Vocabulary and Collocations Flashcards

Choose the verb that best completes the sentence: "The minister's remarks ___ widespread condemnation from opposition parties and human rights groups."

Answer: drew

"Draw condemnation" (like "draw criticism" or "draw fire") is the standard collocation for causing a negative reaction. "Make", "take" and "give" do not pair naturally with "condemnation" when the meaning is to cause or attract it.

Which adverb forms the most natural collocation? "While the team argued about the budget, the CEO remained ___ unaware that the company was about to be sold."

Answer: blissfully

"Blissfully unaware" is a fixed adverb–adjective collocation. It means completely and happily ignorant of a problem. The other adverbs also suggest happiness, but they do not combine with "unaware" in standard English.

Which single verb correctly completes ALL three phrases: "___ a compliment", "___ attention", "___ homage"?

Answer: pay

"Pay" collocates with all three: pay a compliment, pay attention, pay homage. "Give" works with "a compliment" and loosely with "attention", but not with "homage". "Make" and "offer" fail with "attention".

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: "From the outset, the stadium project was ___ in controversy over costs and land rights."

Answer: mired

"Mired in controversy" (also mired in debt or scandal) is a fixed figurative collocation. It means being stuck in a difficult situation you can't easily get out of. "Drowned", "soaked" and "sunk" share the idea of water or sinking, but none is used idiomatically with "controversy".

Which of the following is NOT a natural English collocation for describing a change in figures?

Answer: a heavy rise

English uses "sharp", "steep", "dramatic" or "significant" for large changes in figures. "Heavy" collocates with nouns like rain, traffic, losses or casualties, but not with "rise". So "a heavy rise" sounds unnatural to native speakers.

Complete the sentence with the correct collocation: "The new data protection regulations will come into ___ on 1 January, after which all companies must comply."

Answer: force

"Come into force" is the fixed legal collocation for a law or regulation becoming officially valid. "Come into power" is used for people or governments, not laws. "Come into action" and "come into practice" are not standard for legislation (the usual phrase is "put into practice").