What is a collocation in English?

A collocation is a pair or group of words that people habitually use together, such as make a decision, heavy rain or pay attention. The words sound natural together even when a synonym would be grammatically possible.

Is there an official PTE collocation list?

Pearson publishes the Academic Collocation List as a teacher resource. It contains 2,469 collocations compiled from a corpus of academic writing. Pearson does not say that exam items are drawn from it, so treat it as general vocabulary practice.

Where can I download the Academic Collocation List?

You can download the list as a PDF or a spreadsheet from Pearson's teacher page for the Academic Collocation List. We link to Pearson's page and do not host a copy.

How many collocations should I learn for PTE?

Pearson does not give a target number. Learning five to ten pairs a week and using them in your practice answers is more useful than memorising a long list in one sitting.

PTE collocation list kaise padhein? (How should I study a PTE collocation list?)

In English: study one topic a day, write five pairs with your own example sentence for each, read the pairs aloud, and review them weekly by covering the second word. Use the pairs in Reading and Writing practice rather than only reading the list.

PTE ke liye collocations kyun important hain? (Why are collocations important for PTE?)

In English: natural word pairs help you choose the right option in Reading fill-in-the-blanks and make your writing and speaking sound more natural. Pearson's scoring guide lists vocabulary criteria for speaking and writing tasks.

Are the collocations on this page the ones used in the exam?

No. The pairs and example sentences on this page were written for learning. We do not know which words Pearson uses in its exam items, and we do not present any list as real or predicted exam content.

Can I download a free PTE collocation PDF?

Pearson's official Academic Collocation List is available as a free download from Pearson's teacher page. Many other sites offer collocation PDFs that are not official, so check the source before you rely on one.

Collocation List for PTE: 36 Pairs with Examples and Quiz

Q: Does PTE have a collocation question type?

No. PTE has no separate collocation item. Collocation knowledge helps most in the two Fill in the Blanks item types in the Reading section, where the right option usually forms a natural pair with the words around the gap.

The best collocation list for PTE is Pearson's own Academic Collocation List, a free teacher resource with 2,469 entries that you can download as a PDF or view as a spreadsheet from Pearson's page. Collocations are word pairs used together as a habit, such as "heavy rain" or "make a decision". Because 2,469 entries is a lot to start with, this page gives you 36 original pairs grouped by topic, each with a sentence we wrote ourselves, a table of common mistakes, and a quiz with an answer key.

What is a collocation?

A collocation is two or more words that regularly appear together. Often one of the words is hard to swap for a synonym without sounding wrong. You can say "heavy rain" but not "strong rain" in most contexts, and you "make a decision" rather than "do a decision". The examples below show the pattern.

Sounds unnatural	Natural collocation
make homework	do homework
make a research	carry out research
strong rain	heavy rain
give attention	pay attention
say an opinion	express an opinion
make a photo	take a photo

Why collocations matter for PTE

Pearson's official guide describes two Fill in the Blanks item types in the Reading section, and in both you choose words from a set of options. Usually only one option forms a natural pair with the words around the gap, so knowing collocations helps you narrow the choices quickly. Pearson's scoring guide for the speaking and writing tasks also lists vocabulary criteria, including vocabulary range, so varied and accurate word pairs help your writing and speaking.

PTE has no separate "collocation" question type, and Pearson does not say that its items are drawn from any particular word list. Treat this page as a general vocabulary tool, not a list of exam content.

Common collocation patterns

Most collocations follow a few patterns. Spotting the pattern helps you learn groups of pairs instead of single items.

Pattern	Examples
Verb + noun	make a decision, pay attention, draw a conclusion
Adjective + noun	heavy traffic, sharp increase, renewable energy
Noun + noun	climate change, public health, economic growth
Verb + preposition	suffer from, depend on, focus on

Collocations by topic

Each table has six pairs. The example sentences are original and written for this page.

Education

Collocation	Example sentence
raise awareness	The campaign aims to raise awareness of mental health among students.
meet the requirements	Applicants must meet the minimum entry requirements.
carry out research	The team will carry out research over two years.
attend a lecture	Most first-year students attend a lecture every morning.
award a scholarship	The university awarded a scholarship to three applicants.
submit an assignment	Please submit your assignment before midnight on Friday.

Environment

Collocation	Example sentence
reduce emissions	Factories were asked to reduce emissions by 20 percent.
protect wildlife	New rules protect wildlife in the national park.
tackle deforestation	Several countries have joined efforts to tackle deforestation.
renewable energy	Solar panels are one form of renewable energy.
climate change	Climate change is affecting farming patterns across the region.
deplete natural resources	Overfishing can deplete natural resources quickly.

Economy and work

Collocation	Example sentence
launch a product	The company plans to launch a product in Asia next spring.
raise funds	The startup hopes to raise funds from private investors.
fill a vacancy	The school hopes to fill the vacancy before term begins.
economic growth	Economic growth slowed in the second quarter.
face competition	Local shops face strong competition from online retailers.
meet a deadline	The team met the deadline despite several delays.

Health

Collocation	Example sentence
take medication	Patients should take medication exactly as prescribed.
suffer from	Many older adults suffer from joint pain.
make a recovery	She made a full recovery after two weeks in hospital.
undergo surgery	He will undergo surgery next week.
public health	Public health officials issued a warning about the flu.
a balanced diet	A balanced diet includes fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

Technology and research

Collocation	Example sentence
conduct a survey	Researchers conducted a survey of 500 households.
collect data	The team collected data over six months.
draw conclusions	It is too early to draw conclusions from one study.
access to the internet	Many rural schools lack reliable access to the internet.
develop software	The company develops software for hospitals.
analyse the results	We analysed the results using statistical software.

Society and government

Collocation	Example sentence
introduce legislation	The minister introduced legislation on housing.
cast a vote	Citizens cast their votes at local polling stations.
address concerns	The mayor addressed concerns about traffic congestion.
reach an agreement	The two sides reached an agreement after six hours of talks.
heavy traffic	Heavy traffic delays buses during the morning rush hour.
have a significant impact	The policy had a significant impact on household spending.

Mistakes learners often make

Some errors come from translating word by word, and some are common in informal speech. Use the right-hand column in written answers.

Avoid	Use instead	Note
do a mistake	make a mistake	"Do" is used for tasks, such as "do homework".
discuss about the topic	discuss the topic	"Discuss" takes no preposition.
I am having a doubt	I have a doubt	"Have" describes a state and is not used in the continuous form here.
make a photo	take a photo	Common in some Indian English usage.
give an exam	take an exam	"Give" is used in some regional English; "take" is the standard form.
take a decision	make a decision	Both appear in British English, but "make" is the more common pair.

Practice quiz

Choose the word that forms the standard collocation. The answers and a short reason are in the next section.

The study found that ____ rain caused flooding in three districts. (A) heavy (B) thick (C) deep
Researchers hope the new drug will ____ a significant effect on blood pressure. (A) make (B) have (C) do
The government must ____ measures to reduce air pollution. (A) take (B) make (C) do
Students who ____ attention in class tend to remember more. (A) pay (B) do (C) make
The firm was forced to ____ for bankruptcy last year. (A) file (B) make (C) do
Doctors advise patients to ____ a healthy diet. (A) follow (B) make (C) take
The team needs more data before it can ____ a conclusion. (A) draw (B) do (C) pay
The data show a ____ increase in online sales. (A) sharp (B) deep (C) thick

Answer key

Item	Answer	Why
1	A, heavy	"Heavy rain" is the standard pair. "Thick" and "deep" do not describe rainfall.
2	B, have	We "have an effect" on something. "Make" and "do" do not fit.
3	A, take	"Take measures" is the set phrase.
4	A, pay	"Pay attention" is the usual form.
5	A, file	"File for bankruptcy" is the usual form.
6	A, follow	"Follow a diet" means to keep to one.
7	A, draw	"Draw a conclusion" is the usual form.
8	A, sharp	"Sharp increase" is the usual form. "Deep" and "thick" are not used this way.

How to practise collocations

Pick one topic a day and write five pairs in a notebook, with your own sentence for each.
Read each sentence aloud once. Saying the whole pair helps it stick better than memorising the words alone.
Use the pairs in your practice answers. In Reading fill-in-the-blanks, try the pairs before you check the options.
Review your notebook once a week and cover the second word to test yourself.

You can practise the Reading item types on our Reading fill-in-the-blanks practice page. For writing, the Summarize written text practice and the essay practice give you space to use new pairs in context. Our practice hubs list every task type.

Official resource

Pearson describes the Academic Collocation List as a resource for teachers. It has 2,469 collocations compiled from the written curricular part of the Pearson International Corpus of Academic English, which contains over 25 million words. You can download it as a PDF or a spreadsheet from the Pearson teacher page. We do not host a copy here.

The PDF is also a good source for a daily routine: pick one word you met in practice, look it up in the list to find other pairs with it, and write your own sentences. For the current structure of the exam and how each task is scored, see our PTE exam pattern guide and the PTE preparation guide. Writing practice is collected on the writing practice hub.