50 Essential English Collocations Every SPM Student Should Know

What Are Collocations?

Collocations are words that naturally go together in English. Native speakers don’t say “do a mistake” — they say “make a mistake.” They don’t say “strong rain” — they say “heavy rain.” The individual words are correct, but the combination sounds wrong if you use the wrong pairing.

For SPM, knowing common collocations helps in two ways:

1. Grammar and cloze passages: You’ll recognise the correct word combination instantly
2. Essay writing: Your writing sounds more natural and fluent, which pushes your band up

Make vs Do — The Most Confusing Pair

Use MAKE for creating or producing

• make a decision
• make a mistake
• make an effort
• make progress
• make a suggestion
• make a complaint
• make arrangements
• make a difference
• make an impression
• make an excuse

Use DO for actions or tasks

• do homework
• do research
• do your best
• do a favour
• do the dishes
• do exercise
• do business
• do damage
• do an experiment
• do well / badly

Memory trick: “Make” usually creates something new (make a cake, make a plan). “Do” usually involves completing a task (do the work, do the laundry).

50 Collocations Organised by Category

Academic and School

1. pay attention — “Please pay attention during class.”
2. take notes — “I always take notes during lectures.”
3. pass an exam — “She studied hard and passed the exam.”
4. fail an exam — “He failed the exam because he didn’t study.”
5. do well in — “She did well in her SPM English.”
6. meet a deadline — “Submit your essay to meet the deadline.”
7. gain knowledge — “Reading helps you gain knowledge.”
8. raise a question — “She raised an important question in class.”

Time and Activities

9. save time — “Using a plan saves time during exams.”
10. waste time — “Don’t waste time on social media before exams.”
11. spend time — “Spend time practising essay writing.”
12. take turns — “Let’s take turns presenting our answers.”
13. take a break — “Take a break every hour when studying.”
14. keep a record — “Keep a record of new vocabulary.”

Feelings and Opinions

15. deeply concerned — “Parents are deeply concerned about screen time.”
16. highly recommend — “I highly recommend this book.”
17. strongly believe — “I strongly believe education is the key to success.”
18. fully aware — “Students should be fully aware of the exam format.”
19. greatly appreciate — “We greatly appreciate your help.”
20. bitterly disappointed — “He was bitterly disappointed with his results.”

Problems and Solutions

21. face a challenge — “Students face many challenges during SPM.”
22. solve a problem — “We need to solve this problem together.”
23. reach a conclusion — “After much discussion, we reached a conclusion.”
24. take action — “The government should take action to reduce pollution.”
25. come up with (an idea) — “She came up with a brilliant plan.”
26. carry out (a plan) — “We will carry out the project next month.”

Adjective + Noun Collocations

27. heavy traffic — “There is heavy traffic during rush hour.”
28. strong opinion — “She has a strong opinion on this topic.”
29. close friend — “Ahmad is my close friend.”
30. wide range — “The school offers a wide range of activities.”
31. sharp increase — “There has been a sharp increase in online learning.”
32. vast majority — “The vast majority of students prefer online resources.”
33. golden opportunity — “This is a golden opportunity to improve your English.”
34. bitter experience — “It was a bitter experience that taught me a lesson.”

Verb + Noun Collocations

35. break a habit — “It’s hard to break a bad habit.”
36. catch someone’s attention — “The headline caught my attention.”
37. draw a conclusion — “We can draw a conclusion from this data.”
38. give a speech — “The principal gave a speech at the assembly.”
39. hold a meeting — “They held a meeting to discuss the issue.”
40. launch a campaign — “The school launched a campaign against bullying.”
41. play a role — “Parents play an important role in education.”
42. run a business — “His father runs a small business.”
43. set a goal — “Set a clear goal for each study session.”
44. take responsibility — “We should take responsibility for our actions.”

Adverb + Adjective Collocations

45. perfectly clear — “Let me make it perfectly clear.”
46. absolutely essential — “Good grammar is absolutely essential.”
47. completely different — “The two approaches are completely different.”
48. extremely important — “Time management is extremely important.”
49. totally agree — “I totally agree with this statement.”
50. widely known — “Malaysia is widely known for its food.”

How Collocations Appear in SPM

Cloze Passages

“The school principal decided to _____ a meeting to discuss the new rules.” Options: (A) make (B) hold (C) do (D) give Answer: (B) hold — “hold a meeting” is the correct collocation.

Essay Writing

Without collocations (sounds unnatural): “We must do action about this problem. I have a big opinion about this.”

With collocations (sounds fluent): “We must take action to address this problem. I have a strong opinion on this matter.”

Grammar Section

Questions may test whether you know which verb or adjective naturally pairs with a noun.

How to Learn Collocations

1. Learn Words in Pairs, Not Alone

Don’t memorise “attention” by itself. Memorise “pay attention.” Don’t memorise “mistake” alone. Memorise “make a mistake.”

2. Notice Collocations When Reading

When you read English articles or books, highlight word pairs that go together. Write them in a notebook as pairs.

3. Use a Collocation Dictionary

Search “Oxford Collocations Dictionary online” — it shows you which words naturally pair together.

4. Practise in Sentences

Don’t just memorise the pair. Write a full sentence using it. This helps your brain store the collocation in context.

Quick Practice

Choose the correct collocation:

1. We should _____ a decision quickly. (make / do)
2. There was _____ rain last night. (heavy / strong)
3. She _____ an excellent speech at the ceremony. (gave / made)
4. This is _____ important for your future. (extremely / very much)
5. We need to _____ action now. (take / make)

Answers:

1. make a decision
2. heavy rain
3. gave a speech
4. extremely important
5. take action

Sound More Fluent in SPM English

Collocations are the difference between English that sounds “correct but awkward” and English that sounds “natural and fluent.” At SPMEnglish.com.my, we teach collocations in context — through essay practice and reading exercises. WhatsApp us to make your English sound more natural.

Related Resources

• Vocabulary Building — Systematic vocabulary programme
• Idioms and Proverbs — More natural expressions
• Essay Writing Tips — Use collocations in essays
• Phrasal Verbs Guide — Another vocabulary area