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."

Expressions with Face

Straight Face

When your face shows no emotion, especially when you are trying not to laugh, you keep a straight face.

Don't laugh, try and keep a straight face or she will know you are joking.

His new hairstyle is so awful that I found it hard to keep a straight face.

Lose Face

When you lose face you feel you have lost the respect of others because of something you have done. You feel embarrassed when you lose face.

He didn't understand the lecture but he said he did because he did not want to lose face in front of his classmates.

He lost face when his much younger brother took the test and did better than him.

Long Face

You have a long face when you look sad.

What's happened to James? He has a long face this morning.

"Why the long face?" "I had some bad news."

Egg on your face

You have egg on your face when you get caught doing something wrong. It's an embarrassing situation.

The President had egg on his face after journalists found out he was lying.

The company has egg on its face after its new product turned out to be faulty.

Face it

You face it when you accept the truth, usually about something unpleasant.

Face it, unless we start making a profit soon we will go bankrupt.

I have to face up to the fact that I'm getting too old for nightclubs.

Today is April 22nd - Earth Day

Today's post celebrates Earth Day. Read the text and then do the short comprehension activity. Let's save the planet!

What do people do?
The April 22 Earth Day is usually celebrated with outdoor performances, where individuals or groups perform acts of service to earth. Typical ways of observing Earth Day include planting trees, picking up roadside trash, conducting various programs for recycling and conservation, using recyclable containers for snacks and lunches. Some people are encouraged to sign petitions to governments, calling for stronger or immediate action to stop global warming and to reverse environmental destruction.

Public Life
Earth Day is not a public holiday and public life, with regard to transport schedules and opening hours for schools and businesses, is not affected.

Background
The April 22nd Earth Day, founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, was first organized in 1970 to promote ecology and respect for life on the planet as well as to encourage awareness of the growing problems of air, water and soil pollution.

Symbols
Symbols used by people to describe Earth Day include: an image or drawing of planet earth; a tree, a flower or leaves depicting growth; or the recycling symbol. Colours used for Earth Day include natural colours such as green, brown or blue.

The “Earth Flag”, which was designed by John McConnell, has been described as a “flag for all people”. It features a two-sided dye printed image of the Earth from space on a dark blue field, made from recyclable, weather-resistant polyester.

Activity - Decide whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE

1. A lot of activities take place outside
2. Some people petition their government about ecological problems
3. The celebration of Earth Day began in the 1960s
4. The recycling symbol is not the only image used for Earth Day
5. The "Earth Flag" is made out of blue cotton

The answers

1. True
2. True
3. False. It began in 1970
4. True. 
5. False. It is made of recyclable weather-resistant polyester