Usenet Posted 18 years ago
Learning
Help with collocations, please
This fine morning I'm working on the e-learning project on studies skills for Doctoral students I've been commissioned to develop. I'm writing about how a knowledge of collocations is essential to develop academic writing skills, and I'm putting together a table of examples. (Collocations are words which commonly hang out with each other in phrases which form accepted blocks of meaning. In this context I'm looking especially at collocations with adjectives and adverbs).
This is what I've got so far:
adverb + adjective
abundantly clear
adjective + noun
colossal explosion
substantial reduction
pleasant environment
admirable gesture
sound investment
fantastic opportunity
high quality
unmitigated disaster
heavy rain
deep sleep
strong denial
noun + adjective
proof positive
verb + adverb
rain heavily
sleep deeply
deny strongly
adverb + verb
richly deserve
Then a moment ago I posted a reply with the words, 'I stand corrected', which is verb+adjective and reminiscent of the recent and regular 'why is it "he looks sad" and not "he looks sadly"?' thread, but please lets not go there. (1)
Anyway, I'd be very grateful if I could sample auers', aeurs' and melees' suggestions for further inclusion in the four lists. The things I've got so far are OK, but none of them sound as though they might have come from a piece of academic writing, and that's the sort of example I'm after.
If anyone is interested, there's a rock paper about this stuff here:
DC (1) Please.
This is what I've got so far:
adverb + adjective
abundantly clear
adjective + noun
colossal explosion
substantial reduction
pleasant environment
admirable gesture
sound investment
fantastic opportunity
high quality
unmitigated disaster
heavy rain
deep sleep
strong denial
noun + adjective
proof positive
verb + adverb
rain heavily
sleep deeply
deny strongly
adverb + verb
richly deserve
Then a moment ago I posted a reply with the words, 'I stand corrected', which is verb+adjective and reminiscent of the recent and regular 'why is it "he looks sad" and not "he looks sadly"?' thread, but please lets not go there. (1)
Anyway, I'd be very grateful if I could sample auers', aeurs' and melees' suggestions for further inclusion in the four lists. The things I've got so far are OK, but none of them sound as though they might have come from a piece of academic writing, and that's the sort of example I'm after.
If anyone is interested, there's a rock paper about this stuff here:
DC (1) Please.
Top answer
[nq:1]This fine morning I'm working on the e-learning project on studies skills for Doctoral students I've been commissioned to develop. pleasant environment admirable gesture sound investmentsound reasoning fantastic opportunity high quality unmitigated disaster heavy rain deep sleep strong denialheady days[/nq] drab vocabulary stuffed shirt [nq:1]noun + adjective proof positive verb + adverb rain heavily sleep deeply deny strongly adverb + verb richly deservefoolishly consider ... of example I'm after.
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[nq:1]This fine morning I'm working on the e-learning project on studies skills for Doctoral students I've been commissioned to develop. ... pleasant environment admirable gesture sound investmentsound reasoning fantastic opportunity high quality unmitigated disaster heavy rain deep sleep strong denialheady days[/nq]
drab vocabulary
stuffed shirt
[nq:1]noun + adjective proof positive v
drab vocabulary
stuffed shirt
[nq:1]noun + adjective proof positive v
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[nq:2]This fine morning I'm working on the e-learning project on ... interested, there's a rock paper about this stuff here: http://tinyurl.com/6zgfrz[/nq]
The draft defines the topic as
[nq:1]This paper aims to show the relevance of phraseology to an understandingof non-native speaker Academic Writing, an approach tha
The draft defines the topic as
[nq:1]This paper aims to show the relevance of phraseology to an understandingof non-native speaker Academic Writing, an approach tha
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[nq:1]This fine morning I'm working on the e-learning project on studies skills for Doctoral students I've been commissioned to develop. ... as though they might have come from a piece of academic writing, and that's the sort of example I'm after.[/nq]
acid test
acid test
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[nq:2]This fine morning I'm working on the e-learning project on ... context I'm looking especially at collocations with adjectives and adverbs).[/nq]
[nq:2]Anyway, I'd be very grateful if I could sample auers', ... academic writing, and that's the sort of example I'm after.[/nq]
[nq:1]acid test[/nq]
foregone conclusion
[nq:2]Anyway, I'd be very grateful if I could sample auers', ... academic writing, and that's the sort of example I'm after.[/nq]
[nq:1]acid test[/nq]
foregone conclusion
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[nq:1]This fine morning I'm working on the e-learning project on studies skills for Doctoral students I've been commissioned to develop. ... as though they might have come from a piece of academic writing, and that's the sort of example I'm after.[/nq]
Reaching for the topmost paper on my "To read" pile I find:
highly relevant
wide diversity
active market
seminal study
Reaching for the topmost paper on my "To read" pile I find:
highly relevant
wide diversity
active market
seminal study
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[nq:2]This fine morning I'm working on the e-learning project on ... academic writing, and that's the sort of example I'm after.[/nq]
[nq:1]acid testIs that a litmus test?[/nq]
I was going to add: foregone conclusion
T.
[nq:1]acid testIs that a litmus test?[/nq]
I was going to add: foregone conclusion
T.
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[nq:2]acid test[/nq]
[nq:1]Is that a litmus test?[/nq]
See http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acid%20test , where it will tell you that an acid test is a severe or crucial test, and that the term was first attested in 1912.
But the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary says t
[nq:1]Is that a litmus test?[/nq]
See http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acid%20test , where it will tell you that an acid test is a severe or crucial test, and that the term was first attested in 1912.
But the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary says t
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[nq:1]adverb + adjective[/nq]
sick and tired
Bill Cosby: And tired always followed sick. Worst beating I ever got in my life, my mother said, "Well I am just sick," and I said "And tired." I don't remember anything after that.
sick and tired
Bill Cosby: And tired always followed sick. Worst beating I ever got in my life, my mother said, "Well I am just sick," and I said "And tired." I don't remember anything after that.
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Nasti J filted:
[nq:2]adverb + adjective[/nq]
[nq:1]sick and tired Bill Cosby: And tired always followed sick. Worst beating I ever got in my life, my mother said, "Well I am just sick," and I said "And tired." I don't remember anything after that.[/nq]
They're the opposites, contrarespectively, of "hale" and "hearty"..r
What good is being an executive if you never get to exec
[nq:2]adverb + adjective[/nq]
[nq:1]sick and tired Bill Cosby: And tired always followed sick. Worst beating I ever got in my life, my mother said, "Well I am just sick," and I said "And tired." I don't remember anything after that.[/nq]
They're the opposites, contrarespectively, of "hale" and "hearty"..r
What good is being an executive if you never get to exec
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[nq:1]Nasti J filted:[/nq]
[nq:2]sick and tired Bill Cosby: And tired always followed sick. ... I said "And tired." I don't remember anything after that.[/nq]
[nq:1]They're the opposites, contrarespectively, of "hale" and "hearty"..r[/nq]
True, but the colloquial phrase actually means something like "disgusted" or "fed up".
"I'm sick and tired of your leaving the toilet seat up."
[nq:2]sick and tired Bill Cosby: And tired always followed sick. ... I said "And tired." I don't remember anything after that.[/nq]
[nq:1]They're the opposites, contrarespectively, of "hale" and "hearty"..r[/nq]
True, but the colloquial phrase actually means something like "disgusted" or "fed up".
"I'm sick and tired of your leaving the toilet seat up."
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