Chapter: 15. Bienvenue À Puducherry
Word Wonder: Exploring Collocations
This section is all about collocations! Think of collocations as words that just love to be together. They sound natural and “right” when used side-by-side, even if other words might technically fit. For example, we say “strong coffee,” but not usually “powerful coffee,” even though “strong” and “powerful” can sometimes mean similar things.
Why are collocations important? Learning them helps you sound more natural and fluent when you speak or write English. Strong vs. Weak Collocations: Strong collocations are like best friends – they almost always appear together (e.g., “heavy rain,” “make a mistake”). You wouldn’t usually say “big rain” or “do a mistake.” Weak collocations are more like friendly acquaintances – a word can go with many other words (e.g., “very happy,” “quite happy,” “extremely happy”). Noun-Verb Collocations: The chapter specifically mentions these! This is when a certain verb (an action word) naturally goes with a certain noun (a naming word). For example, we “answer the door” (verb + noun), not “reply the door.” We “pay attention” (verb + noun), not “give attention” (though “give attention to” can also be used, “pay attention” is a strong collocation). When you do the exercises, try to feel which words sound most natural together.
A. Fill in the blanks with words from the box to form the most common collocations. Then, make sentences with the expressions you get.
Sentence: After dinner, I helped my mom wash the dishes. Sentence: It’s okay to make a mistake sometimes, as long as you learn from it. Sentence: Before we mop, we always sweep the floor to remove dust. fluff the bed (or ‘make the bed’ is also a common collocation for tidying, but ‘fluff’ fits the remaining words better here for a specific action related to beds) Sentence: I like to fluff the bed pillows every morning. Sentence: Please pay attention to the safety instructions before the roller coaster ride. Sentence: On sunny days, we like to hang the laundry outside to dry. Sentence: Every evening, my brother walks the dog in the park. Sentence: My chore for Saturday is to dust the furniture in the living room. B. Choose the correct verbs to fill in the blanks.
I think you _______ a mistake by purchasing this bicycle. (made/played) Please _______ an eye on my kids till I return. (maintain/keep) Could you please _______ a picture of mine? (throw/take) You never _______ my advice seriously. (borrow/take) I try to _______ money every month. (save/drive) 
Word Wonder - Textbook