Practice
Adjective collocations
Sign in to saveEnglish has many ways to describe an idea, but some word pairs are the usual choice. You can make a strong argument, take a short break, and have a serious problem. Learning these pairs helps your English sound more natural.
Notice common adjective collocations and choose an adjective that sounds natural with the noun and meaning in a sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
a clear explanation /ə klɪə ˌekspləˈneɪʃn/
The short answer
Learn an adjective with the nouns it commonly describes. Notice the whole pair in a sentence, then reuse it when the meaning fits.
We had a productive meeting before lunch.
Why it works: Productive commonly describes a meeting that achieved useful work.
5 more examples
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There was heavy traffic on the road into town.
Heavy often describes a large amount of traffic.
Not this:There was
busy trafficon the road into town. What changes: Busy is understandable, but heavy traffic is the more usual collocation when traffic is slow and crowded. -
Rina gave a clear explanation of the new process.
Clear commonly describes an explanation that is easy to understand.
Not this:Rina gave a
simple explanationof the new process. What changes: Simple can also work, but clear focuses on how easy the explanation is to understand. -
They made a strong argument for changing the timetable.
A strong argument has convincing reasons or evidence.
Not this:They made a
powerful argumentfor changing the timetable. What changes: Powerful is possible, but strong argument is a very common neutral choice. -
We took a short break after the training session.
Short commonly describes a break that lasts only a little time.
Not this:We took a
quick breakafter the training session. What changes: Quick is possible in informal speech, while short break is a common general phrase. -
The hotel has a convenient location near the station.
Convenient describes a location that makes travel or daily tasks easier.
Not this:The hotel has an
easy locationnear the station. What changes: Easy does not usually describe a location in this meaning. Convenient is the natural choice.
Read the full guide
Start with the noun and the meaning you want. Then learn the adjective as part of a useful pair, not as one item on its own. A short, complete example will show both the meaning and the usual context.
Learn the whole pair
An adjective can have several meanings and can combine naturally with some nouns more than others. Store the pair in your notes. Heavy traffic gives you more useful information than heavy alone.
The airport was busy because of heavy traffic on the main road.
Heavy describes the amount of traffic, not the weight of the vehicles.
Choose the noun before the adjective
Begin with the thing you want to describe. A decision can be difficult, a problem can be serious, and an answer can be correct. The noun helps you find the adjective that people usually use with that meaning.
Choosing between the two jobs was a difficult decision.
You want to describe a problem that needs attention. Which common pair is more useful: serious problem or heavy problem?
Use serious problem. Serious commonly describes a problem with important consequences.
Use the context to choose the meaning
The same adjective can form different useful pairs. A close friend is someone you know well. A close match is a competition with a small difference in score. Read the rest of the sentence before you decide what the adjective means.
Mina is a close friend from my first job.
The final was a close match until the last minute.
Close means a strong personal relationship in the first sentence and a small difference in the second.
Notice patterns in real sentences
When you read or listen, underline useful adjective and noun pairs. Include the whole sentence in your note. That sentence shows the grammar around the pair and helps you remember when to use it.
The guide gave us clear directions to the museum.
Clear directions means directions that are easy to follow.
Build your own sentence carefully
After you learn a pair, make a sentence about a familiar situation. Check that the noun and adjective match the meaning you intend. Repeating one accurate pair in several contexts will make it easier to recall.
Our team made steady progress during the project.
You want to describe progress that continued at a regular rate. Which adjective fits naturally with progress?
Use steady progress. Steady means continuing in an even and reliable way here.
Before you go
Remember this
Learn adjective collocations as complete pairs. Start with the noun and the meaning, notice common examples, and keep one short sentence with each new pair. This gives you a practical choice when you speak or write.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Adjective collocations"
What is an adjective collocation?
An adjective collocation is an adjective and noun that commonly appear together, such as heavy traffic or clear explanation. Learn the pair in a complete sentence so you can see its meaning and usual context.
There was heavy traffic on the road into town.
Why should I learn collocations as pairs?
A pair shows which noun commonly follows an adjective and what the combination means. A note such as strong argument gives you a usable phrase for speaking and writing, while strong alone gives much less guidance.
There was busy traffic on the road into town.
Can more than one adjective describe the same noun?
Yes. More than one adjective can be possible, but each one may add a different shade of meaning. Clear explanation focuses on understanding, while simple explanation focuses on a lack of complexity. Read the context before choosing.
Rina gave a clear explanation of the new process.
How can I remember adjective collocations?
Keep a short sentence with every new pair and use the pair again in a sentence about your own life or work. Grouping phrases by noun, such as types of problem or kinds of journey, can also make review easier.
Rina gave a simple explanation of the new process.
Where can I check a new adjective collocation?
Use a learner dictionary or a reliable corpus to look for the adjective and noun together. Check several examples, then choose a sentence whose meaning matches the situation you want to describe.
They made a strong argument for changing the timetable.