Key Words
for Fluency
Intermediate

collocation practice
learning and practising the
most useful words of English

George Woolard

THOMSON

Keywords for Fluency
Intermediate
George Woolard

Publisher: Christopher Wenger
Director of Development: Anita Radu can u

Sr. Print Buyer: Mary Beth Hennebury

Director of Marketing: Amy Mabley

Cover/Text Designer: Anna Macleod
Cover Image: ©Anna Macleod

Developmental Editor: Jimmie Hill
Production Manager: Sally Giangrande
Inti. Marketing Manager: Eric Bredenberg

Illustrator: Bill Stott

Printer: Canale

The author
George Woolard is an experienced ELT teacher
and trainer who has worked in Greece, Malaysia
and the UK. He now teaches at Stevenson
College, Edinburgh. His publications include
Lessons with Laughter and Grammar

with Laughter

Printed in Italy.

(Thomson ELT).

To the student
Dear Student
Words have friends!
You have probably spent a long time learning new words. However, it is not enough to know
only a word and its meaning.You also need to know what other words it combines with to make
natural expressions in English. Words have friends, and you need to know who they are! We call
this relationship between words 'collocation'.This is a very important part of learning vocabulary.

Key words
This book practises the collocations of some of the most useful words in English. These 'key
words' are the nouns we use to talk about particular topics. For example, nouns like trip, flight,
passport are key words if you want to talk or write about travelling.

How is the book organised?
This book is organised into topics, divided into 22 sections. Each section consists of a number

of one-page units. Each unit consists of a box at the top of the page, which lists the most
common collocations of the key word. This is followed by exercises which help you to notice
and practise the collocations of that key word in natural expressions and sentences.
How to use this book

There is simply not enough time to learn all these collocations in class, so this book is designed
for self-study, and will help you to develop your vocabulary quickly and independently.
If you do one unit of this book every day, in under a year you will have learned over 3,000
expressions.That will make an enormous difference to your English!

This book can also help you with your work in class. For example, if the topic in your
coursebook is about jobs, then it would be a good idea to look at Unit 4 - Work.
Lastly, collocation practice is one of the best ways to prepare for the FCE and similar
examinations, especially for the speaking and writing sections.

Keep this book!
This is a book for life. When you have completed the exercises, it becomes your personal
vocabulary reference book - a resource book that you can return to again and again.

George Woolard
Edinburgh

Contents
Before you begin

6

Section 1: A place to live
10
II
12
13
14

world
country
home
building
accommodation and rent

Section 2: The environment
environment
pollution, fumes, waste and rubbish
earthquake and flood
storm
damage

16
17
18
19
20

Section 3: The natural world
weather
heat and temperature
air
light
fire
water
noise and silence

22
23
24
25
26
27
28

Section 4: Work
job
career
staff and duty
qualification and interview
skill
training
wage, salary and pay

30
31
32
33
34
35
36

Section 5: Travel
trip
holiday
flight
delay and destination
passenger
passport and visa
luggage and fare

38
39
40
41
42
43
44

Section 7: Education
education
course
lesson
practise and homework
exam and mark

52
53
54
55
56

Section 8: Sport and fitness
sport
team
game
race, competition and match
victory
defeat
prize
strength
energy and exercise

58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66

Section 9: Health
health
illness
disease and infection
stress
smoking and drugs (illegal)
pain
appointment, symptom and test
treatment and cure
operation and drug

68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76

Section 10: Money
money and cash
savings, fortune and debt
price
fee and charge
expense

78
79
80
81
82

Section 1 1: Food
food
drink
meal and dish
diet and appetite
party

84
85
86
87
88

Section 6:Traffic
traffic
street
route and map
accident
injury

4

46
47
48
49
50

Section 12: Fun and entertainment
fun and entertainment
joke
television and programme
concert

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

90
91
92
93

94
95
96

fan and audience
film
music and song

Section 13: People
98
99
100
101
102
103
104

life
death
age
character
clothes and fashion
appearance
habit and routine

Section 14: Relationships
106
107
108
109
110
111
112

friend
enemy
marriage
divorce
love
respect
family

Section 15: The body and the senses
114

head
hand
heart
eye
sight
view
smell
taste
voice
breath
sleep and dream

115
116
117
118
1 19
120
121
122
123
124

Section 16: Feeling and mood
feeling
mood
happiness and pleasure
anger
fear and anxiety
worry
confidence
disappointment and relief
surprise and shock

126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134

Section 17: Society
government and election
vote
society
justice
law

136
137
138
139
140

Section 18: Crime and punishment
crime and criminal
offence, offender and victim
arrest and charge (criminal)
evidence
trial and verdict
sentence and fine
punishment and prison

142
143
144
145
146
147
148

Section 19: Conflict
war
peace
attack
defence
bomb and explosion
casualty
weapon and gun
dispute and strike
campaign and demonstration

150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158

Section 20: Communication
language
conversation
discussion
speech
secret, rumour and lie

160
161
162
163
164

Section 21: Information
news
message
document
article
letter
mail
advert, publicity and reputation

166
167
168
169
170
171
172

Section 22: Technology
machine
equipment
computer and internet
fault
repair

174
175
176
177
178

Answer Key

179

Alphabetical List ofWords

196

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

5

Before you begin
I.

What are key words?

'Key words' are the most common and most useful words in English.They are the most important

words to learn.The main reason they are important is because they can combine with lots of other
words in short expressions. We call these expressions 'collocations'.

2.

What are collocations?

Collocation is 'the grammar of words' - how words go together with other words. Collocation tells US
which words can come before or after other words. Here are some examples from this book:
•

verbs with money

You can earn money, save money, lend money, and inherit money.
•

adjective with price

You can pay the full price for something. Perhaps you only paid half-price.
•

verbs with food

You can prepare, serve, eat and waste food.

These are just a few of the collocations you will learn in this book.

3.

Why are all the key words in this book nouns?

Nouns are the most important words we know. All the other parts of speech - adjectives, pronouns,

adverbs, verbs, and prepositions - are important too, but they don't tell US as much as nouns do.
Nouns tell US WHAT we are talking about:
a language

Verbs then tell US what we can do with a language:

learn it, acquire it, speak it or translate it.
Adjectives can then tell US what kind of language:

our first language, a foreign language, body language, bad language.

But the most important idea is to start with ideas or things which we express with nouns.
If you are having a meal and you would like the salt, you could simply say:
salt

Everybody knows that you want the salt. So you could have said:
the salt
or

the salt, please

or

pass the salt, please

or

Could you pass the salt, please?

We know that the last sentence is the best way of saying what we want. If we had said:
Could you pass the X, please?
nobody would know what we wanted! In this situation, the noun 'salt' carries 99% of our meaning.

4.

Why is it important to learn the collocations of the most important nouns?

If we know 100 of the most important nouns, and we learn 10 verbs or adjectives which can go with
them, we will then know 1,000 expressions. Every time we learn 100 nouns with 10 collocations of
each, we add another 1,000 expressions to our vocabulary. Quite simply, learning to use more words

6

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

along with the words we already know is the most useful way to expand our English. If you study all
three books in this Keywords for Fluency series, you will learn over 10,000 expressions.

5. Who chose the words in this book?
These words chose themselves! In all the modern databases of

English, the key words in this book are among the most

commonly used.The best way for you to improve your

English is to learn the most common collocations of
these most common words.This intermediate book

contains around 15 collocations of over 200 of the

most useful words at this level.That means you will
practise over 3,000 useful expressions if you study

this book. Dictionaries contain thousands of words

'He makes too many silly mistakes!'

and expressions, but they cannot tell you which ones to learn or how to use them.

The 3,000 expressions in this book will help you to improve and help you to pass your examinations.

6. Why is this book called Keywords for Fluency?
Fluency is the ability to speak naturally, listen efficiently, read quickly, and write well. What does this

mean?
I.

Speaking naturally means NOT making everything up one word at a

time, but speaking in whole expressions at normal speed.

2. Listening efficiently means understanding people at the speed at which
they speak. This means that when you hear the first word of an

expression or the first few words of a sentence, you know how it
is going to end.
3. Reading quickly means that your eye is ahead of your brain! You are
able to predict what the author has written.

4. Good writing is writing which expresses exactly what you want to say
in natural ways which the reader will immediately understand.

All those skills depend on having a large store of words and expressions which you don't need to

think about or construct every time you use English.The more collocations you know, the less you
need to think! And the more fluent your English becomes.

7. Test yourself!
Here are eight common situations.You should be able to guess the missing words immediately.
I. I need to work harder at my English. I make too many silly...............
The answer is 'mistakes'. Although people would understand what you meant if you said 'faults', it is
not the word we use in this situation. Again, 'make a mistake' or 'make mistakes' is a fixed expression

- a collocation.

2. Look, we've got plenty of time. I'd like to see what the countryside round here is like.
Let's take the scenic......home.
The answer is 'route'. You wouldn't say 'scenic road'or 'scenic way'. The collocation is 'scenic route'. If you
used 'way'or 'road', people would understand, but 'scenic route'is the natural choice.

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

7

3. If your television breaks down in the first three months, we promise to replace it
free of...........
The answer is 'charge'. You might have guessed 'cost'. Again, your meaning is clear, but the collocation
used in this situation is 'free of charge'.

4. Not only did she win the marathon, she also set a new world...............
The answer is 'record'. In fact, the whole collocation is 'set a new world record'. This is a good example
of a verb + adjective + noun collocation. Most of the collocations in this book are two or three words:

verb + noun

or

adjective + noun

or

noun + preposition + noun

This example shows that collocations can be quite long. It is really important that you learn the whole

expression.

There's been a coup and the president and his family have fled the...............

5.

The answer is 'country'. You 'flee a country' if you are a politician and you want to get out fast! We don't
'flee the nation'- always the country.

On the way to Athens last week, we flew through an electric storm.The plane was struck by

6.

The answer is 'lightning'.You are 'struck by lightning'.You can't be 'struck by thunder'.The collocation

'struck by lightning' is fixed. You never need to think about it! Just learn it and remember it!

7. It's so stuffy in here. I just want to get out into the fresh...............
The answer is 'air'. You might think of saying: I just want to get outside. Because we have this
ready-made collocation 'get out into the fresh air', that's the natural thing to say!

Sorry, I'm late. The traffic was terrible. My taxi got stuck in a traffic...............

8.

The answer is 'jam'. The collocation 'traffic jam'is so common, it's difficult to think of it as two words!
However, it is important that you notice and learn the whole expression 'got stuck in a traffic jam'.

And it is equally important that you make yourself use the expression. Practise by changing the
pronoun, the tense, and the context. For example:

We got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the way to the airport and missed our flight.
I try to avoid the rush hour because I hate getting stuck in traffic jams.

Finally
I hope that these 8 examples help you understand why noticing and learning collocation is so
important:
• The more collocations you know and can use, the more fluently you will be able to
speak. It means you won't have to make up everything new all the time - you can
just remember whole expressions.
• The more collocations you know, the easier it will be to understand people who
speak quickly - particularly native speakers.
• The more collocations you know, the easier it will be to read because you won't
have to read every word.
• The more collocations you know, the easier it will be to write well and accurately.
You won't need to translate from your own language into English as much.

8

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

Section 1

A place to live
world
country
home
building
accommodation and rent

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

1O
11
12
13
14

9

world

I.

Verb + world

Adjective + world

World + noun

change the world
destroy the world
take over the world
see the world

a changing world
an ideal world
the outside world
a safer world
the whole world

world affairs
world peace
a world authority
a world record

Verb + world
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

As a young man I wanted to................ the world before I settled down.That's why
I went off to Australia and New Zealand.
2. Like many young people, my son is very idealistic and he wants to................
the world and make it a better place.
3. Man is the only creature capable of................. the world.
4. Fast food outlets seem to have................ over the world.You'll find burgers and
fries in almost every corner of the planet.

I.

2.

Adjective + world
Complete these sentences with the above adjectives:

As the only survivor of the crash, I felt I was the luckiest man in the................. world.
We must get rid of nuclear weapons to guarantee our children a................. world.
We live in a rapidly................ world and must learn to adapt if we are to succeed.
In an................. world, no one would go hungry.
5. The people on this small island have no telephones or radios - they are completely
cut off from the............. world.

I.
2.
3.
4.

3.

World + noun
Complete these sentences with the above nouns:

Dr Volts, a world................ on UFOs, will be giving a talk in the main lecture
theatre this evening.
2. Maurice Green broke his own world................ when he won the 100 metres at
the Olympics.
3. If you want to broaden your knowledge of world............... you should read a
newspaper every day.
4. The recent increase in terrorism is a real threat to world.................

I.

Notes

I.

Note these prepositional expressions:
rhe ceremony was watched by millions around the world I throughout the world I the world over.

2.

Note these expressions:
There's nothing in the world we can do about it (nothing at all)
There's no need to rush, we've got all the time in the world, (have plenty of time)
He carried on, without a care in the world, (not worried about anything at all)
The food was out of this world! (fantastic)
Thanks for coming. It means the world to me. (very important to me)

3.

10

Note that if you break a world record, you become the world record holder.

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

country

I.

Verb + country

Adjective + country

Common expressions

enter a country
flee a country
paralyse a country
represent a country
run a country

a foreign country
a free country
a neighbouring country
an underdeveloped country
a wealthy country

countries
countries
countries
countries
countries

break off relations
go to war
gain independence
host sporting events
sign agreements

Verb + country
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

He...............the country to escape arrest for the murder of his wife.
A rail, air and bus strike has............... the country. Most offices and factories have
had to shut down.
3. You'll need a visa to............... the country.
4. Many people are unhappy with the way the government is...............the country.

I.
2.

5.

2.

She was proud to...............her country at the recent Olympics.

Adjective + country
Complete these sentences with the above adjectives:

I.

It's hard to believe that, in such a.............. country, some people don't have

enough food.
2. It's difficult to live in a............... country if you don't speak the language.
3. Don't tell me what to do! It's a.............. country and I can do what 1 like!
4. The UN is often involved in settling border disputes between............... countries.

5.

The developed world should provide more aid to.............. countries.

3. Common expressions
Match the halves:

I.
2.
3.

4.
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Note

Which country will host
Twenty countries signed
The country gained
Our country has broken off
The two countries are in danger of
independence from the UK in 1967.
going to war over oil.
diplomatic relations with the UK.
an agreement to stop whaling.

the next Olympic Games?

Note these verb + preposition expressions:
We ore here today to honour those who fought
and died for their country in two World Wars.
Thirty illegal immigrants have been deported back
to the country they came from.
All vehicles are checked at the border to prevent
drugs being smuggled into the country.

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

"She was so proud to

represent her country!”

11

home

I.

Verb + home

Home + noun Verb + noun + home

get home
head home
leave home
return home
call home
own your home

home
home
home
home

address
cooking
delivery
town

take a taxi home
see (you) home
send (you) home
welcome (you) home

Preposition + home
at home
away from home
from home
on the way home

Verb + home
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

I.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

2.

He................home at the age of 18 and joined the army.
I think we should...............home now, before it gets too dark.
I might be able to go - it depends on what time I.............. home from work.
Some people want to............... their home, while others are quite happy to rent.
I................ home once a week on my mobile to see how my parents are keeping.
We became increasingly worried when our daughter failed to................ home.

Home + noun
Choose the correct collocation:

I.
2.
3.
4.

3.

When I went away to university I missed my mother's home cooking / meals.
Please remember to write your home address / street at the top of the letter.
The price of the dishwasher includes free home transport / delivery and installation.
When she dies, she wants to be buried in her home city / town.

Verb + noun + home
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

I.
2.
3.
4.

4.

The teacher............... him home from school for bad behaviour.
One of my colleagues.............. me home safely after the party.
If you miss the last bus, you can always.............. a taxi home.
Hundreds of fans went to the airport to............... their team home.

Preposition + home
Match the two halves:

I. My job involves a lot of travel so I'm
2. There was nobody
3. I stopped at the supermarket
4. The internet makes it possible
Notes

a. on the way home from work.
b. to work from home.
c. at home when I called.
d. away from home for weeks at a time.

I. Note these adjective collocations:
My ideal home would have an indoor swimming pool and it would overlook the sea.
He's from a broken home. His parents separated when he was only four.
They spend the summer in their holiday home in the French Alps.

2. Note the expressions 'home-grown' and 'home-made':
We had home-grown vegetables and home-made bread for lunch.

12

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

building

I.

Verb + building

Adjective + building

Noun + prep + building

construct a building
demolish a building
convert a building
evacuate a building
restore a building

a derelict building
an empty building
a fine building
a high-rise building
the main building
a public building

appearance of a building
damage to the building
entry to the building
a floor of the building
the tenants of a building

Verb + building
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

I.
2.
3.
4.
5.

2.

Our company has the contract to design and................. the new parliament building.
This beautiful old building has been painstakingly................ to its former glory.
Within minutes of receiving the bomb threat, we had................ the building.
There are plans to................ the old school building into homes for the elderly.
Engineers say that the building is unsafe and that it will have to be...................

Adjective + building
Complete the sentences with the above adjectives:

I. Our footsteps echoed through the..................building.
buildings everywhere.
2. New York has
3. On the day of the King's funeral, flags flew at half
mast on all
buildings.
4. Many homeless people end up sleeping rough
buildings.
in parks and
5. My department isn't in the town centre, but the
.............. building of the university is
right in the middle of town.
6. Prague is a beautiful city with lots of
...............buildings.
"it's nothing but high-rise

3. Noun + preposition + building

buildings everywhere!"

Complete the sentences with the above nouns:

I.......................to the building has been estimated at £60,000.
2. By law, there has to be a fire exit on each................. of the building.
3. The burglars gained................. to the building through the back door.
4. All the................. of the building are unhappy about the increase in rents.
5. The interior of the hotel has been extensively renovated, but the outward................
of the building hasn't changed for over 100 years.
Notes

I.

Note how we say we like a building:
It is an attractive building with beautiful gardens.
The castle is an impressive building with its high wails and huge gate.
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul is a truly magnificent building.

2.

A'listed building' is one which cannot be changed without permission from the government.
It is usually an important building because of its history or design.

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

13

accommodation and rent

I.

Verb + accommodation

Adjective + accommodation

Verb + rent

find accommodation
provide accommodation
live in accommodation
guarantee accommodation

free accommodation
furnished accommodation
self-catering accommodation
temporary accommodation

afford the rent
owe rent
pay the rent
put up the rent
withhold the rent

Verb + accommodation
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

I.

We help new employees to................ suitable accommodation in the city. Most find
something they like within a week or two.

Students are................ accommodation in the halls of residence for their first year.
We're lucky we have plenty of student flats and rooms.
3 It's a small hotel but it can................. accommodation for up to thirty people.
4. My Uncle Paul is disabled and................. in sheltered accommodation, where there
is a warden on call to provide help if needed.
2.

2.

Adjective + accommodation
Complete the sentences with the above adjectives:

The council is using the local school hall as............... accommodation for the
families made homeless by the recent floods.
2. We're in.............. accommodation, so we'll be doing all our own cooking.
I.

3.
4.

3.

The flat had a bed and a chair! That's not what I call............... accommodation!
In return for.............. accommodation and food, I tidy the house and look after
the two kids while the parents are at work.

Verb + rent
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

I................ a slightly higher rent than the other tenants in the flat because my
room is the biggest.
2. The landlord wants to................. up the rent by £25 a month, but I'm refusing to
pay any more.

I.

Notes

14

3.
4.
5.

We're................ the rent until the landlord agrees to get the central heating fixed.
We need a bigger house for our large family, but we can't................ the rent.
The landlord is threatening to evict the tenants if they don't pay the rent they
.............. by the end of the week.

I.

Note these expressions with 'accommodation':
There's a shortage of I a lack of cheap rented accommodation for students in London.

2.

Note these expressions with 'rent':
Since losing my job, I've fallen behind with the rent (not able to pay it)
The rent is due one month in advance, (pay for the month ahead)
Most of my salary goes on rent. I've very little left for food and entertainment.
I have a spare room to let at a monthly rent of £55.
What's the rent on the house?

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

Section 2.

The environment
environment
16
pollution, fumes, waste and rubbish 17
earthquake and flood
18
storm
19
damage
20

"Now, Carol, don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?"

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

15

environment

I.

Verb + environment

Adj + environment

respect the environment
harm the environment
pollute the environment
protect the environment

a
a
a
a
a

hostile environment
male environment
pleasant environment
safe environment
stress-free environment

Noun + prep + ...
damage to the environment
effect on the environment
a threat to the environment
in harmony with the ...
the destruction of the ...

Verb + environment
Complete these sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

Many of the town's factories continue to................ the environment.The local rivers
have all been ruined by the chemicals from some of them.
2. I always try to buy eco-friendly products that don't................ the environment.
3. The government hopes to teach children to................. the environment through
new projects in schools.
4. Acid rain produced by factories is killing trees across the country.The government
must introduce new policies to............. the environment.

I.

2.

Adjective + environment
We use 'environment' to describe the conditions that we learn and work in. Complete the
sentences with the above adjectives:

3.

I.

My office is quite bright and spacious. It's a................. working environment. Unlike
some people, I actually like coming to work!

2.
3.
4.
5.

No working environment is entirely.................... There are always pressures.
As a deep-sea diver I have to work in a dangerous and................. environment.
I work in a predominantly................ environment. I'm the only woman in the office!
Employers should provide a................ working environment for their employees
so that accidents are avoided as far as possible.

Noun + preposition + environment
Complete these sentences with the above nouns:

I.
2.

3.
4.
5.

Notes

16

Many chemicals used in industry have a damaging................ on the environment.
Some of them take a very long time to disappear.
Overpopulation is probably the greatest................. to the environment today.
It's important that tourism develops in................. with the environment.
Every day large areas of forest disappear to make paper for newspapers. Few of US
take the time to think about this large scale.............. of the environment.
We are causing serious................. to the environment by using up the Earth's
natural resources.

I. An 'environmentalist' is someone who wants to protect the environment.
The Green Party is a political organisation whose main aim is to protect the environment.
Greenpeace is an international organisation which organises protests around the world to
protect the environment.
2. We talk about 'environmentally-friendly products'.

Key Words for Fluency - Intermediate

pollution, fumes, waste and rubbish
Verb + pollution

Verb + fumes

Verb + waste

Verb + rubbish

reduce pollution
pollution destroys
pollution threatens
pollution rises

inhale fumes
fumes pour out
be overcome by
fumes

create waste
dispose of waste
dump waste
recycle waste

clear up rubbish
collect rubbish
pick up rubbish
recycle rubbish

I. Verb + pollution
Complete these sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

I.
2.
3.
4.

2.

Most cars now have a catalytic converter to help................ pollution.
Air pollution has................. to unacceptable levels in some areas of the city.
Scientists have warned that pollution is................. the ozone layer.
Pollution from the oil tanker is................. fish farms all along the coast.

Verb + fumes
Complete these sentences with the above verbs:

I.

Thick black exhaust fumes were................

out of the back of the old bus.
2. Three firemen needed hospital treatment
after.............. poisonous fumes.
3. A number of workers were................
by toxic fumes from the burning factory and
had to be carried out of the building by firefighters.

3.

Verb...