Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)

Level: C1. Your grammar can be flawless and your sentences still read as “foreign” — because the words do not keep their usual company. Make a decision, not do a decision; heavy rain, not strong rain. Choosing words that naturally combine, and giving them the grammar they expect, is what separates advanced writing from merely correct writing.

The rule

A collocation is a pair or group of words that habitually occur together and sound natural to fluent speakers: make a decision, heavy rain, strong coffee, highly unlikely. Nothing in the grammar forbids do a decision or powerful coffee; they are simply not what English speakers say. Collocations are about word choice, not rules, so they are learned, not derived.

A colligation is the companion idea on the grammar side: the regular grammatical pattern a particular word keeps. Depend colligates with the preposition on; interested colligates with in + -ing; suggest colligates with a that-clause or an -ing form but never a to-infinitive; tendency colligates with a to-infinitive (a tendency to overspend). Where collocation asks “which word?”, colligation asks “which structure?”.

Collocations are often graded by strength. A strong collocation allows almost no substitution (shrug your shoulders, foot the bill); a weak one is more open (a big house / a large house / a huge house). The stronger the collocation, the more you must memorise it exactly.

Types of collocation

Make, do, take and have

These four “light” verbs cause the most errors because other languages map them differently:

Example sentences

Common mistakes

• ❌ I did a mistake. → ✅ I made a mistake. Errors collocate with make, not do.
• ❌ She must make her homework. → ✅ She must do her homework. Homework and routine tasks take do.
• ❌ He said a joke. → ✅ He told a joke. Jokes, stories and lies collocate with tell.
• ❌ There was strong rain. → ✅ There was heavy rain. Rain, traffic and smokers are heavy, not strong.
• ❌ I’m interested on photography. → ✅ I’m interested in photography. Interested colligates with in.
• ❌ It depends of the price. → ✅ It depends on the price. Depend colligates with on.
• ❌ It’s worth to read it. → ✅ It’s worth reading it. Worth colligates with the -ing form.

A short conversation

A: Have you made a decision about the course? B: Not yet — it depends on the fees. I did some research but I keep making mistakes in the budget. A: Take your time. It’s worth getting it right. B: True. I’m strongly tempted to apply anyway.

Usage notes

• Dictionaries show collocations. A learner’s dictionary lists the typical partners of each word (often in bold or a dedicated box). When you meet a new noun, note the verb and adjective it travels with, not just its meaning.
• Intensifiers are collocational too. You can be bitterly disappointed but not bitterly happy; something can be highly likely but not highly big. Each intensifier keeps its own set of adjectives — see the related lesson on intensifiers.
• Regional variation. Take a decision is standard in British English alongside make a decision; have a shower (BrE) corresponds to take a shower (AmE). State the variant you mean rather than treating one as an error.
• Colligation drives accuracy. Recording the grammar a word keeps — succeed in + -ing, capable of + -ing, the ability to + infinitive — prevents the preposition and complement errors that most often betray an advanced learner.

Compared with…

• Colligation includes the fixed prepositions after verbs and adjectives; the core set is drilled in Verb and Preposition Collocations.
• The adverb-plus-adjective type (highly unlikely, bitterly cold) overlaps with the grammar of degree; compare how intensity words combine in Intensifiers (absolutely, utterly, highly).

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

Next

• Back to the English grammar section
• Review Verb and Preposition Collocations
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