1

2
3
4
5
6
7

Collocations with IN
Here are some collocations with in that you should know.

delay in

“The government shutdown resulted in many delays in payment.”

in a car accident/crash

“If you are in a serious car accident, make sure you call 911 right away.”

in a fight

“My husband and I got in a fight last night.”

in a group

“We’d rather do the presentation in a group if that is okay with you.”

8

in a picture

“Do people really look heavier in pictures?”

in advance

“You need to reserve the conference room in advance.”

in agreement

“If we’re all in agreement, let’s move on to the next item on our agenda.”

in bed

“On Sunday mornings, I like to grab a cup of coffee and read in bed.”

in cash

“Will you give us a discount if we pay in cash?”

in charge

“Who is in charge of the investigation?”

in college/high/school etc.

“I got my first cell phone in 1998 when I was in high school.”

in confidence

“You weren’t supposed to tell anyone that. I told you in confidence.”

in connection with

“The police have made an arrest in connection with the shooting.”

in control

“I can help you, but it seems like you’re in control of the situation.”

in court

“Shirley is a lawyer, but she doesn’t often speak in court.”

9

in demand

“Coding skills are in high demand right now.”

in denial

“Mike was in denial about his drinking problem.”

in depth

“Tomorrow we’ll cover this topic in depth.”

in detail

“The senator described in detail all the specifics of the new tax bill.”

in favor of

“Are you in favor of the legalization of marijuana?”

in good/bad health

“I only want to be alive at age 100 if I’m in good health.”

in italics/bold

“This sentence is in italics.”

in love

“Many people first fall in love in high school.”

in one’s life

“My golden retriever was the best dog I’ve ever had in my life.”

in person

“You should talk to her about it in person. Don’t text her.”

in prison

“I’ve heard the food in prison isn’t particularly good.”

10

in private/public

“You should criticize your employees in private and praise them in public.”

in return (also in exchange)

“The hackers asked for millions of dollars in return for not releasing people’s financial
records.”

in ruins

“The city was in ruins after the hurricane.”

in season

“Blueberries aren’t in season right now. The only ones you can get are imported.”

in shape

“Lots of people are trying to get in shape before beach season.”

in stock

“You should call the store to see if the jacket you want is in stock.”

in the dark

“I have no idea what they’re planning. They always keep me in the dark.”

in the mail

“The check is in the mail. You should get it in a few days.”

in the middle of something

“I’ll gladly help you with your homework, just not in the middle of the football game.”

in touch

“How many of your friends from college do you keep in touch with?”

in traffic

“I listen to podcasts in English when I’m stuck in traffic. It’s a good way to practice.”
11

in trouble

“Make sure you know the laws before you travel to another country. You don’t want to get
in trouble far away from home.”

in tune with

“The mayor has been criticized for not being in tune with his voters.”

in use

“Some planes made in the ’70s and ’80s are still in use today.”

in writing

“Were you able to get a firm offer in writing?”

increase/decrease in

“In the 1990s, New York City saw a drastic decrease in crime.”

interested in

“Have you always been interested in politics?”

involved in

“I think we should all be more involved in our local communities.”

participate in

“Do you think it’s good to force children to participate in extracurricular activities?”

result in

“A stressful lifestyle can result in various illnesses.”

wait in line

“I’d never wait in line for 15 hours to get a new iPhone.”

12

Collocations with ON
Here are some common collocations with on that you should know.

attack on something

“This policy is a direct attack on women’s rights.”

ban on something

“Under the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, there is a ban on ‘cruel
and unusual punishment.'”

blame something on

“The average voter will blame the slow economy on the government.”

comment on

“The judge instructed the jurors not to comment on the case.”

concentrate on

“Right now, I’m trying to concentrate on my studies.”

cut back on

“If we cut back on spending, we could buy a house in a few years.”

decide on

“Have you decided on a venue for your wedding?”

depends on

“If your family depends on you financially, you should consider getting life insurance.”

focus on

“We believe there should be a greater focus on foreign languages in our high schools.”

in the mood for

13

“I’m in the mood for Mexican food tonight.”

insist on

“Our grandfather always insisted on doing home repairs by himself.”

on a date

“Dana isn’t going to answer her phone. She’s on a date right now.”

on a diet

“I’ve been on a diet for six months, but I haven’t lost any weight.”

on a list

“I have about a dozen things on my to-do list.”

on a mission

“Our team is on a mission to defend our championship title.”

on a team

“I’m on a soccer team with some friends from work.”

on a trip

“I normally read paperback books, but I always take my Kindle with me on trips.”

on average

“On average, college graduates earn much more than people without a university degree.”

on behalf of (also on someone’s behalf)

“Ms. Torres asked me to thank you on her behalf.”

on board

“Right now there are seven astronauts on board the International Space Station.”

on defense/offense
14

“Some basketball players don’t try as hard on defense as they do on offense.”

on display

“Many doctors put their medical degrees on display.”

on drugs

“The party got out of hand. Some students arrived who were obviously on drugs.”

on duty

“If Officer Garrison on duty tonight?”

on film/video/camera

“We’re so happy we captured our daughter’s first steps on camera.”

on fire

“Protesters set several cars on fire.”

on good/bad terms

“Felipe says he’s on pretty good terms with his ex.”

on one’s block

“Several young men on our block joined the military after they graduated high school.”

on one hand…on the other hand

“On one hand, a college education will help you find a good-paying job. On the other hand,
college tuition is incredibly expensive, and you’ll likely be in debt for years.”

on pace

“I’m on pace to read over 50 books this year.”

on purpose

“Don’t yell at me! I didn’t break the vase on purpose.”

on sale
15

“You can save money at the grocery store by only buying what is on sale.”

on someone’s side

“You don’t have to convince me. I’m on your side.”

on strike

“School teachers recently went on strike in Los Angeles.”

on the beach

“There’s nothing better than reading a book on the beach.”

on the fence

“Many voters are still on the fence about who to vote for.”

on the phone

“It’s strange how I always walk around the house when I’m on the phone.”

on the verge of

“Caitlin seemed on the verge of tears.”

on tour

“When does Justin Bieber go on tour again?”

on track

“We’re on track to have our most profitable year ever.”

restrictions on

“Are there many restrictions on imports in your country?”

spend money on

“How much does the average family spend on groceries per month?”

vote on something
16

“The student body will vote on a class president.”

war on (drugs, poverty, crime, etc.)

“The war on drugs has been largely unsuccessful at preventing illegal substances from
entering the United States.”

Verb + To Collocation Examples
List of Combinations with TO
 Add to
 Admit to
 Answer to
 Apologize to
 Appeal to
 Apply oneself to
 Ask to
 Attend to
 Attribute to
 Be resigned to
 Belong to
 Commit to
 Complain to
 Confess to
 Confess to
 Contribute to
 Devote to
 Explain to
 Happen to
 Introduce to
 Invite to
17

 Listen to
 Look forward to
 Matter to
 Object to
 Pray to
 Prefer to
 React to
 Refer to
 Resort to
 Respond to
 See to
 Speak to
 Subject to
 Subscribe to
 Talk to
 Travel to
Combinations with To with Example Sentences
Add to

 Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.

Admit to

 He admitted to being late three times.

Answer to

 I answer to Ms Smith.

Apologize to

 She had to apologized to the whole family.

Appeal to
18

 Let me appeal to you for your help in this matter.

Apply oneself to

 I think you should apply yourself to getting a degree.

Ask to

 She asked to see Professor Fenton.

Attend to

 Chris attended to doing the grocery shopping.

Attribute to

 Professor Samson attributes this painting to Leonardo.

Be resigned to

 I’m resigned to not having any success in that field.

Belong to

 The uniform looks like it belonged to a museum collection.

Commit to

 She committed herself to finding a new job.

Complain to

 I’m going to complain to the manager about this.

Confess to

 The boy confessed to stealing the apple.

Confess to

 There is no need for you to consent to anything.

Contribute to
19

 Please contribute to the fund for the needy.

Devote to

 I’m going to devote myself to playing the piano after I retire.

Explain to

 Can you explain Andrew to me?

Happen to

 Something awful happened to your car.

Introduce to

 Allow me to introduce myself to you.

Invite to

 Have you been invited to their party?

Listen to

 She listens to the radio in the car.

Look forward to

 I am looking forward to hear from you soon.

Matter to

 Other people’s opinions don’t matter to me.

Object to

 I object to your opinion.

Pray to

 She prayed to God for an end to her sufferings.

Prefer to
20

 I prefer roast potatoes to French fries.

React to

 He reacted poorly to the news.

Refer to

 I referred Ken to Doctor Jones.

Resort to

 Please don’t resort to violence.

Respond to

 When are you going to respond to my letter?

See to

 I’ll see to those chores.

Speak to

 The President refused to speak to the waiting journalists.

Subject to

 She subjected her daughter to swimming lessons.

Subscribe to

 We subscribe to several sports channels.

Talk to

 Who were you talking to just now?

Travel to

 I travel to work by train.

 21

Adjective + About: 27 Useful

Adjective Collocations with FOR
 Isabella  No Comments

3k
SHARES

Adjective + For Collocation Examples! Learn common adjective collocations

with for with ESL picture and example sentences to improve your English
fluency.
Big list of 100+ useful adjective preposition collocations in English.
Table of Contents
 Adjective + For Collocation Examples
o List of Adjective Collocations with FOR
o Adjective + For Collocations with Examples
 Useful Adjective Collocations with FOR | Image
 Adjective Collocation Examples
Adjective + For Collocation Examples
List of Adjective Collocations with FOR
 Eligible for
 Eager for
 Late for
 Mean for
 Qualified for
 Thankful for
 Concerned for
 Clever for
 Happy for
 True for
 Good for
 Free for
 Bad for
 Difficult for
 Grateful for
 Hard for
 Known for
 Notorious for
22

 Prepared for
 Ready for
 Renowned for
 Responsible for something
 Serious for
 Suitable for
 Thirsty for
 Famous for
 Sorry for

Adjective + For Collocations with Examples

Eligible for
 Only those over 70 are eligible for the special payment.
Eager for
 She is eager for her parents’ approval.
Late for
 You’ll be late for your flight if you don’t hurry up.
Mean for
 The books with large print are meant for partially sighted readers.
Qualified for
 What makes you think that you are qualified for this job?
Thankful for
 He wasn’t badly hurt—that’s something to be thankful for.
Concerned for
 I’m a bit concerned for your health.
Clever for
 Charlie has a clever idea/plan for getting us out of our present difficulties.
Happy for
 I’m very happy for you.
True for
23

 Alcohol should be consumed in moderation, and this is particularly true

for pregnant women.
Good for
 Have you ever heard that confession is good for the soul?
Free for
 If Sarah is free for lunch I’ll take her out.
Bad for
 He’s had another heart attack; things are looking bad for him, I’m afraid.
Difficult for
 It is difficult for me to hear you.
Grateful for
 She is so grateful for your help.
Hard for
 It is hard for us to understand you.
Known for
 She is known for her dirty tricks.
Notorious for
 The country is notorious for its appalling prison conditions.
Prepared for
 I was not prepared for all the problems it caused.
Ready for
 The army are said to be ready for action.
Renowned for
 She is renowned for her patience.
Responsible for something
 You’ll have to speak to John, he’s responsible for customer complaints.
Serious for
 Be serious for a moment; this is important.
Suitable for
24

 This programme is not suitable for children.

Thirsty for
 Are you thirsty for a soda? I am!
Famous for
 She’s famous for her watercolor paintings.
Sorry for
 I’m sorry for arriving so late to dinner.