Collocation can be defined as the natural combination of words or the correct arrangement of words in a sentence. The phrases ‘heavy rain’ and ‘strong wind’ sound natural and are therefore proper collocations but ‘strong rain’ and ‘heavy wind’ are not acceptable collocations. Do we have a set of rules for collocations? No, there is no logic behind correct collocations. Of the use of ‘come’ and ‘go’ Alford writes: “We say of a wrecked ship that she went to pieces; but of a broken jug that it came to pieces. Plants come up, come into flower, but go to seed…”
Does someone do a mistake or make a mistake? Does a student give a test or take a test? Does a person make a photo or take a photo? Do you admit someone in hospital or to hospital? Learners of English often face difficulties when it comes to collocations. Last week, I was an examiner for the Business English Certificate (BEC) speaking exams, conducted by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. My partner and I examined 43 pairs of candidates in two days. Their responses to different questions can serve as valuable input for a good research paper. The assessment criteria for speaking include grammar and vocabulary, discourse, pronunciation and interaction. I noticed that many candidates demonstrated inadequate collocation competence. Very recently, when I analysed my students’ writing assignments, I came across many inaccurate collocations; here they are with the correct ones within parentheses:
1. I did a mistake. (I made a mistake.)
2. I have not yet made my assignment. (I haven’t yet done my assignment.)
3. Who makes the laundry at your house? (Who does the laundry?)
4. He was admitted in hospital. (He was admitted to hospital.)
5. The student gave a test. (The student took a test)
6. I would better do it now. (I had better do it now)
Why do learners make collocation errors? It is because of their lack of exposure to the language. Learners who have the habit of reading magazine articles or books, watching English movies and listening to the English news make fewer collocation errors than those who do not have these habits. Mother tongue, or first language, interference is stated to be another cause. Many English language teachers teach individual words but not collocations. Only in recent years has the focus on teaching co-occurrence of words or phrases increased. Lewis’s lexical approach to learning a language that puts emphasis on learning collocations is an alternative to many grammar-based approaches.
Awareness of collocations plays an important role in the acquisition of any language. Students who have collocation mastery can communicate effectively. Learners, in order to become good users of the language, should know which words go together well.
Exposure to the language and constant practice can help the learner acquire collocation competence. Here are some collocations of ‘make’ and ‘do’:
make an offer, make arrangements, make a suggestion, make an attempt, make a phone call, make love, make money, make peace, make a bed, make a plan, make a point, make progress, …
do harm, do research, do one’s best, do business, do a deal, do a report, do the laundry, do a course, do your hair, do your nails, …
Here is a very useful tip for learners of English. Read articles and books written by native speakers of English. Read the articles available at http://www.theguardian.com/weekly.
Dr Albert P’ Rayan is an ELT resource person and associate professor at KCG College of Technology, Chennai