A collocation is two or more words which co-occur more often than would be expected by chance. These combinations are used by native speakers who take them for granted because they just sound right to them. All languages have collocations and Arabic and Amazigh are no exception to the rule.
A. Match the words that go together to make a collocation (there may be more than one possibility):
1. have
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a. education
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11. common
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k. attention
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KEY: 1.b, 2. a, 3. d, 4. f, 5. j, 6. g, 7. e, 8. h, 9. i, 10. c, 11. s, 12. l, 13. o, 14. m, 15. n, 16. q, 17. p, 18. r, 19. t, 20 k.
B. Fill in the blanks with collocations from the list: standing ovation, high heels, shopping centre, digital camera, cultural diversity, for a song, old-fashioned, sense of humor, low fat, waste management.
1. “It is the ability to take a joke, not make one, that proves you have a ..................................” Max Eastman
2. Barack Obama received a ............................... at the end of his Cairo University speech on 4 June 2009.
3. ..............................., or the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, is a driving force of development.
4. I bought this piano ............................. at Goodwill. (cheaply)
5. My parents are very conservative and stick to ............................... values. (outdated)
6. I was given a 6.0 mega pixel ................................. for my birthday.
7. Derb Omar is one of the most famous .................................. in Casablanca, Morocco.
8. This restaurant offers ............................. food for people who are on this diet.
9. .................................. refers to the collection, transport, processing, recycling and disposal of waste materials.
10. ............................ shoes are stylish and sexy; however, they are sometimes dangerous.
KEY: 1. sense of humor, 2. standing ovation, 3. cultural diversity, 4. for a song, 5. old-fashioned, 6. digital camera, 7. shopping centers, 8. low fat, 9. waste management, 10. high heels.
2. Barack Obama received a ............................... at the end of his Cairo University speech on 4 June 2009.
3. ..............................., or the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, is a driving force of development.
4. I bought this piano ............................. at Goodwill. (cheaply)
5. My parents are very conservative and stick to ............................... values. (outdated)
6. I was given a 6.0 mega pixel ................................. for my birthday.
7. Derb Omar is one of the most famous .................................. in Casablanca, Morocco.
8. This restaurant offers ............................. food for people who are on this diet.
9. .................................. refers to the collection, transport, processing, recycling and disposal of waste materials.
10. ............................ shoes are stylish and sexy; however, they are sometimes dangerous.
KEY: 1. sense of humor, 2. standing ovation, 3. cultural diversity, 4. for a song, 5. old-fashioned, 6. digital camera, 7. shopping centers, 8. low fat, 9. waste management, 10. high heels.
C. Fill in the blanks with the missing part of the collocation.
1. Leila is jumping up and ............. because she is happy and overjoyed for her success.
2. When you visit Spain, Bear in ............ that most Spanish people do not speak any foreign language.
3. I was still wide .............. at 5 o’clock when the telephone rang.
4. I use my WhatsApp to keep in .............. with friends and family.
5. We’ll make a ................. next week as whether to buy that car or not.
6. I went to the lost-and-.............. office to look for my umbrella.
7. My father lived in the country all his life: man and .................
8. Mohammed is an ardent ................ of Picasso’s paintings.
9. Moroccan civil workers reach retirement .............. at sixty-five.
10. My books are within easy ................ because the bookcase is next to my desk.
KEY: 1. down, 2. ind, 3. awake, 4. touch, 5. decision, 6. found, 7. boy, 8. admirer, 9. age, 10. reach.
2. When you visit Spain, Bear in ............ that most Spanish people do not speak any foreign language.
3. I was still wide .............. at 5 o’clock when the telephone rang.
4. I use my WhatsApp to keep in .............. with friends and family.
5. We’ll make a ................. next week as whether to buy that car or not.
6. I went to the lost-and-.............. office to look for my umbrella.
7. My father lived in the country all his life: man and .................
8. Mohammed is an ardent ................ of Picasso’s paintings.
9. Moroccan civil workers reach retirement .............. at sixty-five.
10. My books are within easy ................ because the bookcase is next to my desk.
KEY: 1. down, 2. ind, 3. awake, 4. touch, 5. decision, 6. found, 7. boy, 8. admirer, 9. age, 10. reach.
D. Match the English collocations with their Arabic meaning.
English collocation
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Arabic Meaning
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KEY: 1. c, 2. a, 3. b, 4. d, 5. h, 6. f, 7. i, 8. j, 9. k, 10. r, 11. m, 12. p, 13. n, 14. g, 15. e, 16. q, 17. l, 18. t, 19. s, o.
E. Fill in the blanks with make, do, have or get. (make any necessary changes)
1. I usually ____________ dressed before breakfast.
2. I like ____________ my homework at night.
3. Last night mom ____________ dinner and dad ____________ the dishes.
4. The little kids ____________ a lot of fun at the fair the other day.
5. One of my classmates ____________ an accident last week by colliding his bike with a tree.
6. The teacher was late this morning because he ____________ stuck in the traffic jam.
7. Many people nowadays rarely read the papers; they only ____________ the crosswords and Sudoku.
8. Dad’s car broke down on the highway but he did not have enough credit on his phone to ____________ a phone call.
9. When I think back on the teachers who ____________ a difference in my life, my English teacher stands out above all of them.
10. I'm planning to ____________ a haircut this summer. I haven’t had one for months now.
11. If you ____________ a toothache you should see a dentist as soon as possible.
12. People who ____________ married too young ended regretting all the things they missed.
13. Samira ____________ fired from the boarding school for missing a couple of classes.
14. Many people work over time to ____________ some extra money.
15. The Arabic teacher ____________ us write down the entire thirty free verse poem on our note books.
16. You need to ____________ your teacher’s permission to leave the classroom.
17. The Coke here ____________ a slightly different taste from the one I had in the USA.
18. My teacher said I was ____________ some progress with English.
19. The secretary has ____________ a few spelling mistakes in the report.
20. Time in America is scarce and sacred. So, getting projects ____________ in the time allotted is critically important.
KEY: 1. get, 2. doing, 3. made, did, 4. had, 5. got/had, 6. got, 7. do, 8. make, 9. made, 10. have, 11. have, 12. get, 13. got, 14. make, 15. had, 16. get/have 17. has, 18. making, 19. made, 20. done.
2. I like ____________ my homework at night.
3. Last night mom ____________ dinner and dad ____________ the dishes.
4. The little kids ____________ a lot of fun at the fair the other day.
5. One of my classmates ____________ an accident last week by colliding his bike with a tree.
6. The teacher was late this morning because he ____________ stuck in the traffic jam.
7. Many people nowadays rarely read the papers; they only ____________ the crosswords and Sudoku.
8. Dad’s car broke down on the highway but he did not have enough credit on his phone to ____________ a phone call.
9. When I think back on the teachers who ____________ a difference in my life, my English teacher stands out above all of them.
10. I'm planning to ____________ a haircut this summer. I haven’t had one for months now.
11. If you ____________ a toothache you should see a dentist as soon as possible.
12. People who ____________ married too young ended regretting all the things they missed.
13. Samira ____________ fired from the boarding school for missing a couple of classes.
14. Many people work over time to ____________ some extra money.
15. The Arabic teacher ____________ us write down the entire thirty free verse poem on our note books.
16. You need to ____________ your teacher’s permission to leave the classroom.
17. The Coke here ____________ a slightly different taste from the one I had in the USA.
18. My teacher said I was ____________ some progress with English.
19. The secretary has ____________ a few spelling mistakes in the report.
20. Time in America is scarce and sacred. So, getting projects ____________ in the time allotted is critically important.
KEY: 1. get, 2. doing, 3. made, did, 4. had, 5. got/had, 6. got, 7. do, 8. make, 9. made, 10. have, 11. have, 12. get, 13. got, 14. make, 15. had, 16. get/have 17. has, 18. making, 19. made, 20. done.
G. Find the collocations in these statements:
(words in parentheses will help you)
1. Someone in prison is ...................................................... (bars)
2. He is holding a phone to ................................................ (call)
3. On your birthday, you ............................................... (wish)
4. After lunch I go to the kitchen and .................................. (dishes)
5. What do you say when you meet someone you haven't seen for long: ................................................... (see)
6. I will ............................................ if I don't have a holiday soon. (crazy)
7. Oops! I have ...................................................... (mistake)
8. Don't trust anyone here: keep your .................................................. (eyes)
9. Dry your hair; otherwise, you will ................................................. . (cold)
10. ............................................ is a great virtue. (promise)
2. He is holding a phone to ................................................ (call)
3. On your birthday, you ............................................... (wish)
4. After lunch I go to the kitchen and .................................. (dishes)
5. What do you say when you meet someone you haven't seen for long: ................................................... (see)
6. I will ............................................ if I don't have a holiday soon. (crazy)
7. Oops! I have ...................................................... (mistake)
8. Don't trust anyone here: keep your .................................................. (eyes)
9. Dry your hair; otherwise, you will ................................................. . (cold)
10. ............................................ is a great virtue. (promise)
KEY: Behind bars, 2. make a phone call, 3. make a wish, 4. do the dishes, 5. long time no see, 6. go crazy, 7. made a mistake 8. wide open, 9. catch cold 10. Keeping a promise.
H. What do these collocations mean?
Collocations
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KEY
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Siamese Twins List:
alive and kicking
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far and wide
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meat and potatoes
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thick and thin
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Make a do list:
Words that go with DO |
Words that go with MAKE |
do a crossword
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make amends
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