Make and verbs that mean make ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 8

Make and verbs that mean make

A	Common errors with make The Cambridge Learner Corpus shows that some of the most frequent collocation errors made by candidates in advanced English exams relate to the use of make. Here are some typical errors and their corrections. I would like to do/give some suggestions – make some suggestions I think that I could have/give a contribution to the project – make a contribution I expect you to give a formal apology – make a formal apology There is still some way to go and lots of improvements to do – improvements to make Thank you very much for doing these arrangements – making these arrangements Sometimes candidates use make where another verb is required. For example: We’re going to make a party on Saturday – have a party Lana made some interesting research into her family roots – did … research
B	Other expressions with make It’s a good idea to make a habit of switching off the lights when you leave a room. If you always say exactly what you think, you’ll make a lot of enemies. The team made several attempts to climb the mountain before they finally succeeded. I hope that they’ll make a success of their new restaurant business. I have to go to a party for a colleague after work but I will try and make an early escape. Our research team has made an important discovery about how whales communicate. When doing your accounts, try to ensure you make all the calculations correctly. If we move the sofa closer to the window, it’ll make room for the piano. I first made his acquaintance when he moved in next door. [formal: got to know him] The house we looked at is just what we want and we’ve decided to make an offer on it. As no one else has any ideas, I’d like to make a proposal. [make a formal suggestion] We must make a stand against the casino they propose to build here. [protest about]
C	Other verbs that mean make collocations example comment create a good/bad impression Wear your grey suit to the interview if you want to create a good impression. slightly more formal than make an impression create a (+ adj.) atmosphere The lanterns in the garden create a romantic atmosphere. more formal than make for a romantic atmosphere stage a protest The students staged a protest against rising tuition fees. = make a formal protest lodge a complaint Several people have lodged a complaint about the receptionist’s rudeness. = make a formal complaint rustle up a meal It took Sam ten minutes to rustle up a meal. (informal) = make a meal very quickly run up curtains This weekend I’m going to run up some curtains for my new room. = make quickly using a sewing machine turn a profit This month our company should turn a profit for the first time. slightly more informal than make a profit coin a phrase I wonder who coined the term ‘blogging’. = invent / make up a new phrase

EXERCISES

8.1	Are these sentences correct or incorrect? If they are incorrect, correct them. 1 Have you any suggestions to make about how to celebrate the school’s anniversary? 2 We are planning to have a party next Saturday. 3 The company director gave a formal apology for his earlier comments. 4 The manager had to make a number of changes to office procedures in order to do all the improvements he had planned for the company. 5 My sister did all the arrangements for the party.
8.2	Complete each sentence using a word from the box. acquaintance attempt calculations discovery enemies habit offer room stand success 1 Try to make a __________ of noticing good collocations in any text you read. 2 A railway official asked us to move our luggage to make __________ for the boy’s bike. 3 The new CEO has made a lot of __________ by being so autocratic. 4 If Pauline makes a __________ of this project, she’ll probably get promoted. 5 The old gentleman said he was delighted to make my __________. 6 Do you think you’ll make an __________ on the flat you viewed yesterday? 7 Every young scientist dreams of making a __________ that will change the world. 8 Rachel made no __________ to contact me when she was over here last year. 9 We tried to make a __________ against the new housing development but to no avail: the contractors started work this morning. 10 The __________ that you made contained a few inaccuracies.
8.3	Replace make in each sentence with an alternative word. Then say whether you have made the sentence more or less formal. 1 The Green Party plans to make a major protest against the government’s new farming policy. 2 Tessa helped me to make some lovely cushion covers for my new flat. 3 I regret to inform you that several clients have made complaints about your conduct. 4 You won’t make a good first impression if you arrive late for your interview. 5 It won’t take me long to make a meal for the children. 6 Do you expect your business to make a profit this year?
8.4	Rewrite each sentence using the word in brackets. 1 At the meeting the chairman proposed something rather interesting. (PROPOSAL) 2 I hope we can leave soon as I’m terribly tired. (ESCAPE) 3 I’m reading a fascinating book about the invention of new words and phrases to express new social and technical needs. (COINED) 4 We changed the layout of the hall to make it more relaxed for the yoga class. (ATMOSPHERE) 5 I tried to phone the company several times at the weekend. (ATTEMPTS) 6 Kim contributed very positively to the discussion. (CONTRIBUTION) 7 The service was poor but I wouldn’t go so far as to formally complain. (LODGE) 8 I first got talking to Roger on a train. (ACQUAINTANCE) Over to you Make a point of looking back through any pieces of your writing that a teacher has corrected. Have you ever made any mistakes involving collocations with make? If so, make an effort to use those expressions correctly in your next assignment.

ANSWER KEY

8.1 1 Correct 2 Correct 3 The company director made a formal apology for his earlier comments. 4 The manager had to make a number of changes to office procedures in order to make all the  improvements he had planned for the company. 5 My sister made all the arrangements for the party. 8.2 8.3 1 The Green Party plans to stage a major protest against the government’s new farming policy. (more formal) 2 Tessa helped me to run up some lovely cushion covers for my new flat. (less formal) 3 I regret to inform you that several clients have lodged complaints about your conduct. (more formal) 4 You won’t create a good first impression if you arrive late for your interview. (more formal) 5 It won’t take me long to rustle up a meal for the children. (less formal) 6 Do you expect your business to turn in a profit this year? (less formal) 8.4 1 At the meeting the chairman made a rather interesting proposal. 2 I hope we can make an/our escape soon as I’m terribly tired. 3 I’m reading a fascinating book about how new words and phrases are coined to express new social and technical needs. 4 We changed the layout of the hall to create a more relaxed atmosphere for the yoga class. 5 I made several attempts to phone the company at the weekend. 6 Kim made a very positive contribution to the discussion. 7 The service was poor but I wouldn’t go so far as to lodge a formal complaint. 8 I first made Roger’s acquaintance on a train.