English Vocabulary for learners

ADJECTIVE and NOUN COLLOCATIONS

Adjectives and nouns that often go together.

Collocations are two or more words that are frequently used together. They are combinations that native English speakers use all the time.
Here are some common adjective + noun collocations.

absolute beginner	I've never tried surfing before. I'm an absolute beginner.
alphabetical order	The students were listed in alphabetical order.
balanced diet	Health specialists recommend that we eat a balanced diet.
bare essentiels	They took with them nothing but the bare essentiels.
big disappointment	Dropping out of college was a big disappointment to his parents.
big mistake	Believing her boyfriend's promises was a big mistake.
blatant lie	How dare she say I didn't pay for my ticket! That's a blatant lie!.
broken home	The child comes from a broken home and goes from one parent to the other.
chilly reception	Tom’s new girlfriend received a chilly reception. His friends didn't like her.
clear message	The results of the elections sent a clear message to the government.
clear understanding	He wanted the boys to have a clear understanding of the consequences.
close friend	Jack is a very close friend of mine. We’ve known each other since our school days.
common knowledge	It's common knowledge that we need water to survive.
complete agreement	They were in complete agreement with the proposal.
deep breath	"Take a deep breath before you dive in." said the swimming instructor.
deciding factor	The proximity of the motorway was a deciding factor in their choice of location.
enormous influence	Emma’s father had an enormous influence on her.
express purpose	Alice went to see her boss with the express purpose of resigning.
fair deal	We like to do business with that firm. We always get a fair deal.
great pride	My father takes great pride in his garden.
heavy traffic	The bus arrived late because of the heavy traffic.
high quality	We can assure you that all our products are of high quality.
innocent victim	Many civilians were innocent victims of the attacks.
instant coffee	Instant coffee is handy but it's not what I prefer.
key issue	This is a key issue. We need to discuss it further.
logical conclusion	If the climate continues to get hotter, then the logical conclusion is a period of drought.
major problem	Finding qualified employees is a major problem for the company.
mixed feelings	Harry had mixed feelings about leaving home. He was happy to be independent but sad to be far from his family.
momentous decision	Accepting female students was a momentous decision for the university.
nasty habit	She still has that nasty habit of biting her nails.
notable achievement	Winning the gold medal was a notable achievement for the athlete.
noticeable difference	Repainting the house made a noticeable difference.
personal belongings	Private lockers are provided for your personal belongings.
prominent role	While in government he played a prominent role in the reform of the health system.
public opinion	In politics public opinion is very important.
rough estimate	Could you give me a rough estimate of the cost?
speedy recovery	Sorry to hear you're ill. I wish you a speedy recovery.
steady job	I did temporary or part-time work until I found a steady job.
strong accent	The tourist spoke with a strong accent.
tight grip	In this area you'd better keep a tight grip on your wallet!
total madness	It's total madness to go sailing when a storm is announced.
vague memory	I have a vague memory of the incident but I can't remember the details.
valid reason	Students cannot skip a class without a valid reason.
weak point	There are many weak points in his theory.

see also:
- Collocations: adverbs-verbs
- Collocations: adverbs-adjectives
- Collocations with 'go'
- English idiomatic expressions
- useful phrases

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