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Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (9 of 12)

It's been quite a while since my last post, actually. I have been busy lately, preparing and doing a seminar at the IDP Education Exhibition (last Sunday), and I've had a few health issues [bad back]. Again, here's the next post of the current 'collocation' series.

Remember, collocation is the key to getting a higher IELTS Writing and Speaking score, but it is not easy. Students often do not collocate words very well (which is why they don’t receive IELTS 7 or 8). To have ‘a sense of collocation’ (= IELTS 7), you need to have some familiarity with English. So, start reading all my pixnet posts, and getting this familiarity, right?

 

In the meantime, the following exercises will help.

 

Time to Practice

Can you ‘fix’ the following sentences by changing (or removing) the underlined word? There may be different ways to answer this. The answers will be in the next 'collocation' post.

 

1.

We must take attention on people’s mental health.

 

2.

This prevents people from making crime.

 

3.

Deaths reduce when gun control measures are conducted.

 

4.

Guns can kill widely.

 

5.

The earth is under the risk of being hit by comets.

 

6.

The movie won a great reputation.

 

7.

Goverments spend too much on discovering space.

 

8.

Abandoned satellites would flow in space.

 

Answers to Collocation 8 of 12

 

1.

Planet Earth encounters many problems.

Planet Earth is facing many problems.

 

‘Encounter’ is more for sudden things. You encounter a friend on the street, and (quickly forming) problems in life. Earth’s problems have been developing for a long time.

 

2.

When the nuclear waste can is broken, radiation will escape.

When the nuclear waste container is broken, radiation will escape.

 

3.

It takes thousands of years for the radiation to disappear.

It takes thousands of years for the radiation to dissipate.

 

4.

This can slow down the speed of climate change.

This can mitigate climate change.

 

There was nothing wrong with the first sentence, but ‘mitigate’ is more concise, less used, and more accurate, so it improves your IELTS vocabulary score.

 

5.

Taiwan shut down the electricity for a time due to not having enough power.

Taiwan had black-outs due to power shortages.

 

Again, the first sentence gives the meaning clearly enough, but the second is more concise and accurate, with better word-use, which obviously improves your IELTS vocabulary score.

 

6.

Fukushima had the most famous nuclear accident.

Fukushima had the most infamous/notorious nuclear accident.

 

This has happened before. ‘Famous’ is for positive things; ‘infamous/notorious’ is being famous for negative things. Michael Jackson is famous; Jack the Ripper is infamous/notorious.

 

7.

The Japanese fear re-opening their nuclear power plants.

The Japanese are reluctant to re-commission/re-start their nuclear power plants.

 

Once again, the first sentence gives the meaning clearly enough, but the second better for the same reasons as Sentences 5 and 6.

 

8.

Nuclear energy avoids air pollution damage.

Nuclear energy reduces air pollution

 

 

By the way, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

 

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