s a bit depressed at the moment. I think he needs to mix with people who will have a more ___________ influence on his life....
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: person
Key Word: person 1 Determiners and quantifiers Complete the sentences with these words: each first last one only single When my car broke down on the motorway, not a ___________ person stopped and offered to help me. My best friend is about the ___________ person that I can trust my secrets to. Allow about 200gms of rice for___________ person. Democratic systems are based on the principle of___________ person, one vote. The___________ person to give the correct answer wins the competition. I wouldn’t go out with Damien if he were the ___________ person on earth! 2 Common adjective collocations Match the...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Attitude
Key word: attitude 1 Verb + attitude Use the correct form of these verbs: change harden shape understand show take typify I’m afraid our nephew has turned out to be a greedy, self-centred young man. His attitude ____________ a complete disregard for his family and others. I’ve always____________ a fairly easy-going attitude towards bringing up my children. Children need freedom to develop and make their own mistakes. John’s total lack of interest in the general election ____________ the attitude of many young people today. What do you think influences our attitudes to marriage? > I think our experiences in childhood____________...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: fight
Key word: fight 1 Verb + fight Use the correct form of these verbs: be engaged in carry on give up lose put up step up Workers at Ford’s lorry plant are determined to __________ a fight to save their jobs. More money has been promised to help scientists to __________ the fight to find a cure for AIDS. In response to public pressure, the government has promised to __________ the fight against drugs. My company __________ a bitter fight with the local council, who are refusing us planning permission for a new factory. Although jailed for twenty years by...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: expectation
Key word: expectation 1 Common expressions Divide the sentences below into three groups: A = better than expected B = as expected C = worse than expected The concert was fantastic – it lived up to all our expectations. The film has been a surprise success. Box – office receipts have exceeded all expectations. It is a fact that the reality of a holiday often falls short of expectations. The increase in interest rates is broadly in line with expectations. Unfortunately sales of the new product have failed to meet expectations. The English course fulfilled all our expectations. The restaurant...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: event
Key word: event 1 Verb + event Use the correct form of these verbs: cancel mark witness shake sponsor take part in When Nelson Mandela visited the city, hundreds of doves were released to ___________ the event. I’d like to thank everyone who ___________ today’s marvellous fund-raising event. I think you’ll all agree we’ve had a wonderful day and we have also managed to raise over £20,000! Nobody who___________ the events of September 11th – either live on TV or first hand – will ever forget them. Most big sporting events are___________ by large multinational companies like Nike or Pepsi....
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: effect
effect 1 Positive and negative effects Which of the adjectives in bold are positive and which are negative? There is abundant evidence that smoking has a harmful effect on /our health. Many chemicals have a damaging effect on the environment. People today are aware of the beneficial effects of exercise. That’s why so many join leisure clubs. Watching too much television is having an adverse effect on John’s progress at school. The girl was kept locked up in a darkened room, but she seems to have suffered no ill effects. The Victorians swore by the therapeutic effects of sea-bathing. The...
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