A ‣ What do we mean by word partners?

If you want to use a word naturally, you often need to know other words that are commonly used with it. These are called word partners or collocations, and they can be different from language to language. For example:

I spent time in Paris. (NOT I passed time in Paris.) I missed the bus. (NOT I lost the bus.)

We have children. (NOT We get children.)

I made a mistake. (NOT I did a mistake.)

It was a serious injury. (also a serious illness)

It’s quite likely that we’ll stay here. [we’ll probably stay here]

It depends on my parents. (NOT It depends of my parents. See Unit 77.)

B ‣ Verbs and nouns

There are many verbs and nouns that are often used together.

Pavel told me a joke but I can’t remember it. [told me a funny story]

I need to lose weight. [become less heavy; opp put on weight]

The doctor told my father that he should go on a diet. [eat less in order to lose weight]

It’s very difficult to predict the future. [say what will happen in the future]

We won the game 2–1, and my brother scored the first goal¹.

My neighbour’s alarm went off² in the middle of the night.

They fell in love and got married. Now Emily is expecting a baby³.

C ‣ Adjectives and nouns

Many adjectives and nouns are often used together. These are all examples where the meaning is ‘big’ or ‘a lot’, but where we usually use a particular adjective.

We’ve got a large number of students/tourists this year. (opp a limited/small number)

I will need a large amount of money.

There’s a wide choice of food available. (opp a limited/narrow choice)

Sergio has a wide vocabulary in English. (opp a limited vocabulary)

It’s only a toy gun but it makes a very loud noise.

Her family is of great importance to her.

We went to a party last night and it was great fun [very enjoyable; we enjoyed it a lot].

There was heavy traffic on the motorway going out of town. (opp light traffic)

D ‣ Adverbs and adjectives

The adverbs in the first three sentences mean very, the adverbs in the last sentence mean fully/completely. In each case, the adverbs and adjectives are common word partners.

I’m terribly sorry I’m late.

She’s well aware of the problem. [She knows all about the problem.]

It’s vitally important that we get the right person for the job.

Ava is fast asleep, but the other two are still wide awake.