Using Collocation to Boost your IELTS Score-Key Word:Promise

Key Word:Promise

Verb+Promise

1. Use the correct form of these verbs :

1. I’ll try to get back in time for the party, but I’m not______any promises.
2. Do I______your promise that you won’t tell anyone else about this?
3. As expected, the government failed to______its promise to improve health care.
4. 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.
5. Can you______us a promise that the work will be completed on time?
6. After months of complaining, and after dozens of letters and phone calls, we eventually______a promise from the travel agency that they would refund the full cost of our holiday.
7. British car workers were furious that the parent company had______its promise to build the new model in the UK.
8. The opposition is determined to force the government to______its election promises. They say they will not let it go back on any of the promises it made during the election campaign.

Promise(Uncountable)

2. Promise also means a sign that a person or thing will be successful. Choose the more natural collocation in each sentence :

1. Our younger son, Jack, took up the violin a couple of years ago. He’s______a lot of promise and his school wants him to have extra tuition. (holding showing)
2. It’s a good example of a film which was______promise, but bombed at the box office. (full of/filled with)
3. This actor had a brilliant early career, but he failed to______his early promise. Now he’s lucky if he gets any work at all. (fulfil/fill)

 Common Adjective Collocations

3. Choose the more natural adjective in the following sentences :

1. She made a______promise to him when they were married that she would give up smoking. (serious/solemn)
2. If I were you, I wouldn’t be too disappointed if Mike doesn’t turn up. He’s famous for making______ promises that he never keeps. (empty/blank))
3. The politicians made______promises about tax cuts but they refused to discuss them in any detail when asked for more information. (large/big)
4. After a string of______promises, it is becoming clear that the company cannot provide the level of service and reliability that we need. (broken/unkept)
5. Before they went bankrupt, ECO Transport made all sorts of______promises, but fortunately nobody believed them. (wild/crazy)
6. Think carefully before committing yourself. Try to avoid making any______promises that you may regret later. (rash/fantastic)

Answer Key

Ex 1:

1. making
2. have
3. keep
4. breaking
5. give
6. extracted
7. gone back on
8. hold to

Ex 2:

1. showing
2. full of
3. fulfill

Ex 3:

1. solemn
2. empty
3. big
4. broken
5. wild
6. rash

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