A neatly organized table on a webpage, showing a wide range of common English collocations across different categories, each accompanied by an example.

 

Mastering Collocations: Have, Make, Get,

Break, Catch, Do, Come, Save, Pay

 

Collocations are combinations of words that frequently appear together, making language sound more natural. Understanding and using collocations can significantly improve your fluency in English. This lesson categorizes common collocations under 'Have', 'Make', 'Get', 'Break', 'Catch', 'Do', 'Come', 'Save', and 'Pay', with an example sentence for each.

 

Comprehensive List of Common Collocations in English

 

CollocationExample Sentence
Have
have a rest "After work, I like to have a rest."
have sympathy "I have sympathy for those affected by the storm."
have lunch "We usually have lunch at noon."
have a good time "At the party, everyone had a good time."
have fun "The kids always have fun at the beach."
have a relationship "They have a strong relationship."
have a haircut "I'm going to have a haircut tomorrow."
have a bath "She likes to have a bath before bed."
have a look at sth "Can you have a look at this report for me?"
have a dream "Last night, I had a strange dream."
have a feeling "I have a feeling we've met before."
Make
make trouble "Please don't make trouble during the trip."
make furniture "My grandfather used to make furniture."
make a mess "The kids made a mess in the living room."
make a noise "The construction work will make a lot of noise."
make a point "She always makes a good point in discussions."
make sense "Your explanation really makes sense."
make a promise "He made a promise to return soon."
make a profit "The company hopes to make a profit this year."
make progress "She's making progress in her piano lessons."
make breakfast "I usually make breakfast for my family."
make the bed "I make the bed every morning."
Get
get a job "He finally got a job in marketing."
get a life "You need to get out more and get a life!"
get divorced "They decided to get divorced last year."
get permission "You must get permission before you use the room."
get the picture "I explained it twice, did you get the picture?"
get started "Let's get started on the project."
get lost "I got lost on my way here."
get fired "He got fired from his job for being late."
get home "What time did you get home last night?"
get angry "My boss gets angry when we miss deadlines."
Break
Break a record "The athlete is aiming to break a world record."
break a leg "He broke a leg during the soccer match."
break the ice "A joke is a good way to break the ice."
break free "The prisoner tried to break free."
break a promise "You should never break a promise."
break the law "To steal is to break the law."
break the rules "He was punished for breaking the school rules."
break a neck "Be careful not to break a neck on the icy sidewalk."
break a glass "I accidentally broke a glass in the kitchen."
Catch
Catch a thief "The police managed to catch the thief."
catch some rays "Let's go to the beach and catch some rays."
catch a glimpse "I caught a glimpse of the celebrity as she left."
catch a ball "The child excitedly caught the ball."
catch a chill "I caught a chill waiting outside in the cold."
catch the flu "Many people catch the flu in winter."
catch one's breath "After running, I needed to catch my breath."
catch a cold "I caught a cold from being out in the rain."
catch someone's eye "The beautiful painting caught everyone's eye."
Do
do your best "Always do your best in everything you try."
do nothing "On my day off, I plan to do nothing but relax."
do harm "Pollution can do harm to the environment."
do your hair "She takes an hour to do her hair in the morning."
do some work "I need to do some work before going out."
do someone a favour "Could you do me a favour and pass the salt?"
do something right "It feels good to do something right for a change."
do something wrong "If you think I did something wrong, tell me."
do the dishes "After dinner, I have to do the dishes."
Come
come in first "In the race, she came in first."
come late "Please don’t come late to the meeting."
come second "Our team came second in the competition."
come on time "He always comes on time to appointments."
come close "The movie came close to winning an award."
come in last "Despite his efforts, he came in last in the race."
come into view "The ship slowly came into view on the horizon."
come early "I prefer to come early to avoid the rush."
Save
save time "Shopping online can save time."
save space "Buying a sofa bed can save space in a small room."
save money "Using coupons can help you save money."
save someone's life "The doctor saved his life during the surgery."
save one's strength "Save your strength for the race tomorrow."
save something to a disk "Remember to save your work to a disk regularly."
save someone a seat "Could you save me a seat at the concert?"
save energy "Turning off unused lights can save energy."
save electricity "Using solar panels helps to save electricity."
Pay
pay attention "It's important to pay attention during lectures."
pay interest "You'll have to pay interest on that loan."
pay a fine "He had to pay a fine for parking illegally."
pay a visit "We plan to pay a visit to our grandparents."
pay a compliment "He paid her a compliment on her cooking."
pay the price "If you cheat, you'll have to pay the price."
pay someone a visit "I'll pay my aunt a visit this weekend."
pay wages "The company pays wages every two weeks."
pay by credit card "I prefer to pay by credit card for online purchases."

 

Expanding English Proficiency with Collocations

 

This comprehensive list of collocations provides a valuable resource for enhancing your English communication. Understanding how words commonly combine in English can significantly improve your fluency and naturalness in speaking and writing.

 

 

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