Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (7 of 12)
Collocation is the key to getting a higher IELTS Writing and Speaking score, but it is not easy. Students often do not collocate words very well (which is why they don’t receive IELTS 7 or 8). To have ‘a sense of collocation’ (= IELTS 7), you need to have some familiarity with English. So, start reading all my pixnet posts, and getting this familiarity, right?
In the meantime, the following exercises will help.
Time to Practice
Can you ‘fix’ the following sentences by changing (or removing) the underlined word? There may be different ways to answer this. The answers will be in the next ‘collocation’ post.
- All the factors have to be solved.
- We need to prevent the environment from potential danger.
- The speed of climate decline is increasing.
- The forest in the Amazon needs immediate remedial work.
- Space missions are vastly important.
- An asteroid strike put dinosaurs to extinction.
- If an asteroid is going to hit the earth, the other problems become useless.
- Space is a mysterious area.
Answers to Collocation 6 of 12
- Nuclear power stations are taken care of.
Nuclear power stations are well maintained.
We take care of children, or the mobile phone which someone lends to you. Also, as p.33 of my Writing Task Two book says, try to avoid multiple-word verbs. They can often be replaced by a more formal and concise single-word verb. For example, …
Avoid… and try for …
Get rid of = eliminate
Find out = determine
Go up and down = fluctuate
Come up with = suggest
Hang out with = associate with
- In an emergency condition, guns are needed
In an emergency situation, guns are needed.
- Smokers should be banned from public spaces.
Smokers should be banned from public areas.
- With online shopping, people have to expose personal information.
With online shopping, people have to reveal personal information.
- Smoking is harmful behaviour.
Smoking is a harmful habit.
- The government needs to set landmarks as free places to visit.
The government needs to establish/designate landmarks as free places to visit..
- Students need to learn about the disadvantages to smoking.
Students need to learn about the dangers of smoking.
- For teenagers, opinion from their peers is important.
For teenagers, approval from their peers is important.
- The nicotine activates receptors to release dopamine.
The nicotine stimulates receptors to release dopamine.
- The prisoner was sentenced to the death penalty.
The prisoner was given the death penalty.
You could also write, ‘The prisoner was sentenced to death’.
By the way, you can learn more about me at www.aisielts.com .