The big list of English collocations – free pdf download for your ESL class

Do your ESL students say ‘I do a phone call‘ or ‘she makes a photo’? They are making these mistakes because they do not have a good understanding of English collocations. Any experienced TEFL teach knows that students particularly make a lot of mistakes with he difference between ‘make’ and ‘do.’

Collocations are verb + noun or verb + adjective combinations that make an expression. They are one of the keys to learning to speak English well and if you teach them in your lessons your students will love you for it.

This list has been compiled over my five years of teaching and includes over 80 collocations and now here they are ready for you fellow TEFL/EFL teachers. To make things extra easy, you’ll can download a PDF handout below to use in your class. Enjoy!

Collocations download:  colocations_biliguanation

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The big list of collocations

To be

To be scared.

To be in a hurry.

To be hot/cold.

To do

To do homework.

To do housework.

To do a job.

To do your best.

To do research.

To do an investigation.

To do the shopping.

To do the dishes.

To do the washing.

To make

To make sense.

To make progress.

To make an appointment

To make the bed.

To make a change.

To make a choice.

To make a decision.

To make a discovery.

To make a fortune.

To make an arrangement.

To make a list.

To make a noise.

To make a living.

To make a mistake.

To make a phone call.

To make a promise.

To make a request.

To make a speech.

To make an announcement.

To make an effort.

To make trouble.

To make an offer.

To make an excuse.

To make an impression.

To make a pact.

To make a reservation.

To give

To give someone a hand.

To give an example

To give a kiss.

To give a hug.

To give someone a fright.

To go

To go bad

To go bankrupt

To go broke

To go bald

To go blind

To go deaf

To go mouldy

To go lame

To go wrong

To go on strike

To go out of date

To go viral

To have

To have a good time.

To have food and drink (breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee)

To have a party.

To have an argument.

To have an affair.

to pay

To pay a visit.

To pay attention.

To take

To take place.

To take into account.

To take for granted, to assume.

To take a look.

To take charge.

To take turns.

To take an order.

To take a risk.

To take for granted.

To take something seriously.

To take a photo.

To take a day off.

To take a day off sick.

To tell

To tell the time.

To tell a secret.

To tell a joke.

To tell a lie.

To be able to tell.

More collocations

To call a meeting.

To run a company.

To go on a diet.

To go on strike.

To take an exam.

To commit a crime.

To bring up a subject.

To show a film.

To ask a question.

To run a bath.

Looking for more TEFL vocabulary lessons? You can find over 60 vocabulary lists as well activities covering every ESL grammar point in our 335 mega-book The Ultimate ESL Teaching Manual.

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