Exercise 1 – Match the halves

1. bring traffic …
2. call …
3. dramatic …
4. break into …
5. spark …
6. move with …
7. quell …
8. sweeping …

a. fears    b. changes    c. to a halt    d. song    e. unrest    f. the times    g. increase    h. off the search

Exercise 2 – Categorise the collocations

Place each expression into the correct grammatical category.

• put a stop to
• mounting concern
• talks collapse
• burst into tears
• spate of attacks
• wildly optimistic
• implement reforms
• close off the road

Exercise 3 – Choose the correct word

1. The government may abandon / burst / fluctuate its policy.
2. The singer broke into / entered into / moved with song.
3. We experienced a dramatic / idle / lull increase in profits.
4. The storm set in / broke off / cleared up overnight.
5. The police quelled / sparked / collapsed the unrest.
6. The company implemented / dispelled / halted new measures.
7. The rumours caused mounting / wildly / superficial concern.
8. The talks collapsed / increased / entered after two days.

Exercise 4 – Complete the sentence

1. The heavy snow brought traffic ______ a halt.
2. The actor dispelled rumours ______ divorce.
3. The teacher put a stop ______ cheating.
4. As dawn ______, we continued our walk.
5. The rain set ______ for the weekend.
6. The government called ______ the strike.
7. The athlete broke ______ a run.
8. The country broke diplomatic ______ with its neighbour.

Exercise 5 – Rewrite using the word given

1. The meeting ended at 6 p.m. (CLOSE)
2. The government stopped the protests. (HALT)
3. The school introduced new anti-bullying rules. (INSTIGATED)
4. The rumours were ended by an official statement. (DISPELLED)
5. My life changed completely after university. (TURNED)
6. The road was blocked during repairs. (CLOSED)
7. There was a pause in the discussion. (LULL)
8. The talks ended unsuccessfully. (COLLAPSED)

Exercise 6 – Find the odd one out

1. dramatic increase / sweeping changes / idle concern
2. spark fears / dispel rumours / collapse unrest
3. break into song / break into a run / break into completion
4. call off the match / call off the strike / call off concern
5. mounting concern / growing anxiety / superficial fear
6. bring to a close / bring to a halt / bring to a fluctuation
7. move with the times / adapt to change / fluctuate the rumours
8. put a stop to crime / quell unrest / terminate worries

Exercise 1 – Headline language

Choose the best collocation for each headline.

1. Government ______ fears of recession. (allays / breaks)
2. Violence ______ unrest in the capital. (sparks / closes)
3. Talks ______ after midnight discussions. (collapse / fluctuate)
4. Floods bring transport ______ a halt. (to / into)
5. President ______ diplomatic relations. (breaks / sets)
6. Police ______ rumours about corruption. (dispel / implement)
7. New airport nears ______. (completion / fluctuation)
8. Authorities ______ measures immediately. (instigate / collapse)

Exercise 2 – Gap-fill challenge

1. The company experienced a dramatic ______ in sales.
2. The rain suddenly set ______ during the afternoon.
3. The teacher quickly put a stop ______ the noise.
4. There has been a spate ______ burglaries recently.
5. The athlete burst ______ tears after losing.
6. As dawn ______, the hikers reached the summit.
7. The committee brought the meeting to a ______.
8. The police called ______ the search at midnight.

Exercise 3 – Formal or informal?

Write F for formal and I for informal.

1. terminate a contract
2. put a stop to
3. move with the times
4. implement reforms
5. break into song
6. opening remarks
7. sweeping changes
8. close off the road

Exercise 4 – Sentence transformation

1. The bad weather cancelled the match. (CALLED)
2. The rumours ended after her interview. (DISPELLED)
3. The traffic stopped completely. (HALT)
4. The country ended relations with its neighbour. (BROKE)
5. There was a pause in the argument. (LULL)
6. The government introduced reforms. (INSTIGATED)
7. The singer suddenly started singing. (BROKE)
8. The building is almost finished. (NEARING)

Exercise 5 – Error correction

Correct the collocation mistake.

1. The minister sparked the rumours.
2. The police collapsed the unrest.
3. The road was brought off during repairs.
4. The teacher entered opening remarks.
5. The talks dispelled after two days.
6. The weather broke in during the evening.
7. The child burst into a laugh loudly.
8. The company made sweeping increases.

Exercise 6 – Create your own collocations

Write a natural collocation using the word provided.

1. halt
2. increase
3. song
4. rumours
5. times
6. concern
7. contract
8. discussion

Exercise 1 – Multiple choice

1. The chairperson made some opening ______. (remarks / rumours / halts)
2. The storm brought flights to a ______. (completion / halt / concern)
3. The actor tried to ______ rumours about his marriage. (spark / dispel / collapse)
4. The rain ______ in for the weekend. (set / broke / entered)
5. The police ______ off the area. (closed / sparked / increased)
6. The athlete broke into a ______. (halt / run / concern)
7. The minister tried to allay public ______. (changes / fears / remarks)
8. The talks finally ______ yesterday evening. (collapsed / fluctuated / entered)

Exercise 2 – Collocation grid

Match a word from Box A with Box B.

Exercise 3 – Short answers

1. What does “allay fears” mean?
2. What is a “lull in conversation”?
3. Why do headlines use short collocations?
4. What is the difference between “spark fears” and “dispel rumours”?
5. Give one example of a noun + noun collocation.
6. Give one example of a verb + noun collocation.
7. Why are collocations important for fluency?
8. What does “move with the times” suggest?

Exercise 4 – Complete the collocation

1. ______ fears
2. ______ rumours
3. ______ into song
4. ______ a contract
5. ______ changes
6. ______ to a halt
7. ______ the discussion
8. ______ with the times

Exercise 5 – True or false

1. “Terminate a contract” is formal English.
2. “Break into song” means stop singing.
3. “Quell unrest” means increase violence.
4. “Sweeping changes” means small changes.
5. “Bring to a close” means end something.
6. “Move with the times” suggests flexibility.
7. “Call off” can mean cancel.
8. “Dramatic increase” describes a large rise.

Exercise 6 – Writing task

Write short sentences using these collocations.

1. opening remarks
2. dramatic increase
3. put a stop to
4. burst into song
5. dispel rumours
6. sweeping changes
7. spark fears
8. bring to a close