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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: doubt
Key word: doubt 1 Verb + doubt Use the correct form of these verbs: cast confirm have (x2) raise remove The latest accident on the London to Norwich line has _______ serious doubts about the safety of the braking system on the new trains. An order for two new ships for the navy has _______ any doubts about the shipyard’s future. New evidence has emerged since the trial that _______ doubt on the guilty verdict. I’m _______ doubts about taking the job in Paris – maybe I’ll just stay here where I’m comfortable. The painting didn’t look authentic. An examination...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: direction
Key word: direction 1 Verb + direction Use the correct form of these verbs: ask for change give head in look in take She waved at him across the street to draw his attention but he wasn’t__________ her direction. I think we’re lost. Let’s stop and __________ directions. Which direction do you think the government will__________ ? He__________ me directions to his house, but I got lost and had to call him on my mobile. The wind__________ direction suddenly. Our dinghy capsized and we all ended up in the water. The missing child was last seen __________ the direction of...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: detail
detail 1 Verb + details Use the correct form of these verbs: absorb check disclose go into send finalise take uncover Please ___________ that these details are correct before you sign the form. Please write, enclosing a stamped addressed envelope, and we will ___________ you details of the health plan. The city council have refused to ___________ details of its plan to close the city centre to traffic. I don’t understand why some newspapers dig into the past of politicians in an attempt to ___________ details of their previous love affairs. It’s sick! There’s too much information in this leaflet....
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: description
Key word: description 1 Verb + description Use the correct form of these verbs: contain defy fit give issue write It had been a clear night. The girl saw her attacker clearly, so she was able to__________ the police an pretty accurate description of him. No words could describe the beauty of the scenery. It __________ description. Police have __________ a description of a man they wish to question in connection with a fatal accident in the city centre. A boy, __________ the description of the missing child, was seen walking along the riverbank just before midnight last night. __________...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: crowd
crowd 1 Verb + crowd Use the correct form of these verbs: attract avoid control disappear into disperse mingle with Soldiers fired rubber bullets in order to ______________ the crowd of protesters who were threatening to storm the embassy. Every week Manchester United draw huge crowds. Their last match ______________ a record crowd of over 60,000. One minute Lily was by our side. The next minute she was gone. We searched and searched, but she had just ______________ the crowd. She was nowhere to be seen. I want to get into town early on Saturday to ______________ the crowds. Shall...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score-Key Word:Comment
Key Word:Comment Verb+Comment Use the correct form of these verbs: appreciate apologise for have invite made pass Do you______any comment on the situation, Mr President? I entirely agree with the comments you______about the state of the underground system. The council has______comments from residents about the plans for the new shopping centre. The interviewer made some rather rude remarks to the Prime Minister’s wife. He later publicly______ his comments. I would______any comments you might have on my work. All comments and suggestions will be gratefully received. No one in the office has dared______comment on my new hair colour. I think they’re...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: circumstances
Key word: circumstances 1 Verb collocations Use the correct form of these verbs: adapt to change depend on die in investigate know The police are ____________ the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a substantial amount of money from the company accounts. If you saw somebody drowning, would you try to save them? => It would____________ the circumstances. If the sea was really rough, then no, but if it was in a lake, then I probably would. If we____________ more of the circumstances around the child’s death, the police would have a much better idea of where to start. In the...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: choice
Key Word: choice 1 Verb + choice Use the correct form of these verbs: leave give have influence make restrict I’m not up here in Alaska because I want to be! Head office never __________ me a choice! Young people don’t realise that the choices they __________ at school and university can affect them for the rest of their lives. We used to live in London, so we could fly anywhere really easily. Living up here in the north does __________ your choice of where you can go, but we prefer the quieter life. I wouldn’t drive without a seat...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score-Key Word:Improvement
Key word:Improvement Verb+Improvement Use the correct form of these verbs : be bring about make notice show suggest It’s about 30 years since I was in the British Museum. I’ve______a lot of improvements. It’s a much more exciting place now. Isn’t it great that John’s teachers said that his work has______steady improvement throughout the year! I know a lot of improvements have been______to our computer system since it was first installed. If anyone can think of any more, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Major spending is required to______much- needed improvements in the health service. Could you read over...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: information
Key Word: information 1 Verb + information Use the correct form of these verbs: find gather provide share take in withhold Information about safety procedures on this Boeing 737 can be___________ in the seat pocket in front of you. Please read it carefully. I’m sure the Rough Guide to Bangkok will ___________ all the information you’ll need. I know this is a lot of information to ___________ all at once. You’ll need time to absorb it all. I’ve been to several libraries to ___________ information for my research project, but I still haven’t collected enough. I was arrested and charged...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: item
Key word: item 1 Adjective + item Complete the sentences with these adjectives: bulky faulty essential important main next missing valuable The police arrived soon after the break-in and asked us to do our best to make a list of all the__________ items. During the emergency, people stocked up on __________ items like food and candles. I think the __________ item on the agenda for this afternoon’s meeting is going to be the resignation of our secretary. I wonder why she’s leaving. Most modern hotels provide a safe in your room where you can keep __________ items. For a small...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: judgement
Key word: judgement 1 Judgement (making decisions) Which set of verbs fit best in the sentences? a trust / rely on / depend on b showed / exercised / used c challenged / doubted / questioned d use / rely on / exercise e form / come to I’m afraid whether to marry Sandra or not is not something I can give you advice on. You’ll have to ___________ your own judgement. I think recent events have called into question the director’s judgement. = > Be careful. No one has ever ___________ his judgement before. What do you think we...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: knowledge
Key word: knowledge 1 Verb + knowledge Use the correct form of these verbs: broaden deny live with provide use have He claims that he knew nothing about the decision to sell the land cheaply to a private developer. He ___________ all knowledge of the affair. This small booklet ___________ background knowledge to the school. The best way to ___________ your knowledge of world affairs is to read a good newspaper every day. He has a serious heart condition. I don’t know how he manages to ___________ the knowledge that he might have a heart attack at any moment. An...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: luck
Key Word: luck 1 Verb + luck Use the correct form of these verbs: believe bring hold push run out of trust wish have So far I haven’t __________ any luck finding a job. I haven’t had one interview yet. She wears some kind of charm around her neck. She thinks it’ll __________ her luck. I could hardly __________ my luck when I found my wallet still lying in the middle of the road where I dropped it. The prisoner evaded police for four days, but he eventually __________ luck when he was caught on video stealing food from a...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: memory
Key Word: memory 1 Verb + memory Use the correct form of these verbs: bring back blot out commit put behind etch jog lose search I’ve been___________ my memory all week for the name of that guy I was at college with, but all I can remember is it starts with ‘g’ – a name like ‘Goodfellow’ or ‘Goldsmith’. When I was at school we had to ___________ a lot of poems to memory. Elderly people tend to___________ their memory bit by bit and become increasingly forgetful. Listen to it again. It might ___________ your memory and help you to...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Method
Method 1 Verb + method Use the correct form of these verbs: adopt devise fail recommend use work In no way am I going to _____________ any of these new teaching methods. I’ll stick to the tried and tested methods that I’ve always used. That method doesn’t look like it is going to _____________ . We’ll need to come up with an alternative method of doing it. Any suggestions? The methods of communication_____________ in the eighteenth century were primitive by today’s standards. Believe me, this method of growing tomatoes never _____________ . I get a bumper crop every year. In...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score-Key Word:Need
Key Word:Need Verb+Need Use the correct form of these verbs: eliminate feel illustrate meet recognise stress The theft of the Rembrandt last weekend clearly______the need for better security measures at the Palace. The main advantage of credit cards is that they______the need to carry cash around. The director______the need for co-operation between workers and management if the company was to get out of its current difficulties. More nurseries will have to be built to______the need for high-quality child care. The government says that it______the need for immediate legislation to combat racism in the workplace. I know you’re getting out of...
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Using Collocation to Boost your IELTS Score-Key Word:Occasion
Key Word:Occasion Verb+Occasion Use the correct form of these verbs : celebrate dress forget use Remember it’s a wedding that you’re going to. Make sure you______for the occasion. Have you got a dark suit? My husband is fifty next week. We’re having a big party to______the occasion. The Prime Minister opened a new school in London and he______the occasion to announce the government’s intention to spend more money on primary schools. They seem a very nice couple, don’t they? I’ll never______the occasion when they screamed and shouted at each other in public. Common Adjective Collocations 2. Complete the sentences below...
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Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Possibility
Key Word: possibility 1 Verb + possibility Choose the more natural collocations: Keep trying. Don’t give up until you have _____________ every possibility. (explored / discovered) Look, we’ve been investigating this case for almost two years now. I think we’ve_____________ all the possibilities. (tried / exhausted) I’m afraid that we can’t give you an exact date for the completion of the building. We have to _____________ the possibility that bad weather may hold up progress. (allow for / prevail on) This new breakthrough_____________ the possibility of finding a cure for MS. (raises / lifts) We can’t_____________ the possibility that the...
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Using Collocation to Boost your IELTS Score-Key Word:Promise
Key Word:Promise Verb+Promise Use the correct form of these verbs : break have make keep extract go back on hold to give I’ll try to get back in time for the party, but I’m not______any promises. Do I______your promise that you won’t tell anyone else about this? As expected, the government failed to______its promise to improve health care. David, my ex-husband, keeps promising the kids he’ll take them out, and then he rings to say he can’t come round. I wish he’d stop______his promises. The kids get so disappointed. Can you______us a promise that the work will be completed on...
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