Guide
B1 · Intermediate
Vocabulary
50 Common Collocations in English
Learn 50 common English collocations with meanings, example sentences, common mistakes, and 20 practice questions with explained answers.
15 min read
2,545 words
Updated Oct 7, 2026
On this page (17 sections)
Learn 50 common English collocations for daily life, study, work, travel, and conversations. Each phrase has a simple meaning and an example sentence. After the list, check common mistakes and try 20 practice questions before reading the explained answers.
What is a collocation?
A collocation is a combination of words that people commonly use together. We say “make progress” and “heavy rain”, rather than “do progress” or “strong rain”. Learning the whole phrase helps you choose words that sound natural together.
Collocations are not always the only correct way to express an idea. Both “have breakfast” and “eat breakfast” are natural. This practical list also includes useful fixed expressions, such as “get ready” and “keep in touch”. Learn their meaning in context instead of treating every phrase as a rule with no alternatives.
How to use this list
Start with one of the five topic groups. Each group contains ten phrases, so you do not need to learn all 50 at once.
Read the meaning and example, then say the complete phrase aloud. Notice articles and prepositions, such as “a” in “take a break” and “in” in “keep in touch”.
Cover the collocation column and recall the phrase from its meaning. Write three sentences about your own life.
Try the exercises without looking at the list. Check the explanations, then review the phrases you missed tomorrow.
Common collocation patterns
The topic groups below help you choose useful language for a situation. These patterns give you another way to organise the same phrases in your notebook.
Pattern | Examples from the list | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
Verb + noun | take notes; make progress; give advice | Learn the verb with its noun, not as a separate translation. |
Adjective + noun | heavy rain; strong coffee; close relationship | An adjective that fits one noun may not fit another. |
Verb + adverb | travel abroad | Abroad tells you where someone travels; no “to” is needed before it. |
Useful fixed expressions | get ready; keep in touch | Remember all the parts of the expression, including any preposition. |
Daily life and free time
These ten phrases help you describe routines, organise your day, and talk about how you use your time.
Collocation | Plain-English meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
have breakfast | eat the first meal of the day | I have breakfast before I leave for work. |
get ready | prepare yourself for something | I get ready for class while the coffee is brewing. |
take a break | stop working for a short time | Let us take a break after this exercise. |
spend time | use time doing something | We spend time together on the weekend. |
make plans | decide what you will do | We made plans to visit the museum on Saturday. |
do some exercise | be physically active | I do some exercise before I start my day. |
catch a bus | get on a bus before it leaves | I need to leave now if I want to catch the bus. |
get home | arrive at your house | I usually get home before seven o’clock. |
keep in touch | continue communicating with someone | We moved to different cities but still keep in touch. |
save time | use less time than usual | Preparing lunch the night before saves time in the morning. |
Study and work
Use these ten phrases when you talk about learning, projects, presentations, and the things you want to achieve.
Collocation | Plain-English meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
make progress | improve or move forward | You will make progress if you practice a little every day. |
take notes | write down important information | I take notes during every training session. |
pay attention | listen or look carefully | Please pay attention to the final instruction. |
meet a deadline | finish something by the required time | The team worked late to meet the deadline. |
do research | study information to learn about a subject | She is doing research for her university project. |
give a presentation | speak to a group about a subject | Omar will give a presentation about renewable energy. |
gain experience | develop knowledge through practice | Volunteering helped me gain experience in customer service. |
solve a problem | find an answer to a difficulty | We solved the problem by checking the instructions again. |
reach a goal | achieve something you planned to do | He reached his goal of reading twelve books this year. |
take responsibility | accept a duty or obligation | Everyone should take responsibility for their part of the project. |
Communication and relationships
These ten phrases help you ask for information, share ideas, and describe how you communicate with other people.
Collocation | Plain-English meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
ask a question | say something to get information | Please ask a question if the instructions are unclear. |
give advice | tell someone what you think they should do | My sister gave me useful advice about the interview. |
tell the truth | say what is really true | It is usually best to tell the truth calmly. |
keep a promise | do what you said you would do | She always keeps her promises to her children. |
make a mistake | do something incorrectly | Everyone can make a mistake when learning a new skill. |
have a conversation | talk with someone about something | We had a short conversation after the meeting. |
express an opinion | say what you think or believe | Students should feel safe to express an opinion. |
make a suggestion | offer an idea for someone to consider | Can I make a suggestion about the timetable? |
make a difference | have an important effect | Small daily choices can make a difference to your health. |
build trust | develop a strong belief in someone’s honesty or ability | Clear communication helps teams build trust. |
Travel and places
These ten phrases are useful for planning a journey, describing a place, and talking about transport or people you meet.
Collocation | Plain-English meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
heavy traffic | a large number of vehicles on the road | We left early to avoid heavy traffic. |
public transport | buses, trains, and other shared travel services | Public transport is convenient in the city center. |
book a room | reserve a room to stay in | I need to book a room for two nights. |
catch a flight | get on an aircraft before it leaves | We arrived at the airport early to catch our flight. |
miss a train | arrive too late to travel on a train | If we do not hurry, we will miss the train. |
local area | the place near where you are | A guide showed us the best cafés in the local area. |
tourist attraction | a place that many visitors want to see | The old bridge is the town’s most popular tourist attraction. |
guided tour | a visit led by someone who explains a place | We joined a guided tour of the historic market. |
travel abroad | go to a foreign country | She hopes to travel abroad after finishing her course. |
strong accent | a way of speaking that sounds noticeably different | The receptionist had a strong accent, but she spoke very clearly. |
Common descriptions
Use these ten word partnerships to describe food, weather, information, and everyday experiences more naturally.
Collocation | Plain-English meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
strong coffee | coffee with a powerful taste or effect | I need a cup of strong coffee before the early meeting. |
deep sleep | a state of sleeping very soundly | The baby finally fell into a deep sleep. |
heavy rain | a large amount of rain | The match was canceled because of heavy rain. |
high temperature | a temperature that is above normal | The forecast says there will be a high temperature this afternoon. |
fast food | food prepared and served quickly | We only bought fast food because we had a short lunch break. |
fresh air | clean air from outside | A walk in the park gave us some fresh air. |
good news | welcome or positive information | I have good news: your application was accepted. |
bad weather | rain, wind, or other unpleasant conditions | The picnic moved indoors because of the bad weather. |
common sense | practical understanding of what is sensible | It is common sense to check the door before you leave. |
close relationship | a strong personal connection | The two cousins have a close relationship despite living far apart. |
Make or do? Learn the complete phrase
Make often appears with a result or something you create: make plans, make a suggestion, and make a mistake. Do often appears with an activity: do research and do some exercise. This is a useful starting point, not a rule that predicts every combination.
Learn each phrase as a unit. The verb can still change with the tense: “We make progress every week” becomes “We made progress last week”. The word partnership stays the same, but the grammar changes to fit your sentence.
Common collocation mistakes
The alternatives in the first column are not natural choices for the intended meanings here. Use the complete phrase in the second column and check the explanation.
Avoid for this meaning | Use instead | Why? |
|---|---|---|
do a mistake | make a mistake | Make pairs with mistake when you mean doing something incorrectly. |
make research | do research | Research is an activity that you do. |
do progress | make progress | Make progress means improve or move forward. |
say the truth | tell the truth | Tell the truth is the usual phrase for reporting what really happened. |
do a suggestion | make a suggestion | Make a suggestion means offer an idea for someone to consider. |
win experience | gain experience | Gain experience means develop knowledge by doing something. |
heavy coffee | strong coffee | Strong describes the intensity of the coffee, not its physical weight. |
strong rain | heavy rain | Heavy describes a large amount of rain. Strong is more natural with wind. |
Watch out for uncountable nouns too. Say “give advice”, “make progress”, and “do research”, without adding “a” before these nouns. If you mean one recommendation, you can say “a piece of advice”.
Collocations practice: 20 questions
Answer each exercise, then select “Check my answers” to reveal its score, answers and explanations. There are 20 questions in total, with one point per correct answer. This is a self-check, not a CEFR level test.
Exercise 1: choose the natural word (1–10)
Choose the natural word to complete each sentence.
Answer on paper, then open the explanations below. Enable JavaScript to check answers here.
Exercise 2: complete the phrase (11–15)
Word bank: book · catch · express · solve · spend. Use each word once.
Answer on paper, then open the explanations below. Enable JavaScript to check answers here.
Exercise 3: correct the collocation (16–20)
Rewrite the whole sentence, replacing one word to form a natural collocation. Keep the meaning and the rest of the sentence.
Answer on paper, then open the explanations below. Enable JavaScript to check answers here.
Answers and explanations appear inside each exercise after you check your answers. Add the three exercise scores for a total out of 20.
Answers and explanations
Your score is out of 20. Review each phrase you missed, write a new example with it, and try those questions again later. A perfect score on this short exercise does not establish an English level.
Use collocations in your own English
Choose five phrases and write four or five sentences about your routine, studies, or a recent journey. Use the phrases to communicate a real idea rather than putting unrelated examples in a list.
Example: “I usually have breakfast before class. I take notes during the lesson and ask a question if I am unsure. Regular practice helps me make progress. After studying, I take a break.”
Underline the complete word partnership in each sentence.
Check the verb tense, articles, and prepositions.
Read your paragraph aloud, then try saying it without looking.
Tomorrow, recall the five phrases and use them in a new paragraph.
Learn a small group in context, use it to say something meaningful, and return to it regularly. You do not need to memorise all 50 phrases in one session.
Keep practising
Try a vocabulary practice test to check more everyday word choices. For another useful type of vocabulary, read 100 Common English Phrasal Verbs with Meanings and Examples.
Reference: British Council: what collocation means. The practice questions and explanations in this guide are original.
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