“I did a mistake,” she told her teacher.
Emma was a dedicated English student. She knew thousands of individual words: make , do , strong , heavy , tell , say . But when she tried to speak, her sentences sounded strange.
She opened it. The introduction said: “A collocation is a pair or group of words that are often used together. For example, we say ‘heavy rain,’ not ‘strong rain.’” collocations in use elementary
Her teacher noticed immediately. “Emma, your English sounds so much more natural! What changed?”
Emma smiled and pulled the blue book from her bag. “I learned that words have friends,” she said. “You have to use them together.” “I did a mistake,” she told her teacher
She learned that strong collocates with: coffee, wind, opinion, feeling. Powerful collocates with: computer, engine, nation, drug.
She discovered we catch a bus, catch a cold, and catch a ball. We save time, save money, and save someone’s life. We take a photo, take a break, and take an exam. But when she tried to speak, her sentences sounded strange
From that day on, Emma not only passed her exams with high marks — she with English itself. And whenever a new student asked for advice, she always said the same thing: