List of Collocations

Some common verbs

have
have a bath
have a drink
have a good time
have a haircut
have a holiday
have a problem
have a relationship
have a rest
have lunch
have sympathy

do
do business
do nothing
do someone a favour
do the cooking
do the housework
do the shopping
do the washing up
do your best
do your hair
do your homework

make
make a difference
make a mess
make a mistake
make a noise
make an effort
make furniture
make money
make progress
make room
make trouble

take
take a break
take a chance
take a look
take a rest
take a seat
take a taxi
take an exam
take notes
take someone's
place
take someone's
temperature

break
break a habit
break a leg
break a promise
break a record
break a window
break someone's
heart
break the ice
break the law
break the news to
someone
break the rules

catch
catch a ball
catch a bus
catch a chill
catch a cold
catch a thief
catch fire
catch sight of
catch someone's attention
catch someone's eye
catch the flu

pay
pay a fine
pay attention
pay by credit card
pay cash
pay interest
pay someone a

save
save electricity
save energy
save money
save one's strength
save someone a seat
save someone's life

keep
keep a diary
keep a promise
keep a secret
keep an appointment
keep calm
keep control

compliment
pay someone a visit
pay the bill
pay the price
pay your respects

save something to a
disk
save space
save time
save yourself the
trouble

keep
keep
keep
keep

in touch
quiet
someone's place
the change

come
come close
come complete with
come direct
come early
come first
come into view
come last
come late
come on time
come prepared
come right back
come second
come to a
compromise
come to a decision
come to an
agreement
come to an end
come to a standstill
come to terms with
come to a total of
come under attack

go
go abroad
go astray
go bad
go bald
go bankrupt
go blind
go crazy
go dark
go deaf
go fishing
go mad
go missing
go on foot
go online
go out of business
go overseas
go quiet
go sailing
go to war
go yellow

get
get a job
get a shock
get angry
get divorced
get drunk
get frightened
get home
get lost
get married
get nowhere
get permission
get pregnant
get ready
get started
get the impression
get the message
get the sack
get upset
get wet
get worried

Miscellaneous
Time
bang on time
dead on time
early 12th century
free time

Business English
annual turnover
bear in mind
break off negotiations
cease trading

from dawn till dusk

great deal of time
late 20th century
make time for
next few days
past few weeks
right on time
run out of time
save time
spare time
spend some time
take your time
tell someone the time
time goes by
time passes
waste time

Fixed Expression
during the day
at night
in the meantime
in the next few+NOUN
for the time being
a remote chance
Its not likely that

chair a meeting
close a deal
close a meeting
come to the point
dismiss an offer
draw a conclusion
draw your attention to
launch a new product
lay off staff
go bankrupt
go into partnership
make a loss
make a profit
market forces
sales figures
take on staff

to quit a job
to remember to+INF
to forget to+INF
for the most part
many years ago
Its been a long time since
In my opinion
Under/given the circumstances
Im taken aback that
To get the bill
At full speed
To take ones time + gerund
To take responsibility for
To get/be accustomed/used to
For the sake of
In order to
To hurry up and
To speed up
To slow down
To have money saved up
To be bored out of ones mind
Out in the open
In secret
To be sure/certain of
Wide open
Shut tight
The fact that
To say the least
Watch out (for)!
To be in trouble (with sbdy.)
Sorry to bother/trouble you, but
Would you mind if?
To go wrong
Go away!
Lets get going
To be short/missing a
Something is missing (from)
In the middle of the night
To be mistaken about
Lets check it out
To make sure that
To be taken by surprise
To strongly disagree
To decide between (2 choices)
To make up ones mind (about)
To have plans (for)

It isnt worth it!

Its not worth the trouble (of/to+gerund)
To take part in smthg.
To have trouble+gerund
On the way to
To have time for smthg.
For free
To my amazement
To keep in mind that
To relate to/with sbdy.
To keep smthg.+adj.
To have a hunch that
I cant help (doing it)
To keep sthg up to date
To have feelings for
To keep sbdy. Informed (of smthg.)
To keep under control
To keep track of
For just a+time word
To show up for
To show up early/late
To have a knack for
To be partial to
To do away with
For example
To go over smtg (fig)
To manage to
To take note of
To take notice of
To make up for smthg.
To put stock in
To save up (for)
At the time, I
(that was)back when
Back then,
For the record,
For as long as I can remember,
To lose sleep over
Oh, come on!
Im just kidding!
For what its worth,
To be right/wrong about
Tit for tat/an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
To have a strong need for
To be nervous about
To be jealous of

To be in doubt of
If I were you, I
If I were in your shoes, I
It bothers me that
To no end
To get involved with
To meddle in sbdys business/affairs
Something else
Somewhere else
Someone else
Something more
To be a good deal ($)
A good deal of...(part.)
To be a good idea
To be disgusted with/by
To be interested in
Enough+noun
Enough of+(part.)
Adj+enough
To worry about smthg.
To be concerned with
To take smthg into consideration
To withhold information
To reach an understanding (of)
To reach/come to an agreement
To come to the conclusion that
To strike a compromise
To make friends with
To stand for
To stand up against
Once in a while
To start to+gerund
To stop quit+gerund
To be good for+gerund
To be qualified to...
To go well with
To snack on smthg.
To get ready for
With all ones might
To be afraid of
Out of+emotion
To lose track of
To have a taste for
Lack of+NOUN
Tendency for/towards/to
To sort out

Behind sbdys back

Without warning
For fun
To look up to sbdy.
To look down on sbdy.
To frown upon smthg.
To turn on
To turn off
To get away with smthg.
In all honesty,
To tell the truth
To tell a lie
To brag about
To talk trash about sbdy.
To help out with smthg.
To give comfort to
To mistake smg/sby for
Concrete details
To be uncomfortable with smthg.
To hint at smthg.
To be annoyed by smg.
To save the best for last
First of all
In the future
In the past
Right now
The past few+time word
To change ones mind
To switch+NOUN+with sbdy.
To advise against smthg.
To give good/bad advice
A detailed explanation
I bet that
The kind of thing that
As an example of
An (un)biased opinion about
A beautiful view (of)
To turn/hand in...
Current events
It all happened so suddenly
To bring about
To catch up with
To ask for help
To make a sound
To be located in/at/etc
A change of+NOUN

To find out about

To leave for+NOUN
In memory of
Before long
To get ripped off (by)
To go for a ride
To go for a walk
Why dont we
To get ahead (fig)
To get ahead of ones self (fig)
To be running ahead/behind (at)
I used to+INF
To fall apart
To fall off
In denial
To get a second chance
One more time/once more
To beg for
It goes without saying that
To hold ones breath
Out of breath
Youre gonna make it
Rest assured that
To get hold of smg.
To do ones duty
In pain
To lead astray
To have a head/stomach ache
Spare change
Pocket money
To take a break/rest
Time to kill
To look like+NOUN
In mint condition
In good/bad condition
In power
To rise to power
To get a raise ($)
The sun comes up/goes down
To have/get a flat tire
To break up with sbdy.
To take off (clothing)
To put on
Down on ones luck
To wake up
To fall asleep

To have no idea about

To talk sbdy out of smg.
It makes (no) sense
To say goodbye
The right/wrong way
Its for the best that
Some day
To be enough/not enough
Heres to(toast)
To leave behind
You had better
To pack ones bags
To take forever (at)
It seems like
To take notes
To come for a visit
To take pictures
To make music
First things first
To run into smthg.
To give in (to)
To have a hangover
Under ones breath
To smell like+NOUN
To scream/yell at sbdy.
Every minute/moment
Every day/week/month
Once/twice per+TIME
Right before ones eyes
To act as if
To be happy/pleased with/about
Otherwise,
Off-road
To get/turn off (of)
To be related to
To have a good memory
A sense of
Hard/easy to find
In jail/in prison
To make progress (with)
To work on
To find ones way
To get lost
No more/anymore
To slip and fall (on)
On the weekend

To have/take a sick day

No time for
In/out of touch with
To lose control of
Out of reach
Within reach
To spend the+TIME(+doing smg.)
To be in luck
A table for#
To take it easy
To feel wronged
To come/stop by (at)
To pass through (smwr.)
A friend of mine/his/etc
One of my
A little
A lot
In pieces
On the mend
To return the favor
To do a favor for
Within range
Out of the area
Small town
Big city
To run up (a bill/tab)
To get over+NOUN
Few and far between
To look into smg. (fig)
To feel sorry for
To pretend to+INF
To let go of smg. (lit/fig)
To feel sorry for
To have fun+gerund
To have a good/bad time
Good night!
To wish someone well
To set free
Let go!
Call me+adj. (e.g. crazy)
Scared to death
To go crazy
To have a problem with
To take turns (at)or(+gerund)
The rest of
To go for a hike

All night long

To try to+INF
To be confused about
Theres a chance that
This is between (you and me)/(him and her)
How come
To make a fuss over
To know about
To know how to
By any means necessary
In debt/indebted to
A pile of
To make good money
All over/around town
Out of town
To take smg. Seriously
At face value
By law
According to
To put up with smg.
To deal with
To make clear
In bed
At the table
To trust in sbdy.
Topic of conversation
To have faith in
To take effect
To sign up for
In connection with
To come across as
To get a point across
To be ignorant of
In the aftermath of
For no reason
To crash into
To get into an accident
In an emergency
To have/get the feeling that
To have the courage to
A wide variety of
To go on a date (with)
To be married engaged to
Its common sense
To keep a secret
To be in conflict with

Compared to/with
To stop for
On the side of the road
To feel threatened (by)
To score a goal (sports)
To apply for a job
Really?
Out for lunch/dinner
To fall in love with
In alphabetical order
To fail at+gerund
It sounds good/bad
A turn for the worse
To make a difference(in)
To finish+gerund
To succeed at
To be kicked out of
To be good/bad at
To be based on
To refrain from
In the way of
To be ashamed of
To be embarrassed by
In/out of fashion/style
To take over+NOUN
In that case,
In the event that
A long way to go
To sing to sbdy.
To think about
Not quite as+adj.+as
In silence
In compliance with
To take care of
To be impressed with/by
To take advantage of
On a diet
To be homesick
Frozen/fresh food
On ice
On tap
To hope for
To give credit to
To disobey orders
As usual
To allow sbdy. To

To put/place emphasis on
For dinner/for breakfast
The cause for
A strange turn of events
To make known that
To work as a team
To insist on+gerund
Plenty of
At midnight
At noon
To be close/nearby
To offer a solution
To travel the world
To check for
Thats what I thought
To be cut off (from)
To be prejudiced toward
In favor of
More or less
Too much+NOUN
With care
I guess/suppose that
Up to#amount(time, $, etc)
Its up to you
When it comes to,
To show weakness/strength
To give credit to
To take credit for
To be aware of
To drive sbdy crazy
Under stress
It doesnt matter that
To take offense (at)
To have the courage to
To come to the rescue of sbdy.
On purpose
To do the right/wrong thing
To make a decision
To see what happens
To talk at great length about
To raise/lower taxes/prices/etc.
To pay attention to
For the benefit of
In the short/long term
In harms way
As a matter of fact

In demand
A shortage of
To take the blame for
To suffer the consequences for
To be attracted to
The whole story/picture
To be drawn toward/to
To give someone the benefit of the doubt
To be of assistance (to)
With the exception of
To take place
To take sides (with)
For profit
To give smg a try
You dont get it
To go blind
To turn a blind eye to
To the best of my knowledge,
To a certain degree/extent
To go bankrupt
Without a doubt
To believe in smg.
To focus on smg.
To be crazy about smg.
To handle smthg well/badly (emotional)
In a bind
To put into question
To get dressed
To put on
To take off
Paralyzed with fear
For the good of
For the greater good
It will do you some good (to)
To be in a rage
To get worked up (about)
To confused smthg with smthg else
To trip over smthg.
In/out of line (with)
Sense of decency
Right to privacy
Under attack
To take inventory (of)
To make a list (of)
To be charged with
To be (found) guilty (of)

To put in jail/prison
To be in charge (of)
To take charge (of)
To sentence sbdy to
Life in prison
The death penalty
To be acquitted (of)
To face facts
To be ignorant of...
The reality (of the situation) is
What about?
Who is to blame (for)?
At fault (for)
At risk (of)
To look out over
To dream of/about
To sympathize with
To take a liking to
To have a (firm) grasp of
Never again
To take it easy
To take it slow
Once again,
For lack of better words,
To play along with
To show ones true colors
,at best,
(to put) on the air (radio)
to settle a/the matter
once and for all
to decline an invitation
to accept an invitation
to refuse to+gerund
to live up to smthg.
To make smg better/worse
To leave smg alone
Drop it! (lit&fig)
The damage is done
To be in/out of luck
Fame and fortune
To have high/low expectations (for)
Regarding X matter,
to put a dent in smthg.
to barely/hardly be able to do smthg.
To nearly/almost do something
To carry smthg out

To put into action

In effect
To draw attention to
To admit defeat
To save/lose face
To keep in touch with sbdy.
To be out of touch with reality
Qualities in+NOUN
(To use an) approach to
To fill in the blank(s)
To fill up the tank
To run on empty
Because of+NOUN
To have an eye/ear for smthg.
To take a shot at smthg.
Without regard for
Difference of opinion
Conflict of interests
To be attentive to details
For sale
For rent
In/out of use
To feel inferior to
At the moment,
Living situation
At war with
What to+INF
In/out of focus
In need of
The ability to
To move on (from)
Its a matter of+NOUN
In/out of shape
To stay in shape
To be accepted to/at
To resist temptation
Sometimes I wonder,
To live in fear of
Theres no reason that
To assert authority
To have authority over
Its not a big deal if
Full-time job
Part-time job
To interview for a job
To be represented by

To be a symbol of
To compare smthg with
To agree on an issue
To go on a trip
To see the best in
To give in to (pressure)
Under pressure
For the rest of the+TIME
To go abroad
A change of plans
In the military
In a good/bad mood
To work for+NOUN
To get inspiration from
To make a recording (of)
To end up+gerund
To wish/hope for
To push for smthg.
To face adversity
Hearing loss
To make smg official
Proportionate to
To escape unharmed
To get away from
Over my dead body!
To have good standing (in)
To get a loan (from)
By the time
To keep a secret
To test ones luck
To be available for
On guard for
At least
At the spur of the moment
On the spot
Disregard for
Take-out food
To work through a problem
Up for grabs
On a (adj.) basis
Only on the condition that
To put effort into smthg.
a+NOUN+like that
Not only,but also
On its own merit
Out with the old, in with the new

To be compensated for
To spend the night (at)
To stay with sbdy.
To be such a...
To make smg a priority
To give a speech (about)
To have an impact (on)
To render sbdy. speechless
A shining example of...
To meet in the middle (fig.)
Set in ones ways
To right a wrong
To get even with sbdy.
One thing left to do
Out of+NOUN (lack)
To refresh ones memory
To turn up/down the volume
A wide variety of
You dont belong here!
To bring back to life
At a high/low point
On ones own
For personal gain
To come to the surface
For life
For good (final)
Banned+NOUN
To starve to death
Dying of thirst
To take an exam
To pass a/the test
To stay in school
Per hour
Per day
By the week
By the month
To vanish without a trace
To be prone to
Too ADJ+for ones own good
To see the point in
The point of smthg.
A firm believer in
To set a good example
To set smthg in stone
A change of heart
To get a foot ones foot in the door (fig.)

To feel dizzy
To feel drowsy
At sea
On land
To get sea-sick
Up in the air
To have second thoughts about smthg.
To breathe a sigh of relief (about)
To gasp for air
To take the lead (in)
To lead sbdy on
To not know any better
Right now
Just a minute ago
as hard as one can
to enjoy+GERUND
On vacation
To be busy doing smg.
Its up to you
To drive over/under the speed limit
To get pulled over by the police
To get arrested (by)
To not have a penny to ones name
To stay awake
To stay up late
To get up early
On time
To hold the door (for)
In anticipation of
What do you make of this?
One of lifes lessons
One step at a time
All at once
Little by little
At a glance
At first glance
To make excuses (for)
To show respect (for)
In the mail
To put to the side
On the side
To have good/bad manners
To mind ones own business (about)
A preconceived notion (about)
before its too late
to see/recognize a pattern/trend

to be in chaos
to bring order to
to trouble sbdy. for smg.
To agree to do smthg.
To go back on ones word (about)
To turn someone in (THE LAW)
Law and order
To keep the peace
To become obvious that
To wish smg. on sbdy.
To have legal troubles
To be held responsible (for)
To be a big fan (of)
To convince sbdy of
In the streets
Out in the cold
In the sun
In the shade
In the snow
What is going on?
In traffic/in a traffic jam
To get a ride to(work)
Who knows?
To get on/off (pub trans)
To take time off (work)
Leave of absence
On call
To tie ones shoes
All the way to
The whole time...
To be missing
An attempt at+gerund
Figure of speech
To take pride in
To be proud of
To manage to do smthg.
A good nights sleep
A night of drinking
To be up all night
A hard days work
To find out for ones self (about)
To find out that
To be far along (with)
A bundle of
To sympathize with
To go shopping (for)

To go hunting (for)
To go fishing (for)
to need a break (from)
I cant tell if/whether
To be obsessed with
The idea/notion that
To show ones appreciation (for)
To be skilled at/in
To be trained for/at
To be thankful for
To be obedient to (authority)
To be confused about
To be out of breath
To condemn sbdy for
To say harsh words to
To bite the bullet and
A snide remark
To increase productivity
An unlikely scenario
To have free time
To surrender to smthg.
In memory of
To be getting late
To be getting cold
To warm up
To cool down/off
To be freezing
To have hard feelings about smthg.
To breed contempt
To have contempt for
All things considered
To be better off+gerund
To commit a crime
To swear an oath (to)
To keep/break a promise
A means to do smthg.
To come up with the money (for)
to feel like doing smthg.
A misguided effort (to)
To keep a clean house
To be brutally honest
To hurt sbdys feelings
Apology accepted!
To drag ones feet (fig)
Out and about
Never mind!

To complain about smg.

At odds with sbdy.
To beat the odds
On the coast
To go through customs
To make drama (about)
A healthy environment
To protect the environment
To calm down (about)
To consider every possibility
To calm ones nerves
To be satisfied with
To conduct an interview
To take smg for granted
To be amused by smthg.
to no end
Back and forth
To no end
To let smthg happen
To get over smthg.
To stand in the way of progress
Work in progress
In the process of
In the middle of
To remind sbdy of smthg.
A particular place and time
To come to the aid/assistance of
To come to the rescue
To refresh ones memory
A lack of common sense
Due to
To make a good/bad impression on sbdy.
Compared to/in comparison with
To have an advantage over sbdy.
A first impression of
To have power over
In public
To get in the way (of)
To take shots (alcohol)
To be certain of smthg.
To admit fault
To have a fight (with)
To hold smthg against sbdy.
To treat sbdy/smg like
To be different from
Thanks to

Because of
To take a nap
On top of
to wait in line (for)
over and over (again)
Its a tie!
To have the right of way
On the fence (fig)
In search/pursuit of
In the past
In the present day and age
To prove a point
To prove ones worth
Its a case of
The right amount
It is beyond all understanding why
Full of
Just in time for
To pick sbdy up (from)
To hand in (home)work
To hand smthg out
To do chores
To shoot at sbdy/smthg.
To be in a hurry
To yell/scream at sbdy.
Out loud
To let out a noise (sigh/laugh/scream/etc)
To knock on a door
To keep smthg/sbdy in mind
A waste of time
To know how to+INF
To spy on sbdy.
To shed light on smthg. (fig.)
How often?
To demand restitution
In court
On trial
To lower ones standards
A sip of
A bite of
To repair damage
A giant+NOUN
To be critical of
To go to bed
To get up in the morning
The answer to (a question)

To promise to+INF
On display
The meaning of smthg.
To be mean to sbdy.
To treat sbdy with kindness/cruelty
To give an explanation (of)
To owe sbdy a favor
To lock ones self out (of)
For the love of
To go in the direction of
Its your turn!
To get rid of smthg.
To deprive sbdy of smg.
To beg for forgiveness
To keep quiet
To be upset about smg.
To play in a band
The/an opportunity to
To interact with
To inform sbdy about
To be allowed to+INF
To be eager to+INF
To eagerly await smthg.
To do nothing but
To have good/bad social skills
To be knowledgeable about
To be skilled at
To take sbdy hostage
A day off work
To sign up for smthg.
To make fun of smthg.
To run out of time
Time is running out
To be available for
To make comments about
In/out of context
To make up for lost time
Its nice to.for a change
A change of scenery
To lose ones train of thought
The majority of
To make up for lost time
To have good/bad intentions
To culminate in+NOUN
To have (no) patience for
To suffer from

To kick/punch sbdy in the(body part)

To drop sbdy off at
In the wild
Instead of+gerund
To apologize for
For the duration of
To talk on the phone (with sbdy.)
To be angry with sbdy.
In good/bad taste
To have good taste (in)
To say smthg without thinking
without giving a thought to
To think smthg through
To react to smthg/sbdy.
On ones knees
On foot
In good/bad health
To go barefoot
A sense of decency
It is a sign that
To be opposed to
Back then,
In a nutshell,
To lay down ones life (for)
To be plagued by guilt
To be a metaphor for
To climb trees
To climb up a (specific) tree
Land/sea/forest-dwelling animal
To jump off a building/bridge
To go to a meeting
In a war zone
The height of smg.
The width of smg.
The length of smg.
X+measurement+high/
wide/long
At the height of+NOUN (an empire/an age/etc)
What color is?
As punishment
To spend money on
To have the potential to/for
To wreak havoc on
To come up with/devise a plan
To lift weights
To share smg with sbdy.

At all/not at all
To suffer the consequences (for)
Of X heritage (e.g. Scottish)
To be honest with ones self
To step outside for some fresh air
To follow ones instincts
To devote ones self to
To step aside
To dampen sbdys spirits
To make a/the prediction that
To spend ones life doing smthg.
On the verge of+gerund
The thing is,
It depends on
To look forward to
At the thought of
To pride ones self in/on
To lose consciousness
To knock sbdy unconscious
To lead a (ADJ) life
To flip a coin (for)
To roll the dice (for)
To proceed with caution
A stack/pile of
A deck of cards
To play cards
At will
At random
On command
At a loss
In a state of
In crisis
To perform surgery
To perform a play
A work of art
To go on a rampage
To throw a party
To throw a temper tantrum
I welcome the opportunity to
To accept a/the challenge
A set of
To play pool
To play chess
To play darts
To play X-ball
To swim laps (in pool)

A jack of all trades

By profession
To lend ones support to
To plan on+gerund
To smell like
From now on,
To get straight to the point (of)
To lose focus (of)
The main idea (of)
To recommend smg to sbdy.
To keep on schedule
To gain/lose weight
To have a preference for
I would rather.
To dress up as
To win a prize
To get exercise
To make a connection between
To mix 2 things together
Of special interest (to)
To bring smg to a boil
To have an air of+QUALITY
A wad/clump of
Resulting in+EFFECT
To set sail (on)
The high seas
To force sbdy to+INF
To be suspected of+gerund
To catch sbdy off guard (at/while)
In hindsight
Well-disciplined
To have no discipline
In slow motion
To be kicked out of/expelled from
To get fired (from)
To be open/closed-minded
To be disappointed by
To take smthg at face value
From what I can tell,
To be caught in a vicious circle
To pollute the environment
To contribute to smthg.
What kind ofis X?
In/out of tune
To sing off key
To apply for a job

A positive/negative environment
To be considerate/act considerately toward
To care about smthg.
The way of the world
To play an instrument
To strum on
To have talent (for)
To be mindful of
To make a transition to
To invite sbdy to
To get a flat tire
To have a spare/extra+NOUN
To step on the accelerator/gas
To step on the brakes
To fall victim to
To watch a movie
To look after (children)
To mow the lawn/grass
To set smg apart from smg else
To stand in for sbdy.
To find a replacement for
To have down-time
To pass out while/in the middle of
To stay awake for smthg
In advance (of)
Over time,
To have unintended consequences
In/with regards to smg.
To reduce smg to smg.
To turn smg into smg (else)
To hold on to
To receive preferential treatment (for)
Thats (not) my first choice
Lend me your ear!
It will only take a moment/minute/second
In the scheme of things,
To scheme/plot to do smthg.
To keep smg as a pet
To prevent fires
To put out a fire
To keep/prevent smthg from happening (to)
To happen to sbdy.
The moral of the story is
To make/lose a bet
To declare war
To go to church

To go to war