What Are Collocations? Why You Should Learn New Words in Sentences
A collocation is a pair or group of words that naturally go together, like propound a theory, heavy rain or cope with stress. You can know exactly what a word means and still sound "off" if you put it next to the wrong partner. The quickest way to learn a word's partners is to meet it inside a real sentence, not just a definition.
What is a collocation?
Some words almost always appear with the same other words. Native speakers don't think about it; the combination just sounds right. Here are a few common ones:
| Natural | Sounds wrong |
|---|---|
| propound a theory | make a theory |
| make a decision | do a decision |
| heavy rain | strong rain |
| strong coffee | powerful coffee |
| pay attention | give attention |
Take propound. It means "to put forward an idea or theory", and it almost always comes with words like theory, idea or view: "The professor propounded a bold new theory about sleep." You wouldn't propound a plan or a lunch order.
Prepositions are partners too
Many words come with one preposition, and the wrong one is one of the most common mistakes learners make:
- cope with stress (not cope of)
- depend on friends (not depend of)
- feel sorry for someone
- interested in music
- an attitude towards work
There is rarely a logical rule for these. You have to learn the preposition together with the word.
Why a definition isn't enough
A dictionary definition tells you what a word means. It doesn't tell you which words keep it company. An example sentence shows both at once: the meaning, the partner words and the grammar around it. That's why learning a new word inside a sentence helps you use it, not just recognise it.
How Mem-App helps
Mem-App shows two example sentences and the pronunciation for every word you look up, and again every time you review it. So each time a word comes back for review, you see it with its partners, not on its own.
Try it
- Look up a word you met today and read both example sentences.
- Notice the partners: which words or prepositions sit next to it?
- Review and rate it when it's due: Easy, Good, Hard or Forgot.
Try Mem-App free
Mem-App is free to start: the Starter plan covers up to 50 words and 5 new words a day, ad-free, with the full dictionary built in. It installs from your browser on Android, iPhone and iPad, Mac and Windows, with no app store needed. Try it at mem-app.com.
I use English at work as my second language and meet new words every day. Which word partner always trips you up?