If you’re preparing for the PTE Reading section, you’ve probably realised that it’s not just about understanding individual words but about how they work together. One of the most important things to master is collocations—word combinations that sound natural to native speakers.
In this article, we’ll explore what collocations are, why they matter, and how you can tackle PTE Reading tasks involving collocations with confidence.
What Are Collocations?
Simply put, collocations are pairs or groups of words that are commonly used together. English speakers often rely on certain word combinations that sound natural. Take a look at these examples:
- Make a decision
- Take a break
- Heavy rain
- Fast food
- Do a favour
These word combinations don’t just happen by chance; they’re familiar to us because they’re often used in everyday conversations and writing. In the context of PTE, understanding collocations is key to choosing the right word when faced with a blank in a passage.
Why Collocations Matter in PTE Reading
Knowing collocations is a game-changer for the PTE Reading section. Here’s why:
1. Improves Reading Comprehension
Collocations help you grasp the meaning of a passage faster. When you’re reading, familiar word combinations will help you understand the context of the sentence and predict what comes next.
2. Increases Word Recognition
Recognising collocations can make you quicker at spotting correct answers. For example, when you see the phrase “take responsibility,” you’ll immediately know that “take” is the correct verb choice, even without reading the full sentence.
3. Boosts Accuracy
Using the right collocation is often a matter of sounding natural. In PTE, using an incorrect word can make your answer feel awkward or out of place. Collocations help you avoid these pitfalls, ensuring that your choices fit seamlessly within the text.
How Collocations Appear in the PTE Reading Section
In the PTE Reading section, you’ll encounter several tasks that assess your knowledge of collocations. One common type is the Fill in the Blanks question, where you’ll be given a passage with missing words and a list of options to choose from.
For example, the sentence might look like this:
“She decided to __________ her studies and take a break.”
The options could include:
- pursue
- make
- continue
The correct answer is “continue,” because “continue her studies” is the common collocation. Even though “pursue” and “make” might seem reasonable, they don’t form the typical phrase in this context.
How to Approach Collocation Questions in PTE
Here’s how you can approach Fill in the Blanks tasks involving collocations:
1. Look for Contextual Clues
The words before and after the blank will often give you hints. If you see words like “strong,” you might expect a noun like “opinion” or “belief,” both of which are common collocations. Similarly, “quick” might be paired with “decision,” “meal,” or “shower.”
2. Follow Grammar Rules
Even though collocations often follow natural patterns, grammar rules still apply. Make sure that your choice fits grammatically with the sentence. For instance, a verb in the sentence might require a noun in a specific form, so ensure they agree in number, tense, and structure.
3. Eliminate the Unlikely Choices
If you come across words that don’t commonly go together, cross them off. For example, “do a mistake” doesn’t sound right. It should be “make a mistake” because “make” is the correct verb in this common collocation.
4. Practice with Different Sentences
The more collocations you see in context, the better you’ll become at choosing the right ones. Read articles, books, and newspapers to get a feel for how collocations work in real-life scenarios.
Common Collocations You Need to Know for PTE Reading
You’ll come across a wide variety of collocations in the PTE. Here are some of the most common ones:
- Make a decision
- Take responsibility
- Have an impact
- Give advice
- Do a favour
- Break the news
- Make progress
- Get a promotion
- Raise awareness
- Feel pressure
Familiarising yourself with these will help you spot the correct choices when you’re faced with a drop-down list of options in the exam.
Strategies to Improve Your Collocation Skills
Now that you know why collocations are so important, let’s dive into some strategies that can help you improve your knowledge and increase your chances of success in the PTE Reading section:
1. Read Regularly
One of the best ways to improve your collocation knowledge is to read. Books, newspapers, and online articles are full of natural collocations. As you read, pay attention to which words tend to show up together. Try to memorise a few new collocations every day and use them in your own writing or speaking.
2. Practice with Flashcards
Create flashcards for different collocations. On one side, write the first word of a collocation (e.g. “make”), and on the other side, write the common collocations associated with it (e.g. “make a decision,” “make progress,” “make an effort”). Review these flashcards regularly to build your familiarity.
3. Learn from Mistakes
When you get a collocation question wrong in practice, don’t just move on. Take time to understand why the correct answer works and why the other options don’t. This will help you build a stronger understanding of how collocations function.
4. Use Online Resources
There are plenty of online resources, including dictionaries and collocation apps, that can help you learn common word pairs. You can also find practice tests that are specifically focused on collocations for the PTE.
5. Listen to Native Speakers
Listening to native speakers will give you a sense of how collocations are used in everyday conversation. You can watch movies, listen to podcasts, or even follow along with news broadcasts to improve your listening skills and reinforce collocations.
Final Thoughts
Mastering collocations is one of the best ways to excel in the PTE Reading section. These word combinations will not only help you answer questions more quickly and accurately, but they’ll also make your language sound more natural.
The key to success is practice. The more familiar you are with common collocations, the easier it will be to identify them when you encounter them in the test. Remember, collocations aren’t just about memorising word pairs—they’re about using language in a way that sounds natural and fluent. So, keep practising, and you’ll soon find yourself breezing through those PTE Reading tasks with confidence.
Happy studying, and best of luck in your PTE preparation!