PTE Collocation – Introduction
A very important part of the PTE exam, especially the PTE Reading section, is the understanding of collocations. They are extremely helpful for you to solve the Reading Fill in the Blanks and Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks easily. They can also sometimes help you form your answers better in Essay or Summarise Spoken Text. So, let’s see how they help.
How can collocations help you solve better?
Collocations are a way to avoid ambiguous words like “very beautiful” and “very nice”, that we otherwise use in normal spoken language. There are a set of words that help you replace these ambiguous words by better fitting words into the context, and most importantly, by retaining the original meaning of the context. An understanding of collocations will be beneficial for your Reading section, as that is one of the most dreaded and challenging sections of the entire PTE exam.
Let’s dive into the basics!
What is Collocation?
Collocations are fixed expressions that are made common by regular speakers of the language. A simple definition would be – A grouping of two or more words in English that are frequently used together.
Think of it as words that usually go together, there might be other words that have the same meaning, but in English it is preferred to use just these groups of words together, to convey the message and not change the meaning of the text. Also, they are usually used by the native speakers of the language.
Types :
There are seven main types of collocations, which are:
- Noun + noun (collective nouns)
- Adjective + noun
- Noun + Verb
- Verb + noun
- Adverb + adjective
- Verb + prepositional phrase
- Verb + adverb
Examples :
To understand them a tad better, let us have a look at some examples.
Noun + Noun
Let us all welcome them with a round of applause.
Adjective + Noun
Don’t make a big deal about things that don’t matter.
Noun + Verb
Her plane takes off in ten minutes.
Verb + Noun
I want everyone to pay attention.
Adverb + Adjective
They are fully aware of the consequences.
Verb + Preposition
The man confessed to stealing the money.
Verb + Adverb
The place was awfully quiet.
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Other References:
PTE for Nursing Registration – https://englishfirm.com/2020/11/09/pte-for-nursing-registration/
Free PTE Study Group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/ptestudygroup.
