Types of collocations

Adjective + noun, noun + noun (such as collective nouns), verb + noun, adverb + adjective, verbs + prepositional expression (phrasal verbs), and verb + adverb are the six primary forms of collocations.

Adjective + noun

Using collocations to describe (adjective) something (noun) is to describe it in the most common manner used in English. Here's a typical example:

Significant problem – If you're attempting to convey why something has gone poorly, asking somebody you're dealing with a "major problem" is the appropriate collocation. You will see how defining such objects as big sounds strange if we use the noun instead of the adjective. It wouldn't be right to say you had a "big solution" to the dilemma. As a result, one can see how certain terms just blend together best since that is how they are most frequently used, helping one to become accustomed to hearing or using them that way.

Collocation examples with adjectives and nouns: internal injury, internal organ, irreparable damage, joint account, just cause, key issue, key role…

Noun + noun

These are the nouns that are most often combined to form a collocation:

Sense of pride – somebody may be claimed to have a'sense of pride' if they are proud of someone else. You can see if modifying the second noun doesn't work as well because it's not something we're used to seeing. And if it is logically correct, describing someone as feeling a "sense of guilt" because they are humiliated by someone's behaviour is not widely used.

More examples of noun and noun collocations: core values, corporate finance, cottage industry, creation science, credit bureau, credit union…

Verb + noun

This is the same as the previous combination, but with the verb coming first and the noun coming second. There are some words in this list that make more sense when paired than others:

Booming economy – if you want to describe how good a country's economy is doing right now, you might claim that the country's economy is booming.It would make sense to say it has a thriving economy, but it isn't seen nearly enough for people to understand what you're talking about. The reader or listener will grasp the context after a little thinking, but whether speaking or writing, our main goal should be to get our point across clearly.

Collocations of verbs and nouns in other contexts: go on a date, go on a picnic, go on foot, have a fight, have a fit, have a game, keep quiet, keep records…

Adverb + adjective

These collocations have to do with how you explain something specific. There are other words that might be used instead, but we almost always see them in English as follows:

Happily married – we still say happily married when discussing a happy marriage. You wouldn't want to hear people say something like "They were joyfully married." Though it makes sense and everybody will understand what you say, English speakers can find it strange because they are so used to the adverb and adjective collocation of ‘happily married.'

Other examples of adverb and adjective collocations: fully aware, happily married, highly controversial, highly effective, highly probable, highly profitable…

Verbs + prepositional expression

This is a little more difficult, but it's just a means of explaining how everything was achieved. It provides a little more detail than merely stating that someone was "scared," etc. Here's an example of a collocation made up of these words:

Filled with horror – this phrase expresses someone's terror or anxiety by using the adjective "filled" and the preposition "with." You wouldn't want to hear anyone say they were "packed with nervousness" if you wanted to explain how they were feeling worried.

Collocations of verbs and prepositions, for example: allow for, apologize for, ask for, object to, pray to, prefer to …

Verb + adverb

A collocation consisting of a noun and an adverb explains how something was done again without the use of prepositions:

Cry hysterically – If anyone is angry, they might be told to ‘cry hysterically,' but you wouldn't want to see or hear of someone being said to ‘cry desperately,' or to ‘smile hysterically,' because it isn't popular.

More collocation examples with verb and adverb: go far, go first, go upstairs, guess correctly, hit hard, judge harshly, know well…