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1. Collocation
What is collocation?
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English (Oxford University Press, 2009)
gives the following clear-cut definition Collocation is the way words combine in a
language to produce natural-sounding speech and writing (P. v). It elaborates further by
providing examples such as strong wind, heavy rain. Similarly, Cambridge Advanced
Learners Dictionary, (8 th ed.) defines collocation as A word or phrase that is often used
with another word or phrase, in a way that sounds correct to people who have spoken the
language all their lives, but might not be expected from the meaning: In the phrase " a
hard frost", "hard" is a collocation of "frost" and "strong" would not sound natural
Why is it important to learn collocations?
It is widely acknowledged that collocations play an important role in second language
learning, particularly at the intermediate and advanced levels. Collocations enhance
improvement of learners' oral communication, listening comprehension, and r eading
speed, and that teaching collocations enables learners to be aware of language chunks
used by native speakers in speech and writing. According to Dorkchandra (2015), one
frequent problem encountered by English learners is the unnatural use of vocabu lary.
They cannot express themselves as the native English speakers do. The wrong use of
vocabulary items does not make their language sound natural. Lack of competence in this
area forces students into grammatical mistakes because they create longer utter ances for
they do not know the collocations which express precisely what they want to say.

How to learn collocation

Collocations should be learned by the following four systematic steps: noticing,
recording, revisiting, and recreating.
By noticing, you will notice how English words are used together. Which word
frequently co-occurs with which. A good dictionary or even a collocation dictionary can
enhance the power of noticing. Recording collocations in a special notebook, lexical
notebook as Michael Lewis puts it, helps to learn collocations better. The recorded
collocations must be revisited quite often, at least 7-10 times. Revisiting collocations
means reviewing them. You recreate collocations when you put them into use in your
own sentences. You must practice using the learned collocations as often as you can.
The following exercises will help you notice and practice the use of English collocations.

EXERCISE
Fill in the blank with the word/phrase from the selection.
Women Now Own One-Third of US Businesses
by Chad Brooks, Business News Daily Senior Writer | May 18, 2015
The number of women taking the plunge to open their own business is on the rise, new
research finds.
Female entrepreneurs launched 887 new businesses each day last year, on average, and
now own 30 percent of all enterprises in the United States, according to a study from
American Express OPEN.
1. he smokes 6 cigarettes a day.
2. When she graduates, she wants to her own business.
3. The number of Rohingya boat people coming to Thailand is.

Toyota to move jobs and marketing headquarters from

Torrance to Texas
April 27, 2014 | By Jerry Hirsch and David Undercoffler
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to move large numbers of jobs from its sales and marketing
headquarters in Torrance to suburban Dallas, according to a person familiar with the
automaker's plans. The move, creating a new North American headquarters, would put
management of Toyota's U.S. business close to where it builds most cars for this market.
North American Chief Executive Jim Lentz is expected to brief employees Monday, said
the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly. Toyota declined to detail its plans.
4. This type of job is new. I am not . it.
5. The main office of a large business is called ..
6. Id like spend a few minutes to .you on the companys profile.
7. As the Chief Executive Officer of this company, I am . to sign all
financial documents of the company.

Businesses have the ability to grow insanely fast these days, going from relative
obscurity to viral status sometimes overnight. That means managers need the ability to
act quickly when it comes to putting together the perfect team needed to tackle whatever
new challenge is at hand. "A leader is going to identify a new project maybe it's
entering a new line of business or a new part of the worldand this is going to require a
team with a new skillset," says Meister. Cobbling together the leanest, most experienced
team of people will require not just hiring, but overseeing a mixture of full -time and
freelance people.
8. He is a conventional businessperson. He doesnt like to change anything ...
9. When . democracy in Thailand, election is not surely a panacea.
10. When something is easily available for use, it is .
11. Dont just these talented people. Let them create their own
work.
12. A ..translator works independently. He/she does not for a
company or organization.
Women whose moms worked outside the home are more likely to have jobs themselves,
are more likely to hold supervisory responsibility at those jobs, and earn higher wages
than women whose mothers stayed home full time, according to research by Kathleen
McGinn and colleagues.
13. Those who study hard are more ..pass an exam than those
who dont.
14. What do you like doing in your free time, going out or .?
15. As an unskilled worker, he does not . a lot, only 300 baht a day.
THE GLOBAL EFFECT OF WORKING MOMS
To gauge the global effect of working moms, the researchers dug into data from
the International Social Survey Programme, a global consortium of organizations that
conduct social science research, and studied 2002 and 2012 responses to a survey called
"Family and Changing Gender Roles." They supplemented these data with data on
employment opportunities and gender inequality across countries.
The survey included several pages of questions related to gender attitudes, home life, and
career path. The researchers were primarily interested in the answer to one key question:
Did your mother ever work for pay, after you were born and before you were 14?
16.

The four tasks of Thai university teachers are teaching,

research, giving academic services, and promoting national culture.

17. . is a lack of equality of fair treatment among men and

women.
18. One of the most important, or .. persons in this team is Mr Lucas.

The relatively new class of corporate investments known as sustainability investments

has attracted the attention of firms, institutional investors, academics, and societal
advocacy groups. This paper examines in depth how such investments enhance value for
shareholders. Results overall show that investments in material sustainability issues can
be value-enhancing for shareholders while investments in immaterial sustainability issues
have little positive or negative, if any, value implications.
19. You can your comprehension of a text by employing
appropriate reading strategies.
20. This article does not explain . on what effects there are
on the new form of investment.
National Reform Council (NRC) member Prasarn Maruekpitak has brushed aside calls
for the draft charter's provisions on reform and reconciliation to be drastically curtailed
from 20 to two.
Meanwhile, another NRC member, Wanchai Sornsiri, has called on NRC members to
vote against the draft charter which is "still flawed" and could meet its doom in the
referendum.
Voting against the document would prevent a waste of about 3 billion baht to be spent on
holding a referendum on the draft. If the NRC voted it down it would save the taxpayers
money and head off further division, as many complaints have been raised about the
draft.
21. Which phrase means to refuse to consider or think about? = .
22. If something is reduced to a great extent, it is
23. To .. means to ask someone to do something
24. If someone is in a very bad situation, they meet their .
25. One way to know how people think about something is to .a
referendum.
26. You should study hard to .. a failure in the exam.
Malaysia is holding talks with Indonesia and Thailand this week as it seeks a solution to
the crisis in the three countries' shared maritime border, where thousands of Rohingya
Muslims from Myanmar as well as Bangladeshis are languishing in boats out at sea.
27. This is a big problem and a well-thought-of is needed.
28. To solve this crisis, all the countries concerned need to .. to
discuss and find the way out.

JAKARTA Indonesia's central bank held its key interest rate steady on Tuesday for
the third consecutive month despite slowing growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
Bank Indonesia's board of governors kept the rate at 7.5%, in line with most economists.
"The decision is in line with the tight-biased monetary policy stance to maintain the
inflation to fall within the 3 to 5 target range," central bank governor Agus Martowardojo
told reporters.
29. Ive eaten the same dish for three.days. there has been no
pause in between.
30. China is the biggest.. in Asia because it has strong purchasing
powers.
31. Thailands GDP this year is the analysts expe ctation.

NEW DELHI: Low-cost carrier AirAsia India on Wednesday said its new flights from
New Delhi to Bengaluru, Goa and Guwahati will be operational from Thursday.
AirAsia India is offering an all-inclusive promotional fare, as low as Rs.1,700, for flights
from New Delhi to Bengaluru and Goa and Rs.1,500 from New Delhi to Guwahati and
vice versa.
"We are very excited about coming into New Delhi and setting it up as our north region
hub," said Mittu Chandilya, chief executive officer, AirAsia India.
32. When a business starts working, it is .
33. My flight from Bangkok . Sakon Nakhon was unhappy because of
the turbulent weather.
34. This is an . Resort. You get everything you need during
your stay breakfast, hot water, message, and so on.

In just about every industry, freelancing has become a popular option for professionals
looking for more control over their careers and work experiences. The freedom to set
your own pace, work from anywhere and take on projects for numerous different
companies sounds appealing to those tired of the 9-to-5 office grind, but what's the
reality of earning a living as a freelancer in the modern world?
35. He lost his passport and has been .. it.
36. In a resume what should be stated include contact address, education,
and ..
37. Making calls, typing letters, and doing word processing are just a few
examples of .

38. You.when you can control how you go about your work.
39. The 300 Baht minimum wage scheme seemed really .. to
unskilled workers all over the country.
40. You cant expect to from just a Bachelors degree. You
might probably make more money if you hold a Masters degree.

EXERCISE 2
Choose one word from the list to replace the word/phrase in each item.
rethink
attain
adversely

approach
very
manage

offer
efficiently
in advance

boost
certain
strongly

1. Finance ministers of the other 18 countries sharing the euro met for the first time
without Greece and flatly rejected its pleas to extend an expiring bailout until after the
referendum on July 5 and setting the stage for Athens to default on a crucial IMF
payment on Tuesday.
= ______________
2. Evangelicals are starting to change their minds about gay marriage.
= ______________
3.Thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East attempt to reach the shores of
Europe each year, many making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.
= ______________
4. Hiring your first employee is a big step. Youll want to make sure that you help your
new hire to maximize his/her performance.
= ______________
5. This can be a challenge because effectively managing people is difficult and no one is
born knowing how to do it. Fortunately, it can be learned.
= ______________
6. To maximize the probability that your employees achieve their goals, you must
empower them.
= ______________
7. I've written about the importance of starting a business with a co -founder to more
effectively share in the responsibilities and decision-making -- and I do continue to
believe that its extremely important to have a co-founder.
= ______________

8. Your productivity is directly impacted by what you eat. If you want both your mind
and body to perform at optimal levels then you need to practice good nutrition.
= ______________
9. To run a successful business you need a diverse range of business management skills.
= ______________
10. Its a good idea to plan ahead of time how youre going to manage each area which
may include delegating various functions to a business partner, undertaking additional
training or contracting a specialist advisor such as a bookkeeper, graphic designer or
merchandiser.
= ______________
11. A great location can help improve sales and productivity, attract the right kind of
clients and good employees.
= ______________
12. If you are starting out, it may be possible to operate your business from home until
you become more established, especially if you provide a service.
= ______________

EXERCISE 3
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Relationships
When you move to a new city, it can be hard to make friends. Youll probably have a number of
casual acquaintances people who you know on a basic level, but with whom you dont have a
significant relationship. Over time, some of these may become good friends or close friends
these collocations refer to friends with whom you have an especially strong relationship.
Do you believe in love at first sight? Thats when two people meet each other and immediately
fall in love perhaps because they have strong chemistry this expression describes strong
compatibility or connection between two possible romantic partners. Some people believe that
their significant other (their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife) is their soul mate this is
a poetic expression that means that two people are destined to be together.
Its possible for one person to have feelings for another person this expression is an indirect
way to describe romantic feelings but if the other person doesnt feel the same way, then the
feeling is not mutual. The other person might say hes/shes just not my type meaning that
they are interested in people of a different type of personality/appearance. Ah, theres nothing
sadder than unrequited love! (Love that is not returned)
Some people marry their childhood sweetheart or high school/college sweetheart this
expression refers to a boyfriend or girlfriend from your childhood, teenage, or college years.
Other couples are introduced by a mutual friend one friend that the two people have in
common. When the couple is ready to make a commitment, the man proposes to the woman
he asks her to marry him. If the marriage is good, then we say the couple is happily married.
Unfortunately, not all love stories have a happy ending. Sometimes a husband or wife has an
affair they have sex with a different person. We can also say that they are cheating on their
husband/wife. The expression have an affair is typically used only for married couples, and

the expression cheating

boyfriends/girlfriends.

on

can

be

used

for

married

1. The process of creating friendships is called...

a. getting friends
b. earning friends
c. making friends
d. having friends
2. A "close friend" is someone...
a. who lives near you
b. who is similar to you
c. who looks like you
d. with whom you have a strong friendship
3. When you develop romantic feelings for another person, you're...
a. becoming passionate
b. falling in love
c. giving your heart
d. having an affair

couples

or

for

4. If only one of the two people has romantic feelings, we say the feeling is not...
a. mutual
b. returned
c. together
d. reciprocal
5. A polite way to say you're not attracted to someone is: "He/she's not my..."
a. kind
b. style
c. type
d. one
6. A man who marries a woman who he met when both were very young, has married his
childhood...
a. darling
b. lover
c. sweetheart
d. dear
7. When two people get married, they make a ___________ to each other.
a. commitment
b. compromise
c. guarantee
d. promise
8. Many men try to find a creative and romantic way to __________ to their girlfriends.
a. propose
b. proposition
c. purpose
d. judge
9. A lot of marriages end when one member of the couple has an...
a. affair
b. experience
c. intimacy
d. adultery
10. If you catch your significant other in bed with another person, then he/she is ______ on you.
e. betraying
a. cheating
b. deceiving
c. befooling

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EXERCISE 4

Academic English
Before you begin writing a paper, its a good idea to make an outline (a list of points in an
organized order) of the main points you plan to present. The next step is to gather evidence to
support your claims, since your work wont be credible if you propose a theory (or try to
challenge or refute a theory argue against an existing theory) without some proof.
If your paper is going to touch on several issues (talk about several topics) then youll need to
be especially organized. You can draw a distinction between topics that are different, or draw
parallels between examples that are similar. Another way to organize your ideas is to show how
they fall into different categories.
After making your outline and gathering the supporting evidence youll use to make your case
(present your argument), you can write a first draft (first version of the paper) in which you go
into detail on the topic. Then, you revise the paper (make improvements to it) until finishing
with the final draft.
Lets say youre carrying out a study on market trends in developing countries. You can
analyze the key factors (important factors) that are influencing the economy, showing how
local politics play a role/part (have an effect) in shaping the countrys financial future.
Including some specific items that are perfect examples and clear illustrations of your ideas
will help prove your points.
At the end of your paper, you should briefly summarize the material you presented and draw
conclusions based on your research. The end of the article is also a good place to raise
questions (present questions) for further study. 30 | P a g e

Circle the correct collocation in each item.

1. I wasn't convinced by the article; I didn't think the author adequately helped / provided /
supported his claims.
2. In her book, Clara Jones aims to refute / refuse / revise the dominant theory using five main
counter-arguments.
3. Steve Jobs' leadership was a brief / key / perfect factor in Apple's success.
4. The first case / draft / try of his report was full of factual errors.
5. The reasons for the war fall into two main categories / summaries / theories: political
reasons and economic reasons.
6. The trajectory of the country after 1930 is a clear / obvious / main illustration of Smith's
theory in action.
7. These thought-provoking poems draw / make / raise questions about what it means to love
unconditionally.
8. This essay draws / goes / proves parallels between the main character in the novel and the
author's life.
9. This paragraph has nothing to do with any of your main cases / outlines / points, you should
get rid of it.
10. We'd like to carry out / fall into / touch on several issues in today's meeting.