(as requested by my dear friend Grace Murillo who has been reminding me of more Grammar posts, although Grace does not need grammar lessons, this one is dedicated to her)
Collocations are words that are regularly paired together -- however, that one word is collocated with another does not mean that both words must be used together or not at all. A collocation is simply a common and expected usage of that pair of words. Here is a short sample of collocations for followers of this blog: (more to follow if requested)
abhorrence to
abide with
absolve by, from
One is absolved by the judge. One is absolved from all penalties.
accede to
accommodate to, with
One accommodates to circumstances. One accommodates a friend with a loan.
accompany by, with
One is accompanied by companions. One accompanies a speech with slides.
accord with
according to
account to, for
One has to account to the principal. You must account for your actions.
accountable to, for
One is accountable to the boss for one's work. You are accountable for the entire loss.
accuse of
acquiesce in, to
One acquiesces in a decision. She acquiesced to the demands.
acquitted of
adapted to, for, from
One adapts to a situation. One is not adapted for heavy lifting. A movie is adapted from a best-selling book.
admit of, to
Some words admit of two meanings. He admits to the accusation of improper behavior.
advantage in, of, over, to, with
There is an advantage in early tax filing. You have the advantage of me. You have an advantage over me. There is an advantage to keeping your promises. The advantage lay with the movie director.
adverse to
advise of, about
She advised me of the new regulations. Advise me about the issue before deciding.
agree in, with, on, to
We agree in principle. You must agree with me that the letter must be rewritten. I agree on that point. Agree to honor the contract.
agreeable to, with
Oyster may not be agreeable to your stomach. Your plan is agreeable with our future plans.
analogous to
angry at, with
She is angry at her boss. She is also angry with my friendly attitude toward him.
answer to, for
She must answer to her parents. You must answer for your shortcomings.
appeal to, against
He appealed to his parents' sense of fair play, but he also appealed against their unjust criticism.
apply to, for
Apply to the office for a day off. Apply for social security.
apropos of
argue about, against, for, with
Let's not argue about it anymore. I shall not argue against you. Let's argue for a better way of doing things. I do not like to argue with you.
source: The Grammar Bible by Michael Strumpf
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