Collocation in English

As you learn English, it's very important to develop an understanding of words that are regularly used together. Words that go together are called collocations. Knowing them will make your English sound more natural.

Here are some collocations with the verb take.

Choose the best collocation in these sentences. If you make a mistake, don't worry. Just remember it and don't repeat it.

1) Who was that ___ man you were talking to?
handsome
pretty

2) Drive carefully, the road gets ___ soon.
thin
narrow

3) There are some ___ mountains outside the town.
low
short

4) I work in a ___ building.
tall
long

5) The company is hoping to ___ a profit this year.
make
take

6) They've ___ their decision.
changed
moved

7) ___ a photo of him.
Make
Take

8) What does he ___ for a living?
make
have
do

9) She got a ___ education in London.
well
good

10) Do I have time to take a ___ shower?
quick
fast

The answers 

1 = handsome, 2 = narrow, 3 = low, 4 = tall, 5 = make

6 = changed, 7 = take, 8 = do, 9 = good, 10 = quick

5 Heat Idioms

It's heating up (the weather is getting warmer) here in Spain.

Did you know that to heat up is also used to describe a situation that is becoming intense, or angry:

"The conversation started to heat up so I decided to leave."

Here are five other heat related expressions.

Take the heat

If you can take the heat you can take criticism and handle stressful situations.

"Don't worry, if the project fails and the boss gets angry, I'll take the heat for us."

A dead heat

A dead heat is when there is no single winner - two or more participants tie for first place.

"The horse race finished in a dead heat."

In the heat of the moment

When you do or say something in the heat of the moment, it is because you are too angry or excited to think properly.

"She was so angry that in the heat of the moment she threw her pen at me! She apologised and we laughed about it later."

The heat is on

When the heat is on, a situation is becoming more difficult and busy.

"There are only 5 more days until the election, so the heat is on."

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

If the pressure is too much for you, stop. It is used when someone is not good at dealing with stressful situations.

"Being President is a hard job and if you can't stand the heat, you should get out of the kitchen."