Lecture 2:

Understanding Why We Need

to Learn Collocations

Developed by Yang Ying

2010

Online Lecture Series on Collocation Learning

 Review of Lecture 1: What is
Collocation?

Word Combinations

Phrases single words

Longer chunks
Lecture 1 tells you about what is

collocation.
Focus of Lecture 2:

the importance of collocation learning

Why Should We Learn
Collocations?
Reason 1: Helps Language Production

 Knowing the meaning of single

words – comprehension

 Knowing word combinations –

production/use
Example
 Single word: analysis--recognition
 Word combinations
Word combinations: Collocations

 What verb can I

put before
“analysis”?

You can say “perform an

analysis” or “carry out an
analysis”!
Word combinations: Collocations

 Great!
 Thank you!

Word combination: perform an analysis,

carry out an analysis – USE 
Why Should We Learn
Collocations?

Reason 2: Be native-like

Word grammar—some combinations are

allowed in your native tongue, but not in
the target language
Examples
What would you say?

A strong engine or a powerful engine?

Business journey or business trip?

Why Should We Learn
Collocations?
Reason 3: Express your ideas better
 Giving you more power to express your
ideas
Contrast the following
1. This is a good book and contains a lot of
interesting details. 

2. This is a fascinating book and contains a

wealth of historical detail. 

You communicate much more with

the right combination of words !
Why Should We Learn
Collocations?
Reason 4:
Helping you to enhance writing
sophistication and avoid simple, flat style
of writing. E.g. overuse of general words
only.
Example
a good analysis? – too general – in what
way is it good?

How about?

a detailed analysis
a thorough analysis
an in-depth analysis
Reason 5: Further Language Development

Bothered about slow progress in language

development at this stage?

Not knowing what to learn after all grammar

topics have been learned?

Learning collocations helps you take off

again!!!
Words from Experts
For intermediate level language learners,
when they have learned the grammatical
structures of the language and are able to
produce such structures correctly, the
only viable way for them to improve
further and to reach the advanced level of
language proficiency is to learn more
collocations rather than doing grammar
only (Morgan Lewis, 2001).
 Do you know?
Uneducated native speakers of English
may only have a vocabulary size of 2000
words, but can function well in their daily
communication.

That’s because

they are able to combine these words to

make meaning
Summary
Importance of learning collocation

 Improve language use

 Use native like expressions
 Express your ideas with greater power
 Improve writing sophistication
 Further develop your language proficiency
 Why Wait?

Start Paying Attention to Collocations

Start Learning Collocations

References
Lewis, Morgan. (2001). Third conditional
again! Isn't there anything else? New
Routes, 12. Retrieved June 25, 2002 from
http://www.disal.com.br/nroutes/nr12/indi
ce.htm
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for
Students of English (2003). Oxford
University Press.
 Click below to continue onto

Lecture 3
Developing Awareness of Collocation
Through Reading