WORD PARTNERS ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE PRE INTERMEDIATE

 

ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE PRE INTERMEDIATE UNIT 74 WORD PARTNERS

 

A What do we mean by word partners? If you want to use a word naturally, you often need to know other words that are commonly used with it. These are called word partners or collocations, and they can be different from language to language. For example: I spent time in Paris. (NOT I passed time in Paris.) I missed the bus. (NOT I lost the bus.) We have children. (NOT We get children.) I made a mistake. (NOT I did a mistake.) It was a serious injury. (also a serious illness) It’s quite likely that we’ll stay here. [we’ll probably stay here] It depends on my parents. (NOT It depends of my parents. See Unit 77.) Language help   More word partners can be found in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary for intermediate learners and the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. B Verbs and nouns There are many verbs and nouns that are often used together. Pavel told me a joke but I can’t remember it. [told me a funny story] I need to lose weight. [become less heavy; opp put on weight] The doctor told my father that he should go on a diet. [eat less in order to lose weight] It’s very difficult to predict the future. [say what will happen in the future] We won the game 2–1, and my brother scored the first goal1. My neighbour’s alarm went off2 in the middle of the night. They fell in love and got married. Now Emily is expecting a baby3. C Adjectives and nouns Many adjectives and nouns are often used together. These are all examples where the meaning is ‘big’ or ‘a lot’, but where we usually use a particular adjective. We’ve got a large number of students/tourists this year. (opp a limited/small number) I will need a large amount of money. There’s a wide choice of food available. (opp a limited/narrow choice) Sergio has a wide vocabulary in English. (opp a limited vocabulary) It’s only a toy gun but it makes a very loud noise. Her family is of great importance to her. We went to a party last night and it was great fun [very enjoyable; we enjoyed it a lot]. There was heavy traffic on the motorway going out of town. (opp light traffic) D Adverbs and adjectives The adverbs in the first three sentences mean very, the adverbs in the last sentence mean fully/completely. In each case, the adverbs and adjectives are common word partners. I’m terribly sorry I’m late. She’s well aware of the problem. [She knows all about the problem.] It’s vitally important that we get the right person for the job. Ava is fast asleep, but the other two are still wide awake. EXERCISES 74.1 Correct the mistakes. 1 Why does she do so many mistakes? _______make________ 2 My sister got a baby last month. ________________ 3 I’m sorry I’m late; I lost the bus. ________________ 4 There was an accident and Tommy has a grave head injury. ________________ 5 I don’t know if I can come – it depends of the weather. ________________ 6 We passed three days in Amsterdam. ________________ 7 I wouldn’t like to try and say the future. ________________ 8 My sister is waiting for a baby next month. ________________ 9 Axel said me a very funny joke. ________________ 10 She gave us a big amount of money. ________________ 74.2 Complete the text. My mum went to see the doctor, and he told her to go on a 1.______ diet _________. I think she knows that she needs to 2. ____________ weight, but she’s not happy about giving up chocolate. Anyway, I told her it’s 3. ____________ important that she keeps to the diet, because if she 4. ____________ any more weight, it’s quite 5. ____________ that she’ll end up with a more 6. ____________ illness. Fortunately, I think she’s 7. ____________ aware of that. 74.3 Replace big or little with a more suitable adjective. 1 You won’t need a big amount of money. ______________ large________________ 2 Why are they making such a big noise? _____________________ 3 I’ve got quite a big vocabulary in French. _____________________ 4 There is only a little choice of things we can buy. _____________________ 5 We had a very big number of tourists this year. _____________________ 6 I think the event had big importance for her. _____________________ 7 Isabel only has a little vocabulary in English. _____________________ 74.3 Complete the sentences and dialogues. 74.5

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