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GRAMMAR

- Collocations –
➢ What is a collocation?
Collocation is a word or phrase that is often used with another word or phrase,
in a way that sounds correct to people who have spoken the language all their
lives but might not be expected from the meaning.

It is a combination of words formed when two or more words are often used
together in a way that sounds correct.

List of Collocations

Happy to
We are happy to announce the engagement of our daughter.

Delighted to
I’d be absolutely delighted to come.

Pleased to
I was very pleased to be able to help.

Concerned to
He was concerned to hear that two of his trusted workers were
leaving.

Familiar to
The smell is very familiar to everyone who lives near a bakery

Proud to
I feel very proud to be a part of the team.
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Kind to
She has always been very kind to me.

Rude to
He’s got no manners – he’s rude to everyone.

Scared to
People are scared to use the buses late at night.

Free to
You are free to come and go as you please.

Good to
It’s good to see you again.

Nasty to
Don’t be so nasty to your brother – he’s four years younger than you!

Nice to
It’s nice to know you.

Unkind to
It would be unkind to go without him.

Accustomed to
She had grown accustomed to his long absences.

Addicted to
A lot of people nowadays have become addicted to the internet.

Allergic to
My dad’s allergic to pop music.

Anxious to
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I’m anxious to get home to open my presents.

Opposed to
She remained bitterly opposed to the idea of moving abroad.

Attached to
I’ve never seen two people so attached to each other.

Beneficial to
A stay in the country will be beneficial to his health.

Cruel to
I can’t stand people who are cruel to animals.

Curious to
I was curious to find out what she had said.

Disappointed to
He was disappointed to see she wasn’t at the party.

Eager to
Everyone in the class seemed eager to learn.

Eligible to
When are you eligible to vote in your country?

Exposed to
The country became highly exposed to the vagaries of international
markets.

Faithful to
He remained faithful to the ideals of the party.

Grateful to
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I am extremely grateful to all the teachers for their help.

Identical to
Her dress is almost identical to mine.

Immune to
Adults are often immune to German measles.

Indifferent to
The government cannot afford to be indifferent to public opinion.

Inferior to
Modern music is often considered inferior to that of the past.

Keen to
John was very keen to help.

Late to
It’s too late to start complaining now.

Limited to
Places on the bus are limited to 50 – so book early!

Married to
She’s married to John.

Mean to
Don’t be so mean to your little brother!

Polite / impolite to
He was too polite to point out my mistake.

Qualified to
I’m not qualified to give advice on such matters.
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Related to
How are you related to him? Is he your cousin?

Relevant to
Please speak later; your ideas are not relevant to our discussion.

Sad to
I was sad to hear that they’d split up.

Sensitive to
She is very sensitive to other people’s feelings.

Similar to
I bought some new shoes which are very similar to a pair I had
before.

Slow to
She wasn’t slow to realize what was going on.

Superior to
This model is technically superior to its competitors.

Sympathetic to
The party is considered to be sympathetic to welfare reform.

Thankful to
I was thankful to see they’d all arrived safely.

Unreasonable to
It would be unreasonable to expect somebody to come at such short
notice.

Wrong to
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We were wrong to assume that she’d agree.

A few examples of common pairings are:

Although there are some tricks we can use, there is no specific way of
determining which prepositions pair with particular nouns—we just have to
know them by heart. The only way to do this is by seeing them used in
everyday writing and speech.

Below we will look at examples of the most common prepositions that pair
with nouns.

Noun + to

One of the most common prepositions used with nouns is to. The following
table contains examples of combinations you might see:

Noun + to Example Sentence

I couldn’t enter the building without access to the door’s
access to
password.
addiction to Alison has an addiction to football.
answer to Her answer to the teacher’s question was incorrect.
Professor Smith’s approach to the experiment was incredibly
approach to “
innovative.
damage to The damage to the car is worse than I thought it’d be.
dedication to Ned has intense dedication to his schoolwork.
devotion to Everyone admired the doctor’s devotion to her patients.
reaction to The child had an adorable reaction to the kitten.
response to She gave no response to the question I’d asked her.
solution to No one could come up with a solution to the math problem.
threat to Climate change is a potential threat to certain species.
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Noun + for

Another common preposition used with nouns is for. Examples can be seen in
the table below:

Noun + for Example Sentence

admiration for Penny has so much admiration for her mother.
cure for Health officials recently announced that a cure for the fatal
disease had been found.
desire for My desire for success is more important than my desire for
romance.
hope for Youths often have high hopes for humanity.
need for The need for social interaction is a basic human trait.
passion for Simply having a passion for writing doesn’t necessarily mean
you will become a best-selling author.
reason for There is always a reason for change.
respect for Certain cultures promote respect for elders.
room for There’s room for one more person at this table.
sympathy for You should always have sympathy for strangers.
talent for Greg has a talent for stand-up comedy.

Noun + of

The preposition of can be used with many nouns. Here are some common
combinations:

Noun + of Example Sentence

advantage of Most people seem to underestimate the advantage of
majoring in philosophy.
disadvantage of The disadvantage of becoming an entrepreneur is the amount
of debt you can accumulate.
fear of My niece has a fear of the dark.
habit of I used to have a habit of biting my fingernails.
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intention of Do you have any intention of going out today?
knowledge of Timothy’s knowledge of beekeeping is impressive.
lack of The police cannot arrest him due to a lack of evidence.
memory of I have no memory of my first year in school.
process of The process of elimination is a popular technique when taking
multiple choice tests.
smell of I love the smell of freshly baked cookies.
sound of Can you hear the sound of birds chirping?
taste of The taste of cooked octopus is an acquired one.

Noun + in

Several nouns take the preposition in, examples of which can be seen in the
following table:

Noun + in Example Sentence

belief in It is not uncommon to have a belief in a higher power.
change in Scientists detected little change in the atmosphere.
decrease in A decrease in taxes would dramatically affect the economy.
There appears to have been a delay in processing your
delay in
payment.
experience in She has little experience in backpacking.
I’m hoping for an increase in environmentally friendly
increase in
products.
interest in Even as a child, the girl had an interest in archaeology.
pleasure in He took pleasure in playing the piano.
reduction in Meredith was forced to take a reduction in her pay.
After he won the jackpot, his hometown witnessed a sharp rise
rise in
in sales of lottery tickets.
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Noun + on

The preposition on is less commonly paired with nouns, but there are instances
where it is used.

Here are some examples of on being used with nouns:

Noun + on Example Sentence

advice on I read magazines for advice on relationships.
attack on Some view the new law as an attack on our rights.
ban on The early 20th century saw a short-lived ban on alcohol.
emphasis on She is studying East Asian cultures with an emphasis on
Japanese society.
focus on His focus on success has hindered his social life.
report on The report on fast food made people more aware of the
number of calories they consume.

Noun + at

The preposition at is only paired with a few nouns.

For example:

• Though new to skiing, he made an attempt at the highest slope.

• I have no chance at winning this game.

Often, we use the preposition in conjunction with which, as in:

• This is the age at which you are eligible for military service.
• There’s always a point at which trying to reason with him becomes
futile.
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Noun + from

From is only occasionally used with nouns. The preposition usually refers to
two things at opposition with each other, or specifies an origin or starting point
when used in conjunction with to:

• The town sought protection from bandits.

• His transition from pauper to prince was something out of a fairy tale.

Noun + with

Generally, nouns combined with the preposition with point to relationships and
connections between two or more things. For example:

• What’s the matter with you?

• I noticed a small problem with the story you submitted.
• Her close relationship with her sister is enviable.
• If you’re having trouble with the assignments, consult your teacher.

Noun + about

When paired with a noun, about means concerning or in regard to.

For example:

• His anxiety about public speaking is so bad that he sweats when he’s
onstage.
• Do you have any information about the changes in the schedule?
• She wants to hear the story about her favourite superhero again.
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Noun + between

A noun that takes the preposition between forms a comparison between two
things. Here are some common combinations:

• For her thesis, Stacy submitted a comparison between classical music

and contemporary rock.
• The connection between good and evil is fascinating.
• Is there a difference between green onions and scallions?

Some most commonly used collocations

at any rate according to as far as with open arms

at last across from as opposed to with regard to
behind the scenes adjacent to as soon as within reason
beside the point ahead of as well as out from
beyond me along with at the behest of out of
by accident apart from by means of outside of
by the way as for by virtue of prior to
down the street as of for the sake of opposite of
down to the wire as per for lack of opposite to
for a living as regards for want of other than
for sure aside from in accordance with pursuant to
in any case back to in addition to rather than
in common because of in case of regardless of
in fact close to in front of right of
next in line counter to in lieu of thanks to
of course down on in place of up to
on demand due to in point of based on
on sale except for in spite of subsequent to
on time far from on account of such as
out of the blue inside of on behalf of owing to
out of the ordinary instead of on top of up in the air
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under control left of with regard to next to
under the near to with respect to with a view to
circumstances