Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (8 of 12)

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.

Planet Earth encounters many problems.

2.

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

3.

It takes thousands of years for the radiation to disappear.

4.

This can slow down the speed of climate change.

5.

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

6.

Fukushima had the most famous nuclear accident.

7.

The Japanese fear re-opening their nuclear power plants.

8.

Nuclear energy avoids air pollution damage.

Answers to Collocation 7 of 12

1.

All the factors have to be solved.

All the factors have to be addressed.

2.

We need to prevent the environment from potential danger.

We need to protect the environment from potential danger.

3.

The speed of climate decline is increasing.

The speed of climate change is increasing.

4.

The forest in the Amazon needs immediate remedial work.

The forest in the Amazons needs immediate remedial action.

But changing the structure of the sentence would be better. For example …

        Amazonian deforestation requires immediate remedial actions.

        Immediate remedial actions needs to be done in response to this deforestation.

5.

Space missions are vastly important.

Space missions are extremely important.

‘Vastly’ relates to size or quantity. Countries can have vastly different cultures. The hotel can be vastly improved. We can see the vast expanses of the African plains, above which there is a vast number of stars.

6.

An asteroid strike put dinosaurs to extinction.

An asteroid strike rendered the dinosaurs extinct.

An asteroid strike resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

7.

If an asteroid is going to hit the earth, the other problems become useless.

If an asteroid is going to hit the earth, the other problems become irrelevant.

8.

Space is a mysterious area.

Space is a mysterious environment.

‘Area’ is for smaller and more defined things – the area in front of my apartment, or next to that chair, for example.

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