Words that go together

Why ... ?

Answer the following questions with a partner:

• Why were you born as you, in this country, to your parents and not someone else, somewhere else to other parents?

• Why does the sun rise in the east?

• Why does water boil at 100 degrees?

• Why do people continue to vote for politicians who promise everything and deliver nothing?

• Wny does nodding your head mean yes and shaking your head mean no?

• Why are some people really lucky and others really unlucky?

How easy was it to answer these questions?

Whose partner came up with the best explanation to any of these questions?

All of the questions have some kind of rational explanation that makes sense. If we are super curious about any of them, it's fairly easy to use AI to get to the bottom of these problems.

However, in most cases, the answer, "That's just the way it is," is probably enough (especially if you're the one doing the answering and your child is the one doing the asking.)

The same goes for language rules. While many languages rules follow certain learnable patterns and formulas (conditionals, reported speech, tenses etc), many aspects of language simply are the way they are.

A classic example of this is gerunds and infinitives. Some verbs (promise / want / would like / hope) are followed by an infinitive, while others (enjoy / suggest / admit / regret) are followed by a gerund. Why? That's just the way it is!

work with a partner.

how many aspects of english can you think of where the rule is 'that's just the way it is'?

your list

Let's start with some dependent prepositions

After Verbs

Answers:

1. He apologized ___ the policeman ___ driving fast.

2. We're arriving ___ Milan on Sunday.

3. We're arriving ___ Malpensa airport at 3.45.

4. Who does this book belong ___?

5. I never argue ___ my husband ___ money.

6. Could you ask the waiter ___ the bill?

7. Do you believe ___ ghosts?

8. I can't choose ___ these two bags.

9. We might go out. It depends ___ the weather.

10. I dreamt ___ my childhood last night.

11. Don't laugh ___ me! I'm doing my best!

12. I'm really looking forward ___ the party.

13. If I pay ___ the meal, can you get the drinks?

14. This music reminds me ___ our honeymoon in Italy.

15. I don't spend a lot of money ___ clothes.

After Adjectives

Answers:

1. My brother is afraid ___ bats.

2. She's really angry ___ her boyfriend ___ last night.

3. I've never been good ___ sport.

4. Eat your vegetables.

5. They're good ___ you.

6. I'm very close ___ my elder sister.

7. This exercise isn't very different ___ the last one.

8. We're really excited ___ going to Brazil.

9. I'm fed up ___ listening to you complaining.

10. Krakow is famous ___ its main square.

11. My sister is very interested ___ astrology.

12. I'm very fond ___ my little nephew. He's adorable.

13. She's very keen ___ cycling. She does about 50 km every weekend.

14. I don't like people who aren't kind ___ animals.

15. She used to be married ___ a pop star.

16. I'm really pleased ___ my new motorbike.

17. My dad was very proud ___ learning to ski.

18. Why are you always rude ___ waiters and shop assistants?

19. Rachel is worried ___ losing her job.

20. I'm tired ___ walking. Let's stop and have a rest.

Activation

Make guesses about your partner by completing the following:

1. You hate arguing about ...

2. You sometimes find it difficult to choose between _____ and ______

3. You're really looking forward to ...

4. You sometimes worry that you're spending too much money on _______

5. You think that .... is great for your mental health

6. You're not very good at ...

7. You're tired of ...

8. You're never rude to ...

Now let's move on to collocating verbs

Complete the sentences with a form of do / make / take / get / have

1. I always ______ a cup of coffee before I start work in the morning.

2. Can you ______ me a favour and help me move this table?

3. I need to ______ some exercise because I've been sitting at my desk all day.

4. My phone battery was dead, so I couldn't ______ any photos during the concert.

5. If you don't understand the question, you should ______ some advice from your teacher.

6. We usually ______ the shopping on Saturday afternoons.

7. I accidentally ______ a mistake in the final paragraph of my report.

8. How long does it usually ______ you to get ready in the morning?

9. I'm trying to ______ better at speaking English.

10. Before making a decision, it's important to ______ a closer look at all the options.

11. After working for ten hours, I finally ______ a break.

12. I need to ______ my homework before I can go out this evening.

13. It's difficult to ______ progress if you don't practise regularly.

14. She always ______ notes while she's listening to lectures.

15. I think you should ______ in touch with your old classmates.

And some more verbs. Let's do this one together

1. ____ attention to something — focus on something

2. ____ attention to something — make people notice something

3. ____ someone a hand — help someone

4. ____ an eye on something — watch something carefully

5. ____ a bus / a train to a place — use a bus / train as a mode of transport

6. ____ your temper — become angry

7. ____ an issue — mention or introduce a problem

8. ____ a goal — decide what you want to achieve

9. ____ a decision / compromise — decide/ compromise on something after thinking for a while

10. ____ a promise — fail to do what you promised (also: keep a promise / go back on a promise)

More advanced

Now take a look at these lesser-known expressions. What's the missing verb in each one (make / do / take / get / have)? Can you explain the meaning of them?

1. ______ the most of an opportunity

2. ______ your own back on someone

3. ______ a change of heart

4. ______ the plunge

5. ______ the trick

6. ______ the hang of something

7. ______ a mountain out of a molehill

8. ______ a blast

9. ______ yourself a disservice

10. ______ cold feet

11. ______ a bone to pick with someone

12.  ______ advantage of an opportunity

13. ______ up for lost time

14. ______ someone under your wing

15. ______ your act together

Answers

1. Make the most of an opportunity — use something in the best or most effective way possible.

2. Get your own back on someone — take revenge on someone who has treated you badly.

3. Have a change of heart — change your opinion or feelings about something.

4. Take the plunge — decide to do something important or risky after thinking about it for a long time.

5. Do the trick — be successful in solving a problem or achieving the desired result.

6. Get the hang of something — learn how to do something after some practice.

7. Make a mountain out of a molehill — treat a small problem as if it were very serious.

8. Have a blast — have a very enjoyable and exciting time.

9. Do yourself a disservice — do something that harms your own interests.

10. Get cold feet — become nervous and lose confidence before doing something important.

11. Have a bone to pick with someone — have a reason to complain to someone.

12. Take advantage of an opportunity — use a situation to benefit from it.

13. Make up for lost time — work quickly to compensate for time that has been wasted.

14. Take someone under your wing — help and guide someone who is less experienced.

15. Get your act together — start behaving in a more organised and effective way.

Now take a look at some adjective / noun combinations. In many cases, both adjectives are workable. Students at C2 level are expected to have mastery of idiomatic use of language, i.e. they should feel the ones that simple sound better. Which would you go with here?

It's smooth / soft sailing from here.

He's a serious / heavy drinker.

She has a bright / vivid imagination.

They have a bitter / sour rivalry.

He gave me some sound / valid advice.

It was a narrow / slim escape.

She's under intense / extreme pressure at work.

We had a heated / hot argument.

He has a sharp / pointed sense of humour.

That's a blatant / clear lie.

The company suffered a severe / meaningful setback.

She has a sharp / keen interest in politics.

They reached a mutual / shared agreement.

He has a glowing / shining reputation.

It was a powerful / huge relief.

Finally, let's end with some animal phrasal verbs. Yes, this categorically actually exists!

Choose the correct animal for each one:

pig / wolf / turtle / rat / chicken / horse / weasel / snake / swan / rabbit

1. to _____ on smb - to betray smb by informing the authorities of smb's actions

2. to _____ your way out of smth - to avoid an obligation in an insincere way

3. to _____ about - to walk around as if you are super important or special

4. to _____ smth down - to eat smth very quickly / hungrily

5. to _____ out - to eat a large amount of comfort food

6. to _____ around - to joke about smth / to talk about smth in an unserious

7. to _____ on about smth - to talk about smth for much longer than necessary

8. to _____ around - to move secretly / suspiciously

9. to _____ out - to refuse to do smth you'd agreed to because you're too scared

10. to _____ up - to stop communicating openly about smth

Reflection

Many students worry about dependent prepositions. Do you ever notice yourself struggling to choose the correct one? Does it interrupt the flow of your speech?

A similar problem occurs with delexical verbs. Some students prefer structures with a more semantic meaning (e.g. instead of 'keep in touch with smb', they may use 'continue to communicate with smb'. This sometimes leads to language sounding a bit unnatural. Is that a problem?

English (like all other language) has an insane depth when it comes to idiomatic stuff (have a bone to pick with smb). Do L2 users need this stuff? (There are justifications for yes and no here)

Does your language have similar expressions to the animal phrasal verbs? Were there any that you particularly liked from today's class?