Definition of collocation

Collocation is use of certain words together or a particular combination of words According Kennen Bear collocation is : A collocation is made up of two or more words

that are commonly used together in English. Think of collocations as words that usually go together. There are different kinds of collocations in English. Strong collocations are word pairings that are expected to come together. Good collocation examples of this type of word pairing are combinations with 'make' and 'do'. You make a cup of tea, but do your homework. Collocations are very common in business settings when certain nouns are routinely combined with certain verbs or adjectives. For example, draw up a contract, set a price, conduct negotiations, etc. Example:

Here are a number of common collocations in English: make the bed -> I need to make the bed everyday.

do the homework -> My son does his homework after dinner.

take a risk -> Some people don't take enough risks in life.

give someone advice -> The teacher gave us some advice on taking tests.

make tea - I made a cup of tea for lunch.

do homework - I did all of my homework yesterday.

These collocations are used for specific situations in business: open an account -> Would you like to open an account at our bank?

forgive a debt -> Do you think the bank would forgive a debt?

land a deal -> We landed a deal worth $3 million.

receive a discount -> If you buy three computers you'll receive a discount.

Why Do Words Collocate?

There is often no reason for a collocation. People just put certain words together more often than they put other words together. In fact, the use of collocations has become popular in English and language teaching because of corpus linguistics. Corpus linguistics study huge volumes of data of spoken and written English to come up with statistics on how often people use certain words and word combinations.

Strong Collocations

Strong collocations refer to words that almost always go together. It's possible that people might understand you if you don't use a strong collocation. Example :

Here are examples of strong collocations that you might be familiar with:I did a cup of coffee.native speakers will understand that you mean:I made a cup of coffee

Here are examples of strong collocations that you might not be familiar with:high earnings (not big earnings)long-range planning (not long-time planning)urban guerrilla (not city guerrilla)

Why are Collocations Important?

There is an entire world of collocations to explore. Learning collocations is important because you begin to learn words in larger groups or 'chunks' of language. Putting together these chunks of language leads to more fluent English.

Using a Collocation Dictionary TipsTry these exercises to help you use a collocations dictionary to improve your vocabulary.

1. Choose a ProfessionChoose a profession you are interested in. Go to the Occupational Outlook site and read

the specifics of the profession. Take note of common terms that are used. Next, look up those terms in a collocations dictionary to extend your vocabulary by learning appropriate collocations.Example:Aircraft and AvionicsKey words from Occupational Outlook: equipment, maintenance, etc From the collocations dictionary: EquipmentAdjectives: the latest, modern, state-of-the-art, high-tech, etc.Types of Equipment: medical equipment, radar equipment, telecom equipment, etc.Verb + Equipment: provide equipment, supply equipment, install equipment, etc. Phrases: the proper equipment, the right equipmentFrom the collocations dictionary: MaintenanceAdjectives: annual, daily, regular, long-term, preventive, etc.Types of Maintenance: building maintenance, software maintenance, health maintenance, etc.Verb + Maintenance: carry out maintenance, perform maintenance, etc.Maintenance + Noun: maintenance personnel, maintenance costs, maintenance schedule, e

2. Choose an Important Term

Choose an important term that you might use on a daily basis at work, school or the home. Look the word up in the collocations dictionary. Next, imagine a related situation and write a paragraph or more using important collocations to describe it. The paragraph will repeat the keyword too often, but this an exercise. By repeatedly using your key term, you'll create a link in your mind to a wide variety of collocations with your target word. Key Term: BusinessSItuation: Negotiating a contractExample Paragraph

We're working on a business deal with an investment company who carries on business with profitable businesses throughout the world. We set up the business two years ago, but we've been very successful due to our business strategy. The CEO's business acumen is outstanding, so we're looking forward to conducting business with them. The company's business headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas. They've been in business for more than fifty years, so we expect their business experience to be the best in the world. 

3. Use the Collocations You Learn

Make a list of important collocations. Commit to using at least three of the collocations each day in your conversations. Try it, it's more difficult than you might think, but it really helps with memorizing new words. 

4. Teach with Collocations`

For some great ideas on how to use collocations or "chunking" in your classroom, read Implementing The Lexical Approach by Michael Lewis. 

Reference:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collocation.http://esl.about.com/od/engilshvocabulary/a/collocations.htmhttp://esl.about.com/od/learningtechniques/fl/Using-a-Collocation-Dictionary-to-Improve-Your-English.htmhttp://esl.about.com/od/intermediate-collocations/f/What-Is-Collocation.htm