Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking B1 - Lesson 5: Collocations (e.g., make a decision, take a photo)

Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking B1 - Lesson 5

Collocations (e.g., make a decision, take a photo)

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use common collocations with verbs like 'make', 'do', and 'take' to make your speaking sound more natural.

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Words That Are Friends

Some words in English are like good friends—they are almost always found together. These natural word partnerships are called collocations¹. Learning collocations as a single "chunk" of vocabulary is a secret to sounding more fluent.

Using the wrong word partner can sound very unnatural, even if the grammar is correct.

Natural English (Correct Collocation)	Unnatural English (Incorrect Word Partner)
I need to make a decision.	I need to do a decision.
Let's take a photo.	Let's do/make a photo.
You must do your homework.	You must make your homework.

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Your Collocation Toolkit

1. Collocation: A natural combination of words that are frequently used together: កន្សោមពាក្យ ↩
2. to make a decision: To choose what you are going to do after thinking about it: សម្រេចចិត្ត ↩
3. to make a mistake: To do something incorrectly: ធ្វើខុស ↩
4. to do homework: To complete school work that you do at home: ធ្វើកិច្ចការផ្ទះ ↩
5. to do (someone) a favor: To do something to help someone: ជួយធ្វើគុណ ↩
6. to take a photo: To use a camera to create a picture: ថតរូប ↩
7. to take a break: To stop working for a short time to relax: សម្រាក ↩
8. to have a good time: To enjoy yourself: កំសាន្ត​ឱ្យ​សប្បាយ

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record_voice_over Pronunciation Focus: Stress in Collocations

In these "verb + noun" collocations, the main stress usually falls on the noun, not the verb. This helps the phrase sound like a single idea.

• make a deCIsion
• do your HOMEwork
• take a PHOto
• have a good TIME

lightbulb Grammar: 'Make' vs. 'Do'

This is one of the most confusing pairs of collocations. Here is a simple rule of thumb.

Use MAKE for Creating or Producing Something

We use 'make' when the result is a new thing that you can see or feel.

• make a cake, make a coffee, make a noise, make a promise, make a mistake³, make a decision²

Use DO for Tasks, Jobs, and Activities

We use 'do' for actions and responsibilities that don't produce a new physical object.

• do homework⁴, do the laundry, do business, do exercise, do a favor⁵, do your best

sports_esports Practice Your Collocations

Activity 1: Choose the Correct Verb

Complete the sentences with the correct verb: make, do, take, or have.

1. Don't ______ a mistake on your exam! (Answer: make)
2. Let's ______ a break; I'm exhausted. (Answer: take)
3. Could you ______ me a favor and help me with this bag? (Answer: do)
4. I need to go to the market to ______ some shopping. (Answer: do)
5. We went to a party last night and we ______ a really good time. (Answer: had)

Activity 2: Describe the Situation

What collocation would you use in these situations?

• You need to choose between studying at a university in Battambang or Phnom Penh. -> You need to make a decision.
• You want to remember a beautiful sunset at the river. -> You should take a photo.

task Your Vocabulary Mission

This week in Battambang, your mission is to think in chunks, not single words.

Listen for collocations in English songs, movies, or conversations. Write down two examples that you hear. Then, write three sentences about your own life using collocations from this lesson.

Example: "I need to do my homework tonight, but first I'm going to take a short break."