USEFUL COLLOCATIONS IN IELTS SPEAKING

Collocations Meanings

1 make it arrive or get a result

2 bone up on to learn

3 do away with end/ terminate

4 end up become eventual

to learn the details of something, or discover how it

5 figure out
works

accept something less satisfactory because theres

6 make do with
no alternative

7 goof off to waste time or avoid work

do my best
make an effort
8 C gng ht mnh
make every effort
give it my best shot

9 make of understand or have an opinion

10 worn out exhaust/ tire

say nothing usually because you are embarrassed or

11 clam up
nervous

12 on impulse unplanned

13 put up with tolerate

14 once in a blue moon very rarely, almost never, not often

15 in no time immediately

16 out of date out of fashion

17 hand (something) in submit

18 get away with (something) do something without being noticed or punished

19 keep up with continue at the same rate

20 end up to become eventually; turn out to be

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21 fall behind to fail to keep up a place; lag behind

22 drop out quit a class, school, university etc

23 look back on think about st that happened in the past

24 put forward suggest or state the case for st

25 catch up with reach the same level

26 pull out of to stop being a part of st

27 on the go busy

28 work flat out work very hard

29 up-market fashionable

30 chill out relax

31 the in thing fashionable, popular

32 at the height of fashion fashionable, prevalent

33 up-to-the-minute the most recent

34 off the top of my head without thinking

35 run of the mill average, typical

36 mouth-watering delicious, appetizing

37 eye-opening experience enlightening or unexpected experience

38 in high spirits happy

39 bump into meet

40 over the moon really happy

41 have a chin-wag have a chat, have a chilly talk

42 give a hand help

43 the wee hours after midnight, very early in the morning

44 make a fuss over overly care for someone/st

45 early bird someone who gets up early

46 to be in seventh heaven to be extremely happy

2
 describes a place far away from any towns and
47 (in) the middle of nowhere
cities and where few people live

every difficult or sad situation has a comforting or

48 every cloud has a silver lining more hopeful aspect even though this may not be
immediately apparent

49 hustle and bustle busy and noisy activities

50 not a cat in hells chance no chance at all

51 an arm and a leg very expensive

52 golden opportunity an excellent chance

53 chip on his shoulder feeling inferior or having a grievance about st

54 jumping the gun doing or starting st too early

someone who is lively and attractive, in a clean,

55 fresh as a daisy
fresh way

spending too much time on the internet or watching

56 couch potato
TV

57 full of beans a person who is lively, active and healthy

58 a bad egg someone who is untrustworthy

59 down to earth someone who is practical and realistic

a peron who is gloomy, and having no fun at a

60 party pooper
social gathering

61 eager beaver a person who is hard working and enthusiastic

its your decision or responsibility to do something

62 ball in your court
now

63 get a second wind have a burst of energy after tiring

64 on the ball ready and able

count something on the

65 say that something is really scare
fingers of one hand

66 manage to do something succeed in doing something

67 call to action st that encourages so to take a particular action

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68 launch a product introduce a new product

time during the viewing shcedule when most people

69 prime time
watch TV

advertise a product by using it as a prop in a TV

70 product replacement
show

71 target audience people the company wants to sell the product

recommendations made by individuals to others

72 word of mouth
about a product

a book which is so good that you cannot stop

73 page turner
reading

74 catch the latest resources read materials that have just come out

75 flick through look quickly through a book

76 read between the lines understand the hidden meaning about st

77 breathing taking view amazing view

78 chater flight cheap regular flight

79 far off destination distant place

80 go off the beaten track visit uncommon place

81 out of season not within the main holiday period

82 places of interest memorable places

83 near and dear to someone very important to someone

84 strike up start doing st

85 eat like a horse eat a lot

86 fall behind with studies progress less quickly than others

87 pass with flying colours pass easily and with excellent result

88 be under threat be in danger of becoming extinct

89 action-packed full of action

90 browse websites search for websites

91 social butterfly extrovert person who loves to socialize

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92 dark horse little known about the person

93 bad egg untruthful

a person with a lot of power and influence in an

94 big cheese
organization

95 happy-go-lucky cheerful and carefree all the time

96 have a heart of gold very kind and considerate

97 worrywart worried constantly and excessively

98 mover and shaker active person who helps company make progress

99 get in touch with contact someone

100 near and dear to someone very important to someone

101 have a shoulder to cry on be ready to listen to problems

102 be through thick and thin have some good times and difficult times together

103 be well-matched be similar in interests

104 get on like a house on fire become friends quickly

105 get on well with have good relationship with

106 get to know someone become acquainted with

107 in high places in powerful position in business or government

108 hit it off with someone quickly become close friends with sb

love someone to the moon and

109 love someone/ something more than anything
back

110 be up to neck to be very busy

111 take after resemble (a parent or ancestor)

112 two sides of the same coin very closely related although they seem different

good friends who get in trouble together or get each

113 partners in crime
other in trouble

114 with flying colours successfully

115 learn st the hard way learn st by experience

116 public spaces areas in a town or city that are open to the public

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117 shopping centre an area consisting of multiple shops

118 shopping malls large indoor shopping centres

119 traffic congestion traffic jam = gridlock

120 heart of the city

121 high rise

122 stand out to be prominent, of interest

to be really uncomfortable or irritable with a

123 stressed out
situation, person, or thing

124 the buzz a lively atmosphere

125 up a storm do something with an enthusiastic spirit

126 bring sth up start talking about a subject

127 cheer up become happier

128 end up eventually reach/do/decide

to take a holiday to escape a busy or stressful

129 to get away from it all
lifestyle

130 to see eye to eye to agree on a subject

to enter a place quickly, in a happy and carefree

131 breeze in
manner

132 to come highly recommended to be praised by another person

133 at the end of a day in the end, finally

count on the fingers of one

134 express st is scare
hand

135 be crazy about like st very much

leave sb a profound
136 have a deep impression in sbs heart
impression

come into trouble

137 have difficulty
get into trouble

138 be ones cup of tea something you enjoy

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139 be keen on be interested in

140 get off the beaten track visit an uncommon place

in a place that is far away from where most people

141 in the middle of nowhere
live

142 secluded place ni ho lnh

143 eye-opening experience enlightening/unexpected experience

144 get into enjoy

145 get a kick out of really enjoy something

146 broke up slit up, to separate from your partner

147 kill time spend time to avoid boredom

148 read up on to know st. by reading

149 be fanatical about say m

150 freeze over to become completely covered by ice

151 holiday of a lifetime a special holiday that you are unlikely to repeat

152 tourist trap somewhere where too many tourists go

153 short break a short holiday

154 youth hostel a cheap form of accommodation

155 self - catering t tc

156 count st on the fingers say that something is really scare

157 start from scratch start from the very first part

158 in a row continuosly

159 piece of cake easy, not require much effort

160 put all your eggs in one basket make every effort to do st.

161 boot up start a computer

162 bookmark a webpage mark a webpage for future reference

163 throw a party hold/arrange a party

164 be proud of

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165 hold a strong yearning ao c mt cch mnh lit

166 be excited about

leave someone a profound

167
impression

168 be the apple of ones eyes

169 fall in love with

170 pump up the crowd get people excited about a game/event

171 give up = quit stop doing something

172 lift someone up make someone feel better

be involved in a concentrated way so that you forget

173 be caught up
everything around you

174 out of this world wonderful and exciting

175 pique someones interest arouse curiosity

work things out

176 find a solution
figure out

177 thorny very difficult

178 be engrossed in completely focus on st

179 be a big reader someone who reads a lot

180 be heavy-doing be difficult to read

181 read st from cover to cover read a book from the first page to the last

182 take out borrow a book from a library

hotly debated issue

183 a hot potato
hot topic