Very recently, I came across the following sentences in the writing assignments of students whose mother tongue is Tamil:
1. He is a leather specialist. (instead of using the term skin specialist)
2. I went to tie the exam fee. (instead of using the pay exam fee)
3. I gave the examination. (instead of saying I took the examination)
4. She is a birth doctor. (instead of using the word gynecologist)
5. We should produce money for the project. (instead of saying generate fund)
“You shall know a word by the company it keeps,” are the words of J.R.Firth, who is said to have coined the terms ‘collocation’ and ‘collocability’ in 1950s. Ever since linguists and language teachers realized the meaning and importance of the quote, the need for teaching collocation (co-occurrence of words or natural combination of words) to learners of English as a second or foreign language became a topic of serious discussion among English language teachers.
It is important to have knowledge of appropriate collocations in order to learn vocabulary effectively and convey meanings clearly while communicating with others. If learners have a good stock of conventional collocations, they will be able to able to speak and write naturally.
Knowledge of collocation is the key to mastering vocabulary. Here is a list of some common verbs that collocate with nouns:
- run a business / a campaign / a company / a factory / a restaurant / the economy
- make an appointment / a bargain / a deal / an investment / a killing / a loan / money / a profit / a transaction
- do the accounts / business / the catering / a deal / the marketing / some research
- launch a campaign / a career / an initiative / a product / a project / a scheme / a website
- generate business / cash / profit / revenue
Here is a list of some common nouns and their collocations:
slight / last-minute / legal / technical hitch (adjective + hitch)
anonymous / unsigned / lengthy / guest editorial (adjective + editorial)
admire / appreciate / value / question honesty (verb+ honesty)
angry / strong / violent / peaceful / massive / formal / political / social protest (adjective + protest)
Dr Albert P’ Rayan is an ELT Resource Person and Professor of English. He can be contacted at rayanal@yahoo.co.uk