Collocations of family

Common English collocations with the words big, great, large, deep, strong, and heavy

Collocations: bear

Tim Bowen bears the burden (llevar el peso, tener la responsabilidad) of explaining the collocates of this interesting word. Just dont bear a grudge (tener ojeriza, rencor) against him.

The recent sharp increases in the price of oil have led to a number of gloomy headlines around the world. According to various news sources, airlines will have to bear the costs of the price rise, while the poor old consumer will have to bear the burden of rising petrol prices. Small businesses, we are told, will bear the brunt of (soportar el peso más duro) a strike by oil tanker drivers. This last expression means 'to feel the full impact of something' and is virtually the only everyday use of the word brunt (it can also follow the verbs take and carry). The effects of an oil price that is expected to reach 200 dollars a barrel don't bear thinking about (are too awful to contemplate), while the general public will no doubt bear a grudge against the government for its handling of the situation (have an unfriendly attitude towards it because of what it has done).

The current situation bears a strong resemblance to (is very similar to) the situation in the 1970s when oil prices rose sharply. The economies of many countries bore the scars (continued to feel the effects) of that crisis for many years. You have to bear in mind (remember), however, that these things go in cycles. It also appears that efforts to find alternative sources of energy to power vehicles are beginning to bear fruit (to produce positive results). The recent launch of Honda's hydrogen-powered car bears witness to this (is evidence of this).

Collocations: bear

Tim Bowen bears the burden (llevar el peso, tener la responsabilidad) of explaining the collocates of this interesting word. Just dont bear a grudge (tener ojeriza, rencor) against him.

The recent sharp increases in the price of oil have led to a number of gloomy headlines around the world. According to various news sources, airlines will have to bear the costs of the price rise, while the poor old consumer will have to bear the burden of rising petrol prices. Small businesses, we are told, will bear the brunt of (soportar el peso más duro) a strike by oil tanker drivers. This last expression means 'to feel the full impact of something' and is virtually the only everyday use of the word brunt (it can also follow the verbs take and carry). The effects of an oil price that is expected to reach 200 dollars a barrel don't bear thinking about (are too awful to contemplate), while the general public will no doubt bear a grudge against the government for its handling of the situation (have an unfriendly attitude towards it because of what it has done).

The current situation bears a strong resemblance to (is very similar to) the situation in the 1970s when oil prices rose sharply. The economies of many countries bore the scars (continued to feel the effects) of that crisis for many years. You have to bear in mind (remember), however, that these things go in cycles. It also appears that efforts to find alternative sources of energy to power vehicles are beginning to bear fruit (to produce positive results). The recent launch of Honda's hydrogen-powered car bears witness to this (is evidence of this).

Collocations: stress

A number of verbs collocate with stress in the sense of dealing with it or eliminating it. Examples are alleviate, combat, counteract, minimize, reduce and relieve, as in ‘Many people have found that gardeningalleviates stress and helps them relax’.

Various verbs can be used in the sense of causing stress, including create, induce, place stress on someone and put someone under stress, as in ‘It is important for non-smokers to understand the enormousstress that the new regulations place on smokers’.

In terms of feeling stress, one can be under stress, experience stress or suffer from stress, as in ‘She’sbeen under a lot of stress in recent weeks’.

Stress can also be used in the plural in the expression stresses and strains (meaning ‘problems and difficulties’) 

Collocations: stress

A number of verbs collocate with stress in the sense of dealing with it or eliminating it. Examples are alleviate, combat, counteract, minimize, reduce and relieve, as in ‘Many people have found that gardeningalleviates stress and helps them relax’.

Various verbs can be used in the sense of causing stress, including create, induce, place stress on someone and put someone under stress, as in ‘It is important for non-smokers to understand the enormousstress that the new regulations place on smokers’.

In terms of feeling stress, one can be under stress, experience stress or suffer from stress, as in ‘She’sbeen under a lot of stress in recent weeks’.

Stress can also be used in the plural in the expression stresses and strains (meaning ‘problems and difficulties’) 

Collocations, 4

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. Use one of the words in the box on the left plus a preposition. (Most of the prepositions will be used more than once) There is an example at the beginning (0).

air     order     average   purpose     debt    random
first      sight      short     good      stock     heart                      the moment     myself      the house     once      work

by     in     at     on     for     out of

0 We flew to Paris.
We went to Paris by air

1 Come here immediately!
Come here_________________________________!

2 My name’s Patrick, but most people call me Pat.
My name’s Patrick. Pat ________________________

3 Most people in this country work forty hours a week.
________________________people in this country    work forty hours a week.

4 He left Russia in 1992 and will never go back there.
He left Russia __________________________in 1992

5 We’ll have to use the stairs. The lift’s not working.
We’ll have to use the stairs. The lift’s ______________

6 Mr Blake comes back from his holiday next week.
Mr Blake is on holiday___________________________

7 He owes the bank £5,000.
He is £5,000_______________________________

8 I memorized the poem.
I learnt the poem__________________________

9 It was no accident. He did it deliberately.
It was no accident. He did it _____________________

10 He hasn’t had a job for over two years.
He’s been _____________________for over two years

11 I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.
It was love_______________________________

12 No one helped me with the homework.
I did the homework__________________________

13 The goods you want won’t come in until next week.
The goods you want are _____________at the moment.

14 ‘You don’t have to pay for the drinks -they’re free tonight’, said the hotel manager.
‘The drinks are ________tonight’, said the hotel manager

15 When you play bingo, the numbers are not called out in any particular order.
When you play bingo, the numbers are called out ________

click here to know the right answers

Collocations, 4

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. Use one of the words in the box on the left plus a preposition. (Most of the prepositions will be used more than once) There is an example at the beginning (0).

air     order     average   purpose     debt    random
first      sight      short     good      stock     heart                      the moment     myself      the house     once      work

by     in     at     on     for     out of

0 We flew to Paris.
We went to Paris by air

1 Come here immediately!
Come here_________________________________!

2 My name’s Patrick, but most people call me Pat.
My name’s Patrick. Pat ________________________

3 Most people in this country work forty hours a week.
________________________people in this country    work forty hours a week.

4 He left Russia in 1992 and will never go back there.
He left Russia __________________________in 1992

5 We’ll have to use the stairs. The lift’s not working.
We’ll have to use the stairs. The lift’s ______________

6 Mr Blake comes back from his holiday next week.
Mr Blake is on holiday___________________________

7 He owes the bank £5,000.
He is £5,000_______________________________

8 I memorized the poem.
I learnt the poem__________________________

9 It was no accident. He did it deliberately.
It was no accident. He did it _____________________

10 He hasn’t had a job for over two years.
He’s been _____________________for over two years

11 I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.
It was love_______________________________

12 No one helped me with the homework.
I did the homework__________________________

13 The goods you want won’t come in until next week.
The goods you want are _____________at the moment.

14 ‘You don’t have to pay for the drinks -they’re free tonight’, said the hotel manager.
‘The drinks are ________tonight’, said the hotel manager

15 When you play bingo, the numbers are not called out in any particular order.
When you play bingo, the numbers are called out ________

click here to know the right answers

Collocations. The answers

1 Come here immediately!
Come here____at once____________!

2 My name’s Patrick, but most people call me Pat.
My name’s Patrick. Pat __for short________

3 Most people in this country work forty hours a week.
__On average____people in this country work forty hours a week.

4 He left Russia in 1992 and will never go back there.
He left Russia __for good_____in 1992

5 We’ll have to use the stairs. The lift’s not working.
We’ll have to use the stairs. The lift’s _out of order_____

6 Mr Blake comes back from his holiday next week.
Mr Blake is on holiday____at the moment______

7 He owes the bank £5,000.
He is £5,000__in debt_______

8 I memorized the poem.
I learnt the poem__by heart___________

9 It was no accident. He did it deliberately.
It was no accident. He did it __on purpose_________

10 He hasn’t had a job for over two years.
He’s been __out of work_______for over two years

11 I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.
It was love__at first sight_______

12 No one helped me with the homework.
I did the homework__by myself______

13 The goods you want won’t come in until next week.
The goods you want are __out of stock____at the moment.

14 ‘You don’t have to pay for the drinks -they’re free tonight’, said the hotel manager.
‘The drinks are _on the house___tonight’, said the hotel manager

15 When you play bingo, the numbers are not called out in any particular order.
When you play bingo, the numbers are called out _at random__

Collocations. The answers

1 Come here immediately!
Come here____at once____________!

2 My name’s Patrick, but most people call me Pat.
My name’s Patrick. Pat __for short________

3 Most people in this country work forty hours a week.
__On average____people in this country work forty hours a week.

4 He left Russia in 1992 and will never go back there.
He left Russia __for good_____in 1992

5 We’ll have to use the stairs. The lift’s not working.
We’ll have to use the stairs. The lift’s _out of order_____

6 Mr Blake comes back from his holiday next week.
Mr Blake is on holiday____at the moment______

7 He owes the bank £5,000.
He is £5,000__in debt_______

8 I memorized the poem.
I learnt the poem__by heart___________

9 It was no accident. He did it deliberately.
It was no accident. He did it __on purpose_________

10 He hasn’t had a job for over two years.
He’s been __out of work_______for over two years

11 I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.
It was love__at first sight_______

12 No one helped me with the homework.
I did the homework__by myself______

13 The goods you want won’t come in until next week.
The goods you want are __out of stock____at the moment.

14 ‘You don’t have to pay for the drinks -they’re free tonight’, said the hotel manager.
‘The drinks are _on the house___tonight’, said the hotel manager

15 When you play bingo, the numbers are not called out in any particular order.
When you play bingo, the numbers are called out _at random__