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

Mastering collocations with the word “fight” can make your IELTS Writing and Speaking responses sound natural and fluent. Whether you are talking about challenges, social issues, or personal struggles, using the right verb, adjective, and preposition combinations helps you express determination and resilience, two common themes in IELTS topics.

This guide explains how to use “fight” in different collocations, with examples and exercises to help you use this powerful word accurately in both IELTS Writing Task 2 and IELTS Speaking Part 3.

1. Verb + Fight Collocations

The word “fight” often combines with action verbs to describe struggles, efforts, or resistance. These collocations are especially useful when discussing global issues like climate change, diseases, or social justice in IELTS essays.

Exercise

Use the correct form of these verbs: be engaged in, carry on, give up, lose, put up, step up

1. Workers at Ford’s lorry plant are determined to put up a fight to save their jobs.
2. More money has been promised to help scientists carry on the fight to find a cure for AIDS.
3. In response to public pressure, the government has promised to step up the fight against drugs.
4. My company is engaged in a bitter fight with the local council, who are refusing us planning permission for a new factory.
5. Although jailed for twenty years by the military government, he refuses to give up his fight for freedom of speech.
6. If you ask me, the police seem to be losing the fight against crime.

How to Use in IELTS Writing and Speaking

• Writing Task 2 Example:
  “Governments must step up the fight against climate change to prevent irreversible environmental damage.”
• Speaking Example (Part 3):
  “I think every country should put up a strong fight against corruption to ensure transparency.”

2. Common Adjective + Fight Collocations

Adjectives describe the intensity or nature of a fight. These are great for expressing strength, fairness, or difficulty in essays or discussions.

Exercise

Use these adjectives to complete the sentences: brave, easy, fair, good, tough

1. I’m not surprised we lost. Fairford United were a much better side, but we managed to put up a good fight.
2. It won’t be an easy fight. The government will have to work hard to convince people that this change to the law is in their interests.
3. The new director has got a tough fight on his hands. I’m not sure it was a good idea to take on the union.
4. Sue died after a brave fight against breast cancer.
5. I don’t know what he’s complaining about. It was a fair fight. The referee couldn’t have been fairer.

How to Use in IELTS

• Writing Task 2:
  “The battle against climate change is a tough fight that requires cooperation among nations.”
• Speaking Part 2 (Cue Card – Describe a challenge you faced):
  “It was a brave fight to complete my studies while working full-time.”

3. Expressions with Prepositions

Prepositions show how “fight” connects to the cause or situation. These are vital for grammatical accuracy in IELTS Writing and Speaking. 

Exercise

Use these prepositions: for, over, against, with, to

1. It’ll be a fight to the bitter end.
2. Hurry up! We’re in a fight against time.
3. They had a fight over who should drive.
4. He was in a fight with an older boy.
5. The fight for the gold medal will be interesting!

IELTS Tip: Using correct prepositions shows command of collocation and grammar, key to scoring Band 7 or higher in Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range.

4. Focus on Word Grammar

The noun “fight” often appears with prepositional or infinitive phrases to describe purpose or cause. Recognizing these structures helps you construct accurate sentences in academic contexts.

Exercise

Match the two halves of the sentences:

Pattern Note:

• fight for/against + noun → fight against poverty
• fight to + verb → fight to survive

Answer Key

Ex 1: 1. put up, 2. carry on, 3. step up, 4. is engaged in, 5. give up, 6. losing
Ex 2: 1. good, 2. easy, 3. tough, 4. brave, 5. fair
Ex 3: 1. to, 2. against, 3. over, 4. with, 5. for
Ex 4: 1-d, 2-f, 3-a, 4-c, 5-b

Why Learning “Fight” Collocations is Important for IELTS

Using natural collocations like “put up a fight,” “fight for justice,” or “step up the fight against pollution” makes your English sound fluent and idiomatic. It helps you:

• Write stronger essays in Writing Task 2 about social and global issues.
• Speak more confidently in Part 3 discussions when describing struggles or efforts.
• Improve your Lexical Resource score by showing a wide range of vocabulary used naturally.

Learning “fight” collocations is an excellent way to enhance your IELTS vocabulary. It allows you to express determination, challenge, and perseverance effectively in both formal and informal contexts. Keep practising these combinations to make your Writing and Speaking responses sound natural and convincing, a key step toward achieving a Band 8 or higher in IELTS.

Also Check: 

• Improve Your Vocabulary for IELTS – Key Word: Space
• Improve Your Vocabulary for IELTS – Key Word: Size
• Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score - Key Word: decision 
• Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score - Key Word: a series of
• 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