This document provides examples of common collocations in English organized into categories of verbs, nouns, business English terms, and classifiers. It lists many frequently used word pairs like "have a drink", "do the dishes", "get a job", and "past few weeks" to illustrate how some words are often used together in natural English speech and writing. The purpose is to help language learners better understand collocations and start incorporating them into their own vocabulary usage.

1. Collocation Lists
On this page you can find a few short lists of collocations to give you more of an idea
about them. Many good learner's dictionaries show collocations associated with specific
words. There are also dictionaries of collocations, though these are more difficult to
find.
Some common verbs
have do make
have a bath do business make a difference
have a drink do nothing make a mess
have a good time do someone a favour make a mistake
have a haircut do the cooking make a noise
have a holiday do the housework make an effort
have a problem do the shopping make furniture
have a relationship do the washing up make money
have a rest do your best make progress
have lunch do your hair make room
have sympathy do your homework make trouble
take break catch
take a break break a habit catch a ball
take a chance break a leg catch a bus
take a look break a promise catch a chill
take a rest break a record catch a cold
take a seat break a window catch a thief
take a taxi break someone's heart catch fire
take an exam break the ice catch sight of
take notes break the law catch someone's attention
take someone's place break the news to someone catch someone's eye
take someone's temperature break the rules catch the flu
pay save keep
save electricity
pay a fine keep a diary
save energy
pay attention keep a promise
save money
pay by credit card keep a secret
save one's strength
pay cash keep an appointment
save someone a seat
pay interest keep calm
pay someone a compliment save someone's life keep control
save something to a disk
pay someone a visit keep in touch
save space
pay the bill keep quiet
save time
pay the price keep someone's place
save yourself the trouble
pay your respects keep the change

2. come go get
come close go abroad get a job
come complete with go astray get a shock
come direct go bad get angry
come early go bald get divorced
come first go bankrupt get drunk
come into view go blind get frightened
come last go crazy get home
come late go dark get lost
come on time go deaf get married
come prepared go fishing get nowhere
come right back go mad get permission
come second go missing get pregnant
come to a compromise go on foot get ready
come to a decision go online get started
come to an agreement go out of business get the impression
come to an end go overseas get the message
come to a standstill go quiet get the sack
come to terms with go sailing get upset
come to a total of go to war get wet
come under attack go yellow get worried
Miscellaneous
Time Business English Classifiers
bang on time annual turnover
dead on time bear in mind
early 12th century break off negotiations
free time cease trading
from dawn till dusk chair a meeting
great deal of time close a deal
late 20th century close a meeting
a ball of string
make time for come to the point
a bar of chocolate
next few days dismiss an offer
a bottle of water
past few weeks draw a conclusion
a bunch of carrots
right on time draw your attention to
a cube of sugar
run out of time launch a new product
a pack of cards
save time lay off staff
a pad of paper
spare time go bankrupt
spend some time go into partnership
take your time make a loss
tell someone the time make a profit
time goes by market forces
time passes sales figures
waste time take on staff