The Collocation Problem
Your B2 student says 'do a mistake' instead of 'make a mistake.' They say 'strong rain' instead of 'heavy rain.' Grammatically correct, perfectly understandable — but immediately marking them as non-native.
Collocations — words that naturally go together — are the biggest gap between grammatically correct English and natural-sounding English. Research shows that native speakers store and retrieve language in chunks, not individual words. Teaching collocations helps students do the same.
By the Numbers
🔗
70% of English
Is made up of semi-fixed expressions and collocations
🧠
Chunked Memory
Native speakers store language as pre-built phrases, not single words
⚡
Instant Fluency
Students who learn collocations speak 40% more naturally
5 Activities That Actually Work
1. Collocation Matching
Give students a list of verbs (make, do, take, have) and a list of nouns (a decision, homework, a photo, a shower). They match the natural pairs. Simple but powerful.
Give students a list of verbs (make, do, take, have) and a list of nouns (a decision, homework, a photo, a shower). They match the natural pairs. Simple but powerful.
2. Odd One Out
Present: 'heavy traffic / heavy rain / heavy price / heavy snow.' Students identify the wrong collocation (heavy price → should be 'high price').
Present: 'heavy traffic / heavy rain / heavy price / heavy snow.' Students identify the wrong collocation (heavy price → should be 'high price').
3. Gap-Fill from Context
Use sentences from the lesson chat transcript. Remove the collocating word and let students reconstruct.
Use sentences from the lesson chat transcript. Remove the collocating word and let students reconstruct.
4. Collocation Diaries
Students keep a notebook where they record new collocations in categories: verb + noun, adjective + noun, adverb + adjective.
Students keep a notebook where they record new collocations in categories: verb + noun, adjective + noun, adverb + adjective.
5. Translation Traps
Highlight collocations that are different in the student's L1. Spanish speakers say 'have reason' (tener razón) — English says 'be right.'
Highlight collocations that are different in the student's L1. Spanish speakers say 'have reason' (tener razón) — English says 'be right.'
lightbulb
Teacher Tip
"When correcting collocation errors in class, don't just say 'we say make a mistake, not do a mistake.' Ask: 'Can anyone think of other things we MAKE?' This builds the collocation network instead of fixing one error."
Frequently Asked Questions
At what level should I start teaching collocations?
add
From A2 onwards. Start with high-frequency verb + noun pairs (make/do/take/have + noun). At B1+, introduce adjective + noun and adverb + adjective collocations.
How do I find collocations in a chat transcript?
add
DrillKit's AI automatically identifies collocations from pasted text and can generate matching exercises, odd-one-out activities, and gap-fill exercises targeting natural word combinations.