Collocations
As soon as the position opened up in London, Sarah decided to jump at the ________ to work abroad.
chance
________ I carry that heavy bag for you?
You _______ borrow up to five books from the library.
Can/May (offer/permission)
Signing up for an annual gym ________ (member) gives you unlimited access to all classes and facilities.
membership
Which of the following words does NOT normally collocate with the adverb highly?
A) gifted
B) promising
C) talented
D) clever
D) clever (We say "highly gifted," "highly promising," and "highly talented," but usually "very clever.")
Say 2 synonyms for the word happy.
delighted, overjoyed, thrilled, in good spirits.
Rebuilding the company's IT infrastructure from scratch during peak season was a formidable ________ for the new lead engineer.
challenge
She ______ not have received your letter yet.
might/may/could (present, past or furture possibility)
Participating in the international art fair gave the independent artist valuable global _________ (expose).
exposure
Choose the word that does NOT form a natural collocation with fully:
A) qualified
B) worried
C) booked
D) equipped
B) worried (We say "fully qualified," "fully booked," and "fully equipped," but usually "extremely" or "very worried.")
Say 2 synonyms for the word determined.
focused on, commited, intent on, set on.
Without proper market research, the product launch ended up being a complete _______.
failure
She _______ be famous, bit it doesn't give her the right to behave like that in public.
may/might (express concession)
The judges praised the young architect for the sheer _______ (original) of her eco-friendly design.
originality
Which word does NOT naturally collocate with entirely? A) free of charge
B) different
C) old
D) wrong
C) old (We say "entirely free of charge," "entirely different," and "entirely wrong," but usually "very old.")
Say 2 synonyms for nervous or worried.
anxious, apprehensive, tense, on edge.
Thanks to months of meticulous planning, the community fundraising gala was a resounding __________.
success
I rarely use my tablet these days, so I ______ as well sell it.
may/might (suggest what one should do when there's no better alternative)
The local market offers a wide _______ (vary) of fresh, locally grown produce every weekend.
variety
Which of the following words does NOT collocate with utterly?
A) ridiculous
B) opposed
C) qualified
D) disgraceful
C) qualified (We say "utterly ridiculous," "utterly opposed," and "utterly disgraceful," but "fully qualified.")
Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first one.
It is possible that the flight will be delayed because of the heavy snow.
MAY
The heavy snow ______________ to be delayed.
may cause the flight to be
1. Ever since she was a child, she had a burning ________ to start her own aerospace company.
2. After working 60 hours this week, I lack the _______ to go to the gym tonight.
1. ambition
2. motivation
We _____________ (win) the game, but Neymar missed a penalty.
could have won (past possibility that didn't happen)
The moving company packed the delicate glassware carefully in bubble wrap to prevent any ______ (break) during transit.
breakage(s)
Select the word that does NOT normally collocate with fiercely:
A) generous
B) ambitious
C) proud
D) loyal
A) generous (We say "fiercely ambitious," "fiercely proud," and "fiercely loyal," but usually "extremely" or "exceptionally generous.")
I'm sure it was a mistake for you to confront the manager in front of everyone.
COULD
You __________________________ by confronting the manager in front of everyone.
could have made a mistake