Bạn sẽ thấy ví dụ về cách sử dụng những cụm từ này để nói về các chủ đề quen thuộc trong kỳ thi IELTS speaking. Hãy xem các bài tập ở cuối để kiểm tra hiểu biết của bạn! Bạn cũng có thể tải hướng dẫn này dưới dạng tệp PDF miễn phí để sử dụng.

What are collocations?

Những cụm từ ghép (collocations) là sự kết hợp của hai hoặc nhiều từ thường xuất hiện cùng nhau. Một số từ có thể kết hợp với nhiều từ khác, ví dụ: "broad" có thể được sử dụng để tạo ra các cụm từ ghép như "a broad smile" (nụ cười rộng), "a broad range" (phạm vi rộng) hoặc "a broad accent" (giọng điệu rộng). Tuy nhiên, một số từ chỉ xuất hiện trong một hoặc hai cụm từ ghép, ví dụ: "mindless violence" (bạo lực không có lý do).

Các từ có thể kết hợp với nhiều từ khác được gọi là cụm từ ghép yếu (weak collocations). Các từ chỉ kết hợp với một hoặc hai từ khác được gọi là cụm từ ghép mạnh (strong collocations). Sử dụng các biểu ngữ như thế này có thể giúp bạn cải thiện phạm vi từ vựng và tăng độ chính xác. Học các cụm từ ghép thông dụng trong tiếng Anh có thể giúp bạn nghe có vẻ "bản xứ" hơn trong kỳ thi IELTS Speaking của bạn.

30 useful collocations for IELTS speaking

You may be familiar with adjective + noun collocations, such as a big mistake or heavy rain. However, collocations are formed from many different word combinations, for example: a verb with a noun (make a speech) or an adverb with an adjective (extremely successful).

The collocations listed here are all commonly used in everyday speech. The table divides the collocations list into four different types: verb + noun, adjective + noun, noun + noun and adverb + adjective.

Each collocation is given with a definition and an example sentence. In section three, you will see how you can use collocations in a real IELTS Speaking exam.

30 collocations with definitions and examples

• Fashion victim – a person who wears fashionable clothes even if they look silly
  Have you seen what Steve is wearing? What a fashion victim!
• Find a solution – to find a way of solving a problem
  Tom hasn’t found a solution to our budgeting issue yet – he is organising a board meeting to discuss it later this week.
• Food miles – the distance food has to travel from where it is produced to where it is eaten
  If you grow some of your own vegetables, you can decrease your food miles dramatically.
• Formal education – the time in your life when you are educated at school or university
  My grandfather left school when he was 14, so his formal education was quite short.
• Full marks – to score 100% in a test
  Sarah looks very happy today. Yes, she got full marks in her maths test!
• Go on a diet – to eat in a way that will cause you to lose weight
  After Christmas I am going on a diet – I have put on so much weight during lockdown!
• Heavy workload – to have a job where you have a lot of work to do
  His new job is great, but he has a really heavy workload at the moment.
• Keep in shape – to take good care of your body and not get fat
  He looks fit. Yes, he keeps himself in shape by going to the gym every day.
• Make a living – earn enough money to live on
  In the 90s, my father made a living working in the hospitality industry.
• Mature student – a student who is older than the average age of others
  It was fine being a mature student, but most friends I made at uni were younger than me.
• Newly qualified – having recently completed your training for a job
  Jim doesn’t have much experience yet. He is a newly qualified lawyer.
• Overcome a hurdle – to manage to resolve a problem
  I had to overcome many hurdles on my way to becoming a qualified teacher.
• Personality trait – particular aspects of someone’s personality
  Ryan has some very positive personality traits. He is intelligent, caring and loyal.
• Slightly different – not exactly the same
  That hat is a slightly different colour to your dress.
• Special occasion – a time when a particular event is celebrated
  I think I will save this party dress for a special occasion.
• Spend a fortune – to spend a lot of money
  Maggie spent a fortune on her new car!
• Stunningly attractive – very good looking
  If you look at these old photos, my grandmother was a stunningly attractive woman.
• Surprise party – a party held for a person who does not know about it
  Jeff’s colleagues organised a surprise party for his 31^st birthday.
• Throw a party – to organise a party
  When I was a kid, we used to throw a party every Halloween.
• Value for money – something is worth the money you spend on it
  That coat was really good value for money.
• Watch what you eat – to follow a diet in order to lose weightI’m watching what I eat at the moment – I need to lose a few pounds.