"First published 2008"--Title page verso.

Includes index.

"Collocations are combinations of words which frequently appear together. This book provides explanations and practice of English collocations for advanced-level (C1-C2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities.
Increase your knowledge of collocations and how to use them, with easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
Learn collocations in context, with lots of different topics, including 'Social English', 'Marketing' and 'Writing essays, assignments and reports'.
Be confident about what you are learning, thanks to Cambridge research into how English is really spoken and written.
Be better prepared for English exams such as IELTS and Cambridge English Advanced and Proficiency, which often test knowledge of collocations.
Get better at studying by yourself, with study tips, follow-up activities and an easy to use answer key." (Book Cover)

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Using this book

Learning about collocations
1. What is a collocation? -- 2. Strong, fixed and weak collocations - 3. Grammatical categories of collocation -- 4. Finding and working on collocations in texts -- 5. Register

Varieties of collocations
6. Metaphor (foot the bill, heavy burden, run into trouble)
7. Intensifying and softening adverbs (deeply offensive, spotlessly clean, wildly inaccurate)
8. Make and verbs that mean make (make a contribution, make a habit of, turn a profit)
9. Communicating (generally speaking, talk business, get a message across)
10. Collocations with phrasal verbs (take up office, work up an appetite, see off an intruder)

Topics: work and study 11. Working life (make a living, take up a post, move up the ladder)
12. New employment (fit the job description, land a new job, menial tasks)
13. Thoughts and ideas (bear in mind, widespread belief, jump to conclusions)
14. Business reports (fierce competition, stimulate growth, hike in prices)
15. Marketing (consumer demands. product development, market share)
16. Customer services
17. Student life
18. Writing essays, assignments and reports

Topics: leisure and lifestyle
19. Social life (call for a celebration, social whirl, play host to)
20. Talking (juicy gossip, broach the subject, opening gambit)
21. In the news (declare independence, reach agreement, bow to pressure)
22. Current affairs (refuse point-blank, decline to comment, gauge reaction)
23. Festivals and celebrations (date back to, movable feast, propose a toast)
24. Cosmetics and fashion (flawless complexion, set the trend, fashion victim)
25. Commuting (traffic gridlock, rail network, lengthy tailbacks)
26. Travel and adventure (get itchy feet, off the beaten track, leg of the journey)
27. Sport (keep in shape, reach fever pitch, score an own goal)
28. Plans and decisions (toy with an idea, tentative suggestion, deciding factor)
29. Film and book reviews (star-studded cast, glowing reviews, hold one's attention)

Topics: the modern world
30. Regulations and authority (minimise danger, grant permission, faceless bureaucrats)
31. The environment (dump waste, searing heat, offset carbon emissions)
32. Town and country life (back of beyond, rural idyll, urban regeneration)
33. Personal finance (clear one's debts, agreed credit limit, identity theft)
34. The economy (curb inflation, safeguard one's interests, plummeting profits)

35. Social issues (antisocial behaviour, dysfunctional family, unfit for human habitation)
36. Science and technology (harness technology, cutting-edge design, Wi-Fi hotspots)
37. Health and medicine (build up resistance, adverse reaction, shake off a cold)
38. Criminal justice (custodial sentences, trumped-up charges, beyond reasonable doubt
39. War and peace (deploy troops, pre-emptive strike, collateral damage)

Topics: people
40. Friendship (lifelong friends, platonic relationship, moral support)
41. Youth and age (child prodigy, go through a midlife crisis, senior moment)
42. Celebrities and heroes (lavish lifestyle, meteoric rise to fame, heap prise on)
43. Negative opinions about people (bone idle, poison the atmosphere, nasty piece of work)
44. References (act as a referee, accumulate experience, financial acumen)
45. Personality and behaviour (stubborn streak, boundless energy, act one's age)

Basic concepts
46. Space and time (cramped conditions, waste of space, go down in history)
47. Sound (husky voice, incessant noise, let out a cry)
48. Making things easier (viable options, simplicity itself, take the easy way out)
49. Difficulty (sever blow, hinder progress, encounter difficulty)
50. Quantity and size (finite number, endless supply, unknown quantity)
51. Change (sweeping changes, would make a change, sudden shift)

Functions
52. Stopping and starting (bring a halt to, close off a street, dispel rumours)
53. Cause and effect (root cause, provoke an outcry, dire consequences)
54. Describing groups and amounts (swarm of bees, flurry of activity, stroke of genius)
55. Comparing and contrasting (bear little resemblance to, polar opposites, draw a comparison between)
56. Making an effort (give it one's best shot, abortive attempt, hard slog)
57. Social English (not lose any sleep, to be brutally honest, be on the go)
58. Discussing issues (make a commitment, give a straight answer, miss the point)
59. Negative situations and feelings (nasty shock, take exception to, suffer at the hands of)
60. Positive situations and feelings (sense of achievement, state of euphoria, derive pleasure from)

Key

Index