Collocations Words: In this lesson, you will be learning over 50 different collocations, from levels B2, C1 to C2. The phrases that we’re going to look at are upper intermediate to advanced.
This lesson will help you supercharge your vocabulary by learning many different collocations, which are words that are frequently used together. When you use them in conversation, it’s just going to help you sound more natural.
Now, I’m not going to lie to you, building your vocabulary is something that may take a considerable amount of time, but learning collocations can be somewhat of a shortcut.
58 Collocations Words: B2 + C1 + C2
- a considerable amount of (something)
- a considerable difference
- considerable progress
- considerable influence (over someone)
- Give feedback
- Provide feedback
- After feedback
- Get feedback
- Receive feedback
- Positive feedback
- Negative feedback
- Deeply worried (about)
- Deeply concerned (about)
- Deeply flawed (e.g plan/individual)
- Deeply sorry
- Deeply moved (by)
- Deeply in love
- Controversial issue
- Controversial decision
- Controversial figure (person)
- Conventional wisdom
- Wisdom tooth
- Call an (emergency) meeting
- Call for a strike
- Call for an election
- Call for a halt to something
- Tedious job
- Tedious work
- Tedious task
- Bubble over with excitement
- Bubble over with enthusiasm
- Bubble over with emotion
- Burning desire
- Burning ambition
- Burning issue
- Burning question
- Capture the imagination (of)
- Capture the attention (of)
- Capture the interest (of)
- Capture (my) imagination
- Capture (the audience’s) attention
- Capture (your) interest
- Underlying cause
- Underlying condition [You may hear doctors using these collocations. Perhaps a doctor may talk about an underlying condition or the underlying cause of some illness]
- Underlying principle
- Underlying motivation
- Legal framework
- Regulatory framework
- Theoretical framework
- Government expenditure
- Annual expenditure
- Personal expenditure
- Literal meaning
- Literal interpretation
- (in a) Literal sense
- Finite resource
- Finite number
- Finite amount (of)
B2 Collocations
1. Considerable
Meaning: very large or much
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- a considerable amount of (something)
- a considerable difference
- considerable progress
- considerable influence (over someone)
Examples:
- Besides, we have to do a considerable amount of paperwork.
- You might go back and use your considerable influence and ask your cabinet colleagues if they might reconsider.
- I am confident that learning collocations will make a considerable difference in building your vocabulary.
2. Feedback
Meaning: This is information or statements of opinion about something, such as a product, and saying whether it’s successful or liked.
Verb + Noun Collocations
- Give feedback
- Provide feedback
- After feedback
- Get feedback
- Receive feedback
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- Positive feedback
- Negative feedback
3. Deeply
Meaning: extremely or strongly
Note: There are some adverb-adjective collocations that may have a positive connotation or a negative connotation.
Adverbs + Adjective Collocations (Negative)
- Deeply worried (about)
- Deeply concerned (about)
- Deeply flawed (e.g plan/individual)
Examples:
- I’m deeply worried about aging.
- The U.S. is deeply concerned about escalating conflict and is not well on either side.
- He’s deeply flawed and somehow, we raised a child
Adverbs + Adjective Collocations (Positive)
- Deeply sorry [if you’re apologizing, you could say that you are deeply sorry]
- Deeply moved (by)
- Deeply in love
Examples:
- He is deeply sorry
- I told him that I was deeply moved by his statement
- I was in love with her and she was in love with me,” “We were so deeply in love.
4. Controversial
Meaning: something causing disagreement or discussion
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- Controversial issue
- Controversial decision
- Controversial figure (person)
Adverb + Adjective Collocations
- Extremely controversial
- Highly controversial
5. Wisdom
Meaning: using knowledge and experience to make good decisions
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- Conventional wisdom (It refers to opinions or theories that have existed for a long time and that most people agree with)
- Wisdom tooth/ teeth(here wisdom is an adjective)
Examples:
- Conventional wisdom suggests that our next move is to resume hostilities. To fight.
- Conventional wisdom says good fleeing will always be good chasing, but the stats say put your money on the guy with the gun. [Collocations Words]
- Dental emergency, I’m getting my wisdom teeth pulled.
- All of the extra painkillers that I had left over from my wisdom teeth removal.
Students Also Read: English Vocabulary B2 Words | Relationship Vocabulary
C1 Collocations
1. Call
Meaning: This is a verb that has multiple meanings, but in this case, we’re talking about arranging for something to happen, such as a particular event, usually something official.
Verb + Noun Collocations
- Call an (emergency) meeting [to call a meeting or more specifically, to call an emergency meeting]
- Call for a strike
- Call for an election
- Call for a halt to something
2. Tedious
Meaning: It’s an adjective that means boring or uninteresting
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- Tedious job
- Tedious work
- Tedious task
Note: They’re similar, they’re synonyms, but great nouns to use with this adjective.
Examples:
- Very selection is tedious work.
- It’s the only way to get through yet another tedious and useless task.
3. Bubble over
Meaning: to be very excited or enthusiastic
Phrasal Verb + Noun Collocations
- Bubble over with excitement
- Bubble over with enthusiasm
- Bubble over with emotion
Note: Hopefully, it makes it a little easier to grasp these collocations because excitement, enthusiasm, and emotion, once again, are really synonyms.
4. Burning
Meaning: This word has a couple of different meanings, and you can learn about collocations with each.
Adjective + Noun Collocations
Meaning one: very strong
- Burning desire
- Burning ambition
Example:
- Firefighters have a passion for their work; arsonists just have a burning desire.
Adjective + Noun Collocations
Meaning two: a subject or question that must be dealt with or answered quickly
- Burning issue
- Burning question
Examples:
- You look like a boy with a burning question, one that my tarot cards can answer better than any book. [Collocations Words]
5. Capture
Meaning: it means to feel excited by something
Verb + noun Collocations
- Capture the imagination (of)
- Capture the attention (of)
- Capture the interest (of)
Note: We could also put a pronoun between the verb and the noun.
- Capture (my) imagination
- Capture (the audience’s) attention
- Capture (your) interest
Students Also Read: 10 C1 Negative Emotions English Vocabulary
C2 Collocations
1. Underlying
Meaning: it means something is real but not immediately obvious
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- Underlying cause
- Underlying condition [You may hear doctors using these collocations. Perhaps a doctor may talk about an underlying condition or the underlying cause of some illness]
- Underlying principle
- Underlying motivation
Examples:
- As of right now, the mortality rate is fluctuating between 25 and 30 percent, depending upon underlying medical conditions.
- Maybe you want to improve your English for more work opportunities, but perhaps you also want to date someone and have a relationship in English. You could say that maybe that is an underlying motivation (it’s real, but it’s not obvious).
2. Framework
Meaning: we’re talking about a system of rules, ideas, or beliefs that is used to decide something
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- Legal framework
- Regulatory framework
- Theoretical framework
3. Expenditure
Meaning: the total amount of money a government, organization, or even a person spends
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- Government expenditure
- Annual expenditure
- Personal expenditure
Verb + Noun Collocations
- Cut expenditure
- Reduce expenditure
Examples:
- With current and projected deficits, we need to cut expenditures by 32 percent.
4. Literal
Meaning: it refers to the original or basic meaning of a word
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- Literal meaning
- Literal interpretation
- (in a) Literal sense
Students Also Read: 12 Amazing Advanced C2 Verbs
5. Finite
Meaning: this adjective means having a limit or end
Adjective + Noun Collocations
- Finite resource
- Finite number
- Finite amount (of)
Conclusion
You just learned a lot of different collocations, and I do not expect you to remember all of these. [Collocations Words] I think you’re probably already familiar with many of these words, but it’s all about recognizing which words are frequently used together. That’s what collocations are, and your brain is going to start recognizing that pattern so that when you’re having a conversation, you’re just going to end up using the words together, and you’ll sound a lot more natural.
Students Also Read:
15 C1 Vocabulary Words To Sound Smarter
38 C1 Adjectives: C1 Vocabulary With Meaning/ Examples