Collocations play an important role in sections of the PTE exam, especially Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

That’s why you’d better enhance the PTE collocation list in your practice, which will help you express your ideas fluently and achieve higher scores.

And in this short guide, LUME will share some of the most popular collocations you need to remember.

Let’s check them out.

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Key Takeaways

• There are 2,469 collocation words (fixed phrases in English) in the Academic Collocation List (ACL).
• Candidates can easily optimize their scores in the Reading and Writing sections of the PTE exam by learning collocations.
• Learning collocations requires you to place them in certain contexts, use flashcards, practice frequently, and utilize other beneficial tools.

Related:

• FREE PTE Academic practice tests with answers and AI scoring!
• The only types of PTE exams you need to know
• PTE tips and tricks from high-scorers

What Are Collocation Words?

Collocation words are words used together naturally; native speakers often combine these words to sound correct and natural in daily communication.

In the PTE Academic exams, collocations help optimize your scores in the test sections, particularly Reading. 

Consulting the Academic Collocation List (ACL), there are about 2,469 most frequent collocation words in written academics. This number is based on the PICAE written curricular component, which has a capacity of over 25 million words. 

Why Are They Important in The PTE Test?

When you pocket more and more PTE collocation words, you can:

1. Get your scores better: Many collocations come with specific grammatical structures, so using them correctly will help you get the high points in the Lexical Resource criterion—assessing your ability to use a wide and correct range of vocabularies.
2. Optimize your writing: Collocations make your writing fluent and natural. Examiners will generally appreciate writing that is used flexibly and appropriately.
3. Improve reading comprehension: In the Reading section, there are many collocations, typically filling in the blanks. If you know more and more collocation words, you can exactly understand the meaning of sentences and then find the correct answer easily.
4. Speed up your test: When you’re familiar with collocations, you can immediately think about how to combine words, saving you time on the test.

Where to Get the PTE Academic Collocation List?

Those who are finding a list of collocations for the PTE Academic test can refer to the following sources:

• Pearson’s Academic Collocation List (ACL): This is the most official comprehensive source, compiled by Pearson—the PTE exam organizer. 
• PTE test preparation websites and forums: Many PTE exam preparation websites and forums provide comprehensive collocation lists with examples and exercises, such as PTE Online, PTE Helper, etc.
• PTE books and materials: Some books and materials for the PTE test preparation also include the collocation lists, along with explanations and exercises.

Some Examples Of Common Collocations

A common collocation list that you are looking for:

Verb + Noun

• Make a decision
• Make a mistake
• Make progress
• Make an effort
• Take a rest
• Take a photo
• Take a shower
• Take a risk
• Do the laundry
• Do business
• Do research
• Have a good time
• Have a meal
• Have a problem
• Have a question
• Commit a crime
• Commit a mistake
• Break the news
• Get a job

Adjective + Noun

• Heavy traffic
• Heavy rain
• Heavy workload
• Strong coffee
• Strong evidence
• Hard decision
• Hard work
• Deep sleep
• Deep thought
• Deep feeling
• High prices
• High quality

Noun + Noun

• Common sense
• Common knowledge
• Common language
• Point of view
• Way of life
• Piece of cake
• Desk job

Verb + Adverb

• Speak clearly
• Speak fluently
• Work hard
• Word late
• Work overtime
• Study carefully
• Study abroad
• Eat slowly
• Eat healthily
• Eat out
• Drive carefully

Preposition + Noun

• In trouble
• In love
• In danger
• At work
• At home
• At school
• On time
• On foot
• On the phone
• By accident
• By mistake
• For example
• For sure

How To Remember The Words Effectively

Are learning and remembering collocation words challenging to you? Don’t learn each collocation; instead, you should:

1. Learn in context: Read English books, magazines, or articles to expose different collocations in real-life contexts. It combines with listening to podcasts or watching movies to get used to how native speakers use collocations.
2. Create flashcards: By writing the collocations on one side and meanings with examples on the other, you can both learn and review what you have learned effectively.
3. Write sentence: Write your own sentence with learned collocations to reinforce your knowledge.
4. Review and use regularly: Every day, see and apply previously learned collocations in writing, speaking, or daily communication.
5. Use beneficial tools: There are collocation dictionaries and English-learning apps. In addition to that, you should also join the forums to study with native speakers. 

Conclusion

Those who want to score highly in their PTE Academic exam must be equipped with the PTE collocation list in their preparation.

You can memorize collocations by learning by heart, but it’s best to understand the context and how to use each one.

Adding our tips shared above further ensures that you’ll definitely succeed.

(Read our Vietnamese version here)

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