IELTS SPEAKING COLLOCATION Flashcards
a holiday where you purchase the travel and accommodation together
all-in package
package holiday
an extremely beautiful view
breathtaking/ stunning view
somewhere a long way away
far-off destination
crowds of tourists
hordes of tourists
objects produced locally
local crafts
very pretty village
picturesque village
to become less close to someone
drift apart
to like spending time with someone
to enjoy someone’s company
to start to love someone a lot
to fall head over heels in love
to have a disagreement and stop being friends
to fall out with
to understand someone and enjoy similar interests
to get on well with
to beging to know someone
to get to know
to have known someone for a long time
to go back years
to have good and bad times
to have ups and downs
to quickly become good friends with
to hit it off
to ask someone to marry you
to pop the question
to agree on a subject
to see eye to eye
to give up the single life and start a family
to settle down
to begin a friendship
to strike up a friendship
to get married
to tie the knot
to be similar to
to be well matched
to try to maintain a positive relationship with someone
to work at a relationship
to start a computer
to boot up
to look at websites
to browse websites
an expert computer user
a computer buff
powerful computer with top quality components
high-spec (laptop)
somebody who has an interest in technology
a techie
go for a walk
take a stroll
a fast walk
a brisk walk
the surface on which you play football
a football pitch
to become fit
to get in shape
to not be physically fit
to be out of condition
excercise that needs a lot of physical effort
strenuous exercise
to eat to the point that you can no longer eat any more
to be full up
to eat something very quickly
to bolt something down
an exaggerated way of saying you are hungry
to be dying of hunger
to eat a lot
to eat like a horse
to pay the bill
to foot the bill
somebody who has their own very high standards about what to eat
a fussy eater
to eat something quickly when you are in a rush
to grab a bite to eat
to make you feel very hungry for something
to make your mouth water
a large meal
a slap up meal
to eat something that will stop you feeling hungry when it’s meal-time
to spoil your appetite
to eat something with pleasure
to tuck into
to entertain someone by treating them to food and drink
to wine and dine
to do physical work that leads to you becoming hungry
to work up an appetite
people enjoy outdoor activities
be the outdoorsy type
want sth very much
to crave for sth
spend sth doing sth in relaxed way
idle away sth doing sth
have a great time
have a blast
charge a high fee for sth of high quality
charge a premium
unwind form sth
a respite from sth
a short vacation
a get away
to summarize
to recapitulate
enjoy in
indulge in
fat myself
pig myself out
breath fresh air
soak up the fresh air
opposite to sth
stand in stark contrast to sth
to surprise or please someone very much
be blown away by sth
be decorated with sth
be adorned with sth
be evoked about sth
be reminiscent of sth
to progress less quickly than others
to fall behind with your studies
a course that offers lots of training in order to reach a goal in as short a time as possible
an intensive course
to not fall behind
to keep up with your studies
to stay away from classes without permission
to play truant
to take an exam
to sit an exam
a teacher who has a great deal of knowledge about the subject they teach
subject specialist
to spend a year working or travelling before starting university
to take a year out
to have a job when you are at college/university in order to help to pay for your studies
work your way through college/university
write sth quickly
jot down
to work as hard as everyone else in a job, activity, etc.
pull your weight
a job with no promotional opportunities
a deal-end job
to have a lot of work to do
a heavy workload
an important or powerful job
a high-powered job
the number of days holiday allowed
holiday entitlement
a normal job that consists of an 8 hour day
a nine-to-five job
an extra benefit you get from a job
one of the perks of the job
to be unhappy in an office job
to be stuck behind a desk
to be in a boring job that is hard to leave
to be/ get stuck in a rut
a person or a thing that is valuable or useful to somebody
asset
start
kick off
minor pains that continue over a period of time
aches and pains
to feel a little ill
to be a bit off colour
to be recovering after an illness
to be on the mend
to not feel well
to be under the weather
minor injuries
cuts and bruises
to be very healthy
as fit as a fiddle
to strain, injure a muscle
to pull a muscle
to be completely focus on one thing
to be engrossed in
someone who reads a lot
to be a big reader
a financially successful film
a box office hit
difficult to read
to be heavy-going
to see a film that has just comeout
to catch the latest movie
to look quickly through a book
to flick through/ flip through
a book that is so exciting that you want to read it quickly
page turner
to read a book from the first page to the last page
to read something from cover to cover
any of the things in a house or flat that make living there easier and more comfortable
mod con
a party to celebrate moving into a new home
house-warming party
a large room
a spacious room
student accomondations
student digs
to borrow a large amount of money, paid back over several years, in order to buy a house
to take out a mortgage
wearing clothes that attract admirers
dressed to kill
a piece of clothing that someone has given to a younger person because they no longer want it
hand-me-down
the ability to wear clothes that look stylish
to have a sense of style
very fashionable
in the height of fashion
someone who always feel the need to wear the latest fashions
a slave to fashion
something that doesn’t go out of fashion
timeless
severe, rigid
stern
a fun person
to be the life and soul of the party
to try very hard to help someone
to bend over backwards
prepared to accept other views or behaviours
broad-minded
to hide one’s talents and skills
to hide one’s light under a bushel
easy-going
laid-back
to suddenly become angry quickly
to lose one’s temper
to not try to get the attention of others
self-effacing
not easily affected by criticism
thick-skinned
to not spend more money than you are earning
to balance the books
to make a sales call to someone without asking them for permission first
to cold call
when one company lowers its prices, forcing other companies to do the same, sometimes to a point where business becomes unprofitable
cut throat competition
to try to get customers
to drum up business
become bankrupt
go bust, go under
the money coming in and going out of a business
cash flow
when a company ends an employee’s contract of employment
to lay someone off
a bussiness that serves a small, particular market
niche business
strong competition from other companies in the same area of work
stiff competition
to become involved in something, especially when you do not want to be
be/ get caught up in
shops that are no longer doing business
boarded up shops
old and of a poor standard
run down
a city that has grown over times and which covers a wide area
sprawling city
heavy traffic making it difficult to move around a town or city
traffic congestion
expensive fashionable shops (2 words)
upmarket shops/ fashionable boutiques
a song that is easy to remember and makes you want to sing it
a catchy tune
to sing well
to have a great voice
a large number of fans
a huge following
to not be in harmony
to sing the wrong notes
to be/ sing out of tune
to play without reading the musical notes
to play by ear
to sing informally, often with other people
a sing-song
to begin learning a musical instrument
to take up a musical instrument
the music someone likes
taste in music
to be unable to distinguish different notes in music
to be tone deaf
below zero degrees Celcius
to be below freezing
very cold and unpleasant
bitterly cold
a complete covering of snow
a blanket of snow
very hot
boiling hot
when clouds or rain disappear
to clear up
when the sun appears out of a cloudy sky
to come out (the sun)
a short period of cold weather
a cold spell
to be outside when it rains unexpectedly
to get caught in the rain
to get very wet
to get drenched
a serious condition caused by being too long in hot weather
a heartstroke
a climate without extreme weather conditions
mild climate
to rain heavily
to pour down
to be cancelled or postponed due to poor weather
to be rained off
heavy rain
torrential rain
bags supplied by shops
carrier bag
to owe money
to get into debt
to put pressure on someone to buy something
to give someone the hard sell
well-known shops
high street names
to have a limited amount of money to spend
to be on a tight budget
to buy something much cheaper than the normal price
to pick up a bargain
to owe money on a credit card
to run up a credit card bill
to do a lot of shopping
to shop until you drop
to reduce prices a great deal
to slash prices
to buy something quickly that is being sold cheaply
to snap up a bargain
to visit a store to look at items without the intention of buying anything
window shopping
to be in danger of becoming extinct
to be under threat
the careful management of energy resources to ensure they last as long as possible
energy conservation
to live a life that is closer to nature
to get back to nature
the act of showing support to people struggling to survive
humanitarian aid
to hunt and kill wild animals illegally
poaching
a group of people who try to raise awareness of issues and try to affect the views and actions of people and organisations
pressure group
how well people know a particular brand
brand awareness
the degree to which people continue to buy from the same brand or company
brand loyalty
something that encourages someone to take a particular action, such as making a purchase or clicking a link on a website
call to action
to have a well-known person promote a product
celebrity endorsement
small advertisements often put in a newspaper or magazine by individuals
classified ads
to put an advert somewhere
to place an advert
the time during the viewing schedule when most people watch TV or listen to a broadcast
prime time
recommendations made by individuals to other individuals about a product of service
word of mouth
