PTE Collocation List
Master PTE collocations to boost your vocabulary, fluency, and score in the PTE Academic test.
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What is a collocation?
A collocation is a pair of two or more words that often go together. The native English speakers who are using collocations all the time while communicating are able to recognize the right pairing of the words. On the other hand, there are some combinations which may be unnatural and may sound "wrong". Look at these examples:
| natural English combination | unnatural English... |
|---|---|
| have a party have a meal | do a party take a meal |
| make a decision | take a decision do a decision |
What is a PTE Collocation List?
Collocations are vital to improving your English. It also has an important function in the PTE Academic test, particularly in the Reading section.
The PTE Academic Collocation List (ACL) contains more than 2400 key collocations to assist you in enhancing your English language skills. The modest but fair number of phrases in the ACL relieves the pressure on test takers and assists them in developing their English collocations better.
Why learn collocations?
The language seems to be more natural and is easily understandable.
- The language will have a deep expression when right paring is done.
It is a simplified version which our brains are able to memorize and process language as a blocks or chunks and not as individual words.
Why Are PTE Collocations Important for the PTE Test?
Most students find Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks and Reading Fill in the Blanks challenging because they do not have a good grasp of common expressions in a given context.
Collocations are said to be one of the "golden keys" to assist you in answering Fill in the Blanks questions more easily.
It also significantly enhances your essay writing ability and constructs answers to forms answers to Summarise Spoken Text questions better.
Types of collocation
The combination of Noun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Conjunction, Preposition are helpful in creating the different types of collocations but the most commonly used types are:
| Combination | Examples |
| adverb + adjective | happily married, bitterly cold, deeply ashamed |
| adjective + noun | severe pain, green grass, handsome boy |
| noun + noun | a pang of nostalgia, effects of pollution, variety of emotions |
| noun + verb | lions roar, dog barks, technology advances |
| verb + noun | make a decision, make impression, give access |
| verb + expression with preposition | refer to, associate with, beware of |
| verb + adverb | move slowly, whispered softly, drive carefully |
List of Common PTE Collocation Words
This is the list of PTE collocation words which you can learn by heart with their meanings. It will make you pass the PTE exam.
| Academic Achievement | Military Force | Reduce Emissions |
| Academic Measurement | Modified Version | Reduce Stress |
| Academic Record | Municipal Government | Related Factor |
| Academic Skills | National Interest | Related Topic |
| Academic Year | National Movement | Relevant Factors |
| Actively Involved | Natural Science | Reliable Information |
| Additional Problem | Negative Attitude | Report Findings |
| Alternative Solution | Newly Created | Research Effort |
| Appropriate Action | Next Decade | Ruling Class |
| Appropriate Language | Objective Reality | Rural Society |
| Basic Component | Obvious Point | Scientific Theory |
| Become ( The ) Focus | Opinion Leader | Seek Help |
| Become Involved | Organizational Structure | Set ( An ) Objective |
| Become the Focus | Overall Level | Set an Objective |
| Brief Notes | Paid Employment | Sexual Behaviour |
| Broad Category | Particularly Sensitive | Show Evidence |
| Careful Attention | Particularly Useful | Significant Amount |
| Carry Out Research | Personal Experience | Significant Interaction |
| Central Role | Personal Responsibility | Significant Relationship |
| Characteristic Feature | Physical Symptom | Similar Situation |
| Classic Example | Place Emphasis | Single Entity |
| Immediate Environment | Political Culture | Single Variable |
| Imported Goods | Political Identity | Social Attitudes |
| Increased Production | Political Science | Social Construct |
| Increasing Emphasis | Political Stability | Social Isolation |
| Indigenous Population | Poorly Understood | Social Phenomenon |
| Individual Component | Positive Impact | Socioeconomic Status |
| Industrialized Country | Positive View | Sovereign State |
| Information Processing | Powerful Force | Specific Function |
| Intellectual Property | Practical Difficulties | Specific Needs |
| Internal Conflict | Present Evidence | Statistical Data |
| Intimate Relationship | Previous Decade | Statistically Significant |
| Introductory Text | Primarily Responsible | Strong Reaction |
| Key Points | Primary Education | Strongly Correlated |
| Key Source | Prime Time | Subsequent Work |
| Large Percentage | Principal Source | Substantially Different |
| Learning Objective | Prior Experience | Take On ( The ) Role |
| Legal Basis | Private Sector | Take On the Role |
| Likely Outcome | Professional Activity | Take Precedence |
| Limited Range | Prominent Member | Technological Innovation |
| Local Authority | Promote the Development | Theoretical Analysis |
| Logical Approach | Proposed Legislation | Top Management |
| Low/Er Frequency | Prove Successful | Traditional Form |
| Lowe Frequency | Provide ( A ) Source | Undertake Work |
| Main Characteristics | Provide Insight | Use ( A ) Method |
| Major Cause | Public Domain | Use A Method |
| Major Decision | Public Perception | Use Effectively |
| Make ( A ) Judgement | Qualitative Approach | Vary Greatly |
| Make a Judgement | Quantitative Analysis | Visual Media |
| Make Arrangements | Raise Awareness | Vital Role |
| Make Policy | Random Variable | Widely Different |
| Maximum Duration | Receive Information | Widespread Acceptance |
| Metropolitan Area | Recent Survey | Written Comment |
How to learn collocations
- Awareness of collocations, help you recognize them when you hear or read it or visualize it.
- When you encounter any new word, write down the list of words which collocate with it. For example: significant impact, significant improvement, significant increase or decrease, significant growth, significant change.
Second example: the words which can be collocated with academic are:
academic career, academic qualification, academic concept, academic consensus, academic study, academic world, academic life, academic performance, academic skills - Reading has always been considered the best way to learn vocabulary and be familiar with the collocations, the people who read are naturally good in vocabulary and collocations.
- Collocations must be treated as single blocks of language. It should be considered as individual blocks or chunks while having an impression of the pair of words in your mind, for instance traffic jam not traffic + jam.
- Revise the task, practice as much as you can. Practice individually, practice in group, practice online. All these exercises will make you perfect in the language.
- Dictionary, Online tutorials are helpful in learning the pairing of new words every day.
Tips for memorizing PTE collocations words
Students usually struggle with collocations due to numerous reasons. Most notably, they usually translate word by word from their mother language.
No more worry! These best tips can help you learn collocation efficiently:
• Read frequently: Read everything in sight. Pay attention to the combination of words in phrases and expressions. Note and go through them in case of need.
• Use flashcards: Create flashcards with collocations and their meanings. Go through them repeatedly until you can recall them.
• Use collocations in various situations: Rather than memorizing collocations, implement them in various situations while writing English and interacting on a day-to-day basis. Hence, you can remember them more and for a longer time.
• Observe native speakers: Listen or observe how they implement collocations via TV programs, films, and podcasts.
• Practice, practice, practice: The more collocations you use, the better you can understand and implement them correctly.
Where can you obtain the PTE collocation list?
You can access the official PTE website to download the complete collocation list for your PTE exam preparation activities.
There are two files:
• Academic Collocation List (PDF)
• Academic Collocation List (.xls)
You can download one of the two or both. Easiest for you to note down or include more collocations.
Advantages of Using Collocation Words in PTE Exam
As far as you understand that collocation words have an important role to play in writing and speaking PTE marks distribution. Now we tell you, in what manners it can help you:
Increases Overall Score
In the first place, as you apply natural collocation words to all of the sections within different locations, the overall PTE exam score increases.
Confidence Build Up
Secondly, the PTE collocations make you more confident when they construct your coherence and fluency. Additionally, you are at ease with your words and how you are presenting them.
Enhances Time Management
Thirdly, when you use natural collocations, you have more time to think. Therefore, practicing the PTE collocation list can be highly rewarding to enhance your vocabulary.
These are some of the different advantages of applying collocation words in the PTE exam. Let us now discuss some of the different ways you can memorize the PTE collocation list and the meaning of the words.
