Collocations for Verbs (IELTS)

• Abandon: attempt, career, child, convention, effort, homestead, hope, idea, pet, policy, principle, proposal, rationality, search, tradition, vehicle, wife

• Absorb: culture, idea, information

• Abuse: alcohol, authority, drug, power, substance

• Accelerate: change, development, growth, pace, rate, speed, trend

• Achieve: aim, effect, feat, goal, growth, objective, purpose, success, target

• Acquire: information, knowledge, opportunity, skill, status

• Address: issue, matter, problem, question, subject

• Admire: courage, quality, skill, view, work

• Adopt: attitude, idea, measure, method, plan, policy, practice, rule, technique

• Affect: behavior, decision, life, outcome, performance, quality

• Allocate: expenditure, fund, money, seat, time, work

• Alter: behavior, fact, life, perception, policy, relationship

• Analyze: behavior, impact, performance, problem, result

• Appreciate: beauty, effort, point, support, value, work

• Attain: degree, goal, objective, position, status, target

• Attract: attention, audience, criticism, effort, interest, investment, support

• Ban: advertising, book, drug, practice, weapon

• Bear: burden, cost, fruit, grudge, hallmark, resemblance, responsibility, similarity

• Boost: confidence, economy, image, income, morale, performance, profit, value

• Break: contract, deadlock, habit, law, promise, record, rule, silence, tradition

• Cancel: agreement, appointment, booking, holiday, meeting, trip, visit

• Catch: attention, breath, bus, cold, disease, eye, fire, flight, glimpse, plane, train

• Cause: accident, change, concern, damage, difficulty, harm, loss, pain, problem, trouble

• Celebrate: achievement, anniversary, birthday, centenary, day, event, festival, holiday, occasion, success, victory, wedding, year

• Challenge: authority, claim, decision, idea, notion, view

• Change: attitude, behavior, direction, face, habit, mind, situation, subject

• Collect: data, evidence, information, rent, tax, thought

• Combat: crime, crisis, disease, drug, inflation, problem, tragedy, terrorism, violence

• Concentrate: effort, attention, energy, mind, power

• Conduct: analysis, business, debate, examination, experiment, inquiry, interview, investigation, meeting, negotiation, orchestra, research, study, survey, test, trial

• Confirm: appointment, booking, existence, view

• Confront: challenge, difficulty, fact, issue, problem, reality, situation

• Consume: alcohol, energy, passion, time

• Control: behavior, money, population, power, supply, temper

• Convey: idea, image, information, language, meaning, message, view

• Create: atmosphere, environment, image, impression, opportunity, wealth

• Curb: attempt, effort, emission, growth

• Cut: budget, cost, hair, job, loss, pay, price, rate, supply, tax

• Damage: brain, career, credibility, economy, environment, health, image, relationship, reputation

• Debate: issue, matter, merit, policy, proposal, subject

• Delay: action, arrival, decision, departure, development, flight, onset

• Deliver: goods, lecture, message, performance, service, speech

• Demonstrate: ability, commitment, importance, need, power, skill

• Deny: access, change, claim, existence, involvement, opportunity, request, right

• Deserve: chance, consideration, mention, place, praise, punishment, respect, support, win

• Destroy: ability, bond, building, ecosystem, forest, hope, industry, life, prospect

• Determine: the amount, extent, nature, outcome, policy, price, rate, value

• Develop: habit, idea, knowledge, plan, policy, skill, taste, technology

• Discuss: idea, issue, matter, possibility, problem, situation, subject, topic

• Dismiss: appeal, application, argument, charge, claim, employee, idea, notion, possibility, reason, suggestion

• Display: collection, information, skill, talent

• Disregard: advice, pain, statement, suffering, warning

• Disrupt: activity, attempt, life, meeting, operation, peace, plan, process, service

• Distract: attention, mind, thought

• Distribute: goods, information, material, power, product

• Earn: credit, degree, income, salary, wage, money, livelihood, place, praise,

• profit, reputation, respect, return

• Ease: burden, crisis, difficulty, fear, grip, mind, pain, plight, pressure, problem, restriction, shortage, strain, tension, worry

• Eliminate: discrimination, gap, habit, need, pest, possibility, problem, risk, use

• Emphasize: contribution, fact, importance, point, role

• Employ: method, people, staff, strategy, system, tactic, technique, worker

• Encounter: difficulty, opposition, problem, resistance, situation

• Enforce: ban, control, law, limit, requirement, rule, standard

• Enhance: ability, appearance, chance, environment, image, performance, prestige, quality, relationship, role, skill, status, value

• Enrich: experience, performance, relationship, life

• Establish: business, creditability, link, network, relationship, reputation, rule

• Examine: effect, evidence, implication, issue, nature, policy, problem, progress

• Exercise: authority, care, choice, control, discretion, influence, judgment, option, power, responsibility, restraint, right, skill

• Exhibit: behaviour, characteristic, degree, level, pattern, property, range, sign, symptom, tendency, variety, work

• Expand: activity, base, business, capacity, horizon, operation, range, scope

• Exploit: advantage, loophole, market, opportunity, position, possibility, potential, power, situation, technology, weakness

• Explore: area, detail, idea, issue, nature, opportunity, option, possibility, potential, relationship, world

• Express: anger, appreciation, belief, concern, disappointment, doubt, emotion, fear, gratitude, interest, opinion, preference, regret, satisfaction, support, sympathy, thanks, thought, view, wish

• Extend: credit, hand, invitation, lead, life, period, plan, system

• Evaluate: evidence, impact, option, performance, policy, position, quality, work

• Facilitate: change, communication, development, exchange, flow, learning, transfer

• Follow: advice, example, footstep, guideline, instruction, lead, path, pattern, procedure, route, rule, track

• Form: basis, company, government, partnership, relationship, society

• Forge: bond, career, friendship, identity, link, partnership, relationship, signature

• Foster: attitude, competition, culture, development, discrimination, relationship, spirit

• Fulfill: aim, ambition, criteria, demand, desire, dream, expectation, need, obligation, potential, requirement, responsibility, role, task

• Gain: acceptance, access, advantage, approval, attention, benefit, confidence, control, currency, degree, experience, ground, impression, independence, information, insight, knowledge, momentum, opportunity, popularity, power, qualification, recognition, reputation, respect, support, understanding

• Gather: crowd, evidence, information, momentum, pace, people

• Generate: cash, demand, electricity, energy, growth, heat, income, interest, job, power, profit, revenue, support

• Guarantee: freedom, future, payment, quality, safety, security, success

• Hamper: ability, effort, plan, search, development

• Handle: affair, business, crisis, issue, matter, problem, situation

• Harness: energy, investment, power, revolution, technology

• Hold: belief, breath, election, exhibition, hope, meeting, position, post, seat, view

• Ignore: advice, evidence, fact, issue, need, problem, protest, question, sign, warning

• Imitate: accent, attitude, custom, sound, style, voice

• Impair: ability, efficiency, function, health, performance

• Implement: ban, change, contract, decision, law, plan, policy, practice, principle, recommendation, reform, strategy, tax

• Impose: ban, burden, constraint, control, deadline, duty, fine, law, limit, punishment, requirement, restraint, restriction, rule, sentence, tax

• Improve: appearance, chance, education, efficiency, effort, environment, facility, health, image, life, performance, productivity, quality, safety, service, situation, skill, standard, system

• Increase: amount, capacity, chance, demand, productivity, profit, rate, risk, sale, share, tax

• Initiate: action, campaign, change, contact, debate, development, discussion, investigation, policy, program, reform, request, research, review, study, talk

• Integrate: approach, policy, service, technology

• Lay: base, emphasis, figure, foundation, groundwork, hand, stress

• Limit: ability, access, choice, growth, unemployment, use

• Lose: altitude, appetite, balance, chance, confidence, grip, hearing, home, hope, interest, job, memory, mind, money, opportunity, sense, sight, speed, temper, voice

• Maintain: balance, contact, control, environment, interest, momentum, position, quality, relationship, standard, status, tradition

• Make: arrangement, attempt, call, change, choice, comment, contribution, decision, difference, distinction, effort, mistake, money, noise, progress, speech, statement, trip

• Match: description, expectation, need, pace, performance

• Meet: challenge, criteria, deadline, demand, friend, goal, need, objective, obligation, requirement, standard, target

• Merit: attention, consideration, mention

• Nurture: child, hatred, ideal, relationship, talent

• Obey: command, instruction, law, obligation, order, parent, rule

• Obtain: advice, benefit, consent, degree, detail, evidence, information, permission, result, service, solution

• Offer: advice, assistance, chance, choice, discount, explanation, help, job, money, opportunity, resistance, service, support

• Offset: advantage, benefit, cost, decline, demand, effect, gain, growth, impact, increase, loss, problem, profit, reduction, revenue, sale, tax

• Oppose: change, idea, law, move, plan, policy, proposal, view

• Overcome: barrier, challenge, crisis, difficulty, fear, hurdle, limitation, obstacle, odds, opposition, prejudice, problem, resistance, shyness

• Overtook: achievement, fact, factor, importance, link, need, point, premise, self-esteem

• Perform: ceremony, dance, duty, experiment, function, job, operation, play, procedure, rite, ritual, role, service, task, test, work

• Place: advertisement, bet, blame, burden, emphasis, importance, limit, order, restriction, strain, trust, value

• Play: card, football, game, golf, match, music, part, piano, role, rule, toy

• Pose: challenge, danger, dilemma, hazard, problem, question, risk, threat

• Possess: ability, characteristic, knowledge, power, quality, skill, strength, wealth

• Predict: behavior, change, future, growth, market, outcome, result, success

• Preserve: balance, character, effort, environment, family, heritage, identity, independence, integrity, life, tradition, unity, value

• Prohibit: act, activity, discrimination, drinking, gambling, smoking, substance, abuse, use

• Promote: change, development, education, effort, growth, health, idea, policy, welfare

• Protect: children, copyright, environment, law, privacy, property, public, right, species

• Provide: answer, assistance, basis, care, clue, detail, evidence, example, explanation, help, incentive, information, insight, opportunity, protection, service, support

• Provoke: action, anger, backlash, controversy, criticism, debate, discussion, interest, opposition, outcry, protest, reaction, response, thought, violence, war

• Pursue: aim, argument, career, end, goal, idea, interest, issue, matter, objective, question, study

• Raise: awareness, child, concern, doubt, family, flag, fund, hand, head, hope, issue, matter, money, possibility, price, problem, question, rate, standard, subject, tax, voice

• Reach: adolescence, age, agreement, compromise, conclusion, consensus, decision, end, final, goal, level, limit, peak, point, stage, standard, target

• Receive: approval, attention, benefit, call, education, gift, information, invitation, letter, message, payment, publicity, reply, support, treatment

• Recognize: benefit, fact, flaw, importance, need, problem, right, role, value, voice

• Reduce: budget, chance, cost, debt, demand, effort, emission, need, pollution, risk, tax, tension, value

• Reform: character, criminal, economy, law, plan, regulation, system

• Reject: appeal, application, argument, bid, claim, idea, notion, offer, plan, proposal, request, suggestion, view

• Relieve: anxiety, boredom, burden, duty, monotony, pain, poverty, pressure, problem, responsibility, stress, symptom, tedium, tension

• Remove: barrier, obstacle, restriction, rule, stain

• Repair: belief, car, damage, dwelling, injury, make-up

• Repeat: behavior, habit, history, mistake, pattern, procedure, question, success

• Replace: battery, car, staff, system, tire

• Resist: change, idea, impulse, pressure, temptation, urge, will

• Resolve: ambiguity, conflict, contradiction, crisis, difference, difficulty-, dilemma, dispute, issue, matter, problem, question, situation, tension

• Respect: decision, law, privacy, view, wish

• Restore: balance, building, confidence, control, faith, glory, health, life, order, peace, position, power, pride, reputation, sight

• Retain: atmosphere, character, control, dignity, employee, grip, identity, independence, interest, position, post, power, right, status, title

• Reverse: change, decision, decline, direction, order, policy, role, situation, trend

• Review: decision, evidence, option, policy, progress, situation, study, work

• Satisfy: appetite, condition, criteria, curiosity, customer, demand, desire, hunger, need, requirement, taste, test

• Set: agenda, date, example, fire, goal, limit, objective, pace, precedent, price, record, scene, sight, stage, standard, target, task, tone

• Share: belief, blame, concern, experience, house, idea, information, interest, life, responsibility, room, sense, view

• Shift: attention, balance, blame, burden, demand, emphasis, focus, gear, ground, position, power, responsibility

• Solve: crime, crisis, difficulty, issue, problem, puzzle, question, riddle

• Spend: afternoon, amount, day, evening, fortune, hour, life, money, month, morning, night, time, week, weekend, year

• Spoil: appetite, chance, child, choice, day, fun, view

• Stimulate: ability, activity, brain, demand, development, economy, growth, hormone, industry, interest, investment, research

• Strengthen: ability, argument, bond, commitment, control, effort, family, force, law, link, muscle, position, power, presence, relationship, role, squad, tie

• Supply: electricity, energy, equipment, food, gas, goods, information, material, power, product, service, water

• Support: claim, effort, family, hypothesis, idea, plan, proposal, view

• Suppress: anger, attempt, drug, effort, emotion, evidence, rebellion, smile, truth, uprising, urge

• Suspend: action, decision, duty, flight, license, operation, order, payment, sentence

• Sustain: ability, conscience, damage, effort, growth, interest, level, life, population

• Take: action, approach, breath, chance, job, lead, opportunity, photograph, responsibility, risk, role, step, turn, view

• Teach: child, class, course, language, lesson, skill, student, subject, technique

• Transfer: benefit, data, fund, information, ownership, responsibility

• Transform: city, country, economy, face, image, landscape, life, opinion, situation

• Trigger: action, change, debate, event, problem, reaction, response, war

• Understand: idea, meaning, nature, need, problem, process, reason

• Undergo: change, course, development, examination, experience, operation, period, procedure, process, revolution, surgery, test, training, transformation, treatment, trial

• Undertake: action, analysis, development, duty, exercise, initiative, investigation, operation, program, project, research, responsibility, study, survey, task, training

• Utilize: assistance, power, resource, service, talent, time

• Win: battle, championship, competition, contest, contract, heart, majority, match, prize, race, scholarship, support, title, tournament

• Withdraw: candidacy, cash, decision, money, service, support