A collocation consists of two or more words that often appear together – a sequence of words that combine to create natural-sounding language. For example:
a) You’re eating too much junk food. b) She ordered some sparkling water. c) He was sentenced to six months in jail.
There are several different types of collocation. Here are some of the most common:
Noun + noun: a carton of orange juice Noun + verb: the lion roared
Adverb + adjective: incredibly quick Adjective + noun: junk food Verb + noun: catch a cold Verb + adverb: run quickly
Verb + prepositional expression: speak to someone As you can see, collocations cover a wide range of language, including phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs and compound nouns. In some cases, the combinations become expressions which are fixed and inseparable (sometimes even becoming compound nouns): crystal clear, middle management, cosmetic surgery, etc.
Top tip
It’s easier for our brains to remember chunks of language rather than single words. So, always record words as collocations (where possible), or better still, in an example sentence with the collocation. Noticing and recording words that go together will help improve your speaking and writing and make it
sound much more natural.
1
Photo analysis
Match the text (1 to 5) to the photos (a-e). Then, identify the collocations in each sentence / question.
1. He poured some juice into his bowl of cereal. 2. Can you keep a secret?
3. It gave me a fright!
4. I'm going to keep calm and stop worrying about it. 5. Could you do me a favour and watch over my dog
while I just go shopping, please?
2
Multiple choice
Choose the correct answers in order to complete the sentences. 1. Could you tell them to quiet in there, please? a) make b) do c) keep
2. I think you need to a bit more of an effort. a) keep b) make c) do
3. She up late to the party. a) showed b) kept c) made
4. How long is it going to you to get ready? a) keep b) do c) take
5. You must be proud your son and all the good work he’s done.
a) at b) of c) by
6. You up that story, didn’t you? There’s no way that it could be true.
a) made b) did c) caught -
3a
Article analysis
Read the article. Then, answer the questions.
1. Why is Beckham a popular model for company / brand advertising?
2. What were the results of the Marks & Spencer advertising campaign?
Celebrity Advertising
The highs and lows of celebrity advertising.
Celebrity advertising is everywhere from ads for discount supermarkets to more sophisticated campaigns for designer clothing. But is it a good marketing strategy?
There are obvious benefits to using celebrities in advertising. When it comes to a big name star, it isn’t just about selling a product, it’s also about selling an image. And the bigger the celebrity, the bigger the image. Some companies rely almost entirely on celebrities for their marketing. Nike has consistently used high-profile sports stars to promote their clothing range. Gap
WORD LINKING
UNIT 8
Advert Alert
1. The product name is... 2. It provides a solution to... 3. It is aimed at...
4. It promises to...
5. You’ll notice the difference after... weeks. 6. Age of the person who gives the testimonial...
Before
After
READ MORE
For the stars it’s all good news. David Beckham has earned millions from football, but he’s rumoured to have earned even more from advertising. During his career, he’s endorsed a variety of brands including Armani, Gillette and Pepsi. Companies love him for his wide appeal, which almost guarantees a boost in sales. “His football, his experience at dealing with the media and his image all add up to a killer brand,” explains marketing expert Rita Clifton. At his peak, the fashionable footballer was estimated to have a brand value of £200 million.
In many cases, using celebrities can be extremely successful. British company Marks & Spencer recently used celebrity advertising to change their image. Up until a short time ago, their clothes appealed almost exclusively to middle-aged and elderly customers. In an attempt to change all this, the company launched an expensive advertising campaign featuring models Twiggy and Erin O’Connor. Within months the company was transformed from frumpy to fashionable, reporting an encouraging upturn in profits.
3b
Language analysis
Match the words from Box A and Box B to create collocations that appeared in the text.
Box A
discount designer marketing high-profile clothing endorse wide
a boost advertising appeal upturn Box B
sports stars to clothing appeal range in sales supermarkets
4
Advert analysis
Read the advert and complete the table. Then, read through the advert again and look for collocations. How many can you find?
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