Grade 3, English Olympiad (CBSE) - Collocations

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Grade 3 | English | Collocations, Homophones, Synonym/Antonym, Collocations, Olympiad, CBSE, ICSE, Maths Olympiad, Science Olympiad, English Olympiad

Collocations

A collocation is a pair or group of words that usually go together in natural English. Learn the best partners so your sentences sound strong and correct.

1. What is a collocation

Examples that sound right:

make a mistake do homework take a break catch a cold heavy rain strong tea

We say heavy rain, not strong rain. We say strong tea, not powerful tea.

Why it matters

Helps you choose words quickly while speaking and writing.
Makes your English sound natural and clear.

2. Common collocation families

Make vs Do

make a mistake, a cake, a decision, friends, noise
do homework, the dishes, a project, exercise, your best

Have and Take

have breakfast, a rest, fun, a fever, an idea
take a break, a photo, a seat, turns, care

Adjective plus noun

heavy traffic, heavy rain
deep sleep, fast asleep
bright future, strong wind

3. Verb plus noun collocations

Verb	Good partners	Bad partners to avoid
pay	attention, a visit, the bill	pay a homework
keep	a promise, a secret, calm	keep a homework
break	a record, the rules, a promise	break the homeworks
run	a business, a race	run a homework
save	time, money, energy	save the test marks

4. Preposition partners

good at math, interested in music, afraid of dogs
listen to the teacher, depend on help, look for clues

These are word partners that carry a fixed preposition. Changing the preposition often sounds wrong.

5. Common mistakes and quick fixes

Wrong: do a mistake. Right: make a mistake.
Wrong: strong rain. Right: heavy rain.
Wrong: take breakfast. Right: have breakfast.
Wrong: do a photo. Right: take a photo.
Wrong: keep a secret safe by say it. Right: keep a secret, do not tell it.

6. Mini strategy for tests

Spot the keyword. If it is homework, choose do. If it is mistake, choose make.
Check if the noun is an action or a thing. Actions often use do. Results and creations often use make.
Think of real life. Do you really say it like that in class or at home

MCQ practice 5 questions

Choose the best collocation.
- A. do a decision
- B. make a decision
- C. take a homework
- D. build a decision
Answer and explain
B. We say make a decision. Do a decision and take a homework are wrong pairs.
After a long run, Nisha wanted to rest. She said, I need to
- A. take a break
- B. do a break
- C. make a break
- D. have a photo
Answer and explain
A. The natural pair is take a break.
Pick the sentence that sounds natural.
- A. He did a mistake in the test.
- B. He made a mistake in the test.
- C. He took a mistake in the test.
- D. He had a mistake in the test.
Answer and explain
B. Make a mistake is the accepted collocation.
Which adjective fits best with traffic
- A. bright traffic
- B. heavy traffic
- C. tasty traffic
- D. strong traffic
Answer and explain
B. We say heavy traffic.
Choose the correct partner for attention
- A. take attention
- B. pay attention
- C. make attention
- D. do attention
Answer and explain
B. Pay attention is the fixed pair.

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