Lesson 5 · Lesson guide
Collocations for Education
Hello, my dear student!
Hello! In the last lesson you learned precise words for education. Today we learn which words they go with.
“Make knowledge”, “catch a deadline”, “high education”: every word is English, and the meaning is clear, but no native speaker would say them. Examiners notice at once. The band 7 descriptor for Lexical Resource mentions “awareness of style and collocation”, and band 6 says students “attempt to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy”. Accurate collocations are what move you from one to the other.
You will practise verb + noun pairs (acquire knowledge, meet a deadline), adjective + noun pairs (higher education, rote learning) and longer phrases for essays (place emphasis on, keep pace with). Learn them as chunks, not as single words.
See you in the exercises,Your teacher
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Verb + noun
The verb is where most collocation mistakes happen. Learn the verb with its noun.
Knowledge and skills
acquire / gain knowledge, develop skills
Not make knowledge or do skills.
- Students acquire knowledge through reading and discussion.
- Group projects help students develop teamwork skills.
Work and exams
meet a deadline, submit an assignment, sit an exam
You meet or miss a deadline, submit or hand in work, sit or take an exam, and pass or fail it.
- I always try to meet my deadlines.
- She sat four exams in one week.
Qualifications
gain / obtain qualifications, pursue a degree
Not make a qualification or make a degree.
- Adults return to college to gain new qualifications.
- He is pursuing a degree in law.
Remember!
Write new words in your notebook as pairs: “meet a deadline”, never just “deadline”.
Adjective + noun
Some of these look strange if you translate them. Learn them as fixed pairs.
Systems
higher education, compulsory education, lifelong learning
Higher education = university level (not high education).
- Access to higher education has widened.
Ways of learning
rote learning, critical thinking, hands-on experience
Rote learning = memorising without understanding. Hands-on = practical, by doing.
- Too much rote learning can discourage critical thinking.
Students
a heavy workload, a steep learning curve, mature students
A steep learning curve = a lot to learn very quickly. Mature students = adults who start studying later.
- The first year was a steep learning curve.
Phrases for Task 2
Tap to hear them. Each one replaces a simpler, less precise phrase.
place emphasis on exam results
instead of: think exams are very important
equip students with practical skills
instead of: give students skills
keep pace with technological change
instead of: change as fast as technology
bridge the gap between theory and practice
instead of: connect theory and practice
raise educational standards
raise (not rise) standards
fall behind their classmates
not keep up
Mistakes I correct every day
Not: Students can make a lot of knowledge online.Say: Students can acquire a lot of knowledge online.
acquire / gain knowledge.
Not: It is hard to catch every deadline.Say: It is hard to meet every deadline.
meet a deadline.
Not: Governments should invest more in high education.Say: Governments should invest more in higher education.
higher education = university level.
Not: Schools must rise their standards.Say: Schools must raise their standards.
raise + object; rise has no object.
Check yourself
Which verb? ___ a deadline
Learning by memorising, without understanding =
Correct it: The course broadened my horizon.
Now it’s your turn!
8 short parts, each a little harder than the one before. Take your time: mistakes are how we learn.
— Your teacher