The economy ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

 

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 35

The economy

 

A	Facing and solving social problems Read these short reviews of books about social problems and note the collocations in bold. To Dream a Better Life BY KEN LOMOND How can we best address the issues surrounding large-scale economic migration? Can economic migration be seen as a force for good1, rather than always seen as a problem that must be tackled? ­ This book offers a novel2 solution. Disaster and A­fter BY SANDRA HALEY Should rich nations provide relief when disasters occur in poorer countries, or is this too little, too late? Haley’s book calls for a fresh drive7 to address the issue, and makes a plea8 for governments to break the cycle9 of dependency. A Fragile Calm BY ALEXANDER FLEIG When law and order break down, when riots erupt3 and public disorder4 threatens the social fabric5, politicians tend to take draconian6 measures which rarely work. Fleig’s book looks at alternatives and offers lessons from history. Cities in Crisis BY MARK GOLANZ Problems of run-down10 areas in big cities are the subject of this book. Antisocial behaviour, underage drinking and dysfunctional11 families all come under intense scrutiny in this wide-ranging study.   1 a positive influence 2 new and original 3 burst out suddenly 4 expression of dissatisfaction by crowds of people, especially about a political matter 5 social structure 6 extremely severe 7 new effort 8 an urgent or emotional request 9 bring a stop to a negative pattern of behaviour 10 in a very bad condition 11 not behaving normally
B	Neighbourhoods and housing In these extracts from meetings where local problems are being discussed, the second speaker echoes the ideas of the first speaker by using the collocations in bold. A: The problems faced by poorer households are very complex indeed. B: Yes, there are many issues affecting low-income families, and they are indeed complex. A: When someone becomes homeless, our immediate task is to find a roof for them. B: Yes, our job is to provide shelter as quickly as possible. A: Fifteen percent of families are living in houses without running water. Many are in houses which are so bad no one should be living in them. B: That’s right. Too many people are living with poor sanitary conditions and it’s unacceptable that there are houses are unfit for human habitation. A: The problem is that houses are too expensive for most ordinary families. B: Yes, the government should do something to provide affordable housing. A: The people who encourage others to commit violent acts should be dealt with firmly B: That’s right. Anyone inciting violence deserves harsh punishment. A: The thing is, people should be more vigilant about crime in their local communities. B: Yes, it would be good if more neighbourhood watch schemes could be introduced.
C	Other collocations connected with social issues He was arrested for possessing an illegal substance. [formal: an illegal drug] Families who claim benefits often feel ashamed. [financial support from the state] Green organisations are increasingly important as a force for change in the world today.

 

EXERCISES

 

35.1	Complete each sentence using a verb from the box in the appropriate form. You do not need to use all the verbs in the box. address answer break break down break up finish give incite make provide supply   1 How can we _____________ the issue of alcohol abuse? 2 Aid agencies _____________ emergency relief, but is this always the best thing? 3 In 1997, law and order _____________ completely and there was chaos. 4 Social workers try hard to _____________ the cycle of abuse in families where violence occurs. 5 Community leaders _____________ a plea for understanding and tolerance of cultural differences. 6 People who _____________ violence should be severely punished.
35.2	Complete each sentence using a collocation from the opposite page. 1 The house has no roof, and there are rats in it. It is unfit __________. 2 The lack of a mains water supply means that they have very poor __________. 3 At night you often see 14- and 15-year-olds consuming alcohol. The city has a big problem with__________. 4 That part of the city has many homes where people behave very badly with regard to others around them. There is a big problem with __________. 5 Hundreds of people protested in the streets, and sometimes things got violent. For several days there was major __________. 6 Neighbourhood committees can have a positive influence in the community, and indeed most people believe they are a force __________.
35.3	Match the beginning of each sentence with its ending. 1 Poor people often have to claim the issues of global poverty and disease. 2 The city council introduced a shelter and food to the earthquake victims. 3 The government took some draconian benefits in order to survive financially. 4 All governments need to address erupted in all the major cities. 5 The authorities had to provide neighbourhood watch scheme. 6 As the discontent grew, riots measures to prevent public disorder.
35.4	Correct the collocation errors in these sentences. 1 The violence threatened the sociable fabric. 2 The minister said it was time for a fresh driving to cut crime. 3 Customs officials found some illegitimate substances in the passenger’s luggage. 4 The run-out areas of the city are often dangerous at night. 5 We hope our new organisation will be a force for political changing. 6 He proposed a novelist solution to address the issue of social inequality. 7 Multifunctional families are a difficult problem for social workers. 8 The union representative did a plea for the workers to stand firm. 9 There were scenes of publicity disorder on the streets last night. 10 It is very difficult for young people to find affordable building.

 

ANSWER KEY

 

35.1 1 address 2 provide 3 broke down 4 break 5 made 6 incite   35.2 1 for human habitation 2 sanitary conditions 3 underage drinking 4 antisocial behaviour 5 public disorder 6 for good / for change   35.3 1 Poor people often have to claim benefits in order to survive financially. 2 The city council introduced a neighbourhood watch scheme. 3 The government took some draconian measures to prevent public disorder. 4 All governments need to address the issues of global poverty and disease. 5 The authorities had to provide shelter and food to the earthquake victims. 6 As the discontent grew, riots erupted in all the major cities.   35.4 1 The violence threatened the social fabric. 2 The minister said it was time for a fresh drive to cut crime. 3 Customs officials found some illegal substances in the passenger’s luggage. 4 The run-down areas of the city are often dangerous at night. 5 We hope our new organisation will be a force for political change. 6 He proposed a novel solution to address the issue of social inequality. 7 Dysfunctional families are a difficult problem for social workers. 8 The union representative made a plea for the workers to stand firm. 9 There were scenes of public disorder on the streets last night. 10 It is very difficult for young people to find affordable housing.