Idioms, Collocations and Expressions

What this page covers

This unit sits in the Vocabulary and Word Study strand of English language. It is about phrases that work as a unit: idioms, collocations and everyday expressions. The resources range from themed idiom sets to short drills on which verb goes with which noun.

Idioms by theme

Many resources group idioms by topic. The quiz Animal Idioms asks you to complete sentences such as one about cooking someone's goose. Relax Idioms is a gap-fill quiz on phrases like chill out and take a breather. The flashcard deck BINOMIALS covers pairs like far and wide, and the IDIOMS deck has phrases such as hit the nail on the head. There are also themed items on body idioms, personality and food.

Collocations and Make or Do

Collocations are words that naturally go together. The Make or Do? flashcard deck lists pairs like make an appointment and do your best. Many mind maps cover Make and Do, so you can compare several versions of the same idea. For prepositions, try the deck on collocations with prepositions from FCE Masterclass Unit 1. The quiz English Collocations in Use (Advanced) Unit 27 Sports tests sport-related phrases in context.

Which to start with

1. Open a mind map such as Idioms or Do vs Make to see the shape of a topic.
2. Work through a flashcard deck until the phrases feel familiar.
3. Take a quiz to find the phrases you still mix up.
4. Go back to the map or deck for those gaps.

A few resources mention CAE, FCE and TOEFL, so learners aiming at those exams will find material labeled for them. Most of what is listed suits school students.

Next step

Choose one theme, such as animals or Make and Do, and spend ten minutes on a quiz. Then write a few example sentences of your own to see how the phrases work.