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English Vocabulary > Collocations > Flashcards

Collocations Flashcards

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1
Q

Broad

A

Accent/Smile/Agreement

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2
Q

Auburn

A

Hair

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3
Q

Picturesque

A

Location/Town

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4
Q

Adjourn (postpone)

A

A meeting/a trial

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5
Q

Deliriously

A

Happy

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6
Q

Withstand

A

Pressure/Impact
The police vest can withstand the impact of a bullet

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7
Q

Draw up

A

A list/A contract
Our lawyer drew up a contract for us to sign

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8
Q

Pass up

A

A chance/an opportunity
I didn’t want to pass up the chance of seeing Hong Kong, so I went with him

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9
Q

Opportunity

A

Arise
An opportunity arose for me to work in China

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10
Q

Standards

A

Slip
People feel education standards slipped when the government cut finances

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11
Q

Spate of attacks/thefts

A

Unusually large number happening in close succession
There’s been a spate of attacks/thefts in our area recently

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12
Q

Barrage of questions/insults

A

Unusually large number happening at the same time
The minister had to put up with a barrage of questions/insults from the angry audience

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13
Q

Chance

A

To jump at the chance
Pass up the chance
To get the chance
Stand a chance
Be in with a chance

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14
Q

Challenge

A

To face a challenge
To pose a challenge
A direct challenge
To rise to the challenge
A serious challenge

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15
Q

Adhere

A

To your principles

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16
Q

Secluded

A

Location

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17
Q

Stylish

A

Furnishings

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18
Q

Relaxing

A

Atmosphere

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19
Q

Mouth-watering

A

Local cuisine

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20
Q

Spotlessly

A

Clean (extremely clean)
The kitchen is spotlessly clean.

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21
Q

Blatantly

A

Obvious

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22
Q

Downright

A

Rude

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23
Q

Stinking rich

A

Podre de rico (very informal)

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24
Q

Thoroughly

A

Ashamed
Enjoy

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25
Q

Dead easy

A

= Very easy (informal)

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26
Q

Wildly

A

Inaccurate
Exaggerated

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27
Q

Mildly

A

= levemente
Suprised
Amusing/ed
Irritating/ed
Offensive

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28
Q

Loosely

A

= vagamente
Based on
Centred
Structured
Related
Connected

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29
Q

Faintly

A

= ligeiramente
Ridiculous
Amused
Surprised
Patronising
Absurd

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30
Q

Slightly

A

Different
Offensive

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31
Q

Highly

A

Unlikely
Educated
Recommended

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32
Q

Strongly

A

Influence

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33
Q

Greatly

A

Appreciate
Influence

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34
Q

Utterly

A

Absurd
Ridiculous

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35
Q

Completely/Totally/Entirely

A

Different
Dependent
Separate

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36
Q

Absolutely

A

Delighted

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37
Q

Deeply

A

Offensive

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38
Q

Face (up to) the facts

A

Accept reality
You are never going to run in the Olympics. It’s time you faced (up to) the facts

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39
Q

Shoulder the blame

A

Take responsability for something bad
Althought others were also responsible for the problem, Sue decided to shoulder the blame

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40
Q

Foot the bill

A

Paying
Choose what you like from the menu, the company is footing the bill

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41
Q

Head a team

A

Leads a project group
“Jo heads a team working on crime prevention”

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42
Q

Keep someone on their toes

A

Make someone stay active and concentrated
Having three sons under the age of five keeps Jana under her toes

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43
Q

Have an eye for

A

Is good at noticing
Gina has an eye for detail, so ask her to check the report

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44
Q

Go hand in hand with

A

Happens at the same time or as a result of
Unemployment goes hand in hand with social unrest

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45
Q

Weighty tome

A

A book with difficult content
“The shelves are stacked with showbiz autobiographies, including her own weighty tome”

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46
Q

Hopping mad

A

Extremely angry
His father was hopping mad when he only just managed to get his degree

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47
Q

Hit the rocks

A

Used when a relationship is over
His mother worried that if their relationship hit the rocks, he would run into trouble

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48
Q

Speaking

A

Generally speaking
Strictly speaking

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49
Q

Speaks very high

A

Says good thing about someone

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50
Q

Talking

A

Talking nonsense
Talking a lot of sense

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51
Q

States its aim

A

(formal) also state your purpose/goal
The charity states its aim as being to help underprivileged childre

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52
Q

State their business

A

(formal) = state what their intentions are
The staff on reception required each visitor to state thir business before issuing them with an entry permission

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53
Q

Got the message across

A

(informal) = conveyed the idea
The speech got the message about the policy changes acress

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54
Q

Impart knowledge

A

(formal) = transfer knowledge; also impart wisdom
The old man tried to impart his knowledge to his sons

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55
Q

Disseminating information

A

(formal) = spreading information to a lot of people
The internet is a powerful means of disseminating information

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56
Q

Protest (someone) innocence

A

(formal) = insist someone is not guilty
Althought found guilty, Robson continued to protest his innocence

57
Q

Profess ignorance

A

(formal) = claimed - pherhaps insincerely - that he did not know
He professed ignorance of the dent to the car but I think he was lying

58
Q

Break the news

A

Used fot news that are very upsetting
Did you break the news for her that her mother is in prison?

59
Q

To be taken aback at/by

A

Phrasal verb that indicate to surprise or to chock. Collocate with at/by
“Derek was taken aback when a man answered the phone.”

60
Q

Take notice of

A

To be aware of something
“Voters are beginning to take notice of him as a serious candidate.”

61
Q

Set your heart on something/doing something (Idiom)

A

To want to get or achieve something very much

“Molly says she has set her heart on going on a cruise round the Med this summer”

62
Q

Let your hair down (idiom)

A

To allow yourself to behave much more freely than usual and enjoy yourself

“Heidi said she was going to let her hair down now the exams were over”

63
Q

Come to rest (idiom)

A

Stop moving

“As the plane finally came to rest on the runway, it was immediately surrounded by fire engines”

64
Q

Play it by ear

A

To decide how to deal with a situation as it develops, rather than acting according to plans made earlier
“Dawn suggested playing it by ear and just seeing what happened”

65
Q

Whim

A

A sudden wish or idea, especially one that cannot be reasonably explained
“I bought it on a whim and now I really regret it”

66
Q

Child’s play

A

When something is really easy
“The maths problem was child’s play”

67
Q

Free up

A

To cause someone or something to become available or no longer devoted to a particular obligation. A noun or pronoun can be used between “free” and “up.”

“Retirement will free me up more time with my grandchildren”

68
Q

Successed

A

In

69
Q

Get into

A

Trouble

70
Q

Made

A

Arrangements

71
Q

Fine line

A

Linha tênue
“There is a fine line between inory and sarcasm”

72
Q

From the bottom of your heart (idiom)

A

Very sincerely
“When I said I loved you, I meant it from the bottom of my heart.”

73
Q

To the best of my knowledge

A

From what I know and understand from the information that I have
“To the best of my knowledge, the chemicals which were found are not dangerous.”

74
Q

To make something clear (idiom)

A

If you make something clear, you say something in a way that makes it impossible for there to be any doubt about your meaning, wishes, or intentions.

75
Q

Get on top of someone (idiom)

A

If a difficult situation gets on top of you, it makes you feel so upset that you cannot deal with it
“She’s had a few financial problems, and I think things have just been getting on top of her.”

76
Q

Have a clear conscience (idiom)

A

Feel free of guilt or responsibility
“I have a clear conscience—I did all I could to help.”

77
Q

Get to the bottom of something (idiom)

A

To discover the truth about a situation
“Investigators are trying to get to the bottom of what went wrong.”

78
Q

Take a turn for the worse (idiom)

A

To become worse
“Her health took a turn for the worse last year.”

79
Q

Lock horns (idiom)

A

To begin to argue or fight
“I wouldn’t lock horns with the manager if I were you”

80
Q

No sooner (had) … than

A

Is used to show that one thing happens immediately after another thing
“No sooner had we arrived than the kids dived into the pool”

81
Q

Have something on good authority

A

To be able to believe a piece of information because you trust the person who told you it
“I have it on good authority that she’s getting married.”

82
Q

So much something was

A

ATTENTION TO THE ORDER, THE WAS IS ALWAYS AT THE END
“The police were called, so much the concern about the situation was there”

83
Q

Gives you the right

A

What do you think gives you the right to criticise me like that?

84
Q

Go down badly (idiom)

A

To be poorly received, as by a group or audience.
“Yeah, you could say that my performance went down badly—I got booed off the stage.”
“That’s the impressionist who went down badly by the audience”

85
Q

Caught in the act

A

Being caught in the act of driving a stolen vehicle, he was arrested

86
Q

Be in for a treat (idiom)

A

To be guaranteed to receive or experience something unexpectedly pleasant or beneficial.
“You’re in for a treat tonight!”

87
Q

Keep a straight face

A

Keep a blank or serious facial expression, especially when trying not to laugh.
“My father kept a straight face when he joked”

88
Q

To be up in arms (idiom)

A

Angry, rebellious
“The town was up in arms over the state’s plan to allow commercial flights at the air base”

89
Q

Be taken ill

A

He was taken ill at the party and was rushed to hospital.

90
Q

Despite x In spite of

A

They can be used interchangeably. Despite is always written as one word (never “despite of“). In spite of is always written as three words (never “inspite of”)

We don’t use a that-clause after in spite of or despite. We use in spite of the fact that or despite the fact that:
“When they arrived at Malaga it was hot, in spite of the fact that it was only the end of April.”

In spite of is written as three separate words. We never use of with despite:
“They enjoyed the rides in spite of the long queues. (or … despite the long queues.)”

91
Q

Keep a sharp eye on

A

To watch (someone or something) carefully.
“Keep a sharp eye on the kids to make sure they don’t hurt themselves.”

92
Q

A great deal more

A

Expression to indicate much more
“Hannah got the jog because she had a great deal more experience than”

93
Q

Water down

A

To deliberately make an idea or opinion less extreme, usually so that other people will accept it
“The prime minister was accused of watering down his statements because of public opinion”

94
Q

Smooth the way

A

To make it easier for something to happen or more likely for something to happen
“The council’s decision will smooth the way for the bypass to be built”

95
Q

A blot on the landscape

A

Something such as an ugly building that spoils a pleasant view
“The new theatre is like a blot on the landscape and spoils the view of the village”

96
Q

Expression of comparison:
- quite as … as / not quite as … as
- nothing like as … as
- half/double as expensive as
- nowhere near as … as
- is (not) nearly as … as

A

“The green shoes are not quite as expensive as the red ones”
“Grant seems to be nothing like as commited as Richard to the project”
“Your MP3 Player was half as expensive as mine”
“Wales is nowhere near as big as England”
“Annabelle is not nearly as adventurous as her brother”

97
Q

Came (collocation)

A

To a conclusion

98
Q

Give an account of

A

Describe what happened.
“His lawyer gave an account of what happened that night”

99
Q

Strike a balance between

A

If you strike a balance between two things, you accept parts of both things in order to satisfy some of the demands of both sides in an argument, rather than all the demands of just one side
“You have to strike a balance between logic and lateral thinking in this job”

100
Q

Out of consideration (for someone or something)

A

With kind regard for someone or something.
“I didn’t tell Angie out of consideration for”

101
Q

Belief (collocation)

A

In the belief

102
Q

Come to your senses

A

Cair na real
“I’m glad you have now come to your senses and agree that your parents are right”

103
Q

Under (collocation)

A

The impression
The misapprehension

104
Q

Do something up

A

To repair or decorate a building so that it looks attractive
“Isn’t about time we did up the living room?”

105
Q

Turn over a new leaf

A

Start to act or behave in a better or more responsible way.
“Kevin has turned over a new leaf since he got out of prison”

106
Q

Against the clock

A

Before a particular time, or within the allowed time
“You are working/running/racing against the clock, so don’t waste time”

107
Q

Mix someone/something up

A

Fo fail to recognize two people or things correctly by thinking that one person or thing is the other person or thing
“People often mix us up because we look so similar.”

108
Q

Place (collocation)

A

change/swap/trade places with

109
Q

As thin as a rake

A

Extremely thin

110
Q

As smooth as silk

A

Extremely smooth

111
Q

Run like the wind

A

Run extremely fast

112
Q

Fits like a glove

A

Fits extremely well

113
Q

As poor as a church mouse

A

Very poor

114
Q

As silent as the grave

A

Totally silent

115
Q

As dry as a bone

A

Extremely dry/ thirsty

116
Q

As as dry as dust

A

extremely boring

117
Q

As red as a beetroot

A

Having a very red face, for example because you are very hot or very embarrassed

118
Q

To be all over someone like
a rash

A

Showering someone with romantic or sexual attentions

119
Q

A face like thunder

A

Looks very angry

120
Q

As stubborn as a mule

A

Extremely stubborn

121
Q

Where there’s a will, there’s a way

A

If we really want to achieve something, we can

122
Q

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

A

You need to take risks to achieve
something

123
Q

Every cloud has a silver lining

A

There is something good in every bad situation

124
Q

Variety is the spice of life

A

Change makes life interesting

125
Q

Necessity is the mother of invention

A

If people really need to do something,
they will find a way to do it

126
Q

All’s fair in love and war!

A

All behaviour is acceptable in extreme situations, especially in
romantic situations and competitions

127
Q

It never rains but it pours

A

Problems always happen together

128
Q

It takes two to tango

A

Two people are equally responsible

129
Q

First come, first served.

A

The
first to arrive will get something

130
Q

Better safe than sorry

A

It is better
not to take risks, even if it seems boring or hard work

131
Q

To get off to a flying start / makes a flying start

A

If someone or something gets off to a flying start, or makes a flying start, they start very well, for example in a race or a new job.

“Advertising revenue in the new financial year has got off to a flying start.”

132
Q

In this day and age

A

In the modern times
“Even in this day and age the old attitudes persist.”

133
Q

At the drop of a hat

A

If you say that you are ready to do something at the drop of a hat, you mean that you are willing to do it immediately, without hesitating.

“India is one part of the world I would go to at the drop of a hat.”

134
Q

Skating on thin ice

A

If you say that someone is on thin ice or is skating on thin ice, you mean that they are doing something risky which may have serious or unpleasant consequences.

“Your’re skating on thin ice by arguing with the boss so aggressively like that”

135
Q

It pays to

A

Used to say that doing something is worth the effort or expense

“It pays to study your notes after every class.”
“It pays to shop around”

136
Q

Get your money’s worth

A

To get good value
“We were determined to get our money’s worth from our day tickets and went to every museum in the city.”

137
Q

Wear and tear

A

Damage that naturally and inevitably occurs as a result of normal wear or aging
“Seat covers on buses take a lot of wear and tear.”

138
Q

Cast a light on

A

To provide an explanation for a situation or problem, or information that makes it easier to understand
“The discovery of the dinosaur skeleton has cast light on why they became extinct”

English Vocabulary (2 decks)

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