Words that go together
Which words usually go together?
Betekenis
Some words have familiar partners that speakers normally choose together. Another word with a similar meaning may fit the grammar but still sound unusual in that combination. Each language has its own preferred pairings, and a pairing in one may have no matching pairing in another. Unlike Idioms, Words that go together often have a meaning you can understand from the separate words.
Zo herken je het
Notice combinations that speakers repeatedly choose, especially where replacing one word with a similar word sounds unusual despite correct grammar.
In de taal die je leert
English has many preferred word combinations, called collocations, such as make a decision and heavy rain. A near-synonym may sound unusual even if the sentence is grammatically correct. The choice depends on established usage, not just on the meanings of the individual words.
We need to make a decision today.
Make a decision is a usual combination; do a decision is not.
There was heavy rain last night.
Heavy is a usual partner of rain when describing a large amount.
Please pay attention to the signs.
Pay attention is a familiar combination meaning to watch or listen carefully.
Learners whose language combines the same ideas with different verbs or describing words may translate those combinations directly. Learn the usual word partners together rather than choosing each word separately.