English Collocations In Use (Advanced)

inclement weather

unpleasant weather

auburn hair

a variety of red hair, most commonly described as reddish-brown in color or dark ginger

deliriously happy

extremely happy

adjourned meeting

have a pause or rest during a meeting/trial

to and fro

walking in one direction and then in the opposite direction, a repeated number of times

in broad agreement with sb

generally in agreement with them

a broad accent

a strong accent

a broad hint

a strong hint

draw up a list/contract

prepare sth usually official, in writing

pass up a chance/an opportunity

fail to take advantage of

withstand pressure/the impact

bear

opportunity arise

to come into existence or begin to be noticed; happen

standards slip

go into a worse state, often because a lack of control or care

a spate of attacks/thefts

unusually large number happening in close succession

a barrage of questions/insults

unusually large number, happening at the same time

a stroke of luck

sudden, unexpected piece of luck

a snippet of information

small piece of information

idle threat

simply a threat

vain hope

unlikely to be fulfilled hope

mounting concern/criticism/fury

growing concern etc.

simple/plain truth

saying what you think is true even if it offends someone

intensely personal

in a very serious way that shows strong emotions or opinions

stunningly attractive

in a way that is extremely beautiful or attractive

failed miserably

had an amazingly terrible failure, was highly unsuccessful, fell extremely short of what was expected

drives recklessly

showing a lack of care about risks or danger, and acting without thinking about the results of your actions

burst into song

start singing

foam at the mouth

to produce foam from the mouth because of illness or excitement

taking it easy for a while

to relax and avoid hard work or strain

put the past behind you

to forget about what has happened in the past and start your life again

face the challenge of

to have to deal with a challenging situation

gain the respect of

a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements

pending the results

as long as sb achieves successful results

milestone passed

major life event behind sb

turn one's thoughts to

to direct one's attention to : to work on

have a gift for languages

a special ability to do something

make a difference

have a significant effect on a person or situation

provide simultaneous translation

a form of translation in which the interpreter translates into the target language as quickly as possible while the speaker is still speaking in the source language

difficult to pin down

to make someone make a decision or say clearly what they think or what they intend to do

provide entertainment

amusement or diversion provided especially by performers

get the chance of

to have, to get, to receive the opportunity or the occasion

underestimate the value of

estimate (something) to be smaller or less important than it actually is

source of fun

an activity that one engages in for amusement or fun. game

source of amusement

the state or experience of finding something funny

grab a seat

to sit down

simultaneous translation/equation

a set of equations that are all satisfied by the same values of the variables

pending the outcome/results/response

awaiting an outcome (e.g., a decision, a settlement, a conclusion, or a confirmation)

investigating/looking into

conducting an investigation into

to observe or study by close examination and systematic inquiry

dig out info about

find, unearth

probe

seek to uncover information about someone or something

submit/hand in assignments

to submit something by hand

consult/talk to/have a word with sb

to discuss something with somebody in order to get their permission for something, or to help you make a decision

totally awesome

absolutely amazing/fantastic

haven't a clue / the foggiest idea

I have no idea

grab a snack

have a snack

cast light on a situation

help others understand sth more clearly

face (up to) the facts

accept reality

shoulder the blame

take responsibility for sth bad

foot the bill

paying

head a team

lead a project group

keep sb on one's toes

make sb stay active and concentrated

have an eye for

is good at noticing

go hand in hand with

happen at the same time or as a result of

heavy responsibility

designed to do difficult work without breaking

heavy burden

sth heavy to carry or a difficult responsibility to deal with

weighty tome

a book with difficult content

weighty matters/problems

difficult and serious

light reading

reading material that is not serious

light heart

feel carefree and happy

slim chance

there is a chance, but it is small

fat chance

almost no chance

run into difficulties

unexpectedly begin to experience them

hopping mad

extremely angry

walk straight into a job

get a job very easily

jump to the conclusion

judge[s] or decide[s] something without having all the facts

hit the rocks

end

run into trouble

to encounter problems, to face difficulties, to come across trouble

deeply offensive

very/extremely offensive

slightly offensive

a little bit offensive

spotlessly clean

in an extremely clean way

downright rude

completely or extremely: used for emphasizing how bad someone or something is

blatantly obvious

completely obvious, conspicuous, or obtrusive especially in a crass or offensive manner

wildly exaggerated

excessively or inappropriately heightened, inflated, or overstated

dead easy

extremely easy

wildly inaccurate

not exact or accurate; with mistakes

slightly different

small in quantity or extent

mildly surprised

in a gentle way

loosely based on

to develop (something, such as a play or novel) from something else (such as a story or a person's life) in a way that many things are different in each

faintly ridiculous

​slightly; to a small degree

make some suggestions

offer an idea or plan for someone to think about

make a contribution

you're giving something away — whether it's your money, your possessions, or your time

make these arrangements

to organize, plan, or prepare

have a party

coming together as a group to do something

make a habit of

to begin to do something regularly, often without thinking about it

make enemies

cause (someone) to start feeling hostile to one

make attempts to

to try

make an escape

to succeed in escaping

make calculations

to forecast consequences

make room for

move aside or move something aside to allow someone to enter or pass or to clear space for something

make one's acquaintance

to meet someone

make an offer

to say that one will pay a specified amount of money for something