What is a collocation?

A collocation is a pair (or longer chain) of words that native speakers use together. Use one half of the pair and the other half is expected.

• to take a risk ✔
• to make a risk ✘ (sounds non-native)

High-yield academic collocations

| Verb | Noun | | --- | --- | | draw | a conclusion / a distinction | | pose | a question / a threat / a problem | | reach | a consensus / an agreement | | address | an issue / a concern | | undertake | research / a study | | play | a role / a part |

In a Band 7 sentence

Recent studies have drawn a clear distinction between correlation and causation, undertaking large-scale meta-analyses to address widespread misunderstandings.

Notice three collocations stacked naturally: draw a distinction, undertake research, address misunderstandings.

Common trap

Don't paraphrase a collocation for the sake of "variety" — using do a conclusion is a Band 5 mistake even if the rest of your sentence is perfect.